that he was fure he never fired without killing or wounding a foldier.

MASSACRE AT SCULLABOGUE.

I contemplate with horror, and relate with reluctance, an occurrence which took place on the day of the battle of Rofs, which will remain a lafling difgrace to human nature, and an indelible ftain on the county of Wexford. During the encampment of the rebels on Carrickbyrne-hill, a party of them were pofted at Scullabogue, † within half a mile of the camp, where a barn was converted into a prifon for the confinement of proteftant prifoners. Bands of affaflins were fent round the adjacent country in queft of proteftants, whom they meant to extirpate, when they accomplished their final purpofe of overturning the government. For the manner in which this barbarous bufinefs was conducted, and the circumftances of cruelty and atrocity which accompanied it, fee Appendix, No. XX. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

On the eve of the thirtieth of May, captain King, the proprietor of Scullabogue, was advifed to abandon his houfe, and to carry off what valuable effects he could, as a camp was to be formed the day after on Carrickbyrne-hill, which is within half a mile of Scullabogue.

Next day he made his escape, and the rebels took poffeffion of his houfe. It appears, on the evidence of different perfons, that one hundred and eightyfour proteftants were burned in the barn of Scullabogue, and that thirty-feven were fhot in the front of it.

The following circumftance appeared by the evidence of Richard Silvefter, a witnefs on the trial of Phelim Fardy, one of the wretches concerned in that horrid affair: That when the rebels encamped on Carrickbyrne-hill marched towards Rofs, on the fourth of June, the proteftant prifoners were left at Scullabogue,

bogue, under a guard of three hundred rebels, commanded by John Murphy of Loughnageer, a rebel captain, Nicholas Sweetman and Walter Devereux, who both held the fame rank: That when the rebel army began to give way at Rofs, an exprefs was fent to Murphy, to put the proteftant prisoners to death, as the king's troops were gaining the day; but Murphy refused to comply without a direct order from the general: That he foon after received another meflage to the fame purpose, with this addition, that the prifoners, if released, would become very furious and vindictive: That shortly after a third express arrived, faying, the priest gave orders that the prisoners fhould be put to death: That the rebels, on hearing the fanction of the priest, became outrageous, and began to pull off their clothes, the better to perform the bloody deed: That when they were leading the prifoners out from the dwelling-houfe to fhoot them, he turned away from fuch a fcene of horror; on which a rebel ftruck him with a pike upon the back, and faid, he would let his guts out if he did not follow him That he then attended the rebels to the barn, in which there was a great number of men, women, and children; and that the rebels were endeavouring to fet fire to it, while the poor prifoners, fhrieking and crying out for mercy, crowded to the back-door of the barn, which they forced open for the purpose of admitting air: That for fome time they continued to put the door between them and the rebels, who were piking or fhooting them: That in attempting to do fo, their hands or fingers were cut off: That the rebels continued to force into the barn bundels of ftraw to encrease the fire. At laft, the prifoners having been overcome by the flame and fmoke, their moans and cries gradually died away in the filence of death.

It was proved on the trial of John Keefe, convicted by a court-martial on the fourteenth of April, 1800, on the evidence of Robert Mills, that, after the bloody work began, he faw the prifoner with a pike,

the

the point of which was broken, and the top of the fhaft or handle was bloody; that he carried it to an adjoining forge, whetted it on a fharpening-ftone, and then proceeded to the front of the dwelling-house where they were fhooting the prifoners. Among the perfons moft confpicuous, we find the names of Fardy, Sinnott, Michell or Mifcally, who trampled on the dead and wounded bodies, and behaved atherwife in fuch a ferocious manner, as to obtain from the rebels the appellation of the true-born Romans.

William Ryan a farmer, about three miles from Scullabogue, had a daughter who was kept by a protestant gentleman at Duncannon. The rebel guards at Scullabogue, thinking that they might extract from her fome important information relative to the plans of the loyalifts, as her paramour was of that de-. fcription, and dreading that fhe and her friends, who were Roman catholicks, might betray fome of the rebel fecrets to her keeper, fent a body of pikemen in queft of her; but not being able to find her, they were of opinion that her fifter Eleanor, who lived at Mr. Roffiter's, would anfwer equally well. They therefore led her to the barn, and her father having fhortly after gone there to folicit her liberation, they committed him and his poor old wife, who went there alfo, in hopes of being able to move their compaffion; but she shared their fate, having been thruft into the barn, where they were all burnt.

