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Hotelier. Murdered. Born circa 1826. Son of William Kearney and Susannah Nash. Married Margaret Lovell on 25th December 1848. On 1st May 1848, Kearney applied for a licence to operate a hotel on the Jerusalem Road called the Traveller's Rest. The application was refused. On 3rd November 1851, Robert Nash Reardon transferred the licence for the Bird in Hand Inn to Kearney. On 1st January, 1853, Kearney was killed at a hut near his inn whilst returning from the Richmond Races.
"Before His Honour Sir John Lewis Pedder, Chief Justice. William Garaghty (or Garroty) was charged with having feloniously and maliciously murdered Mr. William Kearney, Jun., on the 1st January, 1853, at Jerusalem. Mr. Brewer watched watched the case on behalf of the prisoner."
"It appeared from the evidence that the unfortunate deceased had that evening charged the prisoner, at the 'Bird in Hand' public house, with having stolen a spade, which the prisoner denied, but, at the request of the deceased consented for him to search his hut, and that the deceased left the house with the prisoner for that purpose. About twenty minutes later a person named Aylward brought word to the public house that the deceased had been stabbed, when means were taken to acquaint his father, who resides at the Coal River, of the affair, and Dr. Coverdale was sent for."
"From the evidence of Aylward, who lives at Rose Bank Farm, Coal River, and who followed the prisoner and deceased to the hut, about two minutes after the conversation referred to, an altercation seems to have taken place, and he saw deceased standing at the hut door, threatening to break it open, in reply to which threat prisoner said, if he did he would run something through him. Aylward subsequently heard prisoner say - 'You killed Mickey, you shall kill no more', and afterwards met deceased turning back from the door. Deceased said - 'He has given me a sharp touch on the shoulder, Joe', and placed witness' hand to a wound in his neck. After advancing a few paces deceased said - 'Oh, I am a dead man; may the Lord have mercy on my soul!' Prisoner subsequently, Aylward having cooed for assistance, came out of the hut with a stick in his hand. The instrument, which consisted of half a blade of sheep's shears stuck in the end of a pole about six feet in length, and was produced, was deposed, to the best of Aylward's belief, to be the stick which the prisoner had when he came out. When told by Aylward that he had killed the deceased, prisoner said - 'A dead cock never crows.'"1
William was buried in the Kearney Vault, St. Luke's Cemetery, Richmond.
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1 Hobart Town Courier quoted in J. R. Skemp Letters to Anne, p.51.
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