Athlone Union Meeting hears of money taken

Athlone Union Meeting hears of money taken 1859 150 Years Ago A meeting of the Athlone Union heard a complaint from a pauper that a nurse had stolen money from a deceased pauper 150 years ago this week. The Master's report contained a complaint made by a pauper named Hughes against the hospital nurse, in which he alleged that she had taken a shilling which belonged to a deceased pauper and expended it on whiskey for the workman and two of the nurses. The nurse, in explanation, said she had made punch for the deceased pauper with whiskey sent into the hospital by the master for other purposes and the whiskey purchased was to replace this. The chairman did not think the offence was a very grave one, but it was an irregularity that the commissioners would notice. He suggested that the nurse should send the clerk a written explanation which would be forwarded to them with the minutes. 1909 100 Years Ago Alleged Malicious Injury Notification was received from Mr Patrick Byrne, Tullymoate, of his intention to apply at the Quarter Sessions for £25 compensation for the alleged malicious injury done to nine cocks of hay, his property, by their being scattered and greatly damaged while on the ground by heavy rains. The land belongs to the Misses Kilduff and Byrne meadowed it. Sgt O'Connor, RIC Moate, wrote to the council certifying to the condition in which he found the hay when he visited the Misses Kilduff farm. There was a considerable quality of hay about nine or ten cocks, knocked down and scattered about and was damaged by the heavy rain. With reference to the recent decree £2 10s given by Judge Curran to Mr Lynam, Horseleap, for the knocking down of a wall. The chairman said he would like the Clerk of the Council with the amount of them. He would like to see how much they were. The Clerk said he would do so. 1959 50 Years Ago Man imprisoned after larceny of donkey A report on a man being imprisoned and fined having stolen a donkey from a farmer's land, and then having sold it, was published in the Westmeath Independent this week in 1959. A witness farmer said he had seen a stray ass on his brother's land. He didn't know who owned the animal. Later the accused approached him and asked him whether he had seen a stray ass around. The witness told the accused he had seen one on his brother's land and denied giving the man permission to remove the donkey from his brother's land. Another witness said he met the defendant on the road one evening driving an ass and asked said witness would he buy a good donkey for £7. The next day they had found the accused on the roadside at Pullough, Co Offaly. He had a donkey with him which the man who had lost his donkey identified as his property, the man claimed he had reared the animal himself and kept him on the county council cowpark at Knockadomney. The accused said he thought his own brother-in-law owned the donkey. A Gardai Sergeant read a statement the accused made to him. In it he said that he had been travelling around the Longford Westmeath area with his family in a donkey and trap. He had lost a grey ass a week before this incident and had been looking out for him. A young fellow told him there was a stray ass in his field nearby. He took the ass and later down the road asked a man would he buy the animal. The accused was sentenced to six months' imprisonment imposed on him at Moate Court.