Pages from the Past

1860 Fire tragedy claims two lives A horrific fire tragedy was reported in the Westmeath Independent in early February, 1860. The article said two members of an industrial family were burned to death in a tragedy at Moore. Michael Mee, resident at Curry, was working on the preparation of flax and had his wife drying a quantity of it in an outhouse. At about midday he was alerted to the tragedy by her screams. He arrived just in time to witness both his wife and child in flames The paper tragically reported: "The latter, a fine little boy of four years old, hearing his mother cry out, with natural instinct ran in and clasped her in his arms and shared her fate." Jobs for the boys controversy The stench of a jobs for the boys controversy hung over the local town commission in 1860, after a major row erupted over the secrecy surrounding the lease of the local fair green. It transpired that a member of the commission Mr Geoghagan had paid the rent for his son up to the previous october. The matter emerged after another member Mr Murtagh had persisently pursued the issue at meetings. The controversy prompted the Westmeath Independent to note: "With every disposition to judge the Board of Commissioners favourably, and fully confident in their ultimate integrity, we cannot avoid coming to the conclusion that Mr Murtagh had some tangible grounds to justify his persistent enquiries." The Town Clerk had a week before refused to inform Mr Murtagh to whom the receipt for rent of the fair green was sent. When it was revealed that another commissioner was involved in the rent of the fair green, the paper noted, this meant that a tenure to the fair green had been made over to a commissioner in a manner which must necessarily have been more or less informal, since Murtagh was not aware of the details. Mr Murtagh argued the annual lease of the Fair Green had been handed over three years previously but had not since been advertised. Murtagh argued that the letting should be open to public competition. However, Geoghegan defended himself stridently "When it was let to me, I considered I was giving more than it was worth. Let me see them that will give as much for it. It was put up for competition and no one would give more for it." He also insisted it was his son who held the fair green. "It never was let to your son, that's more of the humbug. He is not the tenant to the commissioners," insisted Murtagh. Geoghegan replied that it was let to his son and he was the agent. He said if the commission paid back the sum of £6 10s, they would give it up. 1910 Bride's brothers block marriage The Westmeath Independent reported in 1910 on an "extraordinary incident" which occurred in Ss Peter and Paul's Church on the previous Saturday. The paper said it was claimed that the proposed marriage was blocked by brothers of the bride. The bride was a widow, with two children, and had arranged a marriage to which the brothers objected. "She came to town on Saturday with the bridegroom, but her brothers met them near Ss Peter's Church, and it is said used force to separate them. The sequel will be made known in the Petty Sessions Court as the bridegroom has issued summonses for assault against his intended brother-in-law. Rail the docks to prevent drownings An Athlone jury recommended in February 1910 that the docks be chained off, following yet another drowning tragedy. The jury was responding to the accidental death of Athlone woman, Jane Dowley, also known locally as Jane Dunne, a married woman aged 40 who was drowned. The woman's sight was impaired and she fell into the river close to her lodgings at The Strand, the paper said. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, but recommended that the board of works erect a continuous protecting chain along the docks. It noted there was scarcely a year gone by where a death did not occur at The Docks. The paper noted that the late woman's husband had been tragically killed the previous year when he was among three men who were suffocated by a furnace. 1960 World champion has local mother The Westmeath Independent reported that the newly-crowned world middleweight boxing champion had strong Athlone links. Paul Pender (29), a former fireman, had just defeated Sugar Ray Robinson in Boston to take the crown, The paper said he was the eldest of two sons of Mss Ann Lester, who emigrated to American nearly 40 years previously, from a farm at Grange, Curraghboy. The champion's father was an American of Irish descent. Although his mother had been home once since her marriage, the new champion had never been to Ireland, where relatives including an uncle still resided, the paper said. Athlone Town Supporters Club is formed A supporters club was formed in Athlone with the twin aims of encouraging local footballers and endeavouring to raise a team to compete in the higher grade of football. The Westmeath Independent listed the committee: President: D.J. Hannon; Chairman: John McGrath; Hon. Secretary: W. O'Brien; Joint Treasurers: F. Lynch and P. Martin; Committee: Miss A. Molloy; Cpl J. Farrell; J. Quinn; J. Duffy; P. Stewart; P. Burke; J. Mannion; B. Gavin, P. Martin; J. Greene; M. Dowling; B. Stephens; P. McCormack; W. Earls.