The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-09-04 00:00:00

Zrottanb.

SHOCKING MURDER AT GIARGIOR.— On Saturday
afternoon, at 3 o'clock (says the Norlls Brnisa Daily
Mail), one of the most dii-aressing child-murders which
has ever fallen to our lot to record was committed at
the river Clyde, opposite Messrs. Tod and Iliggin-
botham's works. The circumstances, so far as we have
learned, are as follows : Mr. and Mn'. Shields, two re-
spectable persons living in Commercial-road, had a fine
little interesting boy, two years of age, named John.
The child was in the habit of being allowed on dry days
to walk out on the pavement to await the arrival of his
, father at meal hours, and on Saturday afternoon be went
out as usual ; but, instead of meeting his parent, he was
picked up by a young man of about 214 years of ago,
named John M'Fayden, and taken away up the bank of
the river. The father soon came borne, but, of course,
without the boy, and the fears of both parents were then
aroused for his safety. A lonelieareli resulted in nothing
satisfactory ; bun at length the mother, in going up the
Clyde, met IFFayilen carrying what she immediately
reisignized to be the clothes of her missing child. With
maternal eagerness she questioned the young HMI as to
where her boy was, when lie, with a lack-lustre eye, and
in tones indicative of the greatest unconcern, told her
that the boy was drowned, and that he had got his
clothes and was going to sell them. Just at this
moment several parties eat»e up and accused M'Fayden
with drowning young Shields, when he replied, "God
strike me dead if I did." However, as he had been ob-
served in the very act, he was, of course, taken into
eustaly. It would appear that M'Fayden had led the
unsuspecting innocent up the river side till opposite
Higginbotham's works, and there he began to strip him
of his clothes for the purpose of appropriating and sell-
ing them. It is thought that his original intention did
not extend beyond this, but, according to M'layilen's
own subeequentconfeimion, the child began to weep and
cry " MA," while being undressed, and it was then that
the horrible idea was first suggested to him that by de-
atroying the child he should prevent detection. Acting
on the insane thought, the boy was no sooner naked
than, notwithstanding his piteous cries and infantine
idnaggles, the murderous youth lifted him in his arms
and pitched him into the water. Fearful lest his object
hil,,Ultl not be accomplished, the young fiend got a stick
about 3 feet bin:, and as his little victim was struggling
lug close to the shore, ld'Fisytlen held him down with the
wood till life was extinct. The murderer then lifted the
child's clothes and turned his face towards the city. The
fi-st question that will naturally arise on reading the
above statement will be, is M'Fayden sane? It is very
doubtful if he is. On being taken to the easteni-pulice
office his mother was bent for, and from her statement
of his previous conduct, the question of the prisoner's
sanity will be a matter for inquiry. If the mother's
statement con be verified, there is no doubt that the
young tn.an is
• .. .• • • • . -

Tli; JoAu o' Groat's Journal gives an account of •
severe storm which passed over the Caithness coast on
l'hunulay and Friday, the Zird and 24th ult., and which
destroyed udwards of 40 fishing vessels, and did other-
wise a great amount of damage. Fortunately no lives
were lost. The estimated loss to the fishennen of the
caost is said to he £3,000, besides the loss of the season's
fiAing. _ .

NUCCIRSVOL PEARL FILMING IN THE Idox.—Pearl
fishing, writes &correspondent of the BanffshireJonntal,
has again commenced in earnest on the Don. Within
the bed two or three years two lads in Invernay are said
to have reali.ed upwards of 1:110 by the discovery and
sale of the pearls. One has been found near Dyce, for
which Li has been refused by the finder. It is nearly
the size of • smell marble. The usual size of those found
varier from a pin's head to • large pea. The pearls are
sow freely changing hands in the district at from 3s. to
!Is., and up to as high as LI or 1:4 each.