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A ghost was at the center of a courtroom drama in County Cavan in 1910. We take a look at the grisly Irish court case.
In Bailieborough, County Cavan, a rather strange court case attracted local attention in late 1910, involving claims of ghostly and unrepaid debts.
This case, as reported by several newspapers of the time, revolved around the alleged actions of Mr. Charles Connell Cornasirl and the claims of Miss Annie Brady Curfad.
Miss Curfad, a 70-year-old woman, brought proceedings against Mr Cornasirl to recover £3 10s, which she claimed had been taken from her under unusual circumstances.
According to her testimony, Mr. Cornasirl approached her in June of that year with a bizarre claim: he was haunted by the ghost of her brother, Phil. Phil had been dead for 26 years, but according to Mr Cornasirl his mind was troubled because of an outstanding debt of £3 10s. he owed him that in his life.
Out of fear and desire to lay her brother’s spirit to rest, Miss Brady paid Mr. Cornasirl the sum in question.
To add a touch of drama to the proceedings, it was noted that the money given by Miss Brady wasn’t even hers, but belonged to her sister.
She was forced to relinquish primarily because of her fear of the defendant’s ghostly claims.
Her claim was supported by a neighboring farmer named Brady, who testified that Mr. Cornasirl had confided in him about the relentless pursuit of Phil’s ghost.
According to this farmer, Mr. Cornasirl had said that Phil’s ghost appeared at his bedside night after night.
When asked, Mr Cornasirl did not deny that Phil owed him the amount. However, he disputed the ghostly method of collection.
He said that after Phil’s death he made a long journey of ten miles to attend the wake, hoping to tackle the debt problem.
But he never got a chance to talk about it. Most importantly, he categorically denied ever saying anything about being haunted by Phil’s ghost.
The case concluded with a ruling by Judge Drummond in favor of Miss Curfad.
The judge was convinced of her story and firmly believed in Miss Curfad’s account of events. The judge’s decision included a rebuke for using spooky stories, true or fictional, to exploit vulnerable individuals.
This curious episode, nestled in the 1910 archives, serves as a reminder of the varied and often idiosyncratic nature of human disputes and of the lengths some may go to settle or exploit a debt.
Whether or not Phil’s ghost actually haunted Mr. Cornasirl remains a mystery, but the story itself lingers as an intriguing mix of folklore, law, and human nature.
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