The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-04 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

EDINBURGH, Sear. 2.
An instance of the repugnance for capital punish-
ments was exhibited yestnat the High Court of
Justiciary. It will be seen by our abstract of the
proceedings that the jury recommended the prisoner
to mercy, and on being interrogated by the court as
to the grounds of their recommendation, answered
that it arose from their repugnance to capital
punishments, and that in consequence a considerable
number of them were for returning a verdict of not
proven. In passing sentence, the Lord Justice Clerk
held out no prospect of death punishment being com-
muted. Another connubial murder is in program of
investigation at Glasgow.
As holding out the prospect of social improvement,
the following mettle from the report of the chaplain
of the Dundee prison is worthy of notice:
I is strame msasßa et the bspessi scaditica at the Flom ear
the berm wader at tririssres Is essepred with Serer Ore. is
to be hese to the het slresse tiros tend at the draft tiresis
be dies a Imps samba issperse ma is zeros, at the passe
short *as wan mil is sereser be el, sag story or at are
bed bre ail iselireissull b pros. I ressabssrliss Iwe
essurrellils IS se
sorer et dirrotsto spook
Is sass rad* wise Irearsarlees,
sesppel essinakis ma set is air Ins rem es le ars
meter he Sr esressems. I was ilbrenes 01101 Is opt to
titer dreesk a epos MS& Ws vs In tie di wren sat is
Ur Yrs et ism et Or iresrliessin, Ito, IR MIN" time
le war re Sri eggeirestes et viskse•44ll orb,
hen astlitedisheer Iser s tplageeasogine
Another intereedng oirenentenee of a mar ten-
dency may also be resented. The other diy the
children of the %ads, Industrial Schools visited the
children of the Perth Industrial Schools, the railway
company having conveyed them gratis, and the
sheriff-substitute of Perth, Mr. Barclay, being one of
the managers of the entertainment given to the sub-
jects of this gratifying union.
A Health of Towns Association is to be formed in
Aberdeen.

One of the many panaceas for highland menera-
tion with which the central board are favoured, is the
oonversion of their balance in hand into a loan fund
for the highlanders ; and could machinery be pro-
cured for the prudent management of the money in
this way, it might probably be the means of effecting
I much
Thecessation of railway operations is not a eon-
summation to be lightly oontemplated. Here is the
result on one line, the Edinburgh and Northern
The number of wortinen (nya the Ate Herald) who will be thrown
out of employment, en far a the animation of the Edinburgh and
Northern Neat, tam Burntialand to Ogler and Newburgh (now all

bat ealniraid, will be as toUoes —Yln6hore Man:.
1,635; aeappulbreaela 1,43 ; Markle& district, I,
66076; Newburgh
geowh. 1 earl 1,
diatalet, 66 didziet, 1,103; Wail. 7,636. Of eaWawa%
160 460 g are
111 MAL Theta are
Naas; 115 % rialassia 1114 artily. awl 6,4661a60urera

A Wirs rout:slaw IT nag livse•srD.—At Belinbwrgh,
on Wednenday, Thames Leith was tried at the High Court
of Justiciary for the murder of his wife. It seemed that, on
or about the 16th of April last, the prisoner, who lived at
Dundee, mixed • quantity of arsenic with some barley meal,
which hie wife made into posvidp and partook of, soon after
which she became ill and died, as was proved, from the
effects ofpouoa Some time before this the prisoner had
been made ill bxsons• tea sent to him by his wife, which
was found to contain poison. Ma. Leith had declared she
put nothing in the tea: it was the same she and the net of
the family had taken, and had been filled up and sent
te the prisoner at his shop, which wag a short distance from
their house. At this tirne deceased was willing that all needful
ilntl • should be made, but the prisoner wee averse to an
e 'nation, giving ss his reason that it would make a great
, and might injure his children. At this time and up
deceased's death the prisoner lived chiefly away from his
wife at the shop.—The Rev. James Johnstooe, of Dundee,
said he had known the prisoner and his wife for about 10 or
11 years. The prisoner had some time back complained of a
want of affection on the part of his wife. Latterly Mrs.
Leith had complained to witness that her husband was very
harsh in his manner, and had threatened to strike her. Some
time before Mrs. Leith's death, the prisoner had spoken to
witness about a separation from his wifr, saying that they
could not live happily together because they were not con-
stituted alike. Airs. Leith was averse to a separation.
On the morning's(' the 21st of April, witness went to Mrs.
, Leith's house, and found her kneeling on the bed in the
kitchen. She looked up. and he saw by her eyes and coup-'
tenant* what was the matter. She said that she and the
children bad been very ill since breakfast. Witness sew
that she was Buffering from poison. He fetches' the prisoner
from his shop, and told him to go for a doctor. He said to
Mrs. Leith that she would die from the poison, and asked
her it she could go free to eternity, and begged, if she knew
anything of it, to tell him. She said she could go free to
eternity as for anything respecting this affair. On his
asking what she had for breakfast, she said she had
only a small quantity of oatmeal in the house,
which she made into porridge for the children.
She had had a little barley-meal in a bag in the press, out
of which she made some porridge for herself, and the chil-
dren, not having enough, got a little of the barley-meal por-
ridge. This accounted for her being wore* than the children. 4
Witness took the bag out of the press to which she pointed,
and deceased positively said that was the bag. She said the
poison must have been put in the bag on the fast-day, while
she and the children were at church. A neighbour (Mrs.
Roy) told her the prisoner had been there during her absence.
The prisoner soon after came in, and Mrs. Roy, who had
come in while vritnem was with deceased, asked him if it
was possible that he could have done this. Prisoner said
nothing, but entered in great agitation. He asked witness
for the bag, which was of course refused. Drs. Crichton and
Nimmo came in with a stomach-pump. While witness was
gone for the doctor, Mrs. Roy, contrary to witness's orZers,
had thrown away the porridge which deceased had brought
up; but a very small quantity was left in the vessel. Dr.
Crichton had made apoot mortem examination of the body,
and was clearly of opinion that poisoa was the cause of
death, as was Dr. Nimmo. Dr. Simian= found a consi-
derable quantity of arsenic in the meal, and in what had
been thrown off the stomach. Several witnesses deposed to
the complaints made by deceased as to the cruel treatment
she received from her husband, he haring repeatedly struck
her, lad also to having heard the prisoner say he would
wring his hands in her heart's blood. Allier the Lord Justice
Clerk had summed up, the jury, Wiring deliberated for half
an hour, returned a verdict of guilty, but unanimously re-
commended him to mercy. The court passed sentence of
death, sod proposed that the prisoner should be executed at
Dundee on the 22ud of this month. The prisoner received
the sentence with great composure.