Pages from the Past

1860 "Excitable" country folk enjoy races sideshows "These races which are now fairly established as first class in the sporting circle, came off, after two days' running on Wednesday and collected an unusually large and fashionable attendance. Trains from the Midland, Great Northern and Southern companies brought an influx of visitors never equalled within the precincts of the town. "And thousands of country people from the adjoining counties crowded the course although there were numerous tents and other inducements to stimulate the excitable propensities of our countrymen, there was not the slightest approach to disorder or an occasion for the interference of the public. Considerable improvements were made to the course since the previous year, the paper said, noting an enlarged standhouse, the provision of telegraph facilities, and rooms for refreshments, jockeys and stewards. The driving force of the races, Mr Longworth, had left nothing undone to make these races the first in Ireland, the paper reported. The paper carried the results of eight races, held over the two days, with the feature races being the Glynwood Hunt Challenge Cup, and the Garrycastle handicap. The former, was won by Pedlar, a five-year-old, winning the race for the second successive year while the handicap was won by Oberon, owned by the Marquis of Drogheda. Savage and cruel outrage on an ass In late March 1860, the Westmeath Independent reported on the killing of an ass, the property of a poor widow, Honoria Batts, at Erry, near Clara. The ass had been killed "by some dastardly ruffian who inflicted several wounds on it" and a stick with a sharpened point was found driven into the side of the animal "It is so to be regretted that the perpetrator of so wanton and barbarous an act towards a poor woman should escape punishment," the paper said. 1910 Move those dung heaps from house doors A motion to have manure heaps removed a standard distance from rural houses was defeated at a meeting of Athlone Rural District Council in March 1910. The matter had previously been referred to local doctors to advise what a proper distance from residential holdings would be. However, doctors told the council the matter would have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. Dr McCormack told the council that recently he ordered a houseowner to remove a manure heap which was within nine feet of the house. "It was within nine feet and it was very insanitary there, but at another house, and at the same distance, it might not be a bit insanitary," he said. He recommended the council's sanitary officers deal the issue and report any potentially insanitary cases to the doctors. He pointed out there was no current sanitary concerns as there had not been a single case of typhoid fever in the area for the last four months. Church-robbing tramp had served 43 years in jail A robbery at St Mary's Church, Athlone, by an English tramp, who had served 43 years in jail for various offences, was reported in the Westmeath Independent in March 1910. The headline of the story read: Athlone Church Rifled: An Englishman At Work The story told of how Robert Wilson was seen close to a donation box by the sacristan. The defendant fled but was overtaken and given to the priest and the police sent for. While awaiting their arrival, Wilson again escaped and was later captured by police in Bower View. On examination, it was found the donation box had been prized open and some of its contents were believed missing. The paper said the accused "was fairly well dressed" and appeared to be "a man of intelligence and much above the ordinary type of tramp". Wilson was brought before Athlone court, but when the RIC District Inspector sought the case to be transferred to the higher court, it emerged the defendant had a long list of previous convictions, including larceny, church robbery, cattle stealing, house breaking, in England and Ireland. The defendant was returned for trial to the Assizes court. 1960 Last Athlone link with Burgess family The Westmeath Independent reported on the death in late March 1960 of Dr John Buchanan Burgess. Dr Burgess, a native of Athlone, was aged 75 at the time of his death in a Dublin nursing home. The paper said he was attached to the Royal Army Medical Corps in the first World War and served in India and Mesopotamia (Iraq). He was the last survivor of the old established firm of Burgess Ltd in Athlone. He had always taken a keen interest in his native town, particularly in its charitable institutions and was a generous subscriber to the Athlone and District Nursing Association and to kindred organisation. The paper said he was also a keen student of Athlone's historical past and had been a regular visitor to the town up to a short time before his death.