Star.
London, England, 1830-08-20 00:00:00

DREADFUL MURDER OP TWO PERSONS AT
ARNDT, weer DUNDEE.

(Abridged from the Dundee Coarser of Tuesday, but published on
Monday.)
The inhabitants of the small village of Amcor, situated on the road
leading to Dundee, and about five miles from that place, have been
thrown into a state of the most dreadful agitation and alarm. aces.
stoned by the murders of an elderly lady, of the name of Melsham,
a widow, who, with her niece, a line young woman, about 17 years
of age, resided at Arnot, in a detached house, about 200 yards from
any other dwelling.
It appears that the decomed, who is about seventy feats of age,
kept no savant—her Deice acting in that capacity for her. It had
been reported that the deceased was in possession of a considerable
sum of money, and it is doubtless to this that she and her niece
owe their untimely end.
A man of the name of !Simms has been taken up on suspicion of
!whist:omitted the murder. He was seen on the morning of Thurs.
day (the 12th inst.) by some persons who were returning from a chris.
toning, running scram the fields leading to Dundee. and on their hal.
toeing to him, he quickened his pace and was soon out of sight. On
their haring of the murder they immediately pve a description as
well as they were able, of the person they had seen in the morning,
to Jolly, Macgowan, a constable, who proceeded to Dundee in
quest of him, and succeeded in apprehending him in a low public.
house. On his being searched, there were found in his 'Mount
pocket some gold coins of the reign of Henry the Bth, which were
sworn to have belonged to the deceased Mrs. Illelsham; and also,
wrapped up in a dirty piece of paper, which was secreted in the
lining of his hat, three sovereigns and two notes of the Hank of !toot.
land, for 101. each. On being questioned how he became paralysed of
them, he told a rambling kind of tale, and said be found them, three
days before, in the rood. From the appearance of his shoes they
most have been lately washed, as they were wet. On his clothes
there were spots of blood, which he accounted for by saying that
his nom had bled the previous day, and dropped on his clothes.
He was detained to abide the Curener's Inquest, which was held
on Friday. at the King's Arms, before Ale:Andes Melrose. Esq.
Co' ranee, and a respectable jury, of which the following is the par-
ticulars.
A Curener's lament having sat on the body, the Jury then re.
tired, and its about ten minutes returned a verdict of wilful murder
against George Simms, who was forthwith committed to take his
trial at the.neat Assizes.
The prisoner, who is about 27 years of age, is unmaivied he Is
about live feet tea inches in height, and is remarkably well looking,
sod.pteviously bore a very good character ; be was not in the least
downcast t but, ea the contrary. be spoke very freely or his sites.
ties, and said he had not the least doubt of his being acquitted.

NONSENSE LINE&
WRITTEN DURING THE LATE RAIN.
Oh ! what is worse than thus to bite one's nails,

And gaze upon the windows—whilst the rain
Falls heavily against each brittle pane—
Heaven's housemaid. sure, are emptying all their pails,
Resolved that mortals never shall be dry—
And see upon the steamed glass yon fly
Crawls listlessly about—ia If his wings,
Like monarchs' heads, were merely things
For fools to gut at, and for knaves to flatter !
Thou, silly jig !—why what can be the matter
That thou dolt linger yet,
Like drunkard sticking at an alehouse door ?
Ortrs—l think I've touched upon the sore,
And Thou, poor fly !—art fond of heavy wet s

PARADOX.
Truth, they say, lies in a well,
A paradox forsooth ;
For if it lies, as people tell,
How can it then be &WA !

BLACK AND WHITR.
On the hustings, a candidate, t'other day, said,
" I shall strive w abolish the cruel Slave Trade.
What matters the country, the climate, or name
A black is a man, and a white is the same."
His opponents humanity lacked, but not wit,
So, quoth he, "worthy voters, you'll judge if 'Ss 6t
To return him to Parliament who, without shame.
ASlrms to your face PLACE and WHITE OM Me sew."

