Dan Kennedy, Joe Reynolds,
and Corney Dolan; of these, Joe alone was personally known to Keegan,
and it was he who used the axe with such fell cruelty; but he had
been so completely disguised at the time, that Keegan had not in the
least recognised him. Dan was the man who had at first stopped the
horse, and he being confident that Keegan had not even heard his
name, and that he was very unlikely to be in any place where his
victim could again see him so as to know him, had not feared to stop
the horse, and address its rider without any disguise.

This act, which was originally proposed and finally executed more
with the intent of avenging Thady, than with any other purpose, was
the most unfortunate thing for him that could have happened; for in
the first place it made the magistrates and the government imagine
that the country was in a disorderly state generally, and that it
was therefore necessary to follow up the prosecutions at the Assizes
with more than ordinary vigour; and in the next place, it made Keegan
determined to do all that he could to secure Thady's conviction,
for he attributed his horrible mutilation to the influence of the
Macdermots.

Other things had also occurred during the four months since Thady had
given himself up to the authorities, which had determined the law
officers of the government to follow up Ussher's murderer with all
severity, and obtain if possible a conviction.

The man who had been sent to Mohill in Ussher's place was by no means
his equal either in courage, determination, or perseverance; still
it had been necessary for him to follow to a certain degree in his
predecessor's steps, especially as at the time illicit distillation
had become more general in the country than it had ever been known to
be before. A man named Cogan, who had acted very successfully as a
spy to Ussher, also offered his services to the new officer, by whom
they were accepted. This man had learnt that potheen was being made
at Aughacashel, and, dressed in the uniform of one of the Revenue
police, had led the men to Dan Kennedy's cabin. Here they merely
found Abraham, the cripple, harmlessly employed in superintending the
boiling of some lumpers, and Andy McEvoy in the other cabin, sitting
on his bed; not a drop of potheen--not a grain of malt--not a utensil
used in distillation was found, and they had to return foiled and
beaten.

The new officer, whose name was Foster, also received various
threatenin