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militia, under the command of major King, by forced marches, arrived at Athy, on Saturday evening, to the affiftance of the yeomanry, who, but for divine protection, must have fallen an eafy prey to the nefarious plot.

At a late hour at night, the chapel of Athy was burned: Large rewards were offered by the proteftant gentry, the magiftrates, the yeomanry, and fome of the towns people. Nothing transpired that has as yet become publick, until Timothy Sullivan, late a foldier of the South Cork, who had volunteered for general fervice, was about to leave the town. He then told a ferjeant, that the officers and men of the regiment were in a very perilous fituation, and had much caufe to be watchful. The ferjeant gave information to his officers, major Hennis and captain Langton, who had Sullivan examined; and the refult of their enquiry will appear by his depofition.

County of Kildare,

to wit.

TIMOTHY SULLIVAN, late a private foldier in the South Cork militia, maketh oath, that he was a centinel at the gate next Mrs. Dooley's houfe on the night the chapel of Athy was burned; faith, he was folicited by James Noud to fwear against three men undermentioned, and that he refufed, declaring his want of knowledge of the tranfaction; that he was afterwards followed to Kildare by Patrick Kelly, a Roman catholick prieft, and Thomas Fitzgerald of Geraldine, who, having got him into a private place, offered him 400l. to fwear against the three men undernamed, for burning the chapel; and on his perfifting in his want of knowledge of the tranfaction, and refusing to fwear, faid Kelly and Fitzgerald went away; that on the night of the fixth of April inftant he was in company with faid Kelly, faid Noud, Patrick Dooley of Athy, and Jofeph Hendrecan; that faid Noud, in prefence of the others, preffed him to fwear against a foldier of the South. Cork regiment, and two yeomen, videlicit, John Mc. Keon, John Drill, and John Willock; and though he denied his knowing any thing of the bufinefs, yet he was ftill preffed, under promises of large rewards, which they had made up in the country; and after he had fworn, he might defert, and he would find protection at the houses of the undernamed rebel captains, whose names were written down by faid Dooley, videlicit, James Ryan, Patrick Dowling, Terence Toole, James Whelan, Cornelius Moore, Patrick

Magher,

1

Magher, and Thomas Connell, and at English's of Mageny, where they used to meet in committee; that they were all actively employed in engaging large numbers to be prepared for a publick rifing on the twenty-feventh of April inftant, when they expected French affiftance; that rebel leaders' from the counties of Kildare, Carlow, Wicklow, and Queen's county, met at English's on the firft Sunday in every month, in order to concert their plans; that Maguire and Dalton, two rebel leaders from the county Wicklow, had thousands under their command, ready to turn out at a moment's notice; that Mr. Fitzgerald of Geraldine,* was their great friend; and that he was then in Dublin, fettling about the business of rising with some of their friends there; that forty thoufand would come from Rofcrea and Tipperary fide, to affift the cause here; that this country was to be the central fituation for the first attack; that all the county Kildare rebels were to meet at Mageny-bridge; that the rifing was to be general, in order to prevent the military knowing where to act. Saith, that early in the morning of the feventh inftant, he again faw faid Patrick Kelly, who defired him to wait behind a party he intended going with to Kildare; that faid Kelly would be at Geraldine, where he would have an horfe and fervant of Mr. Fitzgerald's, with coloured clothes; that they would then proceed to a magiftrate for examinant to lodge the wifhed-for examina-" tion; that he could then defert, and a place of concealment would be provided by faid Kelly, and would fend faid Sullivan's wife after him.

Sworn, &c. &c. &c.

The original examination, as fworn before a magiftrate on the ninth of April, one thousand eight hundred, is in the Crown-office; and the names of the rebel captains, as written by Dooley, are in the magistrate's hands.

There is not a doubt but that many other chapels were burned wantonly in the night in the province of Leinster, to throw the odium of it on the proteftants.

County of Kildare, to wit.

THE examinations of

faith, that, on or about the fourteenth of April last, Patrick Dooley, James Noud, and Jofeph Hendrecan, all of Athy, were committed to Athy gaol; that informant fhortly after was informed

This gentleman commanded a corps of yeomanry which was difmiffed for difaffection, and he was imprisoned fome time, but afterwards liberated.

informed by faid Dooley, that they (meaning the difaffected) were in expectation of the French coming thortly to this country; that there was a new conftitution totally different from the old one; that they were making pikes on a new plan; that he had a converfation with a particular friend of his from the lower part of the county of Westmeath, who informed faid Dooley, that the people there were going on faft. with the bufinefs; and that faid Dooley knew that the people in the lower part of the county Kildare were going on with it too, but that it had not properly reached up here yet; that the faid Dooley was as well armed, accoutred, and prepared, as any man on the night they (meaning the rebels) were to have attacked Athy; that he had a cartridge-box before him, and another behind, both full of ammunition, two piftols and a fword; that when his house was fearched, they could not be found, as he had them concealed behind the fire-place.

