To-day a man named Daniel McCormack, aged about forty-five years was lodged in Derry Jail on a charge of murdering his son Patrick at their house at the Commons, near Donegal town yesterday morning, under shocking circumstances. It appears the son had been ailing, being confined to bed, and for some time previous had been unconscious. The family had been sitting with him day and night, and noticed nothing unusual with the father, save that he was in deep distress at the thought that his son might die. On Saturday night the family, consisting of father, mother, two daughters, and two sons, were all in the room where the sick boy was lying, and at about twelve o’clock joined in a rosary. When this had been finished, the father said to the others, ‘You are all tired; get something to eat, and go to bed, and I will sit up myself.’ They accordingly left the room, leaving the father behind. Nothing unusual was heard by them till the father opened the room door and said, ‘I have done for Ironsides now I have killed the devil and the fairies for taking away Patrick.’ He then went to the kitchen fire and began throwing the burning coals about saying ‘I’ll burn the fairies. They have taken Patrick and left a wraith in his place’. He had a pair of iron tongs in his hand when he came from the room. He seized a crook and pair of pothooks, and ran out of the house in the direction of the priest’s which is only a short distance from the place. After he left one of the sons went to the room, where he saw a terrible sight of his sick brother butchered. Soon after the father returned with Rev. Mr Cassidy. He was then in a wild, excited state, saying ‘They have taken away Patrick, but I have done for Ironsides… A pair of tongs found in the possession of the accused, bearing marks of blood and hair, is the supposed instrument with which the deed was done, the tongs being bent.’ Anon, ‘Terrible Tragedy in Donegal’, Belfast News-Letter (27 May 1890),  5.