William Sheehan

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Maureen Withey on 25th May 2021

Criminal Court, Monday. Wm. Sheehan stood charged with stealing from the dwelling-house of Thomas Doyle, various articles belonging to him and others. MARY DOYLE, wife of prosecutor, deposed, that she rents a house in Sussex-street, Sydney. One Saturday evening last month she had occasion, as women will often have, to leave home for a few minutes, taking care, though in primis, to secure the doors and windows quite effectually, as she thought. On returning she saw a man standing inside the gate on her premises, whom witness laid hold of undauntedly, and bellowed out for assistance, but the man struggles and finally bolted out of her grip. Mrs. Doyle then run towards her front room window, and there observed the legs of a man, whom she at once knew to be Sheehan, the prisoner, dangling out of the window. He seemed desirous of gaining the street, but she pushed him back lustily, and bawling to the neighbours to keep strict watch and ward during, her absence, ran off to the nearest watch-house. In a few moments after witness saw the prisoner secured in custody, she was feasted with the view of a covered bundle containing linen, which had been stolen from her house. On further examining her house witness found the apartments had been stripped of a quantity of wearing apparel and other light portable articles; the front room window bore marks of violence; Mrs. Doyle felt positively convinced that prisoner was the man she saw getting out of the window; she had frequently seen him before; the property made up for exportation by the thieves belonged to several persons, who either lived, at, or visited the witness's house. (Here the witness selected from the articles of apparel produced before the Court several which she called her property). At the time witness pushed the prisoner back into the house, when he was attempting to struggle out of the window, she might be heard to say, "Why, is it you, Sheehan? Have you come to rob me again?" Witness had had her house robbed about three nights before. JOHN STUART - Resides within a few doors of Mrs Doyle ; on a Saturday night, almost a month ago, heard cries of murder and robbery; he became alarmed; "Bless me, what can the matter be?" and the neighbours became alarmed, and he and they ran out of their tenements, curious to know what caused those shrieks of murder and rapine, so dread and piercing, "Making night hideous, And us fools of nature so horridly to shake our dispositions,” and on getting out into the street, and under the high over arching canopy of Heaven, one of the first objects which attracted witness was the prisoner, who appeared to be making efforts to conceal his proper person behind some projection of an opposite building. Witness, suspecting something was wrong, made towards the individual, whom he challenged, the man gave a fair acquittal of himself, and witness let him go;-but accidentally casting another glance towards the man as he was sporting his figure down the street, witness observed his jacket to be most extravagantly protuberant, and he again stopt the man, and insisted, upon having some deeper acquaintance with him. Witness obtained assistance; the prisoner professed a willingness to be searched, but upon nearing the watch-house, attempted to escape; notwithstanding some hard struggles, the man was finally secured in the watch-house, and searched; a shirt was taken off him which, with the bundle, found in his possession, comprised the several articles before the Court; prosecutrix, on seeing prisoner and the bundle of linen at the watch-house, identified the former as being the man whom she had seen in the act of coming out of her house, and the property as having been stolen there out. Guilty. Remanded. The Australian, 21 Nov 1827. -------------------------------------------------- SATURDAY, DEC. 1 - The following prisoners, convicted during the Criminal Sessions, were brought up, and received sentence:- William Shehan for a burglary in the dwelling house of Thomas Doyle, at Sydney - Death recorded. Sydney Gazette, 3 Dec 1827. -------------------------------------------------- William's sentence was commuted and he was sent to Moreton Bay penal settlement. Moreton Bay Convict Register. Willm. Sheehan, Sir Godfrey Webster. Tried at Waterford City, 10 Aug 1824, Vagrant, 7 years, trade- soldier. Colonial conviction, Crim. Court Sydney, 1 Dec 1827. Burglary, 7 years hard labor in chains. Run? Description: Wm Sheean, native of Tipperary, age 48, 5 ft 6 ¼. Fresh comp. brown hair, grey eyes, catholic. He escaped from Moreton Bay settlement.

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Maureen Withey on 24th May 2021

Irish Convict Database, by Peter Mayberry. William Sheehan, alias Sheahan, age on arrival, 37, Sir Godfrey Webster (2) 1826. Tried Longford, 1824, 7 years, DOB 1789.