The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-03 00:00:00

FRIGHTFUL DOUBLE 31UBDER.

The Cape of Good Hope papers bring intelligence
of a frightful tragedy which took place at the village
of Tulbagh. A coloured man, named Andries Patis,
called at the house of Mr. C. J. Botma, who resided
on some property belonging to the independent
Dutch Reformed Church, and had charge of a
water-mill, also the property of the church. It ap-
pears that Mr. Botma, his wife, and their only child,
an infant of seventeen months, had retired to rest
some time before Patis called. The man, however,
roused Mr. Botma, and informed him that Mr.
Marais (who owns the adjoining farm, and in whose
employ Patis had been for some time), had sent him
to request Mr. Botma to go for a doctor, as Mr.
Marais's child was ill. Mr. Botma, contrary to the
advice of his wife, immediately rose, and accom-
panied Patis. On reaching a gloomy part of the
road, surrounded by trees and shrubs, Patis, who
must have been walking behind Mr. Botma, dealt
his unsuspecting companion a blow with a poplar
stick on the side of tho head, and right across the
temple, instantly depriving his victim of life.
Leaving the murdered man weltering in his blood,
Patis returned to the house and knocked at the door.
Mrs. Botma, thinking it was her husband, opened
the door and said, " How is it you have returned so
soon ?" She then lit a candle, and found the per-
son she had admitted was not her husband. Patis
said, " I have waited some time for an opportunity,
but I have this night found it." He immediately
seized her and threw her to the ground, and most
violently ill-used her. She tried to escape from
.him, when he agaia threw her to the ground, and
then completed his second brutal assault, leaving
her in the most excruciating pain. He then de-
manded the money that was in the house, and his
trembling victim pointed to the wooden box in
which her husband, of whose death she was of course
unconscious, kept his cash. Patis broke open the
box and abstracted the money, and then left the
house. He still remained close to the door, how-
ever, and when the unfortunate woman attempted
fl .y y to the protection of a neighbour the brute
kicked her back. Ultimately she did succeed in
getting away, and fled, clasping her infant in her
arms, and closely pursued by Patis, towards the
next house. The murderer came up with her,
threw her and the infant to the ground, and then
inflicted on her two frightful wounds, the one being
a cut on the back of the neck, from ear to ear, and
the other being from the breast to the left ear. Mrs.
Botma's arm was also fractured, though whether
this was done during the struggle in the house, or
when the last deadly attack was made on her, it is
of course impossible to say. Loss of blood, right,
or exhaustion, or probably all these causes com-
bined, rendered the poor creature insensible, and
the murderer, no doubt believing her to be dead,
took his departure. In the course of that fearful
night the sufferer revived, and saw her child play-
ing with its mother's blood. She was, however,
too weak to call for assistance, even if her screams
could have been heard, and so in tnhsisesseiabid3lepi,n theliagndht
she lay till daybreak; her child, dabbled and
Washed with blood, crying itself to sleep
meanwhile. Soon after daybreak Mrs. Botma was
discovered by some boys, lying insensible,
frightfully mutilated. She was removed to her
own house and her infant taken care of, and
when the poor woman recovered consciousness
she was interrogated as to the perpetrator of the
outrage. She stated that it was Patis, and a rudi
ber of persons at once proceeded to Mr. Marais'‘
o
farm and arrested the ruffian, who
Ahlards,.
asß usual,t
m
gone quietly dbout his work.
statement was amply corroborated by marks
of blood upon the prisoner's garments.
found
a his clasp-
knife known to be his property, was
victim's house, and it was stained with blood. Patis's
pipe was found on Mr. Botnia's premises, and the
latter's money-box was found broken open' near Mr.
Marais' vineyard. It had been rifled of the con-
tents, with the exception of a cheque for £5 and
some loose paper.

Between two and three hours after the remains
of her husband had been consigned to their last
resting-place, poor Mrs. Botma also breathed her
last. Her case was hopeless, and, considering the
accumulated horrors of the fearful night she had
gone through, death cannot but be looked upon as

iin this instance a glad and welcome release from
suffering.
The murderer Patis is described as a Mozambique,
about 21 years of age, 5 feet 6 inches in height, and
of robust appearance.