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Thursday, June 17, 2010
Life of an Enniscorthy-born bushranger
MARTIN CASH was born at Enniscorthy on October 10th 1810, but his name is still remembered in the town.
Only last week I was asked to write about Cash, who became a notorious convict bushranger and is known for escaping twice from Port Arthur in Van Dieman’s Land, also known as Tasmania and now part of Australia.
I had written about Cash many years ago and I found the original research material that I used came from a personal narrative of his exploits, first published in 1870, under the title, "Martin Cash – The Bushranger of Van Dieman’s Land in 1843-’44."
The adventures of Martin Cash were ghost-written by the former convict, James Lester Burke, dictated by Cash during the late 1860s, however, in the sixth edition, published in 1954, the point is made that in the eighty-four years since the narrative was first published, not a single fact was disproved, sufficient evidence of its truthfulness. Cash’s Enniscorthy origins are sketchy.
We know that he was brought up in a wealthy family and was literate, but there is uncertainty as to which part of the town he belonged. This is a fact that locals are curious to learn!
So what did Martin Cash place on the record? With the Enniscorthy connection as the focus of our attention in this article, we use the first chapter that deals with birth and parentage, and the following is an abbreviated verbatim version.
"I was born in the year 1810, in the town of Enniscorthy, Wexford, Ireland.
My father inherited a considerable amount of property in and around my native town, but unfortunately he was one of that class who are destined by Providence to ruin themselves, and all who are in any way connected with them, by their extravagant and spendthrift habits.
He maintained a style of hospitality which his circumstances by no means warranted, and which ultimately would have effected his ruin had it not been for his marriage with my mother, who was also possessed of property in her own right; and thus he was enabled to support appearances, but on a more limited scale.
However, he was a negligent, indolent man, and consequently the care of myself and a younger brother solely devolved on my mother, who was too indulgent and permitted us to have our own way in everything.
My education was neglected, for no earthly power could get me to attend school regularly, and being expelled by three different masters, through my mischievous tendencies, the notion of having me educated was ultimately abandoned.
On finding that I had my own way in this, I followed in the footsteps of my father.
The greater part of my time was spent at horse races and all other places of public amusement; in fact, I was allowed to anything and everything just as I pleased, until I arrived at the age of eighteen, when I unfortunately became acquainted with a young woman, who resided with her mother and elder sister in an obscure part of town and earned their subsistence by making straw hats and bonnets.
They borrowed money off me on every possible occasion, which obliged to draw so heavily and frequently upon my mother that she at least seriously remonstrated with me upon my extravagance, assuring me that it was not in her power to indulge it any longer, as the bulk of her property had been now nearly squandered away.
I paid very little attention to her admonistations; all I wanted was money for my sweetheart, being perfectly regardless of where it came from, so long as I could obtain it in order to support her and her mother and sister, who had now removed to a more commodious and expensive establishment situated in the centre of the town, on the understanding that I was to furnish them with all contingent expenses.
I followed up a course of dissipation for the next twelve months, when an incident occurred which changed the whole tenure of my future life.
It happened that while drinking with a few of my companions one of them informed me that a young man named Jessop, who lived in the neighbourhood, and whose parents were highly respectable, was then in company with my friend, and having previously heard that he frequently visited at her mother’s, I was stung to madness with jealousy; and resolving to have my revenge, I returned home, caught up my gun and at once proceeded to the house, and on looking through the window of the sitting room I saw young Jessop in company with my Mary, having his arm round her waist.
Not waiting for any further proof of her treachery, I stepped back a pace or two from the window and fired at my rival, who instantly fell on the floor.
The report of my piece attracted a number of people and I was shortly after arrested and placed in gaol. My relations offered any amount of bail, which was at once refused, and in a few days I was fully committed to take my trial at the ensuing assizes.
I was visited daily by my mother, who appeared to be in bad health, owing, I have no doubt, to my past folly and misconduct.
Jessop remained under the care of the doctors. The ball, it appears, entered his breast and came out under the shoulder blade.
They entertained but slight hopes of his recovery.
My friends secured the services of the ablest counsel, but the case was too clear; and on being tried I was found guilty, the jury strongly recommending me to mercy, but that being an attribute that never entered into the composition of Judge Pennefather, I was sentenced to seven years’ transportation.
Young Jessop, whose previous career had much resembled my own, recovered afterwards and presented a petition to the Lord Lieutenant, praying a mitigation of my sentence. It was signed by the leading men in the country, but without effect.
I was shortly after removed to Cork gaol, where I received news of the death of my mother.
Two of my uncles, on the maternal side, paid me a visit while there, and, taking an affectionate leave, they placed money in the governor’s hands in order to procure me additional necessaries on the passage; and in a few days after, one hundred and seventy of us unfortunates embarked in a vessel named the Marquis of Huntley, bound for that much dreaded receptacle of all human depravity, Botany Bay."
Martin Cash and his comrades in captivity arrived in Sydney on February 10th 1828, when he was only 17 years old.
He became a bushranger in his new surroundings and was regularly in trouble for some crime or other, but he escaped with his life, despite being found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by hanging.
In his twilight year’s, Martin Cash resided on a small farm at Glenorchy, five miles from Hobart, where he was known to all and enjoying the goodwill of all.
Martin Cash died on August 26th 1877, aged 67 years. His remains lie in the Roman Catholic section of Cornelian Bay Cemetery, and his memorial carries the following inscription: "Erected by P. Molloy, Samuel and James Weir, to the memory of a brave but unfortunate Irishman, Martin Cash, who died 26th August, 1878, aged 67 years .... also his son, Martin, died 6th July, 1871, aged 16 years."
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