John Conway

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Maureen Withey on 5th January 2025

LONDON POLICE. Mansion-House. —Monday, a young man named John Conway, of great muscular power, was brought up, charged upon suspicion having been concerned in one of those horrible murders which have disgraced Ireland. The prisoner was apprehended consequence of the offer of reward for the apprehension the perpetrators. Nelly Walsh stated that she was related to Mrs. Walsh, who  kept public-house called the Bear, in the lanes, between Cork and Mallow. On Boxing day, the 26th of December last year, she was at her (Mrs. Walsh’s) house, and the windows were suddenly broken. Some time  time afterwards Wm. Walsh, the nephew of the landlady, came and knocked at the door. It was then between 7 and 8 o’clock  and he asked who broke the windows, but nobody told him who had done the mischief. Wm. Walsh had been at Cork at an election, and had returned at the moment. As he could get no information as to the breakers of the windows, he said his aunt, “Let me have a mare, and I’ll for the Peelers.”  The mare was got ready, and he mounted to go for the Peelers. A short time afterwards he was found at a short distance the public-house, with his brains dashed out, one of his ears hanging down down his neck, and a spit thrust through his throat. The murderers got away, but they were known and described, and the authorities had been engaged in the search after them. An inquest had been  held upon the body of the murdered man, and a verdict had been returned criminating John Conway and three others.  The reward offered was £20. Witness lodged at the house of a woman who was married a man named Scafe and resided at No. 07, Half-moon-street, Bishops-gate. She was sure that the prisoner was one of the men included in the number against whom the coroner’s verdict was found. Mrs. Scafe stated that she was the aunt of the deceased.   The last witness had told her of the murder, and that John Conway was one of the murderers, at least that he was suspected of the barbarous murder of young Walsh. It was known that he came off to England to escape. A man called upon her to request  that she would meet and communicate with Conway. asked why Conwav did not call  her himself, and the man said because he had had an affray with a relative of her’s. .... Waterford Mail, 18 May 1833. At length the Lord Mayor received a letter from Mr. Miller, Inspector-General of the Constabulary of Munster, enclosing the Coroner’s warrant for the apprehension of John Conway and Denis M‘Carthy, for the murder of Wm, Walsh, and requesting that his Lordship would detain in custody the person called John Conway until a messenger should sent to England to convey him   Cork by order of the authorities. His Lordship said that he had already acted illegally in detaining the prisoner in custody so long upon mere suspicion, bur he found that, in exceeding his duty, he had done  no mischief. Mr. Hobler observed that it was common belief amongst the labouring Irish that if they once got to London, after the commission of any barbarities in Ireland, they were out of all danger - This case, which had made good deal of noise amongst the Irish, would produce a great change of opinion on the subject. The prisoner was, of course, ordered to be detained.  Southern Reporter, 8 June 1833.

343

Maureen Withey on 5th January 2025

Irish Convict Database, by Peter Mayberry. John Conway, age on arrival, 30, per Blenheim I (1) 1834. Tried 1833, at Cork, Life, for Manslaughter. DOB, 1804, native place, Cork Co. single. Catholic. Trade, Servant farm.