The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-06-13 00:00:00

MURDER OF MR. HURST.

We have, since our last publication, been furnished with &state-
ment of ;additional circumstances attending the death of this la-
mented gentleman, whose character for charity and benevolence was
highly estimated in his neighbourhood. An inquest was held on Sa-
turday, at Ballinacarriga, by J. Cox, Esq. one of the County Coro-
ners, in presence of a number of magistrates and gentlemen from
the vicinity. Amongst the former were John Waller, Esq. of
Castletown ; Briton IValles, Esq. of Busby Island ; Edw. Fitz-
gerald, 'Esq. of Backfield; and Thomas P. Yokes, Esq. Chief
Magistrate of Police. A most respectable Jury was impannelled,
when, after an anxious and patient investigation, a verdict of Wil-
ful Murder was returned against P. Kirby, alias fererick, aided
by Margaret Dillon, who were both secured by the exertions of
chief constable Laurenson of that district, to whose unwearied zeal
and activity, in conjunction with Captain Baldwin and Messrs.
Hill, of Alount-pleasant, the magistrates are much indebted. The
two prisoners were on Sunday. committed to the county gaol, to
abide their trial at the ensuing twice. Kirby is a very ill-
' looking fellow, and a man of notoriously bad character in the
country—but the woman is rather of an engaging person, and
handsome features. Her appearance, in fact; is altogether pre.
possessing. A mutual attachment was ascertained to have
existed between both for some moths previous to this dreadful
crime.
The actual scene of the murder is represented as truly fright-
fuL Mr. Hurst was found prostrate on his back, in a thick
coppice adjoining the house, his head shockingly mangled, and
the bones of the skull literally best ins the grass around him was
horribly disfigured, and red again with a profusion of clotted blood
and detached parts of the brain His hat, cane, watch, and keys,
lay at his side. To this secluded part of the plantation it is now
perhaps to) well known, the infatuated victim of female duplicity
was Intentionally allured by the arts of the woman, ilargamt
Dillon, and there the assassin came upon unawares, and inflicted
those deadly blows with a hatchet which produced such effect.
Kirby was known to have had this weapon. and it was found
in his house the day subsequent to the murder, clean and recently
washed; the blunt end of it, on application to the head, fitted the
wound exactly. At the Inquest he was brought forward to see and
touch the body, to observe whether it would make any impression
on him, but not in the slightest degree did it produce the wished-for
effect; and he conducted himself on the occasion with the most
perfect indifference. Kirby was in custody last Assizes for a rape,
but bills were only found for an assault; and he was also charged
with stealing two sheep from Mr. Hurst.
By a further investigation before the Magistrates on hlonday, it
was satisfactorily proved that this diabolical outrage was concerted
some months ago, and 1.113 t it emanated from a conspiracy, in which
the pyjamas were ascertained to be principals.
The shock sustained by the afflicted family and immediate rela-
tives of Mr. Hurst cannot well be described.; suffice it to say, that
the dreadful catastrophe has inflicted a deep mental wound upon
one of thas family. already suffkring under a painful illness.—
Limo f'hroaide of Walrirday.

POLICE.

GUILDHA I.L.

On Saturday judgment was given nu the important question be-
tween the publicans and spirit.deslem on one side., and the venders
of British wines on the calve. as to whether the lacer are qualified
to retail tliMr gnne.,: in small ouantities. In the course of' last
winter ft 11r. Ai rains opened a ;hop bear Newgate-market, for the
ssle of Briti,ll wines, in small quantities, and the fame his hot
elderberry wire soon acquired, goaded the spirit-dealers in the
neighbourhood to make an effort to extinguish this eye-core; aid
after a series of defeats, succeeded yesterday in getting a decision
in their favour. Mr. Alderman 'fhompso:, said, the whole matter
might be compressed into, Ist, whether elderberry wine is at ex.
ei•eable liquor. and, 2dly, whether the del...odant had sold it with-
out being ;:c...msed according to law. These two points, he was of
opinion, me evidence adduced had fully established. 1.71)00 the
authority of the " King v. Dowrs," and " v. Drake."
It was quite clear that to sell legally, by eetail. any exciseable
liquors, it was necessary that the parry should be furnished with a
Magistrate's license. This the defendant had not, and he there-
fore convicted him in the penalty of 101. and 201. costs. This
being the first ()Came. the full penalty was not enforced. 31r.
Harmer, for Mr. Malin, entered into recognizance' to appeal.
Two fellows. named Thomas Bright and John IViMante, were
fully committed for stealing a case. containing WI. worth of cotton
stockings, one of the passage of 31r. Lignin a. lave-lane, Wood-
street, about six o'clock on Friday evening. The robbery was im-
nicliately discuvered, and the pretonns pursued and overtaken.
BOW-STREET.

