136 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



case, in his charge to the jury, stated his opinion that 

 such a story was simply incredible, and directed them 

 to return a verdict of "Not Guilty," which they most 

 gladly did. 



A few days after the acquittal of Anne the local hair- 

 dresser in Mullingar came to my house to cut my hair, 

 and the conversation naturally turned on the exciting trial 

 that had just taken place. I could scarcely believe my 

 ears when he began, " An' wasn't it a shame that Anne 

 Croghan should have got off; shure if she had been tried 

 at Mullingar, there wasn't a man that wouldn't have found 

 her guilty." Such unaccustomed language astounded me, 

 so that I could scarcely ask, " Why, how was that ? for I 

 thought they would never have found her guilty here." 

 " Och, indeed an' they would," he replied ; " shure it was a 

 cruel murder ! and didn't Anne apply for compensation 

 FOR THE LOSS OF HER SISTER ! " The reason was out then, 

 with a vengeance, for the sudden change of public opinion. 

 Anne had actually applied for " compensation," which 

 would have to be levied on the district by County Cess ; 

 and the authorities might safely have allowed the trial to 

 take place at Mullingar, if only they had understood the 

 working of the mind of the Irish peasant. 



Only one case of murder for the sake of robbery ever 

 came to my knowledge in Ireland, for this is not a form of 

 crime which is common there. In this case a Lieutenant 

 Clutterbuck was quartered at Birr, in King's County, and 

 had engaged a " sportsman " — i.e. a general loafer and, 

 maybe, poacher — to accompany him out shooting one day. 

 Before starting, Mr. Clutterbuck went to the bank to cash 

 a cheque, and King observed him putting a five-pound note 

 into his breast pocket. They then went to shoot snipe, and 



