The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-12 00:00:00

THE MURDER IN DUBLIN.

An inquest was held on Monday on the body of
Margaret Black, aged about 35, who was murdered
by her husband in Dublin on Saturday last, as
reported in The Sun of yesterday. The result of the
inquiry was a verdict of wilful murder against
Thomas Black, the husband of the deceased, who did
not appear at the inquest. During the continuance
of the proceedings the street opposite to the house
was crowded with people.
James Black, the surviving child of the deceased,
about six years old, examined—My father's name
is ThomaS Black 4 My mother's name is Margaret.
I remember last Saturday night. My father and
my mother went out together, as aunt Mary told
me, for I was out. I was over at Molony's, in
Patrick-street, where we formerly lived. I had
not got my dinner when I went out. At Molony's
I got a bit of bread from Maryanne Ryan, add that
was all the dinner I got. When I came here first
I found my mother's room door shut, and I could
not get in. The door of this, my aunt's room, was
also shut, and not being able to get into it, I went
back to Molony's. I don't know how long I was
at Molony's the second time. I came again to my
mother's room and foupd the door shut. I tried my
aunt's room, and finding the door open, went in.
Before my father and my mother went out, there
was no quarrelling or fighting between them. After
I came home the second time, and had gone into
my aunt's room, I went again to my mother's room
door and said, " Dada, let me in." He said, "Go
along out of that," and would not let me in. The
door was locked. I did not hear my father speak-
ing to any one, and I did not know whether my
mother was then in the room or not. Before my
Sather told me to go along out of that, I had been
in father and mother's room. On that occasion my
father desired me to light, a candle, and I lighted
one with a bit of paper. Then I saw my father
kicking my mother on the head, she lying on the
floor. I ran away. I did not see my mother after
that. I ran away for Maryanne to try that my
father would not kick my mother, and I was afraid
he would beat myself. My mother did not scream
or say anything when she was kicked. My father
was kicking her a long time. He' was drunk. My
mother was drunk. I have often seen my mother
drinking when she took drink with my father. I
saw my father beat her in Sandymount a long
time ago, and that is the only time I ever saw him
beat her.

