e intricacies of an Irish lawsuit farther
than to note that, owing to some deficiency in their pleas, the
trespassers underwent a nonsuit, or some analogous doom, and went
gloomily away without having even the satisfaction of a fair fight in
court. At the instance of Mr. Hunter, execution for damages and costs
was issued against the most solvent of the trespassers, one John
O'Neill, of Knockmanus--his next-door neighbour, so to speak. On
Friday the execution was put in, and, on its being found impossible to
find anybody to act as bailiff, Mr. Hunter himself asked the
sub-sheriff to put in his name, and he would see himself that the
crops were not removed. This was done, and on the following Sunday Mr.
Hunter went with his family to attend Divine service at Newport.
Leaving Newport in the evening, he had gone not half-way to Tiernaur
when his horse's shoe came off. This circumstance, ominous enough in
the disturbed districts of Ireland, was not heeded by Mr. Hunter, who
put back to Newport and had his horse shod. As he set out for the
second time, the evening was closing in, and as he reached the road
turning off from the main track towards his own dwelling he was shot
from the opposite angle. The assassin must have been a good marksman,
for there were four persons in the dog-cart--Mr. Hunter, his wife, his
son, and a servant lad. The doomed man was picked out and shot dead.
It is obviously unnecessary to add that the assassin escaped, and has
not been discovered unto this day.

Immediately on the commission of the crime the widow of the murdered
man was afforded "protection," as it is called, in the manner usual
during Irish disturbances--that is, four men and a sergeant of the
constabulary were stationed at her house. In course of time, however,
Mrs. Hunter felt comparatively safe, and the constables removed to a
hut about two miles on the Newport road, opposite to some very good
grouse-shooting. There the five men dwell in their little iron-clad
house, pierced with loopholes in case of attack--a very improbable
event. At the moment of writing, four constables are also stationed at
Mr. Stoney's residence, Rossturk Castle, although it is not quite
certain what the owner has done to provoke the anger of the people.
This being the situation, a very short time since Mrs. Hunter elected
to give up the farm and leave this part of the country. The property
is therefore on the hands of the landlord, and is "to let." How bright