Patrick Minahan

Level 347

Maureen Withey on 22nd June 2025

SUPREME COURT-CRIMINAL SITTINGS. Friday, 4th June. Patrick Minnighan, who was arraigned for the murder of James Travis, at Port Arthur, on the 27th of April last, was placed at the bar to take his trial for that crime. The circumstances of this case, as borne out by the evidence, are as follows : A gang of fifteen men, the very worst characters on the settlement, are chained to an iron cable, and employed during the day in breaking stones in a long and narrow yard, not far from the penitentiary ; in this gang worked also the deceased Travis and the prisoner Minnighan. Some of the most desperate of these men had formed a plan to escape, and for this purpose one of them had obtained a file, with which to cut their irons. This was discovered and the plot frustrated, when a suspicion of having made known the circumstance fell upon the deceased, a mere lad. On the morning of the day when the lad was struck the prisoner had used several threats against him, saying that he had got something for him, which he might consider as certain; he asked the lad also how long he had to serve, and on being answered above two years, the prisoner said he would be in Little Island long before that, meaning in the place where the prisoners who die are buried ; it was shown also that several quarrels had taken place between the prisoner and the deceased. On the day mentioned in the indictment, as the men, after being unlocked from the chain, were drawing towards the gate-way of the yard on their return to the penitentiary, the prisoner was seen to go towards Travis with a stone-hammer in his hand, with which he knocked him down. An overseer named Simcock immediately ran towards him and said, " Paddy, you should not have done that." He replied, " there lies one b---y dog, stiff enough." On being asked how he came to do this, he said he was tired of his life, and that the deceased deserved it, as he had deprived him, or men, (and witness did not know which) of liberty. Witness said he was sorry that the prisoner should barter his existence in such a fray; the lad was lying senseless on the floor, and bleeding profusely from wounds on the head ; the prisoner was taken into custody, and the lad Travis removed into the hospital. A prisoner named Ben Stevens, who was very heavily ironed, corroborated the evidence of Simcock, and farther stated that he interfered to prevent more mischief, at some peril to himself. His Honor the Chief Justice informed this witness, that if what he had stated was true, he should recommend him to the consideration of the Lieutenant-Governor, as no man, situated as he was, could have conducted himself better. Dr Brownell, the Surgeon of the settlement, deposed to the nature of the wounds, and to their fatal termination. There were two separate wounds, one over the right eye, the other over the right ear, both penetrating to the bone, which was fractured ; the eye was totally destroyed by subsequent inflammation, caused by the blow, while a large abscess had occurred in that portion of the brain, which corresponded with the wound over the ear, a splinter of the bone having pierced the brain ; it was this which caused the death of Travis, who died on the 20th of May. (A stone hammer was here produced, with which Dr Brownell stated such wounds as those inflicted on Travis might have been produced.) Captain Booth, the Commandant, testified to the deposition of a statement made on oath by the deceased, four days after his admission into the hospital, and in presence of the prisoner, who made no objection or remark respecting it. It was in substance to the effect as already stated, that the prisoner had used certain threats to the deceased, and that on the day mentioned he had repeated them, and struck the deponent with a hammer ; the prisoner knew nothing farther till he found himself wounded in the hospital. The prisoner, who exhibited the utmost recklessness of conduct throughout the whole trial, objected to the evidence of Simcock and Stevens, and particularly of the latter, who, he stated, had been charged with murder, and would swear-any man's life away ; such characters would not be allowed to give evidence in England. He called, on his defence, the following witnesses, who all belonged to the chained gang at Port Arthur, and who exhibited most unfavourable, not to say repulsive, specimens of humanity :-James County, William White, George Britton, and James Smith. The object sought to be obtained by the prisoner in the examination of these witnesses was, that he could not have uttered any threats to the boy Travis without being heard by them ; he endeavoured to show also that he was not near the deceased when he was knocked down. The evidence was contradictory, and had no effect upon the Court or jury. The prisoner was found Guilty, and remanded for sentence. The Courier, 11 Jun 1841. EXECUTION. The following is the confession of Patrick Minahen, (who was executed on Friday morning last, for the murder of the Lad Travers, at Port Arthur) and read from the scaffold by the Rev. J. J. Therry R. C. V. G. In the name of our Lord, Amen. I Patrick Minahen, wishing to make as much atonement as may now lie in my power for my transgression of the laws of God and man, confess with most heartfelt sorrow in presence of heaven and earth that I have committed the dreadful crime of murder for which I have been tried and found guilty. I acknowledge that my trial has been fair, just and impartial, and my sentence justly merited. I am also sincerely sorry for having at my trial denied my guilt and spoken disrespectfully to his honor the Judge and the officers of the Court, but I am much more afflicted by the recollection that I have offended the Great Judge of the living and the dead, whose dread tribunal I am now about to appear. Having however I trust a well founded confidence in the mercy of my God, through the merits of my Redeemer who died for all sinners, that repentance even at the eleventh hour is not vain, I feel much more desirous to die than to live, in the hope thnt this shameful death may contribute to expiate my offences. Had during exile in this Colony the opportunity I have enjoyed since my conviction of being instructed concerning the duties I owe to my Creator and Society I do believe that I should never have thought of depriving any human being of that life which God alone can give and no earthly power restore. I am nearly three years in the Colony and during the whole of that lime I had but one opportunity of attending a catholic place of worship, I was frequently compelled to attend at protestant service, but this compulsion, which I thought unfair, increased my prejudice against it. Through want of instruction from those in whom I could place confidence, I lost like most men in my situation, the fear of God, and was on that account deterred from the commission of any crime only by the fear of detection which is seldom certain, regardless of futurity and putting little value on my own life, whilst suffering what I considered extreme punishment I valued still less the life of another and required little or no provocation to deprive him of it. I do not know that the man I murdered ever did me an injury, but he was suspected of being an informer. Anxious to direct all the powers of my mind, for the moments that intervene between this and eternity earnestly to solicit pardon from my most merciful God, I shall only say to my surviving brothers in misfortune and crime that the evils of which some of them justly and unreasonably complain cannot be remedied by absconding and as I know by experience, that it must be followed by a great increase of crime and misery and that it generally terminates by a sudden, violent and ignominious death. This Declaration has been made in our presence. (signed) Thomas Ca. Governor of the gaol. George Blake, H. M. Gaol, Hobart Town. June 18, 1841. Hobart Town Advertiser, 22 Jun 1841.

Level 347

Maureen Withey on 22nd June 2025

Conduct Record: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON31-1-32/CON31-1-32P68 No 1726. Patrick Minahan, arrived per Gaillardon, Dec 1838. Tried Moulmein Ct Ml., 2 Jan 1838, 7 years. Executed for murder, 18 June 1841. See record for full details.

Level 347

Maureen Withey on 22nd June 2025

Tasmanian Record. Indent : https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON16-1-1/CON16-1-1P86 and https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/CON16-1-1/CON16-1-1P87 No 1726. Patrick Minahan, 62,(regt) 3 years. Age not given. Labourer, reap & thrash. Tried at Moulmein Ct Martial, 2 Jan 1838. 7 years. Native place, Youghall, Waterford. Single, Catholic, can read only. Offence: Transported for stabbing a sergeant with his bayonet, never pun. before. Remarks: Father Jno in native place, one brother, one sister at native place.