An inquest was held at Kilmooganny by T. Izod, Esq, county coroner, on Tuesday, and resumed on Wednesday, on the body of a boy aged nine years, the son of a labourer named Patrick Kearns. It appeared that this child had been ailing for three weeks, and confined to bed, when his superstitious family formed the idea that he was being gradually carried off by the fairies. A neighbour, name Patrick Murphy, brought a ‘fairy man’, named Thomas Donovan, to see the sufferer. Donovan pronounced him to have a received ‘a blast’, but undertook to cure him. He gave the child a few spoonfuls of water and ordered him to cough; the patient would not cough, and as this interfered with the spell, the ‘fairy man’ declared that more violent means were necessary; whereupon he dragged the child out of bed, along the floor of the house, and out about the yard in front; after continuing which proceeding for some time he directed him to be put to bed again. The little sufferer was in a unconscious state when take up for the purpose, and almost immediately expired. The miserable parents never interfered, supposing that the treatment to which the child was subjected was necessary and proper for its cure; and even after its death they made no complaint, and were about to bury it privately had not the police discovered the facts. The jury found a verdict of murder against Donovan, who had absconded and found that Murphy was a party to the crime, being influenced thereto by superstition’. ‘On the 6th instant a case of gross superstition, which resulted in the death of a boy, took place in Kilkenny. The facts were these . A boy, about ten years of age, named Patrick Kearns, who resided with his parents near Kilkenny, was attacked with illness, but the nature of the disease is not stated. Some of the neighbours persuaded the parents of the boy that he was ‘fairy struck!’ In consequence, a ‘fairy man’ was sought, and found in the person of one Michael Donovan, an ignorant fellow about twenty one years of age. He was sent for, and on arriving at the house he was shown the poor lad, who was at the time in articulo mortis. Donovan dragged the boy out of bed and gave him a jug full of  cold water to drink. The boy rejected this being at the moment in the last pangs of existence. Donovan then declared that the fairies would not be put out of the boy in this manner, and in order to show his power this ‘wee people’ he pulled the boy violently by the ears, beating him about the head, and kicked him severely on various parts of the body.  The boy died and there was no more about the matter until the priest of the neighbourhood heard of the transaction, and he at once informed the coroner who held an inquest on the body and the jury found a verdict of wilful murder against Donovan. The ‘fairy man’ had, in the mean time, absconded, and a reward was issued for his apprehension. On Monday head constable Richard McHale, of the Irish constabulary, arrested Donovan on board the ship Bridgewater, now in the River Mersey, and bound for America. He had a sum of 1l. 4s. in money, and a good store of clothes and provisions on board. The accused at first denied that he was the person charged, and said he was from Tipperary, but ultimately he confessed he was the man. Mr McHale brought him on shore and this evening he will be transmitted to Ireland to answer the charge. Liverpool Daily Times.’  ‘Baron Pennefather, accompanied by Arthur Kavanah, Esq. of Borris House, high sheriff of the county Kilkenny, entered the court soon after one o’clock. The grand jury was then resworn. His Lordship said he was glad to have the pleasure of meeting them again. He had to congratulate them upon the state of their county. Judging from the calendar their country was an example to other countries and credit to themselves. There were only two cases on the calendar which called for any particular observation. These were cases of manslaughter. One of them was for causing the death of a child by inoculating it with small pox, an act which was forbidden by the legislature, and which therefore made those who committed it liable for any consequences that followed. They would have to find whether the death of the child had resulted from the disease contracted by such inoculation. The other was a charge of manslaughter under circumstances which he was surprised to find occurring in this country in the present century. It was alleged against the accused that he sought by spells and magic and communing with fairies to resuscitate a sick child, and with that view the prisoner, as alleged, had inhumanely exposed the child on a cold night on a dunghill, so that it died. This offence, if proved, would amount to manslaughter if not to a more aggravated crime. He would be happy to give them any assistance they might require in discharging their duties.’ ‘Baron Pennefather took his seat on the bench at ten o’clock, and proceeded with the trial of the following cases: Manslaughter Thomas Donvan was indicted for the manslaughter of a Patrick Kearns on the 7th of April last. The deceased was a child about nine years old, who lost his life under the following extraordinary circumstances: The child had been a sickly, delicate child, and had a tumour on its head and other disorders, for which it was under the treatment of Drs. Denn and Cronin. The prisoner and a man named Murphy, who has since left the country, called at the house of the parents of the deceased on the evening of the 6th of April last, when the prisoner volunteered to cure the child, who was lying in bed. Donovan took the child out of bed, made him drink a pint of cold water, and brought the child out into the yard. It appeared that when there he dragged him along the ground. He then brought the child into the house. The father took the child out of his arms. The prisoner dragged it from him, and throttled the child and dragged it again along the ground. The father again took it from him, when he kicked the father. The child died the next morning. Mr George QC and Mr Curtis prosecuted for the crown. The prisoner was defended by Mr E. Johnstone. The parents of the child were examined and proved the foregoing facts. The father deposed that the child was almost in a dying state at the time, and the he believed the prisoner would not knowingly have done anything to injure the child. Dr Denn proved that he was attending the child some weeks before the death; he was suffering from inflammatory fever, and was greatly emaciated; he attended him some years ago when he recovered. Doctor Cronin proved that he had been attending the child before his death; he exhibited symptoms of water on the brain, had a malformed head, liver disease, symptoms of dropsy, and a tumour on the abdomen, witness made a post mortem examination; found the body a mass of bruises; the face was much scratched; opened the head; found a blood vessel ruptured and much suffusion of blood; these symptoms resulted from pressure or strangulation; the bruises were the result of kicks, blows, or other direct violence; death was accelerated from the ill usage he received. On cross examination by Mr Johnstone, he stated that the child could not have lived more than five or six days from the state of disease it was in, even if it had sustained no injury at the hands of the plaintiff. Mr Johnstone cited a case from Lewen’s Crown Cases, to show that when it did not appear clearly whether the deceased from the violence of the accused or from natural causes then affecting him, an acquittal ought to be directed and submitted there was no case to go to the jury. His lordship, however, ruled otherwise. Mr Johnstone then addressed the jury for the prisoner. His Lordship charged the jury, observing that Mr Johnstone had addressed them very strongly and effectively, but they were to take the law, not from the counsel but from the court. Having recapitulated the evidence, he commented on the apparent absence of motive for the prisoner’s conduct. It did not appear that he was influenced by superstitious motives, or a desire to effect a cure by fairies or supernatural influences, as had been stated on behalf of the prosecution. If they were satisfied  that death was caused or accelerated by the prisoner’s conduct, they should find him guilty. The jury found the prisoner guilty.’ Bibliography: Anon ‘Superstition in Kilkenny’, 1856