The Sun.
London, England, 1830-02-18 00:00:00

MURDER IN CARLOW, IRELAND.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
A murder of a veto atrocious nature has lately
been committed at a place called Kiledmond, near
Ragenalstown, in the county of Carlow, a county.
which has for several years been unstained with any
crimes of considerable magnitude, and our corres-
pondent states that the particulars of the murder,
although two persons (the supposed principals) base
been committed to the county prison, charged with
the crime, have not been published in any of ihe
Irish uewepapers. It appears that about a fortnight
or ten days einet,, the deceased, whose name erns
Smith, a small farmer and shoemaker, about forty -
years of age, was discovered by one of his neigh-
bours, on a part of his own land, called " the
Croppy's Gap") so called from the shooting of eve-
ral of the insurgents there during the rebellion Of
1798), lying on his back, apparently lifeless; his
skull was found to be deeply !met ured in one or tno
places, and large heavy stones were /Awed on his
breast and feet, as if to prevent his making any ef-
forts to move homewards. The person who found
him had him brought home, and the deceased, from
the attentions which were paid him, recovered his
speech, and hinted that he had received clothe unfair
treatment, alluding in almost distinct terms fo
wife, with whom for some time past be had treed
living on rather unpleasant terms, ns the person whn
had ill-used him. He shortly after desired this
person to go for the clergyman, as he would com-
municate all he knew to him. His friend complied
with his desire and left him, at the time apparently
recovering from the effects of the wounds which had
been inflicted upon him; on his return with the Red.
Gentleman, Smith was found to be quite dead." An
inquest was held on the body the following day before
two Magistrates of the county (for it is singular that
in • Carlow there is not a single coroner, while
in other counties of Ireland there are found '
so many as eight), the circumstances above
narrated were detailed at the inquisition,' and
suspicion being in consequence excited against
the wife, site was immediately apprehended. Hints
were also given that she had a paramour, who it was
suspected must have aided her in the perpetration
of the murder. The name of the latter, a young
man, was Styles, and he, too, was apprehended by
the police. They were kept apart, when Styles
confessed that he had perpetrated the murder at the
instigation of the wife, and detailed the following
particulars :—Mrs. Smith, he stated, had for a con-
siderable time past been making efforts to induce
him to murder her husband; he had a long time re•
sisted, but she persisted in her incitements. She
lied a short time before the perpetration of the crime
purchased some powder, and urged him to ahnet
the deceased ; this he had objected to on the ground
that the noise which the shot would cause would
discover the deed, as the neighbourhood in. which
they resided was rather thickly inhabited. She hen
decided on the plan of the murder which was subse-
quently acted upon. The night on which it took
place, Mrs. Smith made her husband get up about
midnight to look after his sheep. She followed
cohafi.nrcii,oisiriinotnoarttoolstege:fieidrlruder,liragvnittlnh,f hire rom some trifling cause took
hich sthteyrlee:, atnheanpgarTamalotuerr:
attacked the deceased with a pitchfork, with which
he gave him several blows on the head, and so se-
verely beat him, that the iron part of the instrument
was broken off. They then, thinking him dead,
placed the stones on him, and left him in the field,
as lie was found next morning. Styles further
added, that his belief was, that while the person
who went for the clergyman (all the parties were
Protestants) was absent, Mrs. Smith finished the
work of destruction.

On this confession the inquest returned a verdict
of wilful murder against both parties, who were
transmitted on the warrant to Carlow gaol, to abide
their trial at the approaching assizes.
It is said that since his committal Styles has de-
nied all knowledge of the circumstances attending
the death of Smith, and retracts the confession
which he made before the Magistrate.

NERVOUS AFFECTIONS.—An impression
made on one part of the body will often produce a ner.
vow) affection elsewhere, at a distance from the original
seat of the disease, and where no such ob►ious explanation
of the fact presents itself. A disease in the liver produced
a pain in the right shoulder ; a disease in the heart pro•
duces a pain in the hack. The late Dr.'WoLLasron wee
accustomed to relate the following :—Ple ate some ice'
cream after dinner, which his stomach seemed to be inie-
pable of divesting. Some time afterwards, as he hail
left the dinner-table to go to the drawing room, be found
himself lame from a violent pain in one ankle. Suddenif
he became sick; the ice-cream was rejected from the ato'
mach, and this was followed by instantaneous relief of the
pain in the foot.—Brodie'a Lectures.

HADDINGTON MURDERS.—The girls
MAGDALENE FRANKS, who shared the melancholy, btit
in her ease still more untimely, fate of her mother, wan
about fifteen years of age, and remarkably pretty. She
was very attentive to her lessons, showed considerable
aptness for the acquisition of knowledge, and, taking int°
into account that she had been brought up in the country,
possessed accomplishments of rather a superior kind. Sbe
was uncommonly dutiful to her mother, to whom her at-
tentions were assiduous and unremittilig; while to all her
acquaintance she habitually conducted herself with the
greatest kindness and urbanity. This unfortunate young
creature was al.° remarkably neat and tidy in her dress;
and we were not a little affected the other day by °beery-
Mg her parasol, frills, reticule, and sundry other aitieleg
of apparel, lying in the same stAte of careful order iO
which she had left them, neatly folded up and eoiered
with handkerchiefs, probably not many hours before bee
young head was literally shattered to atoms by the desrlll
blows of a ferocious murderer, How the monster bar
pelted to overkok these articles, while turning every thing
else topsy-turvy, we know not : they were but little cal'
ciliated to tempt his cupidity, if plunder was his object,
which we rather think it was not; and, at all events►
there they still remain, a touching memorial of the how-
cent creature, who, when arranging them with rental'
neatness and taste, little dreamt of the horrid fate which
impended over her head. The poor thing appears also to
have been very fond of birds and prints; for there are se-
veral strings of birds' eggs hanging round her little bed-
room, the walls of which are also decorated with a variety
of prints rather well selected, and calculated to instruct
as well as to amuse children. Indeed, from all we have
learnt of her, 111.kunALNNE FRANas appears to hare'beett
a simple child of nature, just bursting into womanhoo.4.
She was the general favourite, and engaged the good-will
of all her acquaintance. The old woman who laid out
the bodies remarked, "111annaLexx was the pride of the
Tillage, for her modest demeanour, and the friendly way
in which she treated all who had the pleasare of knowing
her."—North Briton.