The National Register. — London, England, 1811-12-15 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL , • ATROC'IOUS MURDERS' The task of a Journalist, at all times difficult,' frequently afflicting. He has to describe, not only the convulsions of States that rend all the ties of ancient policy asunder, and let loose the devastations of war, but he must continually detail the acts of fraud and iniquity committed by his fellow-creatures in their private lives. To him, in the present age, the great field of the world and the less extended sphere of society, yield little more than i stances of splendid and successful crimes, or individual infamy and guilt. The iniquity of man stands fully revealed before him, and he cannot but own, how infinite the mercy of that Being must be, who does not sweep so corrupt a race from the face of the earth, but gives it time for repentance and for• giveness. It has sometimes fallen to'our lot to transcribe the descriptions ; 1 of acts of violence and blood committed by negroes in the \Vest Indies. Maddened by the loss of liberty, country, and friends, j j from which they had been infamously torn, and lacerated by the cruelty of their masters, these burning children of the sun, in whose estimation revenge is the supreme good, as it is the most powerful feeling in their nature, watched the hour of dreadful retaliation, and joyed in the blood of their oppressor, and the de struction of all his race. Neither female weakness, nor the in nocence and helplessness of infancy, could check the slaughter ing hatchet, and vengeance was only glutted when victims . ed. Guilt raged there in its most tremendous shape, and we. shuddered at the mere report of its excesses. What shall we now feel or say, when we have to relate an act cornmined in this city in cold blood, and with no other apparent impulse than that of plunder, which equals, if not sarpasses, in citielty, the most inhuman instances of African murder ! A husband, his wife, their apprentice boy, and a babe which had but just passed the threshold of existence, which, so far foon resisting or im peding the robbery, would in its innocence have smiled at the assassins of its parents, whilst still red with their blood: a whole family sacrificed at once for the purposes of lawless gain ! This is a deed that calls too loudly for vengeance, to remain long un discovered ar.d unpunished. Let the ingenuity and activity of man execute the' will of Heaven. The servant maid has been providentially saved to assist in the discovery, may it be prempt, and ma) the perpetrators of such atrocious guilt, soon meet the vengeance of outraged justice and humanity. The following are the fullest particulars we have been able to obtain respecting the horrid deed. The servant girl of Mr. Marr, who kept a lace and pelicse warehouse, at No. 29', Ratcliii-highway, on yes erday se ;might, about 12 o'clock at night, was ordered to purchase a few oysters for supper, and pay the baker's bill. She left her mistress suck ling her chile, about three months old, in the kitclon, and her master was employed behind the counter, arranging his goods preparatory to closing the shop. She endeavoured to purchase the oysters, but not succeeding, she returned in about half an hour, and found the shop shut up, and the door fastened. She rang violently at the bed without any one answering. The esvatchtnan came up, and enquired the cause of her wanting to ha admitted, when she answered that she belonged to the family. The watchman assi-ted in knocking and ringing without any answer being returned. The watchman who hol i resiously seen Mr. Mare and the servant lad put up the window shutters, be came surprised, and immediately informed the near neighbour of the circumstances; when Mr. Murray, a pawnbroker, whose family had not retired to rest, was induced to get o v er the yord wall, and entered at the hack entrance of Mr. Mares house; he was attracted by a light on the landing place, he took the light, and the first horrid spectacle was the errand boy, James Biggs, about 14 years of age, lying on his face, at the further part of the shop, with his brains knocked out, part of them actually covering the ceiling, and blood on the wall and counter. Alarmed at the frightful scene, he called for assistance, when the watchman and several others scaled the wall, and accompanied him in his pursuits. Mr. Murray proceeded to the street door, where he discovered Mrs. Mare lying on the floor dreadfully wounded and lifeless. The party then opened the shop-door leading into the street. He then went behind the counter, and found Mr. Marr lying down, and bleeding profusely about the bead, with no signs glee. He next proceeded to the kitchen, and, : petrified with horror, he saw the little babe in the cradle with (re of its cheeks entirely knocked in with the violence of a bb w, and its thrdas cut from ear to ear. It is supposed the fright a the mother, at hearing the groans in the shop, left the infant in the cradle to run up stairs, when her life fell