The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-06-09 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT BUCKLAND

PLYMOUTH, Thursday.—ln addition to the particulars
which we published of the confession of Craze, respect-
ing the above murder, we have to add the following :
The prisoner was visited yesterday at the military
prison by Allan Bone, Esq., the coroner who held the
inquest on the unfortunate woman, and, in the presence
of the governor of the military prison, questioned him as
to the truth of his confession. To test the accuracy of his
statement, a person was introduced and recognised by
Craze as Corber, from which Mr. Bone conceived that
the man's statement was a false one. He was subse-
quently visited by detective Thomas, of Plymouth, and
Mr. Hutchinson, the superintendent of the Devonport
police; and on being interrogated by the former, gave
accurate replies respecting persons living in the neigh-
bourhood of Tavistock. He then made the following
s t ateme nt _ _

I have known Corber; I have met him several times at
Tavistock. On a day (which he believed to be a Wednes-
day), I met Corber at a public-house in Tavistock (Craze
gave the name of the public house, and also that of the
landlord, who is now dead.) Corber drank several pints
of beer, and was much is liquor. He then told me that he
knew where an old woman was living down in Buckland,
who had plenty of money ; that he kept her accounts,
knew where she kept her cash, and if I would meet him
there that evening he would share what he got. I left
Corber just the other side of Buckland, and we walked
down the lane together, turned down on the left hand till
we got in front of Mrs. White's house. We then went up
and pushed the door with our shoulders. The door easily
opened, and we went through the kitchen. (He then de-
scribes the staircase very minutely, saying it was boarded
off the kitchen—which was the fact.) He then continued
—We found that Mrs. White was not in the house. We
went into her bedroom and lay under the bed, Corber
having his cleaver with him. We heard the old woman
come in about half-past ten or quarter before eleven. We
were then under the bed, and remained there until she got

to sleep, which we heard. (He thought it was by this time
about half-past twelve.) We then got out from under the
bed, and I went up to the right side of the bed, and Corber
the other side. 1 put my hand on the forehead in this way
(describing that he put his right hand on the forehead, and
his left hand over the mouth). Corber, who was on the other
side of the bed, made a chop with the cleaver, chopping her
head almost from the body, and the old woman never
" squeaked" or struggled. The blood flew away towards
Corber and got on his shirt. Mr. Thomas here asked how
the old woman was lying. and he replied on the side of the
bed next the window, and he (Craze) twisted her head a
little towards the window across the pillow ( his was the
state in which the woman was found.) Mr, Thomas then
asked him to describe the position of the bed, and the general
state of the room. Of this he gave a very good account,
stated the shape of the bed, and gave a description of
other articles in the room. He continued :—We
then searched the room for money, and we found
about £5O. Then we came down over the stairs, and
we both made our escape out through the window, Corber
saying, "We wont't go through the door, but through the
window." (It will be remembered that the door was locked
the following morning.) I turned up the lane, and Corber
fastened the window. Shortly afterwards Corber followed
me up the lane, and we shared the money. I then went to
Tavistock, and proceeded thence to Plymouth, (The man
then told what he had done since this fatal occurrence, and
this shows, if he is to be relied upon, that he has been since
haunted by the murder with which he charges himself.

