The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-05 00:00:00

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A young man, named Verdoya, aged 23, a PiedmontesV4
oy birth, but who had for some time )vcirked its.a. ' —7
at Apprieu (Isbre), has just been tried at igft nob for it -
attempt to murder a widow named Garin, at St. Blaise de
Buiss. The woman, who occupied with her son and a
servant an isolated cottage, was alone at home on the
evening of the 19th of December last, when the accused,
who had on a former occasion assisted her in some garden- '
work, entered and seated himself by the fire. After ‘,..,
some minutes' conversation he rose as if to leave, and
then suddenly ordere I the widow to give him what money
she bad. On her refusing he said, " You are a dead
woman !" and, knocking her down, he inflicted on her not
less than thirty-nine wounds with a stiletto in different
parts of the head and body. Madame Garin remained
motionless to induce the belief that she was dead, but
through her half-closed eyes was able to see the man take
a light and go and search all the cupboards for, money,
twice returning to ccc whether she Et:rreJ. Finding
nothing, he seized the widow by her el,theF.., and
al.'mugh believing her to be dead, dragged her
across the yar,l, and threw her down, a well and
then made off. The water was about 13:t. from the
tup, but the wpman was able to climb up the chain, and
get over the brink of the well, -when she fell on the ground
insensible, and remained in that state for more than
two hours. On recovering, she made her way to a neigh- -
bour's house, where her wounds were dressed, and informa-
tion having been given to the police, Verdoya, was arrested.
The accused was also proved to have only a few days
before attacked a man on the high road at night, and,
by menacing him with the same poignard, had forced
him to give up what money he had. None of the
wounds received by Madame Garin were very deep, and
she has now recovered and appeared on the trial, in
court, where the impassioned manner in which she gave
her evidence created a great sensation. " God," she said
in terminating her account of the crime, " has spared my
life that the guilty may not go unpunished ;" and then,
with a gesture of indignation, she pointed to the prisoner,
who quailed before her look, although until then be had
manifested a cynical indifference to the proceedings, simply
opposing a denial to the charge brought against him. The '
jury returned a verdict of guilty, without the admission of
extenuating circumstances, and the judge passed sentence
of death. On hearing the judgment the prisoner turned
pale, and sank back on his seat, completely paralysed with
terror, and had to be assisted from the court.

ME MURDER AT TODMORDEN.

