In Drumsnat, a civil parish southwest of Monaghan town, two men lived in a cottage on a farm. One, John Wright, was the stepfather of the other, William Davidson. On January 23rd, 1880, William beat John to death with a shovel. Patrick McPhillips was the first to hear about the âMurder at Smithboroughâ, as The Irish Times would bill it. Variants in other newspapers included the less-specific âMurder in the County Monaghanâ. The case was not a major story in the press and was covered only as part of the Monaghan Assizes at which the details were recorded. McPhillips was ...