The Sun.
London, England, 1817-10-20 00:00:00

INHUMAN MURDER.

It must have been too apparent, of late, that
scarcely a Newspaper is published without some.
criminal offence to stain its pages, but especially
the horrid crime of murder. From whatever
cause this dark catalogue may proceed, it is un-
deniably a-disgrace to the kingdom at large, which
the utmost efforts, both public and private, shoold
be employedAtbsemove. Bailee bears the nearest
proportion of any other country to England in the
point of general crimes : but, even she, demora-
lized as she is, is comparatively pure from such
atrocious and deliberate murders as are continually
occurring in this moral anti Christian land. These
remarks have been excited by a lamentable event
of this nature, on Thursday afternoon last, which
has occasioned the deepest sensation throughout
the neighbourhood. The following are the cir-
cumstances of the case, as they came out before
JOsElni WHITEPoRD, Esq. the Coroner.
It appeared that John Green, attendant on the
boat %%hick conveys the Cornish mail to Torpoint,
and Rebecca Smith, wife of Gilbert Smith, a rig-
ger in his Majesty's Dock-Yard-, met toge•
ther at the Lion and Anchor in Cherry-garden-
street. After driuking a pint of beer, Green call-
ed for another, requesting the landlady to warm a
glass of it for the female, whose mouth, he said,
was sore. They set opposite to each other in the
back parlour, with the door open to the passage,
apparently on .the must amicably terms. Soon af-
terwards Smith left the room and returned again,
when Green went to the tap-room tire, lightest his
pipe, and rejoined her in the Sallie apartment. About
a quarter of an hour subsequent to this, the land-
lady (Sarali Coates) saw Smith coming to the bar,
moving her lips as •if endeavouring to speak,
though unable to do so, while blood flowed pro-
fusely from. her throat. Mrs. Coates instantly
called out for. assistance, and having seated Smith
in a chair, and placed her tinder the care of ano-
ther woman, hastened in search of a surgeon.--=
In the mean time the landlord ran to the back
room, the door of which was stilt open, where he
discovered Green behind the door, in the act of
wiping off.the blood from his face and hands,with
which his clothes also were.nearly covered. The
landlord exclaimed., .'• What have you been doing,
you scoundrel?!'. Green replied, "She attempted
to cut my throat, and I have cut her's." He was
then taken into custody by two men from the
tap-room, who conveyed him to the Town Hall
prison. The surgeon, on examining Smith, found
there was no chance of saving her life, the wound
in her throat being fatally decisive. A case knife,
dyed with gore, was discovered by the peace offi-
cers, secreted under sonic shavings in the apart-
ment where the prisoner and Smith had been sit-
ting, and afterwards sworn to, as belonging to
Elizabeth Simmonite, at whose house the priso=
ter had lodged five weeks.
Gilbert Smith, hushamV of the deceased, stated

that she eloped with Green a year and a half
since, leaving behind her .two children, and had'
cohabited with him in Ireland, until two months'

preceding this event, when she entreated permis-
sion to return to him and her children, to which
he consented; on her promise of fotnte amend-
ment. Soon after her arrival here, Green. made
his appe4ance, and being frequently seen by the
mitering about the. door, was desired to
abstain from such roodnct.

Nlrs. in
.a room adjoining that
occupied by the deceased, at No. 17, Fore-street,
said, that in an interview She witnessed between
the prisoner and deceased, the latter said to the
former : " Jack Green, you mean nothing but to
murder me;" to which he answered,. " 1 value
not my own life, but I don't wish to. bort.. you.''
She theti requested that be would never again
come into her presence; which he promised, but
neither of the parties had resolution enough to
abide by this wise determinatioo. Theyniet
on Thursday last, and were . separated for ever.
The Jury,
.witiomt any hesitation, brought in -a
' verdict of `" *ll'6ll Morderi" and he was accord-
ingly committed to Exetet gaol, to he tried
,at the
Agsizei in March next.- (Plymoulh Telegraph,
Saturday, Oct. I 8.)

UNInN CANAL.—It is Said that 'trial pits are
immediately to be sunk in the vicioity of Edin-
bUrgh, to ascertain the nature of the soil, beti're
beginning the operations for the Canal. A large
part of the track has been surveyed to the west-
ward of Edinburgh, and there is little doubt
but the work will be begun as speedily as pos-
sible. •