The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-04 00:00:00

COMMENCING EARL!!

An attempt at assassination under circumstancea of
romantic atrocity has been made in the city of Cork,
by a boy not sixteen years of age. He lived with his
grandfather of the same name, William Butler, who
had the care of an old ruin at the south side of the city,
called the Red Abbey. This place he selected as the
site of a picturesque murder. The intended victim
was a servant named Honors. Hurley, who had given
him from time to time to invest in a penny bank the
accumulations of her weekly savings, amounting alto-
to the fftlll2 of Os., which was all her treasure. Find-
ing latterly that he did not devote the money to the
purpose for which he had been intrusted with it, she
reproached him with it, and he thereupon conceived
the determination to take her life. He set about
effecting his purpose with great deliberation. In
an elevated part of the ruins of the al castle, to
which he had access by his grandfather's key, he
first dug a grave about, six feet long and one foot
wide and deep. On Monday evening, when she
again taxed him with breach of trust, he told her he
hail the money concealed in the abbey, and asked
her to accompany him and he would show her the
spot. She agreed to do so, and, taking a candle in
her hand, young Butler led the way up the narrow,
winding steps of the castle. On reaching the first
open space, he brought her to where the grave had
been dug, and told her the money was there in a box.
She stoop dto take it up, and he immediately struck her
repeated blows on the shoulder and head with a small
hatchet. The candle was blown out, and in the dark
she struggled with him, screaming for mercy, and at
length succeeded in catching hold of the hatchet. lee.
taming ning her grasp of it, she implored him to spare her
life, and he consented to do so upon the condition of
her not divulging what hail happened. She promised
to keep it secret, and they then returned bigether by,
the same way, she apprehending every nionaent that
be would fling her headlong down the stelsx. He made"
no further attack upon her, however, and after leaving
the castle grounds she ran, eovered with blood, into
an adjacent house, whence she was removed to the
Infirmary, where she received medical attention, and
is now past all danger. Butler absconded, but was
arrested, and on Friday was brought before the magis-
trates at Cork. He is only fifteen years of age, and
is a slight, delicate-looking boy, but evidently in-
telligent and self-poesessed. He preserved a silent
culleetedness during the investigation. Honora Hurley
is a young woman, about twenty years of age, about
the middle height, with a quiet manner. Her head
and face bore wounds. In her evidence, she stated
that the prisoner said to her on Sunday evening :
f' Honore, if you don't tell grandfather, nor your own
father, I will tell you a Secret," She sant she wouill not,
and lie then sail, " I am putting 341, nweek for the hot
seven months in the castle-house, and when I set It I will
give rota what I owe you." Ile said there was shots in the
I, dada of the floor, sad that he put the mercy down
through it, awl that it was all in halfpence. They both
went to the lop of the old tower that night and he showed
her the hole where he suit he trot the envoy hurled.
She asked hitn why he had burled It as de, p, and he
replied that he did so that nobody %mint flail It
out. She I,slied him to Conic away, all there Was tittle
ei,ouiAl unto Monday in.ehine. whs. ,ite *O., he coil 1,4
the money by 4laylight. They then retinue I hon., On
Monday she asked hitn woftld he get the money that day,
Mat Ile Wit Ihe would when grandfather went out. About
I o'clock in the evening, he still that his grandfather and
grast.lfathers brother, as well as her OWII father, had gone
lilt, alai If I had a candle now," Wtattlat go ,p
and do what I want." lie sent rt child toes cantle, arid
when he irni got It he went to the tip of the Abbey and
returning in abont a quarter of art honr, slid he oath, see
the lon the money was In, but the clay had get into it
through the cover, so that it became too heavy for him
to lift himself, ati,l he seemed to want her to ,ine and assist
hien tt ith it. she then went with him, taking g candle and
a hos of matches, and they went up to the top. When they
lint got half way up the stairs he took a ht bet out of a
hole to the wall, telling her that he wanted it to break the
bottom of the boa When she had nearly reached the top
Si the stairs, be icing an advance of her, tile candle was
que.hed, she Jelieved, by the wind, " and I did not know
whet° I Was when I got the first on the back lie
tween the ihotalders. I said, • William, you are striking
me,' thinking he intended to strike the boa. Then
I got 'our or five blows in succession on the head. I
believe I screamed, and said, for (hers mercy do save
me ; I put out sity hand, .41 some way I caught the
hat .lot and he then cried out for me to forgive hits.
I said L would if I got safe down, for I thuncht fie would
throw nm down the narrow stairs, and would k lime, I
asice,l him then to take me down, for I was so covered vrrtli
Mall I could n 4 see my way. Ile took my hand, and led
se to the front door, and I then screamed to out Hit who was
at the other side of the street Its mune and took sin to
n 9. own holm., and I 0.4 s aftcrwards taken to the S trill
Infirmary, where my head wag dressed. I bronght the
hatchet away with me. I did not fall from the mit bill."
. . .

Constable Gnu.] said ho had visiltal the scene of the
uffence. Tile pasaage up t • the Mat fir was very danger-
ous, awl at the tep Nall 11 square Ideate no surrotteded 11' a
wall, with no roof, ftbd at one Ade of It, ttrut the wall, there
was a It le about 64 feet long and abont e foot deep—it
route] not he made deeper, for the 11-or had loon remelted.
l'he breadth of the hole was shout the or.lhur y “reedth Of
11 grave. The bolo tnigla be dug hy a torrent b.yin an hour.

_ .
The bench committed the proomer for trial before
the Recorder, who can, if he chooses, remit the ease
to the a.sizes. The prisoner, who appeared anxious,
but collected, then left the dock.