On Monday, a magisterial inquiry was held at the City Police Court presided over by Mr E.F. Hickson, RM, regarding the case of a farmer named James Ryan from Spittal land. He was charged with firing at Mrs. Mary McCarthy on the night of the 8th inst. with a gun, with the intent to cause her grievous bodily harm.

Head Constable Moore was the first witness, and he testified that he visited the prisoner’s house on the morning of the 9th inst. He found three panes of glass broken in the kitchen window, appearing to have been broken from the outside. He also discovered a round hole through the center of the door, as if a shot had been fired through it from the inside. The accused later admitted to firing a shot to frighten the McCarthy’s, claiming that they had attacked his house.

Sergeant Thomas Kelly gave further testimony, stating that he went to the accused’s house on the night of the incident and found his gun. One cartridge was exploded in the right barrel, and the left barrel was intact. The accused mentioned that his window and door were also broken.

Witnesses, Mary and Margaret McCarthy, daughters of the injured woman, testified that they were present when the shot was fired from the accused’s door. They saw the flash and heard the report, and their mother was shot in the legs. They also confirmed that the accused’s window was not broken at the time of the incident.

George Smart, a tin smith, was at the scene when the shot was fired. He assisted Mrs. McCarthy and later confronted the accused at his home. The accused told him to go away, and George broke his window in response.

John McCarthy, son of the injured woman, supported his sisters’ accounts of the incident and also mentioned an assault that occurred on a later date.

The accused reserved his defence, and Head Constable Moore conducted the inquiry on behalf of the Crown. The accused was subsequently returned for trial to the next Quarter Sessions. Bail was set at £40, with two sureties of £20 each.

Limerick Echo – Tuesday 26 September 1905