The Express.
London, England, 1858-08-23 00:00:00

MURDER IN 80MBRIIITRILIRA

The county of Somerset has again been the scene
of a murder of • singular and atrocious chattels. In this
instance the victim is a little girl about six years old, named
Hannah Melia Barges*, daughtsr of a labourer, named Wi-
liam Burgos, working at the Forst Wises, on Exmoor, rod
the modeler is the child's father.
Bargees was left a ;dower oak five cr'dren, fort of
them old enough to go into sen:ce, sod places were pro-
cured for them act ordingly. The deemed, the youngest
of the ferelly, was rut ts a neighbost's to be kept at the
expose of the father, who paid 2s. a w .k for some time,
and then the child was removed to the house of another
person naiad Raney San additional cost of sispence pee
week. Borges bad frequently cOmpla'sd of having to pay
this weekly sum kw the support of F daughter, and befog a
man of intamrseto and improvident habits the tax appeared
to be amours of gnat annoyance to him. On Sunday, the
26th lily, Barges took the child away from ?doyley's at
four o'clock ha the morning, under the prat or of tliCnyg
her to some of hie relatives at Porlock, at gut 14 miles off.
While at work some days afterwards he was asked
what had become of the child, and he said he
had taken her to a place called Bewsworthy, in Devon-
shire. Nothing further wet heard of the child
until last week, and in the meantime Burgos had
left his work and quitted the neighbourhood. In the
early part of last week, a man. going along a occluded
spot in Exmoor Forest, found the remnants of some
female apparel which had evidently been burnt, end the
fragments soon identified as pert of the clothing the
child wore when she left Marley's in company with her
father. Suspicion being thus excited a person was sent to
Burgas'. relations at Poriock, and it was assetained that
neither Burgess nor the child had been there on the Sunday
above mentioned. Some men at work at the Iron mines heard
that the child was wising, and in consequence rommone d
searching the forest ; they Wend the turf had ben out, and •
grave had bran dug, about four feet long by two Bet wide,
and about three feet in depth, and on throb ug out the
mould they observed a strong small of decomposed anintr!
matter, but failed to discover the body. Information ter s
than forwarded to Supwintendent Jeffs, of the Wiveliscomber
division of the county constabule-y, who at once went in
march of the father. . _ _

At Lynmouth, Devon, it was ascertained that Borges,
had hired a boat and gone in the direction of the Welsh
coast. Mr. Jeffs pr ed a fast sailing yacht and went In
pursuit. He reached Swansea on Thursday after.soon, rnd
there found Burgess at work at the new dodo' now in tor es
of construction at that port, The officer arrested him, rid
charged him on suspicion of murdering Flo daughter, when
he said, I done it, and I wrest die for It ; sooner die
than live, for I shell never bs happy again." He also told
the superintendent that he Intended to have made away with
himself and saved him the trouble of taking him.
The prisoner was temporarily lodged in the pollee-station
at Swansea, and the next day oonveyed to Lynmouth, and
from thence to Didverton. He was brought up at the petty
sandoss there en Saturday before J. A. Locke, Esq., e
sCaptain nd
Bernard county magistrates, when some formal
vidmahaying been offered the prisoner was remandel foe
further examination, and committed In the meantime to the
county gaol at Tainston.
The prisoner attempted to cart, his threat of self-destrue-
lion into execution on Saturday morning, Just prior to ben(
taken before the magistrates. One of his handcuffs was en-
locked to allow him to take some refreshment, when he
shod a pair of scissors lying on the table, and plunged them
into his throat. Several policemen were in the room, and
stayed his deadly purpose, but sot before he had cut his neck
severely. A surgeon wee soon at hand, and with diem
the wounds were sewn up.
The amity Folios are diligently engaged searcli;ng for
the body of the child ; the 'ntricute nature of the p:ound *-1
the forest renders the search a malty: of no Rile difficulty.