The Donnellys Must Die

Book excerpt: From the annals of Canadian true crime, the story of The Black Donnellys massacre Ancient feuds, bloody conspiracy, gruesome murder, and bitter controversy--all shrouded in a seemingly impenetrable cloak of mystery. This is the tale of "The Black Donnellys"--a notorious family of Irish settlers who were viciously attacked while they slept in their Lucan, Ontario farmhouse on February 4, 1880. Here, in this definitive account of this sordid episode in Canadian history, first published in 1962 and continuously in print since then, author Orlo Miller sets out to separate fact from fiction, and legend from reality, to bring us the truth behind the Donnelly murders. Combining exhaustive research based on contemporary newspaper accounts, court records and personal diaries, with personal insights and dramatic re-creations, Miller's chilling revelations shed new light on this infamous case in the annals of Canadian crime. You will be taken on a journey of terrible bloodlust, unbending loyalties, and fatal revenge in the re-telling of an event whose infamy still lives in popular culture today.