ken into the "protection," as it is called, of
a certain banker of Limerick, who shot himself in that city, to my own
knowledge, in 1815. * * *

The scene at the residence of the Bolands, on the morning after the
attack, was truly horrifying. The remains of the four men, almost
burned to cinders, were dug out of the still burning ruins, nor was the
spectacle in the yard and on the neighboring road less frightful; from
the multitude of dead bodies with which they were strewn; for most of
their stranger assailants who were killed were left on the spot--the
party not choosing to be seen carrying them off by daylight. But such
of the people of the neighboring parishes as fell, were carried off by
friends and acquaintances, and hid during that day, but buried at night
at remote distances from their houses, in the newly-ploughed and in the
wheat-sown fields. The inquest, &c, being over, the government and the
gentry of the county offered a large reward for any information that
would lead to the apprehension or knowledge of the actors, especially
the commander, in this fearful tragedy. A strong military force was
stationed in the neighborhood, and all the bad and suspicious characters
of the district were taken up, and committed to gaol on suspicion.
However, the original concocters of the murder made their escape, either
to England or to the remote parts of Clare, Kerry, and Cork; whilst
terror reigned throughout the whole County of Limerick among the farmers
at seeing the numbers that were arrested, and the largeness of the
reward.

One morning, as a well-known active magistrate of the county was sitting
at his breakfast, a strange woman came to his door, and requested to
see him on business of importance. He immediately called up two of his
servant men, and ordered them to go to the door and see that the woman
was really a woman, and that she had no arms about her. This was
soon done, and the woman, a real one, was ushered into his worship's
presence. She then told him--the room being first cleared of all other
people--that, she was the wife of D---- A------, the brogue-maker of
F----, that her husband was an honest, industrious man, who knew his own
trade and business well, and who knew a great deal about the business of
other people, too, and of what was going on in the country--that he was
a man of upright and Christian principles, who would always feel it a
conscientious duty to aid the laws of his country to preserve