The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-07 00:00:00

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thudding noise as if of blows, 1L
the two bodies lying on the grog
walking about excitedly in the flow. dot,
pected the nature of what had been done, and
shouted out to Hunter, at the same time making his
way towards the spot where the dead bodies were
lying. The murderer, apparently thoroughly scared,
made for the back garden, forcing his way through
the shrubbery, and took refuge in a greenhouse, -01201-
cealing the iron bar under his coat. The alarm
rapidly spread, and a large number of the neigh-
bours and workmen in the neighbourhood were soon
on the spot, among whom were the Rev. R. Gem-
mel and Dr. Newcome, both residents in the Cres-
cent. The two ladies, though the bodies were still
warm, were found to be quite dead. Information of
the dreadful tragedy was at once despatched to the
police-station. No attempt appears to have been
made to secure the maniac until the arrival of the
police. The crowd which had gathered in front of the
house, although it included a number of able-bodied
workmen, appeared so paralysed by the awfulness of
the crime which had been collimated, and at the
same time so much alarmed by the appearance
of the criminal, who was known to have about
him the weapon with which he had committed the
double murder, that none ventured to approach
him, and he remained in his retreat in the green-
house until several policemen arrived, accompanied
by his father, Mr. Hunter, and an elder brother of
his own. His brother called upon him to come out,
which he did apparently with sulky unwillingness.
He was immediately seized, and the iron weapon
before described, which he had concealed under his
clothes, was taken from him. The prisoner showed
no grief for the death of his mother and sister. He
appeared unconscious of what he had done, or sto-
lidly indifferent to the dreadful tragedy in which he
had played so horrible a part, and the awfulness of
his own position. He refused to speak in answer to
the questions put to him, and sulkily accompanied
the officers who took him in charge, offering no re-
sistance to any treatment he received, excepting a
repeated and impatient refusal to wear a hat, which
was offered to him before being conveyed to the cab
in which he was taken to the central police-station.
In explanation of his refusal to wear a hat, it is
stated that the prisoner had not used any covering
on his head for several years.

PRICE 4d.
STAMPED sd.

when every labourer would have a cottage and a
holding of his own. (Cheers.)
The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm.
The health of the treasurer (Mr. Sherborn), the
secretary (Mr. Gotelee), the committee, and judges
were afterwards given and responded to.

Murder by a Maniac of his Mother aud.
Sister.
_ -0.
(From the Scotsman.)
A dreadful tragedy was enacted in Dalrymple-
crescent, Grange, yesterday morning, in the deli-
berate murder by a maniac of his mother and sister.
The names of the unhappy victims of the murder
were Mrs. Hunter, aged 68, wife of Robert Hunter,
sculptor, and her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Hunter,
aged 42. The murderer is John Hunter, aged about
30. The young man has been weakly in body and
erratic in disposition from his boyhood. Within the
last six years, however, it has been found necessary
by his friends to keep him in close confinement
within his father's house, though not under re-
straint---his fatuity being apparently of so large and
inoffensive a type that no danger was apprehended
from the measure of freedom that was allowed him.
The theory of the murder is, that the young man,
who has been exhibiting some symptoms of restless-
ness within the last few days, was attempting to
leave the house, when he was interrupted by his
mother and sister, and that, irritated by their inter-
ference, he committed the deed. At the same time,
it is apparent from his having armed himself with an
iron rod, with which he committed the murder, that
he was prepared to resist any attempt to detain him.
Shortly after 10 o'clock he was seen from the win-
dow of a neighbouring house in the flower plot in
front of his father's house making his way to the
street, the two ladies following, and attempting to
stay him from leaving. Outside the gate his mother
laid her hand on his shoulder, and appeared to be
remonstrating with him, when he turned round upon
her, and knocked down first his mother and after-
wards his sister with a piece of iron bar, and after-
wards hit them repeatedly while they were lying on
the pavement, on which they had fallen. The deaths
of both ladies must have been instantaneous.

The prisoner, after being taken to the police
station was transferred over to the hands of `the
Procurator-Fiscal. In the course of the afternoon,
the prisoner was taken to the house in Dalrymple-
crescent, where he was examined in presence of
Sheriff Jamieson. He gave no answer to the ques-
tions put to him, and maintained a dogged silence
throughout the proceedings, which, in consequence
of his refusal to speak, were of an entirely formal.
nature. On being shown the corpses of his mother
and sister he averted his eyes, and appeared for the
moment slightly distressed, but'he made no remark,
and almost immediately resumed his appearance- of
stolid indifference. On being asked to return to the
County-buildings by Mr. Ferguson, sheriff's officer,
he replied listlessly, "I daresay I will." He was
then formally committed, and conveyed to Calton
Gaol. In the afternoon and evening the prisoner
continued to exhibit the same stolid behaviour.
At six o'clock the post-mortem examination of
the bodies of the two ladies took place in the homer,
Dalrymple-crescent, in presence of Dr. Littlejohn,
Dr. Cochrane, Dr. Macadam, and Dr. Newsome.
The bodies were found severely contused about the
head, and the result of the examination showed that
death had been caused by repeated heavy blows
with a blunt instrument, such as that which was
found upon the prisoner.
The double murder excited great interest in the
usually quiet neighbourhood in which it occurred,
and a large crowd, comprising some persons who
had apparently come considerable distances to wit-
ness the scene of the murder.