.Mrs. Mary Quin, examined—My husband is a
painter, and we occupy this room. The deceased
was my sister. She was married to Thomas
Black, a painter, and they occupied the back
top room adjoining this one. Black was in Mul-
lingar, and on his return, about a month ago,
broke his temperance pledge, which he had pre-
viously:taken, and he has been drinking ever
since. He always lived on good terms with his wife
only excepting when he got drink. They were not
on bad terms excepting that when he got drunk he
beat her. He would take her out and give her a
sup, and when they came home he would beat her.
Last week, sitting at the fire, the deceased said to
me that her husband had told her that sooner or
later he would kill her and kill himself afterwards.
Coroner—Was he jealous of her ?
Witness—She often asked him when he was
sober why he beat her, and he used to reply that he
could not account for it, for that he loved her above
the world. About eight o'clock on last Saturday
evening I was coming into the house with coals
'When Black passed me in the hall, and he was
roaring like a bull. He was standing at the foot
of the stairs roaring, and a shopboy from Summers's
came out and. asked him what he was doing. He
was calling his wife, and I said she was above. He
made no answer. He was very drunk then—at least
he let on to be drunk. I could not tell whether he
was or not. I came upstairs, and putting my head
into my sister's room, told her he was calling her.
" I hear him," she said, and added that she was
going to him. I heard her going down stairs. I
looked out of the window and saw an outside car a
little below the door. They both got on the car.
They had an image between them, which she had
carried down stairs and given to him at the door.
They both sat on the same side of the car, which
drove down towards Patrick-street. She was surely
sober at that time, viz., about eight o'clock. About
four o'clock in the evening there had been a slight
difference between Black and my husband in Black's
room, about a reckoning of money. I heard it from
this room. My husband went out after his dinner
to Dempsey's for the purpose of inquiring how
much Black got for a job. I went after him for the
purpose of keeping him from getting drunk, because
I knew that if he got any think there would be
murder between him and Black, for they were con-
tinually quarrelling. When I got to Dempsey's
I was told by Mr. Dempsey that my sister and
Black had just left. My husband was standing in
the shop waiting to see Mr. Dempsey. It was
before deceased and her husband took away the
image on the car from their hall-door that they
were drinking at Dempsey's. From the time they
drove away on the car I did not see my sister until
I put my hand on her person in her bed about half-
past 11 o clock the same night. I kept my husband
out on Saturday night until half-past 11 o'clock in
order ,to prevent quarrelling. At that hour we
came up here along with Kenny, of Black Pitts,
who remained here a good while and sang two
songs. While they were singing I slipped into my
sister's room to see how they were going on. There
was no candle in the room, only the light of the fire.
I saw Black standing at the bedside with only his
shirt on, and my sister was lying on the bed on her
mouth and nose, and quite naked. I did not speak
to Black, nor did he speak to me. I went forward
to the bed and put my hand on my sister, and felt
that she was cold. I thought they were only going
to bed. He stood motionless. I did not stay a
moment in their room but came back here. I had
no thought in life at that time that my sister was
then dead. In a couple of minutes afterwards my
. sister's son came into my room. I asked him why
he was not in bed in his own room, and his reply
was, "My dada would not let me in." When Mr.
Kenny went away I stripped him and put him to
bed here. My husband and I afterwards went to
bed. We arose, :to the best of my opinion, about
ten o'clock on Sunday morning. I got breakfast
ready and was preparing to go to prayers. I told
James Black to go into his mother's room for a loan
of a cape for me. He did so, but immediately re
turned, saying, " Oh, aunt Mary, come in, there's
something." Then I went in and saw deceased
lying on her back, with her head turned backwards.
The bedclothes were over her, but when I raised
them I found that her body was naked, and that
she was in gores of blood. To the best of my
opinion this was about half-past 11 o'clock, or
closing 12. I instantly came back to my room,
and said to -my husband, " She is no more ; he is
after murdering her." Mr. Cooney, at the opposite
side of the street, heard my screams, and came
over. My husband went down for Mrs. Neil, and
brought her up. Mrs. Cooney, Mrs. Neil and my
husband went into the room. I can't say whether
I went in or not then, I was in such a state The
room was knocked and tossed about ; the fender was
broken, and I found all my sister's clothes includ-
ing her chemise, torn into atoms and scattered'
about the bed and floor. The lid was off their tea-
pot. Dr. Ryan, I think, was then sent for, and
came soon afterward's. Deceased had a new pair
of boots on her, which I know her husband had
bought her on Saturday night, and which I took
off. When the child went to the room on Sunday
morning the door- was open. Deceased only had
stockings on besides the boots, and a piece of her
chemise about her arm, at the time she was found.
There 'was a chisel lying on the coalbox in the
room, but there was no blood on it, and there was
also a poker. At the time I went into the room on
Saturday night a piece of the clothes tripped me
up, and the rest were ,on the bed. When I saw
Black standing at the bedside I thought that he
was wiliting, to get my man, and returned to- my

OWTI room.
Surgeon George Porter—l have examined the
body of the deceased; it bears the following
external marks of violence, viz., a bruise on the
right temple, a bruise on the upper lip, an abrasion
of the skin on the lower lip without the skin being
broken, another abrasion immediately under the
chin, another slight abrasion on the upper part of
the chest in front of the left shoulder, a superficial
cleanly incised wound passing from the right nipple
about six inches across the chest, mid lastly, a
wound about an inch and an eighth in length in
the left side, just a little above the ter-
mination of the ribs. I attempted to pass a probe
through. the last mentioned wound, but could not
for the following reason—the instrument that had
inflicted it had passed through the cartilage of the
rib, which is so elastic that as soon as the instru-
ment was withdrawn the edges of the several car-
tilages must have come together so tightly as not to
admit the probe. I opened the body, and on open-
ing the abdomen found a large quantity of clotted.
blood. I found that the instrument that had in-
flicted the wound in the side had passed upwards,
backwards, and inwards towards the spine, passing
through both anterior and posterior sides of the
stomach, immediately above its great curvature,
and had cut across the left renal artery—a large
vessel that supplies the kidneys—just close to the
abdominal aorta, which is the largest vessel in the
body. From that wound the blood flowed which
destroyed life. Blood must have flowed in such
quantities as to have caused death in a minute or
two. The lungs and heart were healthy. I found
some little blood poured out under the scalp, cor-
responding to the bruise on 'the right temple.
There is no injury to the skull itself, and the brain
and its membraneg were healthy. The wen=