The Express.
London, England, 1849-08-08 00:00:00

CHOLERA AND MURDER IN LIVERPOOL.

Oa Mat.day, at Liverpol, before P.l;. Carry, Foci,
the borough comer, isqueots were hrld, cot jointly, 0., via*,

of the bodice of J Ines Culkin and Catherine Cullin, both
eLildren. . _

Jane Kane sworn, said—l am a widow, end live in Plea-
street. The deceased parties lived in Oriel street. The
father's name was Patrick Jos ph Culki 1, and I knew him
well. Tne house is in a court. He had three children—
namely, James, aged about eight years, Sarah, about of van
years, and the third, Catherine, aged &mut eleven months.
No one but themselves lived in the house. One of the
children (Sarah) riled of cholera ea Wednesday evening
last. Next morning, at seven o'clock, his wife died. I
was present when she died. I sew the husband then, and
he appeared to be in • very melancholy way. I hired him
say several times that be could not live af er her. I asked
him to take a cup of tea. He said. Nu! he would never
again taste food in this warld. The deceased children,
James and Catherine, wens then in the house. I slept in
the house on Tnureelay night. Next evening the hus3and
still appeared to be in a low melancholy way. About
twenty minutes before ten o'clock i went out, and left the
father and the two decessud children in the hnun.. I gave
the youngest (Catherine) into his arms. About halt-past
two en the aft-ninon I went back. I mend the el.ior fast.
I lifted the latch, but could Lot get in. I tarn went and
lifted the window, and got in through it. I looked into the
bed where the corpse of his wife lay, and behind the corpsl
saw Culkin bicit. no had one arm round the neck
lof the errpv, and the other on her beers'. I then ots-
*greed that his the sat was cut. I did ant know then
whether he was alive or deed. I u ducked the icor
she key of which was inside, and called in assistance. De.
Mluer was parsing at the time, :aid I celled him in S renal
ceiehbours also came in. We then found the two &ceased
children, James and Catherine, with their throats cut, and
quite dead. They were both on the airs bed witn the
mops,. James was lying at the but of the bed, and Cathe-
rine by his side. Cu kin, :he father, was taken to the
Madmen Hospital. Previous to Wednesday last I never
observed anything in his conduct and manner that led me
to &sips. him to be at all deranged in his intellect. lie
was very much attached to his wile and children. I never
I saw a man more affectionate. After the death of his wits he
spoke in such a Malin way that I did think he was net him-
self. He has been in sucn low clecunastences that he war
latterly advised to seek 'parish relief.
Mr John Dixon Kiluer said :—I am • surgeon. Oa
Friday afternoon last, as I was p smug the end cal • pas-
sage in Oda street, • woman cm* nut and almost
pulled me into a house is the court above. She was too
much excited to tail me what had happened. In • room
on the ground floor I saw a bed, its which I saw two
caresses which bad eppaeently been laid out for burial, and
behint the two, next to the wall, I saw Culkin lying in a
state of insensibility, and blood about his neck. After
that I found that his throat was cut. There was • great
crowd of persons collected. I eeut out for the p dice, and
then had Culkin removed to the Northern D• spite!. lie
was then partly c macious. I afterwards found the two
both...described by Mrs. Kole. They were both quite dead,
and had evidently been a f for s due hours. Their throats
were both cut rum one side to the other, which hail evi-
dently caused their dim h. This razor bade [produce.'] wan
handed to me by the last witirem, or some female is the
house. There were several spits of blood upon i.. There
was • great quantity of blood on the bed, hut 1 observed
none on the floor. lam satlfied that the 'Mist child coald
not himself hays Selected the wound which I saw on his
the rt.
Mary Guy said—l am a widow, and live at 48, Jordan-
street. I kLew Patrick Joseph Culkin. Three week. Iwo
ha hired a cellar mad r the house 1 live in for a school. On
Friday week he heft, and said he would be beck on the
followieg Mood y. lie came on that day, and said his
little girl was very ill of the choler.. I saw nothing more
of him till Thursday last, shortly alter dinner, when he came
and said that his wife and child were deed. lie said he
would sooner OM than live, after the hoes of his wife. He
also said that his little boy was sick, and he doubt, d whether
be would not he dead before he tit home. I saw nothing
more of him afterwards.
Mr. Thomas Lea said—l am relieving rtlicer sir the
parish of Liverpool. I visited the house of Petrick Culkin
on Friday last, teethe first time. I undereteod the femily
had been relieved the day rrevinusly. I found the door
fast, and got in through the window. I found a child, ap-
parently about 6 or 7 years old, lying dead on a table. I
saw • woman lying dead on the hot. I saw Culkin and two
miler zhildren nil lying on the bed with the deceased woman
I adv'e.d hi', to get up, as it was daemons to lie with the
gioweg, end seid I wculd return in the afternoon, and ar
greanygeehiamb-eoutmtehree
liinette.rmueentw. Imeue
,liitiweeonleeedhi
children
rtwehnhe
Lenvhelonlienwi had
e 11hintsinndu
the second time. I then saw the
men before in the bed. The eldest sea' fuming the
house, and the youngest wee in the alma of a woman. I did
not observe any thing in the wanner cf Culkin beyond (ta-
il ction for hisses, to lead me to think that he was out cf lie
mind.
The coroner here stated that this waa all the evidence he
had to lay before the jury.
The Coroner quoted the following SSW, as bearirg a
strong analogy to that before them, fr im " Cex's Crimea's'
Law Cease " :—" The mason. r was indietul (Joae, 1815,
before Mr. Baron Parke, in Huntingdonshire), lir the wilful
murder of Harriet Barton, his wife, by cutting her throat
with a razor. It wee proved that the prisoner and the de.
cessel were husband and wife, and that,up to the day named
in the indictment, he had always tented ler and their
children with kindness. They were Prrn telkiee 'Nether
et their door at night, and at four o'clock on the
following morning it wee discovered that he had cut the
throats of his wire and child, end that he had attempted
suicide. When questioned by the surgeon, be cx-
htbited no sorrow or remoter, but stated that " trouble
end dread of poverty and dee itution had made him do it,
fearing that his wile and child would starve when he was
dead.' Ile made a further Larrative, which, coupled with
a knowledge of the prisoner's private cfrcum..tercese induced
the surgeon to form the opinion that the prisoner, at the
time he committed the act, had not, in coesequence of an
incontrollable impulse, to which all human beings were
abject, any control over his conduct. The desire to SRA
.*in and injury on thole previ ;way dear to the prisoner,
was, in itself, a strong symptom of insanity, and the im-
possibility of resisting a sudden impulse to slay a fellow-
toeing was another indication that the mind was insme.
Finally, the surgeon's decided epini• n was that the pri-
soner was in an insane state of mind at the time. Beron
Perks told the jury the questinta was whether, at the
time the prisoner committed the act, he was in a state
et* mind that rendered him reapoesible for the murder ; end
that would depend upon whether be at the time was aware
of the nature and character of the deed he was committing,
and knew he was doing wrong by wasting. In this case the
pris seer was convicted, and sentence of death was passed, but
he was afterwards pardoned"
The Coroner concluded by saying that the safest verdict
wcule b • one involving the felony, and the case would be
dealt wifh in a higher court.
The jury. immediately returned a verdict of "Wilful
Murder against Patrick Joseph Culkin in ho:h cases."
The accused i; still at the hospital, and very ill, but levee
are entertained of his recovery. He had formerly,
been in ge circucostancf s.