The Hunters lived in family at 6, Dalrymple-
crescent, Grange, in a house built by one of the
family, several of whom are engaged in business as
builders, and have built many of the handsome villas
which have of late been erected in this flourishing
suburb. The elder sons being engaged in business
on their own account, have left their paternal home,
and are now residing in houses of their own. The
members.of family residing in Dalrymple-crescent
were—Mr. Hunter, the father of the family, who is
well known in the south side of the city, where he
has for many years carried on business aFa sculp-
tor; Mrs. Hunter, aged 68 years; Elizabeth Hunter,
an unmarried daughter, aged 42 ; John Hunter,
aged about 30 ; and a younger brother named David,
who was employed in his father's yard at the end of
Grange-road.
Regarding the past history of the unfortunate
man John Hunter, whose eccentric disposition ex-
hibited so awful a development yesterday forenoon,
apparently for the first time in his life, little can be
learned. From childhood he has been weakly in
body, and of a slightly imbecile appearance ; but in
his boyhood he exhibited some marks of promise,
and was taken into his father's yard, where he made
considerable progress in the business of stone-cutting
and sculpture, the productions of his chisel exhibit-
ing, even after a brief education, considerable skill
and taste in execution. His uncertain health and
unsettled disposition interfered materially with his
progress, preventing the constant application neces-
sary to great success in art. About six years ago he
began to manifest more marked signs of restlessness
than he had before exhibited, and left his father's
house, whether with or without his father's consent
we have been unable to learn, and was absent for
three weeks in England. At the end of that time he
was bropght home by an elder brother, now in busi-
ness as a builder, and since then he has been
constantly kept within the house. His friends
are naturally disinclined to give information
regarding his condition during that time, and
his confinement has been so close that his habits
were entirely unknown to the residents in the
Crescent, his existence being known apparently
only to a few families. We, are, however, assured
that his fatuity had never hitherto exhibited
itself in any violent form. He was sad, depressed,
and studious, reserved even to the members of his
own family, and occasionally sullen in disposition.
At other times his mania assumed a religious form
—he read deeply in theological literature—and
sometimes fancied himself an important Scriptural
personage. He was treated with kindness by the
members of his family. Those who knew him and
his friends testify that his every wish was gratified
by his indulgent parents. This course of treatment,
meant in kindness, and dictated by a love inten-
sified by the young man's misfortune, appears not
to have operated beneficially on his unhinged mind.
Of late he had become wilful in his disposition, and
could not bear to be crossed in his purposes or
wishes. Within the last few days he had been un-
usually restless. On Wednesday he had made his
way from the house to the flower plot in front—a
most unusual occurrence—and was observed from a
neighbouring house leaning on the parapet and
railings next the street, and behaving in a most
exciting way. Dr. Newcome, a medical man resid-
ing in the house immediately adjoining No. 6, was
one of those who noticed his wild appearance, and
is reported to have remarked that he was not then
a fit person to be at large. His appearance was
sufficiently striking and uncouth as to cause some
alarm, but more on his own account than as regard-
ing the safety of those about him. He is a man
rather under the middle stature, his body emaciated
and the reverse of muscular, his face pale and
slightly pinched looking—the result, no doubt, of
his long confinement within doors and of his
studious habits. The most remarkable features in
his appearance are a rather excited look about the
eyes, and remarkably long dark hair, apparently
the growth of several years, which reaches down
over his shoulders.

Yesterday morning the prisoner was as usual left
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peaceable, certainly not such as to cause any ap-
prehensions of his becoming unmanageable, or using
violence. At half-past nine his brother David left
him in the house, apparently in his usual harmless
disposition. There seems, however, reason to be-
lieve that even then he was meditating a plan of
escape from his irksome confinement. It is certain
that, before leaving the house, as he afterwards
did, he had armed himself to oppose any attempt
to detain him. About twenty minutes past ten
o'clock he appeared in the flower-plot in front of the
house, bareheaded, as on the previous day. He
passed through the flower-plot, and had issued from
the gate upon the road when he was overtaken by
Mrs. Hunter and Miss Hunter, who had followed
him. Mrs. Hunter exchanged a few words with him,
apparently in remonstrance against his leaving the
house. Then, laying her hand on his shoulder, she
seemed as if endeavouring to persuade him to return,
when turned rapidly round upon her, and, raising
a piece of iron bar, about 18 inches long, and slightly
over an inch in diameter, ho struck her heavily on
the left side of the head, behind the ear, felling her
instantaneously to the ground. Miss Hunter then
rushed forward, raising her hands in horror, and
was received in the same way by the maniac man,
who was now worked up to a pitch of great excite-
ment. Miss Hunter fell over the corpse of her
mother, who seems to have been killed instantane-
stooping over her, repeated
ously, and the murderer,
his blows several times. The horrid deed was not
observed by any person within hearing of the mur-
derer ; but a mason, who was working at a distance
of about 100 yards down the road, hearing a heavy