No less than twenty-four proteftants were taken from the village of Tintern, about eight miles diftant, many of them old and feeble, and were led in one drove to the barn, where they perished.

Thomas Shee and Patrick Prendergaft were burnt in the barn, both Romanists, because they would not confent to the maffacre of their proteftani mafters.

William Johnfon, a very old man, though of the fame perfuafion, fhared a fimilar fate. He gained a livelihood by playing on the bagpipes, and was fo

* Appendix, No. XX. 4.

unfortunate

unfortunate as to incur the vengeance of the rebels, by playing the tune of, Croppies, lie down!'

William Neil, another Romanift, who fuffered there, was by trade a tailor, and had worked for fome time in the garrifon of Duncannon. Having occafion to return to Camolin, of which he was a native, he procured the pafs of general Fawcett for his protection, but it turned out to be the means of his deftruction; for having been intercepted by the rebels, who confidered the pafs as an emblem of loyalty, they committed him to the barn, with his ion Daniel, who happened to accompany him, and they both perifhed in the flames. †

Some perfons have contended that the perfecutions in the county of Wexford were not exclufively levelled against proteftants, because a few Romanifts were put to death in the barn and at Wexford; but the fanguinary fpirit against them was fo uniform at Vinegar-hill, on the bridge of Wexford, and Scullabogue, and indeed in every part of the county, as to remove any doubt on that head.

The witnefs, during this dreadful scene, faw a child who got under the door, and was likely to escape, but much hurt and bruifed; when a rebel perceiving it, darted his pike through it, and threw it into the flames. While the rebels were fhooting the prifoners in front of the dwelling-house, a party of men and women were engaged in ftripping and rifling the dead bodies; and the prifoner, Phelim Fardy, called out to them to avoid the line of his fire, (as he was bufily employed in fhooting the prifoners,) and in faying fo, he fired at a man who was on his knees, and who inftantly fell and expired.

The barn was thirty-four feet long, and fifteen wide, and the walls were but twelve feet high. Suffocation then must have foon taken place, as fo great a number of people were compreffed in fo fmall a space;

They burned the wives and fome of the children of the Nort Cork militia in the barn, who were Roman catholicks; but it was fufficient to provoke their vengeance, that they were conne&te with the foldiers of an heretical king.

fpace; and, befides the burning of the thatched roof of the barn, the rebels threw into it, on their pikes, a great number of faggots on fire.

Richard Grandy, who was prefent, fwears, that the prifoners in front of the house were led out by fours to be fhot; and that the rebels who pierced them when they fell, took pleasure in licking their fpears.*

A gentleman prefent, who had a narrow escape, affured me, that a rebel faid he would try the tafte of Orange blood; and that he dipped a tooth-pick in a wound of one of the proteftants who was fhot, and then put it into his mouth.

Whenever a body fell on being fhot, the rebel guards fhouted, and pierced it with their pikes.

Samuel and John Jones, two brothers, were put to death in front of captain King's houfe in the following manner: When they were on their knees, the wife of one of them ftood between them, took each of them by the hand, and clofed her eyes; and when they fell, in confequence of being fhot, fhe implored the rebels, as an act of mercy, to put her to death, but they refused to do fo. She then got a car, and put on it the two bodies which the rebels had ftripped quite naked. She covered them with her cloke and petticoat; but when the had led the car to fome diftance, fhe was ftopped by a party of rebel women, who led it back, and compelled her to return with them. They urged the rebels to put her to death, and the appeared to rejoice at the idea of refigning that life which they had embittered by murdering her husband. They feemed well difpofed to kill her, and would have done fo, but that John. Murphy, their captain, prevented them, having faid, that fuch a horrid deed would kindle a blush on the cheeks of the Virgin Mary.

The Jones's, who lived at Abbey Brainey, were in good circumftances. Murphy took out of one of VOL. I.

M m

See his affidavit in Appendix, No. XX. 7

their