The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 42, April 17, 1841Various
History
The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 42, April 17, 1841
Various
Ireland -- Periodicals
Shortly after the discovery of the suicide, we among others visited the
cell to see the body, when, in a conversation with the acute and highly
intelligent physician to the prison, he observed what iron nerves the
murderer must have possessed to effect such a suicide, as from his own
height, and the lowness of the latch, he must, in order to complete the
strangulation, have persevered for several minutes in keeping his neck
strained, during any one of which, up to the last few, he might have
readily recovered himself. The body was still stretched on the flags, and
exhibited the appearance of a very powerful frame; and when we considered
the desperate and utterly fearless mind that had actuated it, it struck
us, and others who spoke on the same subject, with more surprise than
ever, that M’Gennis should not have been implicated in outrage and
bloodshed long before. Such, however, it would appear, was not the case.
On being examined at the inquest, the other occupant of that fearful
cell denied all knowledge of his brother convict’s intention to commit
suicide, or of his having committed it, until morning, stating that
he had slept soundly, and heard no noise whatever during the night--a
circumstance which seems rather curious, as the cell was but of small
dimensions, and M’Gennis must have certainly made some noise, from the
manner in which he had perpetrated the horrid deed. On the other hand, it
is well known that persons, no matter how restless or uneasy they may
have been previously, almost invariably sleep soundly on the night before
execution. All doubts and uncertainty are then over: the mental struggle
has ceased.
Rumours, indeed, were afloat that Cuffe had witnessed the commission
of the suicide, and that M’Gennis had urged him to do the like also,
in order not to give their enemies and the crowd the gratification of
witnessing their execution. But how could this circumstance be known,
as Cuffe himself did not admit it? Another rumour was, that M’Gennis’s
mother, at parting with him, had instigated him to the terrible act; and
this we would be more inclined to give credit to, from what we have heard
of her character, as well as from our own observation of her demeanour
throughout the trial.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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