The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-26 00:00:00

AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY.

For several months past Philadelphia has been excited
by a tragedy. On a Sunday night in November last,
Mrs. Mary E. Hill, an elderly widow lady, was murdered
in her own residence, by a blow from a poker, and her
body thrown out of a window. Her son-in-law, George
S. Twitchell, and his wife, Camilla (Mrs. lEll'3
daughter), who lived at and were in the house at
the time, were arrested for the murder. Twitehell was
a young, weak, and inoffensive creature, while his wife
-several years older than he—was a termagant whom he
had been forced to marry by his father, whose mistress the
woman had been. Twitchell and his wife were arraigned,
and were allowed separate trials. The evidence against
them was purely circumstantial. The husband was tried
first, and found guilty after nearly two weeks' trial ; the
wife was then tried, and the prosecution abandoning the
case, she was liberated. Twitchell was sentenced to be
hanged on the Bth of April. To save Twitchell every
device known to the law was resorted to. His case was
carried through the courts. The Governor was besought fox
pardon, but would not interfere in the case. TwitcheLra
wife occasionally visited him in his cell, but treated
him with coldness, and evidently was anxious to get rid 01
him, but dreaded the revelations he might make. FinallY
they quarrelled, and Twitchell made a confession, in whict
he charged his wife with committing the murder; said hi
knew nothing of it until she woke him from sleep on the
night it occurred and she told him of it ; that he took aP
oath never to tell. This statement was believed by sonic
and doubted by others, popular opinion setting a brand
upon the wife. The day of vecution approached.
and Twitchell's condition each clay betokened his
fear of death ; he was broken-hearted, nervous, and
terribly agitated. On the 7th of April he was so pros,
trated as to need stimulants. He took leave of his father
and friends, his wife not coming near him, and finally had
an interview with a fellow-culprit who was to he executed
with him. They were locked up in separate cells for the
night, but on the morning of the Bth of April Twitcher
was found dead. He had killed himself by taking prussic
acid. At noon Eaton walked out to the gallows alone'
pitying the weakness of the other, and protesting bis
innocence of the crime for which he was to suffer.

CONSERVATIVE DINNER AT IPSWICIL—Mr. J. 0.
)obbold, who for many years represented Ipswich in the
Conservative interest, will be entertained at a dinner next
week in that town, by his political friends. Mr. Gathornf
Hardy has been invited to attend.

An action was brought in the Court of Queen'!
Bench last week against a telegraph company for recovery
of a loss occasioned by a mistake in a telegram. Some
amusing stories were told in the course of the trial 0l
mistakes of a similar kind, such as " Your wife is deliverec
of five girls," an alarming announcement, which should
have read " a fine girl." " Wanted, two hund. bouquets,
an expensive order, which, literally construed
was " Wanted, two hand - bouquets. " Only the
other day a case of this kind came under out
notice. A lady living in London received one evening
the following telegram from Scotland :—" Your sot
cannot live for long." In an agony of despair the lady
took the next train for Scotland. To her great joy she
found her boy alive and well, and about to start oul
shooting. The son was as much astonished as his mother
"Oh ! wonderful son, so to astonish a mother." An(
this should have been the message :—" Your son canna-
leave for London."— Britannia.

THE MALLOW MURDER. —lt seems more pro
bable daily that the man who was found dead on Wed
neaday, on the railway near Mallow, has been the victia
of a foul murder. The body has been identified ae
that of an Austrian sailor who was discharged from a 'rose
at Passage last week, with the intention of going to America
The carriages of the train in which the deceased if
supposed to have travelled were examined, and blooi
stains were discovered in one of the compartments. Jul
door of the comparttnent was locked, and these circurn
stances, together with the position in which the body la)
on the line, strengthen the suspicion that the deceasec
was thrown through the window of the carriage. It is
stated that he received £lO when discharged from hi'
vessel ; but no money was found on his person, and hi:
pockets bear evidence of having been rifled. The surgeox
who examined • the body gives it as his opinion that the
wound on the head, from which the brains protruded, waf.
not caused by a fall, but must have been inflicted by some
palm A.
ingiumsnti