The Sun.
London, England, 1827-10-26 00:00:00

MURDER AND SUICIDE.

SHELBYVILLE, KENTUCKY, SEPT. S.—On Saturday
evening last a Captain James Burton, on Floyd's Fork, in
Oldham County, committed one of the most barbarous and
brutal acts ever perpetrated in a civilized, country. It is
stated that Mrs. Burton had far some time entertained seri-
ous religious impresSions, and had expressed a desire to
become a member of the Baptist Church ; but her hus-
hand opposed her wishes, and said lie Would take her life
sooner than • consent to her joining the church. On
the day he committed the fatal 'deed, she wished to go
to a Methodist Meeting in the 'neighbourhood, but he
would not suffer her, and commenced 'abusing • her in a
most cruel manner, drawing a large knife, with which he •
threatened to take her life. She retreated up stairs, and •
he pursued her with more than savage ferocity, where he
would have executed his bloody design, if she had not
jumped out of the window of a two-storied house, in hopes
of escaping &Om. the monster; but, unfortunately, in the
fall, she broke one of bey legs, and was unable to make
good her retreat.- came down stairs, and carried her
into the house, placed her upon the bed, and tied' Lis
pocket-handkerchief around her fractured leg. She
begged him to go for a physician, declarin:; that, if he did,.
she would not tell that he had been the c use of the mis- •
fortune. He told her that he would " soon be doctor enough
for her," and deliberately shot her through the head, just above. •
the right eye. He then reloaded his gun, and tied the trig-
ger to the latch of the door, and fired, with a view of killing
himself; but in this he failed. He took -mother drink of
grog, loaded Isis gun again, sat down on the side of .the
bed where his bleeding wife was gasping her last, placed
his gun between his legs, and holding the muzzle a little
ooexeele iiti ;
above his left eye, be fired it off by placing. out, of his toes •
upon the trigger. All this was done in the presence of se-
veral small children, both white and black, the oldest of
whom is about ten or eleven years of age, and.the daughter
of this unfortunate man and woman, who is. said to relate
the foregoing particulars of the affair. Captain Button
n
fc'eoamrstris t habitsthe above cessniov.mt
rt hre
of
)
temperance, by which, it is said, his mind had become ins-
he was in a fit of intoxication.
hapaired;be e
and at two
ot
or
time

MARGATE.—A very distressing event hap-
pened yesterday morning. An Indiaman, out-
ward bound, hoisted a peculiar signal ; an un-
dertaker from Northumberland-crescent went on
board, anti received a child, 16 months old, who
had lost its life by being choaked by a piece of
carrot. The body was warm •when brought on
shore. We need not comment on the poignant
feelings of the agonized mother, when she con-
signed her boy to be buried by strangers ; but
the Captain's orders were imperative,. and there
was no other alternative than the. usual resource
of throwing the infant into the sea.

A rather ludicrous scene took place in

,A coach passing along had nearly run ovt.i: a
servant girl, when the coachman called out,
High-street, Worcester, oa . Wednesday-1
" Take care, Sally ;" the girl, however, without
the coachman with an air of offended pride, and
It is n't Sally, or any such common Stuff ;
attempting to escape the danger, looked up to
We are informed that at a watcli,maker's shop,
being 'con-
the Lower-street, Islington, an illuminated
clock-face is exhibited, w hich
istasidlim"elia Aim !" '
goes constantly
night,
nected with a movement of remarkable ' •
and regularly, both day and.
accuracy.
It has been said, that from this' •
curious piece of
machinery an improvement in the illuminated
church clock of St. Bride's, Fleet-street, was
contemplated and acted upon. •