The foregoing Memoirs, was sent by way of letter to colonel Charles Kelly of Agharahan.
Some particulars relating to the manner of the death of my grandfather colonel Phelim Mc Tuoll, (whose commissions of lieutenant colonel to general O'Neill's own regiment from the supreame council of the confederate catholicks of Ireland, dated 16th March, 1645, and of colonel to the same regiment from the marquis of Ormond, dated 12th November, 1649, I have now by me) being omitted in the foregoing account, I do not think it improper to have them mentioned here; tho' I had the same account from several old people that were eye-witnesses of, and conversant in the history of the transactions in those days, yet I had the following narrative from—Osborne, an attorney of the Court of Exchequer in 1700, to whom the same was related by his father, one captain Osborne of Sir Charles Coote's own regiment of horse.
When quarters were given to several of the Irish officers, and in particular my grandfather, he and Sir Charles Coote came to terms about his randsom, and it was agreed between them, that my grandfather, on procuring one hundred beeves from his friends to be delivered to Sir Charles, should have his life spared, and be set at liberty; and for that purpose he was drawing articles to be executed between Sir Charles and him, when a serjeant came into Sir Charles's tent the next day after the action, with an account of his having brought colonel Henry Ro O'Neill, general Owen O'Neill's son, prisoner. Without more ado, Sir Charles reprimanded the serjeant for not bringing his head, and commanded him to go and dispatch him immediately, whereupon the pen dropped out of my grandfather's hand, and accosting Sir Charles in favour of his relation, pleaded in his behalf, his being a Spaniard born, and that he came here a soldier of fortune, and hoped for thes considerations, he would not suffer his orders to be put in execution. But all would not do, the orders were executed; and Sir Charles telling my grandfather, that if he began to prate, he would be served the same way, my grandfather being touched with the usage his kinsman received, replied, ‘That he would rather be served so, than to owe his life to such a monstrous villain as he was;’ whereupon he ordered him to be carried out, and knocked on the head with tent-poles, by Sir Charles's men, which being observed by one of Sir Charles's officers that was coming towards the tent, asked the soldiers what they meant by using the gentleman so, and they replying, it was by the general's orders, the officer, in compassion to him, and to put him out of pain, drew his sword and ran him through the heart, and both his and Henry Roe's heads were cut off and put up in Derry; so far had they the honour to imitate the death of their king, who was most barbarously murthered the year before.