a sacrifice, and the murderers dispatched the child to prevent its innocent cries from alarming the neighbourho , d. When the watchman was calling the hour of twelve, he exam ined the pips, and found one of them loose; he rapped at the door, and heard a voice In the shop, and in formed them of the circumstance, when he was answered. " alt was right," and proceeded on, when he again returned on hear ing the servant girl ring the bell. l'he above is the relation of this melancholy and diahaticall murder. No suppoiition of the wicked intentions of the villains unhappily is revealed. No soul was living in the house to relate the disaster! It is supposed the return of the girl in so short time alarmed the wretches, who had not time to rub the pre mises, as no property Was lost, and in searching the sho • 1.1 , 21. in cash and notes was found in a tin-box, besides monee on .!r. iVfarr. A ship carpenter's paen maul, broken at the point, a:A a bricklayer's long iron ripping-chissel, ahem 20 inches in length, were found, the former covered with fresh lolood.—lt i, supposed the murderers entered and concealed themselves in the yarel.. Crowds. of spectators thronged Ratclitf-highway during the whole of the week, and the countenances of every one cast a me lancholy gloom, rarely exhibited on -the most distressing occa sions. CORONER'S INQUEST. On Tuesday at two o'clock, an inquest was held at the Jay Sailors public-house, before W. Unwin, Esq. Ceroner, On the bodies of Timothy Marr, Mrs. Cecilia Marr, their Miele wet, am! James )Fish', the servant led. The following was the. evi deuce: Margaret Jewell.—" I lh'ed servant with Mr 'Man."; I went to the counter to my master, Who was behind it ; !le gave rive a pound note; it wented a few minute to twelve ; I left him busy behind the counter; I went out of the door, and tureed welts left to Taylor's ; they were shut up, and I returned again past the window, and still saw him behind the counter; I went to St. John's hill to pay the baker, they were shut up likesei.e; I went with the intent to get some oysters, but found the sitepe were shut up ; I returned ieiain to the door of my master's house, I fated it chisel.; shut up, and no light to be been ; I think I was out about 20 intim:es; l rang at the bell, and no one answered ; I rang repeatedly ; whilst I was at the door; the watchman went by on the other side of the way, with a person in eine g' ; I cer tainly heard some one coining down stairs, which I thought was my master coming to let the in; I am certain I heard the chila cry very low; I ratig again, and knocked at the door with my foot repeatedly, when a man came up to the doer and instil:eel me ; I thought I would wait till the wetchinen came, es hide he shortly did, and called the hour of one, at the same ti :re desired me to move on, net knowing who I was; I said I belenieed to the house, and thought it very strange I should b e l o cked out ; he then observed thee had not fastened the pin of the window; the watchman then knocked, rang at the bell, and called l`e!tirr through the keyhole; Mr. Murray, the next door meg! leen, then came out and asked what was the matter the watchman then told him that I was locked cut; I continued at tee door with the watchman till Mr. Murray came out again, an' eaid there was a strong light backwards; Mr. Murray went haek wards, while another watchman, who had joined the first, made an alarm ; Mr. Murray got into the houie barks...Ards, and opened the street door, when the watchman and myself en tered." • [I !ere the poor girl, struck with the remembrance of her mistress's mangled and bleedeig body IN iliCh preset; ted iiFelf on the opening of the door, was So overpowered, that she fainted on the spot, and was carried out in a state of in•eneleilite e l John Murray---" I am a pawithrokar, residing at No. 30. R at clitfe-higliwity, next to the house of the decease d, Mr. Marr. About ten minutes after 12 -o'clock on Sunday morning last, I was sitting at supper with my family, and heard a noise in Mr. Mares house, which appeared to he on the shop floor, ani re-_ sembled the pulling of a chair, and the sound of e voice, as if proceeding from the fear of correction, like a boy's or a woman'.,. l'his all occurred in about a minute's space; a little before one, as far as I can recollect, I heard a ringing at Mr. Meres•bell, which continued at intervals till a quarter past one; we were tl:en about to go to bed ; I heard a bell ring with additional vio lence, and went to the door to know w hat was the matter ; I was then informed by the watchman that the shutters were not fast by the omission of a pin; that the girl was shot nut; that she hid rung at the door, and no one came to answer : I told the watchman to pull hard at the bell, and that I would go at the other side of the house, and endeavour to wake them, or neike them come to the door; the watchman did pull the hell very hard, and I went to the back of the house, and caked out Mr. Marr three or four different Wales ; no allover was made, and I