ain
Despard. Under the imposing head of the 'Mullingar Tragedy,' the
reporter of the _Dublin Freeman_ furnishes that journal with a long and
highly-coloured account of the interment of Bryan Seery. The melancholy
spectacle took place on Sunday, in the presence of vast multitudes of
the country people, whose numbers were estimated by the writer to amount
to fifty thousand or sixty thousand souls."

On other occasions the populace attended the execution of criminals in
large numbers, and exhibited their sympathy by demonstrations of respect
and of regret for their fate, speaking of them as "the blessed martyrs"
for their religion, or their country, or both. An execution took place
at Nenagh, in the county of Tipperary, early in June, which was thus
noticed in a paper, neither unfavourable to the rights of the people,
nor the exercise of the utmost clemency on the part of the government
towards the misguided:--"Three men were executed at Nenagh on Friday
(last week), pursuant to their sentences; two--namely, Patrick Hayes and
Patrick Rice--for conspiring to murder the late Mr. Patrick Clarke; and
one, named William Fogarty--for shooting at Mr. M'Donald, a steward in
the slate quarries. An immense multitude collected to witness the scene.
The three men were accompanied to the drop by Roman Catholic clergymen.
They died after a brief struggle, having made no public confession of
their crimes. A large police force of one hundred and fifty men, and a
company of the 72nd depot, comprised the guard in attendance. All was
quiet and peaceable, says a local paper, and nothing heard but the
moanings of the friends of the culprits. After the usual time of
hanging, the bodies were lowered into coffins, and given to the
relations. The long respite obtained by these men whilst various points
of law were urged in their favour, gave much additional interest to
their cases."

Executions did not, however, extinguish the prevalence of crime, nor
were the precautions of the executive sufficient to wrest the weapon
from the murderous hand. A Galway paper, in "the liberal interest,"
recorded a murder near the junction of that county with the county of
Clare, immediately after the execution at Nenagh, and various others of
a similar character throughout the country. This atrocity was very much
in character with those which disgraced the whole south and west of
Ireland, and which, to a less extent, took place in the north and
north-eastern port