The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-06 00:00:00

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11013RIBLE MURDER.
14:Yr, AUGUST s.—This part of the -liiugdom has
again been, the scene of &liberate and revolting
mivfler. The perpetrator of the atrocious deed is a
farmer named .1-.4114 AlklilehurAh, who occupies about
50 acres of land da his own right in the neighbour-
hood of Thraudtstim, a scattered- village and parish in
the Harti:mere Hundred, three miles sod a half north-
west of this town. He is a tiried man and has three
,
chilth-Yn, the eldest of VCi: 0 girl is 14 s.ears of
age. The unhappy creature who perished was n single
woman named Msry Baker, who for two years and a
half had been in the service of Illickleburgh as a ge-
neral domestic servant. Although he was married,
and his wife and family lived with him under the
same roof, it was evident that he na formed a strong
attachment fer the girl, and torn his representations
it would seem that nu improper intercourse had

existed between them. The girl, however, was ge-
nerallycansiclered a wellcoaduc;ed person, and nothing
was ever seen up to the period of the; tragical affair
that Would tend to show that She gave. him any encou-
ragement. On Thursday last adargC cattlafair, with
shows and booths, • was held in the village, and Mary
Baker obtained permission from her mietresa to attend
it, it being a general holiday among the domestics in
that part of the country. She first visited her sister, a
married woman named French, wbO, in the course of
the afternoon, accompanied her to the fair. A young
man named Basemen joined them, and was considered
to be the deceased's sweetheart. Mickleburgh having
learned where she had gone, also vi ..iced the fair. He
found her and followed her about, and seemed highly
incensed at her talking with the young man Boatman.
Wishing, however, to conceal his feelings from Boat-
man, he invited him with the deceased into a booth,
kept by a person named Eastaugh, where be treated
them to brandy and water and wine, and while there
the deceased's sister, Mrs. French, and her husband
"hat' in; whom he was also acquainted with, and
called foe more wine to treat them. He solicited the
Young man Boatmen to drink more freely than he
did,- apparently with a view of making him intoxi-
cated, and so obtaining possession of the girl. Boat-
man, however, resisted his entreaties, and between
six and seven o'clock left the booth in company with
the deceased. 13efore quitting, Mickleburgh asked the
deceased what time her mistress expected her home.
Sh 6 replied, "About half-past nine o'clock," and, after
they had gone Mrs. Frendefolloeved their), leaving her
husband drinking with Mickleburgh.. Some time
transpiring, and French not coming home, his wife
returned to the booth, where she waited until they
came out. Mickleburgh then addressed her, saying,
" Tell Mary (meaning the deceased) to get home by 9
o'clock. I will be in the meadow (alluding to one ad-
jacent to his farm) just before nine, as I want to see
her." He appeared much excited, and she understood
that if the deceased girl did not meet him he would
be revenged. He parted with them and went in
another direction of the fair, while Mrs. French and
her husband proceeded to a public-house kept' by a
man named Barrett, where the deceased and her
sweetheart (Boatman) were regaling themselves.
Within a short time of Mickleburgh parting with
the Frenches he went to the stall of a hawker in the
fair and purchased a stiletto knife, with a blade some
four or five inches in length and protected by a spring
back. In the course of the next halOaour he visited
the house where the deceased was. There was a sort
of village frolic going on, and all were enjoying them-
selves, the eolepailt- amounting to about: forty or fifty
people. What fellowed will he best gathered from
the unfortunate girl's own statement, wnicb was taken
by a megistrate thortly after she had received the
ietal injury. She said—"l was sitting in this house
alonteside of William Boatman, with whom I hsd been
kecteng cenipany, and my sister, Clara French:
About eight o'clock in the evening my master came in,
exclaiming, Ah, Mary, I see you. I made no reply,
nor diet fobserve anything in his manner to excite
alarm. He left the room immediately, and returned in
about two minutes, and without saying a word he came
up to where I sees sitting and plunged a large knife in
my side.' I did not feel it until he drew the knife.
out, when he said, Now, Merv, you have it now.'
I raw the knife in his hand. Boatman was sitting by
my side all the time. I recollect nothing more until
I found myself upstairs in bed. I solemnly declare
there has been nothing improper between me and
Mr. Mickleburgh." Mast of the persons in the room
witnessed the occurrence. He was instantly seized.
He offered not the slightest resistance, nor did he
evince the least emotion at the fearful act he had com-
mitted. He said that he had had his revenge, and
all he regretted was that his arm had not been
stronger, as be would have given her four inches
more of it, and he hoped he had finished her and she
would die. The poor girl survived but a very few
hours. The point of the stiletto had entered the
cavity of the stomach to the extent of four or five
inches, dividing all the vital parts.
Yesterday the prisoner, John Mickleburgh, un-
derwent an examination at the Town-hail, before the
Rev. T. Lee French and a full bench of magistrates,
on the charge of murder. He was wretchedly de-
jected, and fainted during the course of the pro-
ceedings.
Mr. PALMER attended to watch the evidence for the
prisoner.
The principal witnesses examined were the young
man William Boatman, Mr. and Mrs. French, and some
other persons, but the only additional fact that came
out in their statements was, that the prisoner went
into one of the out-houses after he had first entered
the room of the public-house and had seen the de-
ceased, and deliberately opened the knife. As before
observed, he returned to the apartment, and plunged
it into the unfortunate girl. The shawl, gown, and
stays which she wore at the time were produced, and
they bore holes in them corresponding in size with
the blade of the knife.
William Sayer, a licensed hawker, proved selling
the prisoner the knife between six and seven o'clock
on the evening of the murder. He wassober at the
line.

