A Miss Blackwell and her maid stoutly defended their home against a party of robbers, seeing them off with a salvo of shots.
“A few nights since a [pa]rty of ruffians, about seven or eight in number, attacked the house of Lieut. Blackwell, of Cookstown, near Ardee with the view of robbing it. Lieut. B. was on the continent a[t] the time (but has since returned), and the only persons in the house were his sister and a servant maid. It was near one o’clock, when Miss Blackwell was awakened by hearing persons attempting to force the door and windows: on her demanding what they wanted, they replied that they has a message from her brother. She desired them to deliver the message, as she would not open the door at that unseasonable hour. They threatened, if they were not admitted, they would break in the house and afterwards set it on fire, and accordingly they commenced a violent attack on both front and rear; but the house, which was very strong, having been recently built, resisted all their efforts. In the mean time, Miss B., fearing they might be successful, charged with some arms which were in the house: she then commenced firing out right and left, which so daunted the assailants that they decamped, after breaking a number of windows. They fired one shot into the house, the heroic protectress of which fired no less than six in return. It is conjectured that robbery, either of money or arms, was the object of the gang. – Droghera Journal.”
The Stamford Mercury , 22nd December, 1837.