The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-06 00:00:00

T.HE MURDER OF A GIRL NEAR

PONTE.FRACT.

We gave an account yesterday of the murder of a young
girl named Elizabeth Mitchell, who was shot dead in the
house of her master, Mr. Spinks, of Upton Farm, near
Pontefract, on Sunday evening. It was also stated that
the deceased's fellow-servant, George Thorpe, a lad of 17,
was taken into custody on suspicion of having committed
the crime. The inquest on the girl's body was opened yes-
terday.

Mr. Spinks stated that he left home on Sunday after-
noon, the prisoner (George Thorpe) and deceased remain-
ing in charge of the house. He had a gun, with some
powder and shot, in the house; and on his return at
night, after the murder, ho found appearances which led
him to believe that the gun had been recently discharged.
Annie Cookson, a girl of 16, stated that on Sunday after-
noon
she went into Mr. Spinks's house, and found deceased
and prisoner alone. Prisoner began teazing them, and some
scuffling took place, but the lad did not appear to be angTY'
although he once uttered an oath against deceased.
Wit-
ness quitted the house with deceased's sister, lest Svm I
deceased and prisoner alone. Soon afterwards
( 4 the u
o'clock) she returned, and fcund the girl dead in
h
[ coal-
house. Meeting the prisoner, she questioned him respect-
ing the mysterious death, but he stoutly den"" all, know-
ledge of what had taken place.
n,
and
A neighbour deposed to hearing the report of a gun from
_rtness deposed that he
ly away from the house
about the same time. Mr. Joseph Thorpe, the direction of Mr. Spinks's house about half-past five on
.
Sunday evening, while another
Upton, was among the first to respond
to the call of alarm re'
saw the prisoner coming
hurried
ed by the girl
the joiner, Leeds,
who was on a visit to
first Cookson,words
he In
uttered a sho
ar
st
-s.
looked at the body were, " Well this is a d—d queer
he ,, To Mr. Thorpe the thing, however. the prisoner repeatedly
time the prisoner came I
asserted his innocence, but prevaricated as to the time he
last saw the girl.
Mr. Meson, surgeon,
who was called in about two hours
a
after the discovery of the body, found blood still oozing from
wound on the point of the shoulder blade. The girl's
stays and chemise had been burnt quite black, and had
a circular hole burnt out about the size of a florin. It
was as if the gun had been discharged close to her body.
The seventh rib was fractured, and the heart shattered
nearly to pieces, and the left lung wounded. Fifty-
three shot-corns had lodged in the heart and lung. Death
would be instantaneous. It was proved that the shot ex-
tracted from the body of the deceased corresponded with
those which Mr. Spinks bad kept in the house, and Super-
intendent Hall found two marks of blood on the smock worn
by the prisoner on Sunday. When. these spots were shown
to the prisoner, he said not a word. The prisoner when
taken into custody trembled violently. The evidence dis-
closed no motive for the crime. No violence had been
offered to the girl before she was murdered.

The Jury found a verdict of wilful murder against the
prisoner, who was thereupon committed for trial.

Thorpe will be examined before the magistrates to-day.

NEW BISHOP /FOR THE PAOIFIC ISLANDS.—The
Rev. John Coleridge Patteson, M.A., formerly Fellow of
Merton College, Oxford, son of rue ight Hon. Sir Johl!
Patteson, late one of her Majesty's Judges of the Court of
Queen's Bench, has been nominated Bishop of the labial
of the Pacific, acting under the direction of the Bisbot°,
New Zealand. The rev. gentleman graduated in 1848,"
he took a second class in classics,
ry st. he
and served for soraf.";;.,
afterwards as curate of St. Jances's, Otte
Devon. Aftorwards he 'went to New Zealandt l'f the,_;;T
became chaplain to Bishop Selwyn, and miseiocoowated
Northern Mission of that diocese. He will be, pension
at Christmas next, armed will exercise sPisles; the British
over 70 or 80 islands of the Pacific not flaw last five years
crown. The rev. gentleman has been,fff made himself tw-
in the habit of visiting these islands, '17,,,i languages pre-
quainted with 'six or seven of the Prlsi welcomed by the
calling there, and has always beau 81
natives.
smhine hdawdal:srtedu
0„g lady whose me-
DOUBLE MEMORY•--AveYcious, suddenly fell asleep
mory was well stored and
On awaking, it was discove
every
e d iota
o a.
end tha
of acquirednowledge, at effort ale was graduall
perfect blank. With grwo :atlf eitr
de the first lessons of y master-
youth, when
ing, as a child would
to a sound sleep, 0 awaking she suddenly fell Ted that she h d 11
1."1 which it was discove a d her old state
%Lure
and
The old new sl Cates alternated with each of knowledge. -'.
32, moment she was the accomplished woman,
other • at o
possessed the
at another she
virmet Ital. calibre of a child ; in
the olds tattfcr t"0 a beautiful hand, in the new a
crainned sti .
.arac er, such as el aldren do. In this extra-
` condition she •
ordinary remained for four years; a double
mind, as it were, took possession ()if her, she being conscima
onl
tyh the statemay
she
hye h,sppened to hav9 boa is
at e the
4 week.