That on or about the fixteenth of April laft, Terence Toole, of Fonftown, (who to informant's knowledge was a rebel captain,) and Cornelius Moore of Gurteen, with others, were apprehended and committed to faid gaol; that a converfation fhortly after took place in prefence of informant, between faid Dooley, Toole, and Moore, about the chapel of Athy which had been burned; faid Dooley told faid Toole and Moore, that he knew the cause of their being committed to gaol, which was, "that the faid Dooley, with Mr. Kelly the prieft, and James Noud, had offered Timothy Sullivan, a foldier of the South Cork militia, 400l. to fwear against John Willock, and John Drill, two of the yeomen, and a foldier of the South Cork, as orangemen, for burning the chapel ;" that he, faid Dooley, had written down the names of faid Toole and Moore, with feveral others, in whose houses the faid Sullivan would be concealed, after he fhould fo fwear; that he, faid Dooley, gave faid Sullivan a written order, requiring faid Toole and Moore, and faid other perfons, to conceal faid Sullivan; and faid Dooley repeated, that fuch was the caufe of their being confined, as he was afraid faid Sullivan had made a difcovery; and that faid Dooley, Kelly, and Noud, had offered him faid fum to hang three of the loyal men; and faith, faid Dooley further declared that he had mentioned the bufinefs of hanging faid orangemen to Thomas Fitzgerald of Geraldine, efquire; and that faid Fitzgerald replied, that if faid three orangemen could be hanged, he would get him,

faid Sullivan, 400l. from government, and make up as much more amongst themselves; and that he would then, if poffible, get Rawfon's yeomanry broke; faith, faid Dooley alfo informed faid Toole and Moore, that the faid Sullivan was to quit the army, and be protected by other perfons in the Queen's county, and fo on from place to place, until he got home to his own country; faith, faid Toole, in the course of faid converfation, told faid Dooley and Moore, that the party under the command of Patrick Dowling, of Fonftown, who were to have attacked Athy, expected Queen's county affiftance; that he, faid Toole, had gone across the river Barrow, to the Queen's county, to folicit it; and that the Queen's county people would not aflift; and on faid Toole's return with the account of fuch refufal, the faid party under faid Dowling, as principal in command, broke up and difperfed. Sworn before a magiftrate the 2d May, 1800.

[The original is in the Crown-office.*]

Note. By any poffibility the above informant could not have had any communication with Timothy Sullivan.

After Sullivan's having given information was become publick, Mr. Fitzgerald mentioned, that the perfons who burned the chapel, were Drill, Willock, and a Cork foldier; on the report reaching captain Rawfon, he had the two yeomen arrefted, and committed to the guard-house.

A long range of ftables in the poffeffion of Mrs. Dooley, a publican, were converted into a temporary chapel; and in three weeks after the first burning, thefe were fet fire to at nine o'clock at night; the military and yeomanry inftantly affembled, and by great exertions got the fire under, without the interference or affiftance of any papiits, except two fervants, and two only of the Roman catholick inhabitants of the town. Captain Rawfon then applied to Mrs. Dooley to fend her hoftlers, left the high wind fhould again fan up the flames; but the pofitively refused, faying, that her men (poor fellows) were tired, having had two gentlemen's horfes to do up, and that they were gone to bed, and she would not disturb them; and with much difficulty the was prevailed

on

To the lenity of general Dundas on the Curragh, or what is commonly called his capitulation, the dreadful ftate of the county of Kildare, and the adjacent counties, is to be imputed; and it is to be lamented, that wide-extended mercy has produced the fanie effect in every part of the kingdom, wherever it has taken place,

on to lend fome veffels, to put water on the yet-burning ftraw. After doing every thing poflible, the military and yeomanry were difmiffed; and about one o'clock at night, the fire again broke out and confumed the whole of the building.

On the following day, a number of gentlemen met at the fovereign's, and Mr. Fitzgerald came there; Drill and Willock were brought in cuftody, and no charge being preferred against them by Mr. Fitzgerald, or any other perfon, they were discharged. They have brought actions for defama

tion.

Captain Rawfon felt much for the diftrefs of the reverend Mr. Keegan, the parish priest, a man of most exemplary conduct; and offered him the use of a large house he had lately purchased near the town, for a temporary chapel : He accepted the offer; and the houfe was prepared accordingly. His good intentions were fruftrated, as the rebellious had more influence than their worthy paftor, and not one man would attend him in the house of a heretick. Such is the force of fanaticism !

The affidavit of Thomas Davis, of Profperous.

County of the city of Dublin,

to wit.

THE examination of Mr. Thomas Davis, late of Profperous, in the county of Kildare, who being duly fworn on the Holy Evangelifts, maketh oath and faith, That for many nights previous to the night of the twenty-third of May last, this examinant and his family were very much alarmed, left they fhould be attacked by the rebels, commonly called United Irishmen; that examinant thought that he and his family were in fome degree fecure by the arrival of detachments of the Ancient Britons, and the North Cork militia; that, however, examinant ftill continued to be alarmed, as his house was at a confiderable distance from the barracks. Examinant faith, that he was awakened about the hour of one o'clock in the forenoon, by the barking of a large dog he had; and fome time after he was alarmed by the firing of fome fhots. Examinant faith, that on looking out of his window, he perceived a great body of people, armed with pikes and fire-arms, between whom and the foldiers in the barracks a conftant firing was maintained; that as the balls paffed by this examinant's houfe, (and one of them,

clofe

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