Mr. Miller, surgeon, of Eye, stated, that he had
made a post mortem examination of the deceased.
He found a punctured wound about half an inch
long, and between four and five, inches in depth, at
the lower part of the left side of the chest, between
the eighth and ninth ribs. It passed into the spleen,
and into the mesentery. It caused death.
John Baker, a police-officer, stationed at Mendle-
sham, deposed that he was at the fair. About eight
o'clock in the evening he was informed that a young
woman had been stabbed. Went to Barrett's house,
and found the prisoner seated by the side of John
French. He told him that be was charged with stab-
bing the deceased, and took him into custody. Pri-
soner said, " You may take me and do what you like
with me. I have done what I intended to do, and I
hope I have done it effectually ; had my arm been a
little stronger I would have given her three or four
inches more of it. I have always done what I liked
with her since she has lived with me." Witness be-
lieved he was tipsy at the time. When Sillett,
another officer, came up, the prisoner said, "Abi
Sillett, you may take me," He repeated the wish
about the strength of his arm, and said, "I mean for
revenge." He stated that he went to a stall in the
fair and purchased the knife; he gave 2s. for it.
He added, that he then went to Barrett's, and when
he got into the house Mary Baker, the deceased, said,
"Ah ! master, here am I. Prisoner answered, Ab,"
you shan't be long before you have this piece of steel.
He then went into the back-house and opened the
knife. When it was open it was like a dagger. He
also said, If .1 have not killed her now I hope she
will die. If she don't come
got the bast bract of pistols the world can pre!duce..
rrz ner s
He added, that on the WedntlindayyPropossis I_ have
got
_bef.soore
wife went to Dist; Mary slept with
orN towwo yon
wife came to see him at the station-bouse about aix
o'clock in the morning. He sadidiedtoavvbyeiret,nare"ss
searched
know all about it ; if you had
this would hot have occurred.'
Prisoner replied
him, cad found a large clasPkaille•
"That is not the knife I did it with; it was not large
committed
enough for her." the Bench.fully
.„.1 at the next assizes. The Coro-
the prisoner for trial The evidence closing,
silar de termination,
Lees jury came
t f "Wilful murder." '"
and re-
turned a

'°g'otiT Il
established
• ENTERTAINmEItrUIOd Woi?Rtre
an
Messrs. examination
Gardner was
Bazley, cotton-spinners of Manchester,
I. connexion with their works at Halliwell, near Bolton.
n examination was conducted chiefly by Richard Gard-
T:Esq., of London, and was highly creditable both to the
teachers and the pupils; the system of tuition, which is that
promoted by the Borough-road Schools, has proved most
successful. Many of the answers in arithmetic, physical
any political geography, astronomy, history, &c., were ex-
ceedingly ready and characteristic, and elicited repeated ap-
probation. The company, consisting of upwards of 1,000
workpeople, and several gentlemen of the neighbourhood,
then sat down to tea. The spacious lecture-room was decorated
after the most elegant taste. Appropriate addresses were
then delivered by Thomas Bazley, Esq., one of her Majesty's
Commissioners for the Great Exhibition, who occupied the
chair, wad by Messrs. Richard Gardner, Malcom Ross, Peter
Ainsworth, Dr. Watts; and Mr. Gourdin, from Charleston,
U.S. After many loyal and philanthropic toasts had been
enthusiastically responded to, followed by the
spiri)er.
formances of the workpeople's band, the guest! withdrew,the
with hearty expressions of gratification at the sightso of .
employers and the employed thus meeting on terms
with
Ezra. Gardner
news-room, were erected five years ago, by e
cable and laudable. The schools, together library and
and Bazley, at a cost of upwards of 5,0001.
np
ar
ol 4-
e attrac'ed yesterday __,. . _
the Champs ElYiees• In a
- - ‘l,4An I' A
strange A GAsicNe .1.1"-We read in the AB4sevnaszbtleceroNwdatoiof
dashing equipage, two elegantly menaders to the Rond•Poini, iln.
but polite, and then set to work
other in language anythingattired women assailed each
1 time both toilettes and
finding herself vanquished, uttered loud
featuresconsiderablyeacilivereether'eface li2
itdamaged.shor t
enttoher assistance
with their lists and nails in
At last one of them,
champagne had lett
defeate
cries of distress,
strength,
was
sceachman to drive he to her hotel. She
expelled from the carriage, and the
landsomeuy,, to
wil gentlemenuse ur
mw
public by her adventures in some con
well boo vn to
When. the people learnt who she was t b
ITehoe, orderedvietorio
uthes
the
surpris9 that she was not more slciltul in the n 4:
• .
:I scienceeoxf
GermanyPrei 8 eboxing."