The next series of Heritage Papers will include accounts of murder cases in East Flamborough Township that were reported in the Hamilton and Dundas papers. Copies of these were kindly donated to the Flamborough Archives by member Mr. Michael Costello.
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From the Hamilton Spectator – 22 May 1861
An inquest was held yesterday before H. B. Bull Esq., in Flamborough East, on the body of a woman, the wife of Dennis Sullivan, a workman on the Toronto Railroad. The body of the woman was found buried in a root-house by some workmen on the railroad in consequence of one of the children having gone to the railroad and told the men that his father had killed his mother and buried her in the root-house.
Upon searching there, the body was found. Meanwhile Sullivan had come into Hamilton for the purpose of prevailing upon his daughter to come and keep house for him, telling her that her mother had gone away and left him.
On returning to the scene of the murder, the body had been found and Sullivan was subsequently committed upon the coroner’s warrant to take his trial at the next assizes.
From the Hamilton Spectator – 28 November 1856
Tomorrow’s sun will rise for the last time on the doomed man in the felon’s cell, and ere it has reached its meridian, Dennis Sullivan, the murderer of his wife will have expiated his guilt on the scaffold at the west end of the City and County Prison. His execution will take place precisely at eleven o’clock. The fatal drop is now in course of erection, and even where we write, within an easy stone’s throw of the spot, we can hear the faint sounds made by the workmen employed upon it at night.
It was bruited abroad some days ago that the rumour was unfounded, as he had confessed nothing, although he appears willing to die. He remains in the cell where he was taken to after the sentence was passed upon him, and is regularly attended by the Rev. Mr. Gordon. What has passed between him and his spiritual advisor we have been unable to learn, further than he maintains a strict silence with regard to his commission of the awful crime for which he is to pay the extreme penalty of the law.
The services of an executioner has been secured, but his name is kept a profound secret, and will not be divulged.
From the Hamilton Spectator – 29 November 1856
Our readers will doubtless be surprised to learn, after the announcement we made yesterday, that the sentence of the law in the case of Dennis Sullivan will not be carried into effect today. We were given to understand that not even the most remote idea was entertained of the sentence being stayed. An intimation was received yesterday, however, by the Sheriff to the effect that his Excellency, the Governor General has been pleased to grant a respite until the first Monday in January. The respite has been granted on the grounds of informality in the trial. It appears that by a statute of last session the provision previously made that the Queen’s Counsel might act as Associate Judge was repealed. This circumstance was overlooked by the Court during the last Assizes and Mr. Notman who was on the Bench during the trial of Sullivan, being only a Queen’s Counsel and not an Associate Judge, the plea of informality was urged on the prisoner’s behalf and admitted. The Government, then, had no alternative but to respite Sullivan for the further consideration of the case.
In the meantime, Sullivan has made a confession of the manner in which he killed his unfortunate wife. He says she was in the habit of drinking and selling his clothes to purchase liquor. This, however, she did in a secret way. Under this great provocation, he certainly intended to give her “a good licking” or severe beating, but never intended to kill her, or, indeed, had no idea she was dead, but thought she was sleeping until about half an hour afterwards.
Then he became alive to the fact she was dead, and all he thought of was concealment of the occurrence. He states however, he was quite bewildered, and is really quite unable to recollect accurately how he took her into the root-house where her body was found the next morning. Neither can he state how the roof of the root-shed fell.
We understand it is possible that a new trial will have to take place. Sullivan has been quite civil and anything but sullen to all who have attended him since his conviction, and his conduct in goal has been unexceptionable.
Archivist’s Note: Dennis Sullivan’s family is not listed in any East Flamborough records for the period 1855-1856. It appears that the family lived in the Lower Concessions of the township from the reference to the Toronto railroad (Hamilton and Toronto Railway) which passes through Concession 1 and which according to Mr. Fred Cliffe’s note in the Summer newsletter, was completed by December 1856. This suggests that they may have been a family settling where there was work, and not permanent township residents. They do not appear to be connected to the Sullivan family of Concession 11, East Flamborough Township.
© The Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society 1998, 2023.