CAUTION AGAINBT RETAINING MONEY ORDERS TOO
LONG IN HAND.—The followinz notice has been issued by
the Post-vttiee authorities: "By the 11th and 12th Vic.
c. 88, it is enacted. shit all money orders intuit before the
end of August, 1848, and not omen's d for payment heroes
the end of August, 1849, shalt be null and void. And by a
regulation male under the authority of the s.me act by the
Postmuter•Generel, with the consent of the Lords Cos mix-
sioners of her blijesty's Treasury, Every money order issued
subsequently to August 31, 1848. shall be void, unless pre-
sented for tayment before the end of the twelfth calendar
month after that in which it was issued. Thus, a money
order issued in September, 1848, sill lose all value, unless
presented for payment before the end of September, 1849 "

TREATMENT OF DEBTORi IN COUNTY GAOLS.—
Twre is an important alteration in the C runty Courts
Amendment Act with respect to the treatee:nt of debtors,
which will take effect in a few dept. It is provided that from
and after the 31st August so much of the C.iinty C nets
Act as au horises any judge to order a party or defendant to
be committed shall be repealed, and it shall be lawful for
any judge who would have been authorised under the said
set to order any party or defendant to be committed as afore-
said for env such period as directed, to or.'t r such ply yor
defendant to be committed for the like period to the common
poi wherein the debtors under judgment and in execution
of the superior courts of justice may he confined for the
county, city, or lrirough. Where the debtors prisons
are situated at an iecoi,venient distance, or crowded, the Se-
cretary of State may Whorls: commitments to be made to o
House of Correction, " and to soaks such orders for altering
the regulations of such House of Correction or gaol as last
aforesaid, so far as resp.cts the treatment of persons to be
committed under this act. in order that such person may he
treated as scary as may be in like manner, es if they had
been committed to prisons. in which such debtors as af.:l,-
slid may be confined, notwithstanding the regulations in
force in such House of Correction or gaol to which such
' perique may be committed, every such order moy from time
to time be revok d or varied by such Secretary of State, as
occasion may require."
INQUEST tESTERDAT.—DEATII OF A SOMNAM-
o atiLlAT.—Before Mr. Baker, at the London Hospital on the
I body of Joseph Boukett, aged 56 years, who was killed
under the f illowing very shocking circumstances. It op-
peered that the deceased was a German emigrant, and had
saved up same money in America. He bad left thatocuntry
, a short time sines, and arrived in London for the purple of
it retu-nine to his native pare. He took up hie lodgings at a
German lodging hewer in Ship-alley, Welielose square, St.
George in the Ee•t. and he Slept in a room with 10 other
emigrants, in bucks or haulm. eke, which were fastened
against the wall. On Thursday night he went to bed
is the usual manner, and about one o'clock
the fo lowing morning be was seen to leavii his
bunk, and crawl along the ground towards the
window. One of the Garenens said to him, " Where are you
going ?" sod he replied in a strarge manner that it was not
his business. The deceased appeared fast asleep, and before
he could he prevented he opt ned the window, which was
only four feet fr en the floor, then put his feet out, ►nd no
fell to the ground, a distance of about 39 feet. He was im-
mediately picked up, end his heed was found to be fractured
in a most shocking manner. H, was removed to the h ■.
pita, were he dial shortly &rewards. The witness said an
had se doubt that the decresed was asleep, but he did sot
like to swear to it. The jury, in that ease, returned an rpm
verdict, " That the deceased was killed by falling from
window, but whether he was asleep or not there was no esi-
dams to show."