TRH PRINCESS ROYAL STEAMER. —We beg to contradict
a statement in the Ayr Observer of Tuesday, to the effect
that Capt. M'Chlery, of the Princess Royal, had been
dismissed from the service of the company. On the
contrary, we have authority to state that the owners of
the ill-fated steamship never entertained such a thought.
—North British Mail,
ART CRITICISM IN FRANCE —The well known French
The writer then vindicates his brother, who, he says, art critic, Gustave Planche, has just been fined 500 f. by the
is now at the foot of the scaffold. The records of every Tribunal of Correctional Police for opinions respecting a
picture expressed in the Revue des Deux Mondes. In an
country, he argues, abound in remarkable cases of per-
article on the exhibition of fine arts, M. Planche severely
sons destroyed for crimes of which they were entirely
criticised a Spanish artiste, named Madrazo, for having, as
The pamphlet invalidates the testimony of he alleged, badly executed portraits of the King and Queen
)rs. Taylor and Rees, by showing that they were more of Spain, when, in point of fact, only one, that of the King,
interested in their own reputations than in the principle was exhibited, the other being then at Madrid, and incom-
of truth, and that their prejuiice against the prisoner plete—such criticism on a work not in the exhibition being,
exhibited itself from the first. It says that some of the said the tribunal, "calculated to lead the public into error,
most able chemical analyists in the world have declared, and by its bad faith to injure the professional consideration
of the artist. The The tribunal further fined M. de Mars,
upon their oaths, that if strychnine were administered, it
responsiblearticle.
editor of the Revue 200 f, for having published
can.be found, and that the Attorney-General himself, to the
a certain extent, repudiated Dr. Taylor, and supported Tile TRANSATLANTIC COMPANY.—On Saturday, the 31st
himself by Mr. Herapath's supposition that strychnia was ult., the shareholders of the Transatlantic Company
there, though Taylor could not find it, that Taylor's held, at Genoa, their annual meeting ; 56 attended in
theory of the absorption and decomposition of strychnia person, and 24 others were represented by proxies, in
was never heard of till Palmer's trial, that it was suggested all
08nOntesdhato reholders, whose interest in the concern
6,380,000deca
al
ti
ev
irhe
os
r.
0A
whom o n g
hadthe
beersmembers
Pre-
to maintain his credit, and that all the ablest of the amounted
was Count
techianny
chemists at the trial unanimously repudiated it as a deputed by Prince de Carignan to represesnp
heresy unworthy of credit. The pamphlet then alludes Senator Giacomo Oneto having been called to the chair,
to Dr. Taylor's book on poisons, and quotes the passage the secretary read to the meeting a statement of the
that says, that it often happens in the hands of the ablest affairs of the enterprise, and the accounts for 1855 were
analyist, that the last steps of a scientific investigation
navigated elyght months
theu company
approvedaht of by the assembly, Although
months, the
profitsstei steamers
oanflno,aetfi whichto 040701y0
often lead to a very different result from that
which was at first anticipated, and that a suspicion livres. The South American line is to be opened in
derived from a few incipient experiments is very September, and the company also intends to multiply i
likely to be overthrown by continuing the its communications in the Mediterranean apd with the
investigation. In confirmation of Dr. Taylor's statement Levant. t
IThe assembly ultimately resolved to increaee
its
_capi_a to 25,000,000 livres.
to this effect a great many well known facts are adduced.
I ISM? LAUNCH.—On Tuesday morning, a fine new ship
The author then goes on to ask why such facts were not of 530 tons register, was launched from the building
yard
mentioned or alluded to by Drs. Taylor and Rees, who of Messrs. T. and J. Brocklebank, of Whitehaven. The
professed to be concerned in the investigation of vessel is clipper built, and is pronounced by competent
truth?—why everything that legitimately favoured the judges in marine matters to be a beautiful specimen of naval
Prisoner was suppressed, and everything, on the other athrcaht niteco
expense
The name of the firm is a sufficient guarantee
p
s e
etw
sparedell
to renderadapted hera first-
hand, which went against him was magnified. The class ship, and in
pamphlet also complains of Lord Campbell fortifying Dr. for which she is intended.y 'r
There is nothing for
the
trade
superfluous as
Taylor in his omissions, and censuring Dr. Nunneley, and regards decoration, an ordinary but finely-shaped billet
other witnesses, for being partial to Palmer, thereby head and a carved scroll across the stern, being all on which
weakening their testimony. If the wilful suppressions of the skill of the carver has been brought to bear. The vessel
iosrin named the Herculean, and is intended for the East India
evidence by the prosecution had ended with Dr. Taylor,
the writer says he would not care; but that two impor- for as a
manyrat rdee.ara any The Herculeanvel will classn:
constructed,
Lloyd's
the
tant witnesses who were to have been beard in the exception of vessels built under cover, which are allowed a
interests of the prosecntion were not called, as they year more than those constructed in the open air, and will
would have ProkenDlown, and materially.;.aided the be commanded by Captain Joseph Bell, late of the Crisis.

innocent