ABSTRACT
Of the many documents connected with the massacre, the brief appeal reproduced below is among the most intriguing. It is signed by Hugh White and James Hartigan; Mathew Kilroy, who presumably could not write, made his “mark.” Hartigan’s name was also rendered elsewhere as “Hartegan,” and Kilroy appears in documents variously as “Killroy” and even “Kilroi”—spelling inconsistencies common for the age. The three accused asked that they be tried with Preston, not separately. The petitioners feared that if Preston were found innocent in one trial, that would increase the likelihood of their being found guilty in the next—a not unreasonable assumption. Only these three of the eight signed the appeal. Did the other five object or refuse to be involved? And why did they wait until October 24th, the day that Preston’s trial began, to submit it? Had they made the appeal despite the advice of counsel?
