Defence of William Bourke Kirwan, condemned for the alleged murder of his wife, and now a convict in Spike-Island / to which, amongst other documents, is appended the opinion of Alfred S. Taylor, that 'no murder was committed'.

  • Boswell, James Knight.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Defence of William Bourke Kirwan, condemned for the alleged murder of his wife, and now a convict in Spike-Island / to which, amongst other documents, is appended the opinion of Alfred S. Taylor, that 'no murder was committed'. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    that the ear-ring was pulled out of Mrs. Kirwan's ear, for the ear- ring, before the coffin was screwed down, was taken out of the ear of deceased at the request of Mrs. Crowe, her mother, who was present, and given to her. The other ear-ring was found by Dr. Hatchell in the ear one month afterwards, at the post mortem examination. The Long Hole. In reference to the Long Hole, and the ledge of rocks which goes nearly half way across, and where the body was found; the first time Mr. and Mrs. Kirwan went to Ireland's Eye, Mrs. Kirwan asked the men to go round the island, which they did, and landed in the Long Hole ; and it may be reasonably presumed that Kirwan knew of the rocks, because the boat was steered so as to avoid them. Kirwan knowing that rocks were there, is it likely he would have carried the body into a place where it must have been stopped ? One would almost incline to the opinion, that the jury lost sight of the fact that Mrs. Kirwan had on her bathing boots. Did Kirwan put them on and lace them? Mrs. Kirwaris Clothes. If Kirwan first murdered Mrs. Kirwan, and then carried the body as described by the juryman, what an admirable arrangement he made of the clothes — just as she stepped out of them, to use Pat Nangle's phrase; and with what exquisite care and nicety he arranged all the smaller articles of her dress in the basket! No lady's maid could have done it better, the shawl pin carefully put by, the garters lying together, and one stocking drawn within another. But though this foresight and cunning were great, they were nothing in comparison to the activity he displayed; l'or all the acts of the tragedy must have been commenced and concluded in less than twenty minutes. And with what remarkable coolness too ! for having walked across the island through the wet fern, he was actually waiting for the boatmen at about a quarter before 8 o'clock, half a mile from the scene of the alleged murder, and not a spot of blood on his hand or face, not a scratcli on his person, his very shirt collar unruffled, no mark of violence on the deceased.' No Marks of Strangulation. That Kirwan could not have strangled his wife is evident from the fact that Dr. Hatchell found nothing to warrant the assumption from any appearance of the trachea and vetebra? of the neck, and the supposition of her having been stifled with a wet sheet pressed on the mouth is inconsistent with her cries ; for it is impossible that any one could cry out with a sheet pressed on the mouth, either wet or dry; and it may be asked, How came a wet sheet on dry land, and where were Mrs. Kirwan's hands, nails, or teeth, that she died so easily—she who was a strong, healthy, young woman ? This is really absurd. Again, we find the following:—Kirwan was a bad