The Sun.
London, England, 1834-01-07 00:00:00

HORRIBLE MURDER.

It is our painful duty to commence the labours of
the new year by having to record one of the most
horrible murders which has ever been committed in
this part of the country. On the evening of Satur-
day last, betwixt five and six o'clock, an honest and
industrious labourer, of the name of William Ritchie,
residing in Langbride, while proceeding homewards
from Capt. Stewart's, of Lesmurdie Cottage, where
he had been employed trenching ground, was most
inhumanly murdered about sixty yards to the east-
ward of the second milestone on the turnpike-road
leading from Elgin to Fochabers. So de•ermined
had the murderer been to take the life of his vic-
tim, that although the body was found, by two per-
sons proceeding along the road, within ten, or, at
most fifteen minutes of the time when the deed had
been committed, the poor sufferer only gave a few
groans before he expired. Mr. Brown, procurator
fiscal, addressed the assembled multitude, request-
ing them to co-operate with the officers of justice
in endeavouring to detect the murderer; and,
after despatching parties to all the passes of the
county, proceeded with the Sheriff to examine
several persons, but nothing further was elicited,
than that a tall person, having on a light coloured
coat, and broad bonnet, had been seen walking back-
wards and forwards near the spot, a few minutes
before the murder was committed. It would appear,
from the dreadful fractures the skull received, that
this horrible murder was committed by some power-
ful person, considerably taller than the object of
their attack, as the wound referred to was quite ho-
rizontal, and must have been inflicted before he fell
to the ground, as although the body was found in a
small ditch, about six inches deep, the upper part
of his clothes were not in the least soiled. On Sun-
day Sheriff C3tneron and Mr. Brown went to the
spot and examined every part near it, but, we un-
derstand, found nothing ni the neighbourhood of
any importance. They continued theT labours on
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, when the whoie
of the persons residing in the parish of St. Andrews,
Langbride, were examined, and are persevering by
every means to detect the murderer. The murdered
person has left a wife and two children.
Her Grate the Duetess of GJrdon, on hearing of
the murder, on Sunday, immediately forwarded one
pound and a pair of blankets to the widow, and his
Grace, while passing through Langbride on the fol-
lowing day, on his return from Elgin, went into the
cottage of the widow and gave her a guinea, and
told her lie would see that she was taken care of.—
Elgin Courier, Jan. 3.

SAFE METHOD FOR EXTERMINATING
RATs. --Let those who wish to poison rats, instead of
applying to the chymist, intimately mix a pound of pies.
ter of Paris (in its unslaked state) with about double the
quantity of oatmeal. Let them place this within the reach
of the rats; they will cat it eagerly, and without bring
deterred by any bad taste. 't Itrough the humidity con-
tained in their stomachs, the plaster of Paris will "set"
and form an indigestible hard mass• which will, in fact,
present upon dissection a good cast of the rat's stomach,
and speedily produce a kind of Aldermanic death, i. a.,
by irremediable. indigestion.
COOPER'S NEW NOVEL.—The American
Novelist's descriptions of mountain scenery, of the sublime
in landscape, find no rival : he may he termed the Salve-
tor of literature, so magnificent are his pictures, so fine
his conceptions of the woods and wilds, stotins and tem-
pests. He is truly a sea- king ; and we almost feared bis
reputation would suffer by his choosing an inland country
as the scette of action ; but the very first chapter of " The
Headsman" set us at rest on this subject, for we found
Itim on the borders of the L,mau Lake, steering his bark
like a practised mariner across her blue and tranquil
waters. The good boat Willientied, bearing the author's
dramatis persona, goes gaily forward, until overtaken by
one of those hurricanes which are as frequent as dangerous.
In the storm scene, this magician, who revels in the
whirlwind and the wild sea foam, almost excels himself..
It is essentially different, both in its details and results,
from the shipwreck so fearfully described in " The Pilot,'
or from any of the water scenes in " The Bravo," and yet
it almost surpasses the former in awful magnificence."—
New Monthly Magazine.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

TATTERSALL' S.

THE DERBY.—Bentley, Plenipo, Olympi.:, and Emi-
grant, were backed at prices quoted undernmtb, without
making any advance. Bubastes, Delirium, and She!alai),
are merely given at their nominal prices, as nothing was
said about either. One or two parties seemed anxious to
back Viator, but could not " get on." Colonel Peel's colt
by Etnilius—Bee in a Bonnet, is not dead, as was stated
here last Thursday, and mentioned by us; however, he is
still in considerable danger. The prices at the close of the
room were—.
__ _

7 to 1 agst Mr. Watt's Bubastes
71 to 1 .agst Mr. Yates's Bentley (taken)
12 to 1 agst Mr. Batson's Plenipo (taken)
15 to 1 agst Mr. Chifney's Shelalah
18 to 1 agst Mr. Walker's Delirium
20 to 1 agst Duke of Grafton's Olympic (taken)
23 to 1 agst Colonel Cradock's Emigrant (taken)
At Manchester Bubastes and Bentley are severally quoted
a point less than above, and Delirium at 15 to 1.
ST. LEGER. —NO betting. The nominations amount
to 70. The Duke of Richmond is a subscriber, but did
not name. From Colonel Cradock's Emigrant not being
named, we presume it is intended that he shall remain in
the South country.