The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-21 00:00:00

Shocking Murder near Blairingone.

(From the Scotsman.)

The immediate vicinity of Blairingone—a village-
in the parish of Fossaway and county of Perth—has
just been the scene of a cowardly and premeditated
murder. The facts, so far as at present known, ap-
pear to be these :—Messrs. Wm. Muirhead and Son,
bakers, Alloa, have in their employment a carter
named Alex. M'Ewan, whose daily duty is to drive
a bread cart to various towns and villages in the
vicinity of Alloa—his practice being to leave home
early in the morning, his cart being laden with
bread, returning in the evening to his employers
with his empty boxes and cash drawn from sales.
On the morning of Monday last M'Ewan left Alloa
with his bread cart, intending to proceed to Dollar
and Muckart, then returning by the Dollar road on
to Blairingone, from there to Forest Mill and Clack-
mannan, and home to Alloa, calling on various
dealers or customers in each place. In the course of
his daily journey, the carter received money from
the customers of his employers, and these payments
it was his wont to account for on his return home
after his day's work. On the present occasion, all
seems to have gone well with M'Ewan, both at Dol-
lar and Muckhart. On returning from the latter
place, M'Ewan had to pass, on his way to Blairin-
gone, through a bleak and wooded road—a road
little frequented, and particularly dreary at this
season of the year. There is a bridge on the road,
known by the name of Vicar's Bridge, and at this
stage on his journey M'Ewan arrived safely between
the hours of 4 and sin the afternoon. At this point
an assassin was waiting in ambush the arrival of the
poor carter. At what must have seemed to him au
opportune time the ruffian stealthily emerged from
his hiding-place, directed the muzzle of a loaded
gun or pistol behind the ear of the unoffending tra-
♦eller, fired, and fatally wounded his victim. So
sure was the aim that part of the face of the carter
was blown away, and his head otherwise greatly
shattered. Whether the carter hal fallen from his
seat after having been shot, or whether he was
dragged from the cart to the ground, is at present
uncertain. Be that as it may, unappalled by the
frightful tragedy, the assassin, doubtless in accord
with his premeditated plan, proceeded to the work
of plunder. He rifled M'Ewan's pockets of all the
money they contained, the amount of which is not
yet known, and then left his bleeding victim to die
on the public road. The horse and cart duly ar-
rived at a house of call at Blairingone, and the horse
paused there, but its usual guide was missing, and
the cart was stained with blood. These circum-
stances caused immediate inquiry, and on search
being made the unfortunate carter was found to the
east of the village, frightfully disfigured, and life
fast ebbing. Questions .were put to him, but he
comprehended them not, and a faintly-uttered
" Where's my horse ?" were the only words dis-
tinctly articulated. Medical aid was sent for, but
proved of no avail—the murdered man dying in the
course of the hour or two after having been struck
down. Intelligence of the tragedy soon spread, and
the police were immediately on the alert to discover
the perpetrator of the murder. News of the event
was telegraphed to the Perthshire authorities,
and every effort will doubtless be made to discover
the murderer and bring him to speedy justice. Whe-
ther the police have as yet succeeded we do not
know, but already they have apprehended on sus-
picion two well-known characters, named Bray and
Bell—the former an Englishman, a dealer in horses,
and sort of under-contractor for railways ; the other
an Irishman, a poacher, and otherwise of bad repute.
As may be supposed, the crime has caused consider-
able excitement in the district. The deceased carter
was a faithful servant, was very generally respected,
and leaves behind him a wife and child to lament
his untimely death.