Ballyshannon Court Notes, Co Donegal
Extracts from the Strabane Morning Post
These extracts were compiled by Lindel and form part of the Donegal Genealogy Resources Website
You may link to this page but not copy it
December 27 1814
SHOCKING MURDER
Under deep felt and contending emotions of horror, indignation and distress, we have this day to record the murder of Mr. Corry Horst, a respectable Revenue Officer, who was treacherously shot, in the streets of Ballyshannon, about 11 o'clock on the night of Thursday last. He was returning from Mr. Donogher's Inn to his own lodging near the bridge, in company with a Mr. Green, when, passing the Market-house, where, it would seem the deliberate assassins lay in wait, a man approached, and after hesitating a little, as if to discriminate and ascertain his object, discharged a pistol at Mr. H. suspecting, as it is conjectured, that their sanguinary purpose was unaccomplished, Mr. H. not having fallen, another immediately advanced, levelled closer, and fired a second shot, which passing thro' his body, he fell on his face, exclaiming he was killed and almost instantly expired. Favoured by the darkness of night, the lateness of the hour, and by the confusion inseparable from such a fatal affair, the villains effected their escape for the present, dropping, in their alarm and hurry, one of the pistols, a ramrod and shoe newly soled, which were afterwards found on the road by which they fled. For the commission of this cold blooded and preconcerted assassination, than which the long and frightful calander [sic] of human guilt records not one deed stained with a blacker character of crime, no possible motive, as we are informed, can be assigned, but that the deceased was an officer active, honest and incorruptible in the discharge of his duty.
Upon such erroneous pretence, or from some resentment not unfrequently incurred by the most indulgent performance of official obligation, could these implacable wretches conceive and perpetrate a deed, which stabs at the very vitals of civil security---against which, not only the vengeance of eternal justice is peculiarly denounced, and the thunder of the laws unsparingly hurled---but to punish which, society itself in one instinctive and common energy is up in arms. It is impossible therefore the atrocious perpetrators can long escape undetected. We emphatically say, it is impossible ; for the prayers of outraged humanity, the cries of innocent blood untimely spilt, will be heard, and retribution visited upon the guilty monsters.
The Magistrates and inhabitants of Ballyshannon and that neighbourhood have taken up the business with the spirit and promptitude due to public tranquillity, to the character of the deceased, and to themselves. A subsription reward for the discovery of the villains, was at once set on foot, and was met here with a liberal and zealous co-operation on the part of the Gentlemen of this County, of which Mr. Hurts was a native. The publication of this reward, is, as we conceive injudiciously, deferred, for the purpose of obtaining further signatures. The effect which the measure is so well calculated to produce, must be rendered less than certain by delay, as every moment thus lost is so much time afforded the ruffians to put themselves beyond the reach of detection. Such exertions, nonetheless, aided by whatever further means the Excise Board must feel it their duty to adopt, will, we trust, enable us in a short time to announce the discovery of the savage and remorseless assassins.---The morning after the murder an inquest was held on the body---Verdict, Wilful Murder against some person or persons unknown.---Erne Packet.(Source : Ireland Old News)
© Donegal Genealogy Resources