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As briefly
,reported yesterday, a murder of singular
atrocity was committed on Monday night at the parsonage
House attached to the parish church of Todmorden. The
inmates of the parsonage were the Rev. Mr. Plow, Mrs.
Plow (scarcely convalescent after confinement), a "Monthly
nurse," and three domestic servants, one of whom (the
housemaid) went by the name of "Jane." Between
ten and eleven o'clock Mr. Plow, who had returned late
from a parochial visit, was preparing to go to bed, when
he heard a violent knocking at the back 'door. On
i2veral previous occasions he had been annoyed by the
visit of a young man named 117iles Weatherhill, a check
weaver, to whom he appears to have given some offence
by forbidding him the house. Weatherhill had found
a sweetheart in one of Mr. Plow's former servants, who
had been in consequence sent home to her friends
a3S:liaellcedoyhteode r2h.rar'sl.•iespmllioiissws dismissal
t egr
andh
about
hel
t leadha de
sfnroeea, frequently
er
tnYitirreki t.ohursel
place that a private watchman was engaged for a time to
watch the house, and prevent him from intruding upon
the grounds. Hearing the disturbance at the back door,
Mr. Plow suspected another visit from Weatherhill. He
bade the servants remain in the house while he himself
went out at the front door to see for himself. On going
round he saw Miles Weatherhill standing against the
back door. The moment Weatherhill caught sight
of Mr—Plow he cut, with a small axe he had in his
hand, a cord which ho had fastened round the handle
of the door to prevent the door from being opened
from inside. This done, he drew a pistol from his
belt and snapped it at Mr. Plow, but the cap miss d
fire.. He then struck Mr. Plow on the head with the axe,
unlatched the door, and dragged Mr. Plow into the lobby.
While Wcatlierhill was still dealing desperate blows with the
axe, the three WOMCllservantscame to the assistance of their
master. They seized Weatherhill by the hair, and so held
him while Mr. Plow, who seemed stunned with the blows,
and was staggering with loss of blood, escaped by the
front door. One of the servants ran out at the same time
to fetch assistance. Of the two other servants Weather-
hill singled out the housemaid Jane, whom be accused of
"telling tales" about his sweetheart and himself, and
whom he had previously threatened he would be revenged
upon. After locking the hall door, and then fastening the
back door, he attanced the young woman with an axe,
cutting her in so fearful a manner-that one of the blows
nearly severed her hand from the wrist. She ran scream-
ing into the dining-room, and endeavoured to close the
door against Weatherhill, by pressing against it as well as
she was able. She was overpowered, and Weatherhill,
contriving to unseat his arm between • the door and the
lintel, shot her dead with a pistol. The worm] were
screaming iu the utmost terror, while AKer. the rh ills arjesi
out " Where's my Sarah ?" The doors of the perioeage
were fastened at the front and the back, and no habitation
was within hearing distance. At this stage of the tragedy
Mrs. Plow'i nurse, looking over the balusters down into
the lobby, saw Weatherhill reloading his pistol. After
looking for the axe (which he appeared to have mislaid)
he went into the kitchen, and when he came again into
the lobby the nurse saw lie had a poker in one hand and a
pistol in the other. He put out the gas in the lower rooms,
and went upstairs, still tauntingly repeating the question
about his " Sarah." The nurse met him. at the bedroom
door, and tried to stop him, saying "'Those you want are
downstairs, to which he replied, " I have finished them,
but you needn't be afraid, for you've- done me no harm."
He pushed her on one side, went into the bedroom, and
attacked Mrs. Plow. He drew off the bedclothes, fired a
pistol at her where she lay, and, the shot not taking effect,
he began to batter her about the head and face with the
poker. In the Midst of the attack the parish clerk (George
Stansfield) and two gentlemen whom the servant who
had escaped had called upon for assistance, and whom the
surviving servant down stairs had let into the Louse, made
their appearance, seized Weatherhill with the poker in his
hand, and so rescued Mrs. Plow from imminent death. It
was found that the bullet had passed through the bedding,
the wadding remaining on the sheet. The pillow, with all
the upper part of the bed, was covered with blood.
Mr. Plow, on escaping by the front door, went to the
house of Mr. Greenwood, the organist to the church. This
house is about 50 yards from the parsonage. At that limo
Mr. Plow had a pistol in his hand. The cap had been
snapped, but the pistol had not been discharge(l. Before
Mr. Plow could tell all that had occurred he fainted
through loss of blood. Mr. D. N. Cockcroft, the surgeon
to the family, was sent for, and with the assistance of Mr.
W. Longbotham, who was a1,,0 called in, the wounds were
dressed. There wc:e two 'arge scalp wounds, ore on the
top an 1 the other at the be. kof the head. h was
also a deeply-cut vertical weend between the to 'l,!es•
There were several lesser wom ds Ana contush ns ao.,ut the
face and body, and the left car was torn from top to bottom.
The rev. gentleman was conveyed back to the parsonag, ,
where he and Mrs. Plow now remain, both of then being
in a very critical state. Mrs. Plow is a daughter of the
Rev. Dr. Molesworth, vicar of Rochdale, and patron of the
incumbency of the parish church of Tormorden.
As to Weatherhill, it is said that he had spout Saturstay
and Sunday in visiting his sweetheart at 1. ork, and it is
supposed that after that interview he returned to Todmor-
den with the intention of perpetrating his terrific crime.
He bought the axe on Monday aft. moon at the shop of
ironmonger named William Schofield, who has since
identified it as the one he sold to Weatherhill. The pur-
chase excited no suspicion in Mr. Schofield's mind, as
Weatherhill, ,who was well known in Todmorden, was
thought to be a young man of good character and
conduct. lle used to interest himself in the Sunday
school, and thus it was he became acquainted with his
sweetheart, then in service at the parsonage. After his
arrest in Mrs. Plow's bedroom, when he was being taken
downstairs, he seemed to have quite recovered his com-
posure, and sheaved r remarkable degree of unconcern.
He took a pipe from his pocket, saying, " I may as well
have a smoke ; I suppose it is the last I shall have, for I
know what I've done I shall swing for." One of the per-
sons who had him in custody was Mr. Joseph Gleddill,
formerly a schoolmaster, to whom the prisoner now said,
" I was one of your pupils, Mr. Gledditl, and you thought
me a good grammarian, but you didn't think I should
come to this." Astonished at his coolness, another of
those present asked him if be was aware he,had killed
the
the housemaid, to which he replied, " Aye, she's got a
couple of bullets in her, for there were two in every
pistol." He repeatedly said they had no need to bold him,
as he had no wish to escapeand
the police-station. He,, would go quietly to
hasn't harmed me." 'Phisl wish to harm nobody wlasle,
conversation took place iii kitchen, and the • prisoner, as if possessed by a mania for
destruction, kicked over the kitchen table with his foot, and
had to be restrained from committing further violence. On
being subsequently taken to the police-station and searched
he was found to be wearing a belt, tied behind with a piece
of cord, and apparently made for the purpose he was about
to execute. 'There were four slit-holes in it, in which be car-
ried the pistols. It seems, on a comparison of the statements
of the several witnesses, that he must have had four pistols.
Two were found at the rear of the parsonage (where they
probably fell during the struggle with Mm-. -Plow), a third
was wrested from him by Mr. Plow in the lobby, and with
the fourth be shot the housemaid, and reloaded it before
going upstairs to attack Mrs. Plow. On n further search
the police found in his pocket a quantity of gunpowder,
lot of bullets and caps, and some loose shot. He hims.e.f
assisted the pol cc in the search, and produced voluntarily
a photogrape o! the young woman v 101 l Lo he called "hiss_
a
'Sarah," and a'lo a portion of a link of jetneck.
The link app ar ‘1 to have been broken in two, _by half_b.eln g
probably rota ne Iby Weatherhill, and the other his
sweetheart as a " love-token." When the money he had
in his possess] •. n was being taken from him, he expressed
a wish it might be given to his mother, with-whom he lived,
and whom he seemed now to remember suddenly. He said
to the constah e," Let's have an understanding about th•
money—let's see how much there
d is.', Time amount was
17s. Sid. Ile then sai, " Please tell my mother what
has happened, and tell her as kindly as possible. Say I
shan't e home to-night." He appeared to be under the
in poession that he had caused the death of Mr. and Mrs.
Plow, as well as of the housemaid. Referring to this, he
said, " I've done all I wanted to do. I'm only sorry the
""s"— pis 94 aid not go pfl better,",