Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2024 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== Ontonagon Miner Wednesday, 27 April 1859 Sunday last, the 24th inst., being Easter Sunday, was made the occasion of more than the usual free indulgence in intoxicating drinks at the villages north of the Minn- esota and National mines. An absurd national antipathy between certain persons of the Cornish and Irish elements of our population began to show itself, in the course of the afternoon, by disputes at the various drinking houses. Until late in the afternoon, however, nothing transpired, as far as we are informed, to justify apprehensions of violence or disorder, when an act of the most unprecedented atrocity was committed, and the prejudice th which we have alluded at once blazed out into the wildest frenzy of pas- sion. The day being very fine, a great many people were collected in groups about the drinking houses and in the streets of Rosendale and adjoining villages. A man named RYAN was seen, with an axe, coming along one of the streets, and suddenly to rush upon a group of persons who were in conversation, and to aim a blow at one of them. It appar- ently missed the person for whom it was intended, or, rather, it was dodged by him; but, in descending, the en- tire blade sunk into the back of JOHNSON TERRILL, and completely severed the spinal column. The poor young man fell upon his face, was carried into the house of Mr. JOHN THOMAS, and expired in the course of a few minutes, having uttered but a few incoherent words after receiving the fatal blow. As the news of the outrage spread rapidly, the friends and countrymen of the deceased gathered in considerable numbers, and the excitement became very intense. As is too frequently the case under similar circumstances, the guilty party was allowed to escape, with scarcely an ef- fort to detain him, and the vengeance which had been earned by him was turned upon his countrymen, with little discrimi- nation. Several of the latter, as matters began to present an alarming aspect, retreated to the drinking house of JAMES RYAN, which was immediately surrounded by infuriated men, who, after a desperate struggle, took possession of the lower part of the building and drove several of the occupants up stairs. The destruction of the building now commenced. The windows and doors were rapidly beaten in, and soon the house was fired within by overturning the stove upon a pile of combustibles brought for the purpose. Men were stationed outside with clubs, stones, and fire- arms to attack the occupants when they should attempt to escape. As the smoke and flames became suffocating, the men jumped from the upper story windows to the ground, where they were instantly assaulted with missiles of every description, though only two of them were seriously injured. One of them would have got away had it not been that a large Newfoundland dog outrun the mob, and seized the es- caping man. Being overtaken he was beaten until left for dead. Another was knocked down and beaten until life was supposed to be extinct. But only seven person, besides the murdered man, received very serious injury, and it is thought that all will recover. A considerable number, however, received smaller injuries. Before the building was entirely destroyed by fire, the officers of the adjacent mines were upon the ground, and succeeded in preventing further violence. The wounded were taken to the proper houses and attended by Dr. Flanner. The villages were quiet during the night. A jury of inquest was summoned by Justice Sanderson, but adjourned until Monday morning, when after inspecting the body and the examination of witnesses, they returned a verdict "that JOHNSON TERRILL came to his death by a blow from an axe in the hands of one DANIEL RYAN, in Rockland, between the hours of six and eight o'clock in the afternoon on the 24th day of April, in the year 1859." Warrants were issued on Monday morning for the arrest of the murderer, and the officers have a large number of assistants in the search. The greater part of the force at the Minnesota, National and Rockland mines refused to work on Monday and Tuesday. But the excitement on Tuesday afternoon was much allayed. The deceased was a young man of excellent character, from Carnbourne, Cornwall, England. He was strickly tem- perate in his habits. His age was 25 years. He was buried on Monday on the northern bluff, the funeral being attended by a large concourse of people. Appropriate services were held in the Protestant church - Mr. Jones, of the National mine, officiating, in the absense of Mr. May. ===========================================================================