The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-25 00:00:00

MURDER OF DR, LIV_NGS T. ONE,

(From the South African Mail.)
From the Interior of Africa we have startling
news, the most important item of which, however,
we trust, is untrue. H.M. St. Ariel, which arrived
this week from the Mortnnbique Coast, announces a
letter from the Governor of Senna to the Governor
of Quillimane, stating that Dr. Livingstone had been
murdered by the natives on Lake Nyassa. A sub-
sequent report prevailed, however, to the effect that
he had not been killed, but badly wounded. It is
certain that, accompanied with only five Mako-
lobo, he had gone up from the Murchison Falls
to Lake Nyassa ; but, judging from previous
misstatements from the same quarter, we are
are not disposed to give any credit to the tragic
news now communicated. By the same vessel, an
interesting letter has been received by Sir Thomas
Maclear from the Doctor, written in July last, im-
mediately after receiving tidings of the recall of his
expedition. He wrote then, though somewhat
disappointed, in his usual hopeful and courageous
tone. " Our renal," he says, " did not take me any
way by surprise, for the Portuguese slave hunters
of Tette and Quillimane had so completely aided a
drought of one season that the population of this
Shire Valley, among whom we had good pro-
spects of success, is almost entirely destroyed.
They finished the people and our work together ;
and had I believed that the scourge had been
half as sweeping as I now find it to be, I should not
have come up. I am, of course, sorry to see the
failure of my hopes, though through no fault of nay
own, and I deeply regret ever giving the slightest
credence to the protestations of desire on the part
of Portuguese statesmen for the civilisation of
Africa. . The most bitter point of all is to see
this line of coast from Cape Delgado to Delagoa
Bay left to those who were the first to begin the
slave trade, and are determined to be the last to
' abandon it. . . . It is, however, very pleasant
to see a new Bishop and his band of labourers
coming in as we retire." The prospects of the
mission, we are happy to say, seem more
favourable than they had been for some months
before. The Bishop was about to organise it in.
Morumbula, an elevated and healthy site at the.
confluence of the Shire ; and though two of the old.
hands, Mr. Procter and Mr. Rowley, have been com-
pelled from ill health to retire, the newly arrived
missionaries are as energetic and confident of suc-
cess as ever. Mr. Procter is to enter upon mission
work at Natal in Panda's country, and Mr. Rowley
returns to England. By this vessel we are also glad
to welcome back at the Cape Dr. Meller, of her
Majesty's steamer Pioneer, who was reported from
the Mozambique to have been dead nearly a year
ago.

Curious Trial for Murder at the Warwicli,
Assizes nearly Forty Years ago.

(From the Atlas of April 8, 1827.)
John Birch was charged with having, on the 28th of
March, at Birmingham, murdered Mary Hinton his house.
keeper. The prisoner is a man of respectable appearance.
very infirm, and upwards of 75 years of age. When called
upon to plead, he said, "I am willing to suffer for it." The
prisoner here wept aloud.
The Judge—Let me advise you to plead Not Guilty. Cir-
cumstances may come out on your trial that may be favour-
able to you.
Prisoner—l am guilty—l am guilty. I will not tell a
falsehood about it. I used her very ill. She was the best
woman in the world.
The Judge—You will not be guilty of any sin by plead-
ing not guilty.
Prisoner—Not guilty I Why, lam guilty. I have done
it, and I wish to suffer for it. lam guilty, and the more is
my misfortune. (Bursting into tears.)
The prisoner's counsel implored him to plead not guilty.
Prisoner—l say lam guilty. I have used God Almighty
very ill, and I want him to forgive me for it. (Bursting
into tears, and raising his hand in a supplicating manner.)
A jury was about to be empanelled to try whether the
prisoner pleaded guilty from insanity—when he exclaimed—
" If it makes any odds to the Court, it makes no odds to me ;
I'll say I am not guilty; bat I am, you see; but it makes
uo odds to mei The trial then proceeded.
It appeared from the evidence of his son-in-law, that the
old man called on him on the morning of the murder, and
showed him the body of his housekeeper, who was dread-
fully cut with an axe, and she died in a short time. Whilst
she was sitting in her chair, the prisoner, according to his
own statement, " thought it was a good opportunity to kill
her," and he fetched the weapon and murdered her. The
witnesses all deposed to the prisoner's mind having been un-
settled for some time past; but they were every minute in-
terrupted by the prisoner, who appeared highly incensed at
this part of their testimony. and declared that he was never
out of his mind, end that he was in his senses at the time of
the murder.
The jury found that the prisoner was insane at the time of
his trial, and insane at the time ho committed the murder.
Prisoner—Oh dear, oh dear lOh my Lord IDo my Lord
let me be hanged. How am Ito live in this world? Imust
do some more mischief to get hanged.
Judge—You will be taken care of. You must be kept in
confinement to prevent you doing any further mischief.
Prisoner—l hope you won't keep me here. Let me be
hanged, my lord—l can't live.