Michael Glasheen was indicted for having, on the 30th of August, 1883, at Listowran, county of Tipperary, maliciously, willfully, and with malice afore-thought, murdered his wife, one Maria Glasheen. Mr Ryan, QC, and Mr White, Q.C., prosecuted; and Dr Falkiner defended the prisoner. Mr Ryan, in opening the case, said in his long experience in criminal cases he never had the painful duty of presenting for the consideration of the a jury a case which was so horrible in its details, and revealing a state of superstition or ignorance that was so shocking. The prisoner at the bar was charged with the murder of his wife – a poor sickly woman, who was at the time of the murder confined to her bed, and in the last stage of consumption. The prisoner, on the 30th of August, came in to his sick wife, took her out of bed, killed her, and then attempted to burn the body. A very deplorable feature in the case was that it would be proved by the family of the prisoner – little children, the eldest of whom was not more than ten years of age. The prisoner had been drinking for some time previously, and the reason he assigned for the terrible deed was that his wife was a fairy. He hoped it could be proved that the prisoner was not responsible for his actions. Witnesses having been examined for the prosecution and the defence. His lordship, in sentencing the prisoner, said that the offence was a very serious one, and one for which the prisoner was liable to transportation for life. He would, however, only sentence him to five years’ penal servitude. Anon, ‘The Lisowran Murder Case’,  Nenagh Guardian, (8 Dec 1883), 3