Criminal cases
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To Fake a Death, 1861
From the Paisley Herald and Renfrewshire Advertiser, 25 May 1861: “THE DEAD ALIVE – EXTRAORDINARY CASE Some years ago, in Dublin, a husband and wife, it appears, took it into their heads to possess themselves of £500 which had been… Continue reading
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A Curious Career, 1901
From the Enniscorthy Guardian, 7 December 1901, this Edwardian version of ‘Catch Me if You Can’ with a young Derryman playing the role of Frank Abagnale: “EXTRAORDINARY FALSE PRETENCES DERRYMAN’S OPERATIONS A REMARKABLE CAREER PLEA OF GUILTY AND IMPRISONMENT A… Continue reading
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The Story of Mary Ha’penny
One evening in August 1900, a Dublin woman leaves her home near the Grand Canal to travel to the Convent of the Little Sisters of the Poor nearby. She brings with her four things: a bill-hook, two knives and a… Continue reading
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An Order of Habeas Corpus
In 1824, a lovelorn young man employs a rising young barrister to make a very strange application in Dublin’s Four Courts… A 3-4 minute video recounting a true story. Check out a newspaper report of it here: https://ruthcannon.com/2020/03/25/whe… Continue reading
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The Arran Quay Ghost, 1837
From the Tuam Herald, 9 December 1837, and the Dublin Morning Register, 8 December 1837: “DUBLIN POLICE HENRY STREET.- EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF A GHOST An elderly little man, apparently in his perfect senses, came before the bench and stated that… Continue reading