HORRIBLE MURDER IN SCOTLAND.—We mentioned last week the vio- lation
and murder of a young woman near Dalkeith. The North Briton contains a long account of the deed, which for brutal atrocity exceeds any in modern times. It appears that the deceased female, Margaret Paterson, was a person of irregular habits, and as such had been disowned by her pa- rents. On the night of the outrage (the 17th April) she was proceeding from Edinburgh to Dalkeith, when she was overtaken by two men driving a cart. She asked them for a ride ; which they did not refuse, but stated that they were only going to Gilmerton, a village to the west of Dal- keith. The three drank some spirits in a public-house near the toll-bar where they had met, and then proceeded on their journey. Late on Saturday night, the cart was found by a neighbour at Gilmerton, with some of the girl's apparel in it ; and soon after, one of the men arrived at the village. Next morning, the female was found in a dreadfully abused state, lying in a ditch on the road-side. She was carried to her parents at Dalkeith ; where, after every thing had been tried to relieve her, she expired on Thursday, in the greatest agony. Previous to her death, she disclosed the names of her murderers to the medical gentlemen who attended her; and, as far as she could, the means by which their monstrous purpose had been effected. For an account of the latter, we must borrow the Latin of the North Briton.* for it would be impossible to detail the partionlars of so horrible a crime in English.—" Quinn ii scelestissimi veltieularii, tennis nequitias et immanitatis capaces, Diabolo suadente, fteminam, semel atque iterum, in vehiculo suo constupraverant, atque ita crimen raptus pcena capitali puniendum admiserant, procul dubio est, ut in va,ginam miserrimee lapides tres, us similes quibus via publica strata est; carbonem, stramentum, gramen cum spinis quibusdam, injecerunt, osse thoracis nexilis, ut tistuca, utentes : quo facto, raptores, smvitia gaudentes, miserritnant e velticulo de- jecerunt et postea corpus exanime in fossam juxta viam publicain abripuerunt. Et plus triduo, id est clum Gilmertoni commorata est, ac etiam usqueduin mors finem fecit miseriis fcemina hwece intra abdomen swan !mink lapides, carbonem, stramentum, gramen, cum spinis quibusdam, seelestissimis vehi- culariis inferta, more nefando, per os thoracis nexilis, ut jam superius dictum est. Post mortem, dissectione corporis facta, omnia hrec inventa aut in recto aut in vagina ; perineum ita dilaceratum ut ex vagina et recto una tantum canalis facta, quod rarius accidit etiam in parturitione difficilima ; htemorrhagia fere continua, qua rnultus sangnis effusus et indusinin penitus totum cruore tinctum ; signa violentia3cruribus impressa ; atque omnia intra abdomen inflammata."—Of the two ruffians who were guilty of these hitherto
unheard-of acts of cruelty, the one, named Thompson, is aged about twenty, and unmarried ; the other, Dobbie, is aged twenty-eight, and has a wife and
two children. They had both, previous to this crowning deed, borne but indifferent characters for honesty, and were in every other respect worthy members of a fraternity—the Gilmerton carters—whose characteristics, long known to the Edinburgh people, are a well-balanced combination of cowardice and ferocity. * The North Briton is a twice-a-week paper, which has lately started in Edinburgh, in competition with the Scotsman, we presume, as it is published on the same clays. It is ably conducted by Dr. Browne, a gentleman of great learning and experience.
BODY SNATCHING.—A fellow named Clarke was tried at the London Sessions, on Tuesday, for stealing the body of a child. Having, by pre- tended attentions to the people of the house where the body was deposited, ascertained the room in which it lay, he first stupefied the nurse of the de- ceased child, by a drug administered to her in a glass of gin, and then hooked the corpse out of the parlour-window and ran off with it. He was, however, stopped by a policeman before he reached the end of his journey. The counsel of Clarke dwelt on the fact that no violation of the grave had taken place, and that, as the mother had not visited the child for four days before its death, her feelings could not be supposed to be much wounded by its ab- straction. Some of the jury mentioned mercy in returning their verdict, but the Court was not in a merciful mood—Clarke was sent for six months to the tread-mill.
ExecuTtost.—Mr. Comyn, whose case has excited so much interest in Ireland, was hanged in Ennis last week. His crime was setting fire to his own house.
We understand that the prosecution of John Russell, for the murder of Joan Turner, has cost the county of Somerset 4441.; and we can venture to predict that he will not be executed on Wednesday next.—Slterborne Mer- cury.
CHEAP BREAD RIOT IN PERTII.—There have been dear meal riots
without number, but this is perhaps the first cheap bread riot that has oc-
curred in Scotland. Some time since, a Captain Robertson, a half-pay officer, residing in Perth, commenced a large baking establishment in that city, and is selling his bread under the prices asked by the corporation. By his very commendable conduct, he has incurred the ill-will of all the incon- siderate apprentice and journeymen bakers in the city ; and as a testimony of their hatred, on the evening of the King's birth-day, they attempted to burn an effigy, in the usual form. From this ridiculous -farce, the cavalcade proceeded to the premises of the Captain, where they assailed the house with stones, and missiles of every description, breaking the windows, &c., and attacking the persons of the inmates. Squibs and other combustibles were also poured in, so that it required considerable care to prevent the house getting on fire. The riot was at length quelled ; several of the ringleaders were seized, and they will no doubt suffer the punishment they deserve.— North Briton.
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