The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-13 00:00:00

ATROCIOUS MURDER.

LivsnPoor, Nov. 11.—In the little village of Clare-
morris, county Mayo, Ireland, lived a young man, of
thrifty habits, named Maurice Prendergast, about 23
years of age. His father and uncle, who were both
dead, had occupied the position of collector of tolls and
Customs in the village, the duties of which office bad
devolved upon him. His uncle had also a son, some
years the elder of Maurice, small, like him, in stature,
but of wild disposition and unsteady habits. When a
youth, James ..E-Eseas Prendergast in a drunken freak
mounted an unbroken horse, which threw him with great
violence, causing an injury to his right leg, which left it
bonding under him as if in a kneeling position, rendering it
necessary that he should have a wooden leg. The cousins
occupied separate cabins, but they remained on appa-
rently good terms with each other. There continued,
however, to be a marked difference in their modes of
life, Maurice being sober and saving, while his cousin
was reckless, violent, and dissolute. For some time
past it was known that Maurice was saving money with
the intention of emigrating to America for the purpose
of joining a relative who had gone out, and who was do-
ing well in the country of his adoption. When, there-
fore, about a month ago the Prendergasts suddenly dis-
appeared from the village no surprise was created, the
belief being that they had gone out together. This be-
lief had assumed all the force of conviction until a fort-
night ago, when a sack, containing the trunk of a human
body, the bead and legs having been severed from it, was
found floating in a pond or " pit" a short distance from
the prisoner's house. The sack contained several
heavy stones, which had no doubt kept the horrible
witness under water. The discovery naturally created
great excitement in the village, increased to a greater
pitch when the pond was dragged and another bag
containing the ghastly head of the deceased, with
the skull crushed as if by the blow of a hatchet,
was brought to the surface. A further search re-
sulted in the discovery of the' legs, which had been
thrown in without being wrapped up. The prisoner's
house, the door of which, had been left locked, was
broken open, and undoubted evidences of the fear-
ful tragedy were discovered. The wall against the
fireplace was freely sprinkled with blood, leading the
police to the supposition that the fatal blow had been
dealt from behind, as the deceased was sitting by the
fire, in all probability smoking his pipe. The floor wan
stained with blood, and marks of blood were traced from
the cottage to the peed. Two other strong circumstan-
tial evidences, amounting almost to conclusive proof of
guilt against-the deceased's cousin, were also discovered.
In the cottage was found a joint of the vertebrae of a
human neck, which, on being compared with the muti-
lated remains of the deceased, was found to correspond ;
while in a neighbouring cottage was found a hatchet
marked with clotted hair and blood, which had been left
there by the prisoner, who had been known to purchase it
a few dais before the deceased disappeared. A warrant
was immediately obtained against the deceased's cousin,
and the inquiries of the police elicited the fact that he
had left the neighbourhood about a fortnight previously,
accompanied by a single woman, named Mary Connor,
whose parents live at Westport, and that their probable
destination was Liverpool, whence they intended to
emigrate to America. Police-constable Atkinson, who
had been for some years stationed at Claremorris, and
was therefore well acquainted with the person of Pren-
dergast, came to Liverpool, and after a close inquiry, in
which he was assisted by Head-constable M'Hale, con-
nected with the Irish constabulary force, he discovered that
persons answering the description of the murderer and his
paramour had been staying at the lodging-house of Mrs.
Morne' Sawney Pope-street, and afterwards at another
lodging-house in the sane street, passing as man and
wife. Fa' tiler inquiries furnished them with the infor-
mation that they had taken berths on beard the William
Tapscott, which will take her departure hence to-mor-
row (Sunday) for New York ; that Prendergast, being
a cripple, was afraid that he would not be allowed to
land in the United States ; and that he had therefore been
smuggled on board in a large box, as the luggage of Mary
Connor. Armed with this intelligence, M'llale and. Atki-
nson this morning went on board the William Tapseott,
lying in the river, outward bound, where they ascer-
tained that the man of whom they were in quest had
but a short time previously made his appearance on
deck, being unable longer to remain shut up in the
box, the precaution not having been taken to,,d
make
air-holes. He had been seized as a " stow-away" - Y
just left the
ship. In going through the ship Atkinson
sent ashore in the steam-tug which had
the young woman Conner, who w
t cryingat
she would be
on deck, being under the mpression
neh
st of the officers a
recohgantiesreldy
i
r e a
compelled to sail alone. At the rer to the tug, on
board of which they found Prendergast,
boat was manned, and they wore
wehog
m ttheygreatest
asserted that he know nog
coolness,
charffei with the murder.
lie
Inai
thin of the horrible
maintained the utmost indifference.
custody, and both she and the
wndtearign owed
aeadt,
th
also in
will be sent as early as possible to
suspected
event,
The
woman has
murderer
rd is sinceerer b
he
examination will take place.
Ireland, in order to e forwarded to Castlebar, where t

ROTA OF THE JUDGES AT THE CENTRAL
CRIMINAL COURT.

The Judges of the several Courts of Queen's Bench,
Common Pleas, and Exchequer have selected and ar-
ranged their rota, in which they will respectively attend
at the several sessions at the Central Criminal Court.
The following are the arrangements made, viz. :-
1854.—N0v. 27.—The Lord Chief Justice of the
Common Pleas, Sir John Jervis, Mr. Baron Alderson,
and Mr. Justice Coleridge.
124 c. 18.—The Lord Chief Baron, Sir-Frederick Fol.
lock, Mr. Justice Cresswell, and Mr. Justice Crompton.,
3855.—Jan. I,—The Lord Chief Justice of the
Queen's Bench, Lord Campbell, Mr. Justice Wightraan,
and Mr. Justice Williams.
Feb. 26.--The Judges appointed to proceed on the
' Norfolk and North Wales Spring Circuits—
April9.—Mr.Justice Maule, Mr. Justice and
Mr. Baron Platt.

May 7. —The Lord Chief Baron, Mr. Justice Coleridge,
and Mr. Justice Cresswell. _

July 2.—The Judges appointed to proceed on the
'Norfolk and South Walee
Summer Circuits
• .

Aug. 20.—The Lord Chief Justice, Sir John Jervis;
Mr. Justice Erie, and Mr: Baron Platt.
Sept. 17.—Lord Campbell, Mr. Justice Crompton,
and Mr. Justice Crowder.
Oct. 22.—Mr. Baron Alderson, Mr. Justice Williams,
an Mr. Baron Martin.

The Dean of Waterford and Miss Hoare have arrived
in Dublin, after an absence of some weeks in England,
en route to Waterford.