SwiNnt.tx<l.—On Saturday Rohe, t Waters, • young min of
respectable appearance, was brought up in custody, on a charge of
. . . . . . .

31r. Till, a woollen-draper, stated, that in the heginninfi
of April the prisoner came to him and said he had recently com-
menced business as a tailor, and wished to purchase cloth on the
rascal credit, adding. that he bad served his time to a person of the
name of Hunter, at Lynn; that his father was a termer near
Lynn ; thset he had lately married a tin oehter of Alr. Springfield, a
fanner, at Yarmouth, and had received two hundred pounds as
part of her portion, and was soon to receive oil hundred pounds
more: and also referred Mr. Till to two persons. rained Hawes
and Eddington, for the truth of his statement. Mr. Till inquired
of both then persons, and received the most satisfactory account of
his new customer= to whom, in consequence, he gave emi tat
different times to the amount of leof. In consequence of a person
in Mr. Till's employment :laving seen the prisoner coming out of a
shop kept by a person notorinnsly connected with thieves, move
strict inquiries' were made, and it was ascertained that the primmer
had not served his time to Hunter, that his father did not reeide
where he said, nor war he married to the person's daughter he
mentioned; nor bad he any appearance of carryirg on any
tininess.
The prienner, in his defence, raid, ho had bought the goods on
credit, and they should be peed for when ire credit was expired.
lie was remanded.
WOILSII I P-STREET.
STAGE-COACH IXTOIMATIONS.—On Saturday, - Tho-
roughgrod, driver of a stage-coach to Ongar, in Enna, attended
before Mr. Teener oan, the Magistrate, on an information lodged
against him by Johnson, the informer, for having, nn the 29th ult.
at Staple Torncy, one passenger more than allowed by Act of Par-
liament.
The case had been partly heard last week, when John Byers, the
infermer's witness, swore that there were eleven outside pease:igen
besides the coachman and a child. The coachman admitted that
there were eleven pentane outside, inclttdieg a child at the mother's
brevet. which was not chargeaiele. He then begfed for an adjourn-
ment of the case, pledging himself re bring torward evidence to
rebut that of the informer's witness. His request was granted, and
on Saturday he again appeared, acconurenied by several persons
who were psasenpers by his coach ea fen day mentioned, and
ernfrealonnlly attended by Mr. Church.
The case having been called on, Johnson requested that all the
wimenes mightavithdraw, except the one under examination.
This was assented to, and Abe Twviord observed, that the in-
former's case had been fully heard on the former occasion ; and he
had departed front the usual mode of proceeding in such cases by
adjourning it after the informer's case had been made out, which
he was induced to do, in order to afford every possible opportunity
for investigating the merits of the case, which had been positively
sworn to on one side, and as positively contradicted by the de-
fendant.
Mr. Church said lila client bad, at a considerable expense,
brought forward such evidence as sou rarely xenon sock occasions.
Mr. John Wood, a respectable solicitor residing in Southampton.
street, Strand, was then sworn, and stated, that on the 25th May he
was en outside passenger by the coach driven by the defendant. He
took his seat on the box with the coachman :nth:, Bull, Aldgate,
about three o clock in the aftenuvin, and quitted the coach at On-
gar, about six in the evening. He perfectly recollected there were
but three persons on the front of the coach when they started from
London. Ile occasionally catered into conversation with them on
the road, and he did not know, nor did he believe, that it) the contec
of the journey any other person got np_On his cross-examination
by Johnson, the witness positively denied that any boy gave a par-
cel to the coachman on tire road. To a question from the 31agis.
trate, be said he could not positively swear that no more than three
pennons were on that part of the coach at Staple Tenney, but his
belief was so strong as almost to amount to a certainty.
Mr. Church trusted that he had now satisfactorily disposed of
tr.: passengers on the front of the coach.
Mr. TWTFORD replied, that he did not think so, for there was
positive swearing on one side, and only belief on the other.
Johnson observed, that the variance in the evidence was solely as
to the passengers on the front, as his witness swore positively there
were four.
Thomas Smith Darnell, Esq. was then sworn, and stated, that
he also was a passenger by the coach, at the time mentioned. He
was with the coach when he passed through Staple Torney, having
mounted at Chigwell. He eat at the back part of the coach with
hie hack to the horses. 'f here were but three persons on the
trout, and his attention was called to the circumstance, because
those persons kept pushing the luggage against his back, which
caused him to turn round and speak to them every two or three
minutes.
To a question from Johnson, he swore positively that not a boy
come out of the Talbot with a parcel or letter to the coachman,
nor did the coach stop at the Talbot at all that day.
The 31AGISTILATE thee immediately dismissed the informs.
tion.
Mr. Harwell then complained that it was a great hardship for
gentlemen to be dragged a distance of 26 miles Crum home to give
their evidence, when in the neighbourhood, where the offence was
alleged to have been committed, there were several Magistrates
competent to decide the question.
Mr. TwYFORD admitted the justice of Mr. Barwell's ob.
serrations, hut the reason stated by the infenner was, that it was
nearest to the booking-office.
Mr. Church hoped, that as the informer's case had been so com-
pletely contradicted, the Magietratewoule allow the defendant costs
and expenses for his witnesses. The Fare loss of coach hire in
bringing the witnesses to town was, he said, 21.
Mr. TAYFORD, after vomiting the Act of Parliament and
Bum's Justice, said, he did not think he could allow the defendant
more than his awn personal expenses and costs.
Mr. Church war about to argue the question, when Mr. TI/Y-
-FORD Interrupted him, by asking if lie could produce am autho-
rity for the demand. Mr. Church was not at present prepared. but
would take time for that purpose. The parties then left the office.

Pr ILA cr AWD Means a.—We learn by Captain Ludding-
ton, of the James Monroe, arrived from New Providence,
that the schooner Planter, which tailed from New York
15th February, was fallen in with on the 10th March, of
Nuetitas, by a piratical schooner of five guns, which ran
to leeward of that place, when they murdered the Captain
and all handa.—Charleston Pa pet.
FRACAS vs IIIGH LTFE.—A, Nobleman has been grossly
insulted in one of the squares at the west-end of the town, by one
of the parties connected with the fracas at the Chester Race tall,
on the 4th :Jay last. On that occasion, a Mr. Fitzgerald and a Mr.
Rawlins had incurred the displeasure of the company, and were ex-
pelled by the Noblemen and Gentlemen present, among whom was
the Earl of Wilton, the second son of Earl Grosvenor. Mr. Fitz-
gerald and Mr. Rawlins have since spared no pains, by letters in a
Morning Paper, as well as by other means, to provoke some
of the parties, by whom they had been expelled, to a duel;
and, among the rest, the Earl of Wilton: the Committee and
the principal Gentlemen who were at the ball, however, una-
nimously decided that the conduct of Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr.
i Rawlins did not entitle them to call on any single indivi-
dual for satisfaction, when their expulsion was unanimous. Din-
, appointed in their endeavours to procure that satisfaction which
illr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Rawlins demanded, Mr. Fitzgerald, on
Thursday, proccaleo on horseback to Grosvenor-square, and, it is
reported, shook a horse wnip in front of the window of No. 12,
where the Earl of Wilton lives • he is also said to have thrown cards
on the pavement, bearing a drawing of a horsewhip, And inscribed
" For the Earl of AVilton." The Earl of Wilton and his elder
brother, Lord Belgrsve, were invited to dine nut on Thursday
evening, and at half-past seven o'clock the carriage of the Earl of
Wilton drew up to No. 14, the residence of lewd Belgrave, who
had no sooner entered the carriage, than Mr. Fitzgerald, mistaking
him, it is supposed, for the Earl of Wilton, came up, and struck
at his Lordship violently through the window, which was open at
the time ; Lord Belgrave immediately leaped out of the carriage
to resent so gross an outrage by a petson he had never offended, and
followed Mr. Fitzgerald on foot, but he did not wait for his Lord-
ship. but galloped oft at fell speed, and made his escape. Aver-
rant has been issued against Mr. Fitzgerald, but the officers have
not yet been able to serve It on biol.—Evvoia; Pope,.
'l'he deplorable instance of fanaticism exhibited at Sta.
verton, Devon. has been already mentioned. The real name of
the prophetess is Mary Boon, but she assumes the style and title of
Mary Joanna, the handmaid of the Lord. The principal object of
her mission is to produce the voting Shiloh to the world, who she
states was, after his birth by Joanna Southeote, carried bp the spirit
into the wilderness, that his enemies might not destroy him ; her
followers shortly expect him to appear. The punishment of dis-
belief es to the reality of her mission is to be the destruction of t*
Incredulous, and the forfeiture of their poiperty to her ; she has, in
feet, already disposed of several estates in the neighbourhood; and
&wealthy farmer In the vicinity thinks himself a lucky fellow in
having become the purchaser, at the expense of a few hundreds, of
some of the finest manors and farms in the county. She has also
declared that it has been revealed to her that the use of pork should
be prohihhed, and her disciples have disposed of their pigs wider a
panic, which proved highly advaotageoua to the purchascrs.--1
Dadra Gaerue.