SoNamistrusm.—Some time ago the servant maid of
a family in the neighbourhood, who live on the bank of the canal at
Falkirk, was desired to prepare a baking a cakes early next morn-
ing. It seems the girl is subject to sleep-walking, and when she
arose to her work it was discovered that she had actually baked
a large far!, and put it upon the girdle, which was reguhrly set
upon the fire, although, however, she had forgot to kindle it.
What is remarkable is, that as there was no water in the house on
the pervious night, the girl must have gone to the canal, and filled
ber stoups in the usual way, unconscious of the risk which often
attends that dangerous draw-well, even during the day, when not a
few have been overbalanced when so employed.
A CLEAR DlREcrtom.-..After the late Norwich
election, as a coach load of voters were about to start on their re.
' turn to the metropolis, the following dialogue took place between
one of them and a friend :—Friend " Well, good bye ; remem-
ber me to my brother Tom, if you should see him." Voter : " I
don't know your brother Tom." Friend : " What, don't you
know Tom? Vy, Lord bless Too, he ha lived in Lannon this ten
year ; he allust wear a fustian jacket."—Leasningfoa Courier.
ELECTIONEERING TREATING AT LINCOLN COLIN-
TT ELIECTION.—As • proof of the extent of the consumption in
the chief munitions of war, we take the following items of the ex-
ciseman's decrease of stock in the wine cellar, " Claret, 72 bottles;
Champagne, ; Port, 1858 ; Sherry, 506 ; Madeira, 168 ; total
in bottle., 20,632. Porter, draught, in galls. 351; ale do. 295;
porter, in bottles, 264; cider do. 8; soda water do. 99; brandy, in
gals. 94: ram, 10 cordials, 2 ; British gin, 13i.
IxsotnArtoN.—The late Dr. Gooch, in early life,
served an apprenticeship at Yarmouth, and had to sleep at the top
of his master's house, m a room in which there was a skeleton.
"One night," says he," I went to bed ; the moonlight, which fell
bright into my room, showed me distinctly the panelled door be.
hind which hung my silent acquaintance; I could not help thinking
of him. I tried to think of something else, but in vain. 1 shut
my eyes, and began to forget myself, when, whether I was awake or
asleep, or between both, I cannot tell—but suddenly I felt two
bony bands grasp my andel', and pull me down the bed : if it had
been real, it could not have been more distinct."

THE IMPORTANCE OF HERALDRY.—" Well, my
dear fellow," said Sir John to the successful suitor for his daughter,
" every thing is now satisfactorily arranged; the girl is yours. I
give you joy. She'll make as good a wife as her mother." " I
thank you with all my soul," answered the favoured lover ; but.
Sir John, I have cal one scruple." " A scruple !" hastily replied
the Baronet, s for the handsome settlement on his favourite
daughter. "A scruple! I thought I explained to you that alias
Fenn 's fortune is small—ln fact, a mere trifle." Pshaw !" re-
joined the lover, " I have fortune enough; but calling this
morning on my engraver to order a seal with my arms impaled,
I made an unfortunate discovery. Your Ma, Sir John, is an
eagle preying upon an infant *raddled, puke, bonded argent.
My colours are argent and On. Sir John, I dread the omen."
" The omen, my dear fellow! Ah, eh, you're witty ! what a
deuced good joke, alt alt 1" "No joke, egad ! Sir John, no joke.
Much as I love Miss Fanny, I ant also desirous of an heir,
and naturally anxious for his future welfare. The colours of
the swaddling clothes and the bands, or the attribute of
the bird, must be changed. I cannot consent at once to fly
in the face of heaven and heraldry." " Changed !" exclaimed
Sir John in a pet, " change the devil ! My motto is—stns.
changer." " I know it, Sir John, and 1 regret extremely that at too
advanced a period of the negociation, any unlooked for accident
should occur to—" " But my good fellow," interrupted the
Baronet, "my ancestors have borne the crest so for centuries with-
out mischief. What can be done ?" " tell you. As in duty
bound an so hnportant an occasion, I have given the matter my
moss serious consideration. The Earl, you know, who is descended
from the eider brother, bears essentially the same crest. His eagle,
however, Is feeding the bantling. Between preying upon and
feeding my future heirs, Sir John, you will allow there is a vital
distinction—the omens vastly differ. Get the Heralds to certify
(and they'll certify any thing fors few pounds), only get the Herald
to unify that your eagle, like the Earl's, should, by right, be feed -
lag the brat, I'll settle an additional ten thousand, and Mies Fanny
and I can come together under the most happy auspices of Heaven
and Heraldry."
SAVAGE " AFFAIR OF HONOUR." (From the Phila-
delphia Gasette.)--A challenge passed from a Doctor Smith to •
Doctor Jeffries, on the Ist instant, which was accepted ; the inter.
view was appointed for Thursday the 17th, and the distance flied
at eight paces. When the time arrived the parties met, took their
stations, and exchanged shots without injury to either. After this shot
it seems inferrable, from the remarks of the writer, that some efforts
were made by their Mends to bring about an accommodation, but
unavailingly, as Dr. Jeffries declared that be would not leave the
ground till be had lost his own or had taken the life of his anta-
gonist. Their pistols were handed to them a second time, and at
this fire the right arm of Dr. Smith was broken, which arrested the
flOt for • few moments, till he recovered frees the exhaustion.
when he declared, as lie was wounded, he was already to die, and
demanded the seconds to proceed. The pistols were then put into
their hands fora third time, Dr. Smith using his left hand. At this
fire Dr. Jeffries was wounded in the thigh, and his lees of blood oc-
maimed an exhaustion that again delayed the conflict for a few
moments. He recovered, and both then desired to shorten the
distance and continue the fight. They now stood up for the fourth
time, covered with blood, and at a distance of six feet. They
were to fire between the words one and five, and the shot
proved fatal le both parties—they fell on the earth. Pr. Smith
was dead when be dropped, the ball having penetrated his heart,
and Dr. Jeffries wan shot through' the burst, • wound he set-
rived but four hours. They fought with perfect coolness ;
and thus fell, adds our correspondent, two good and brave men.—
When Dr. Jellies saw that his antagonist had fallen, he asked if he
was dead. and being assured so, be declared his own willingness to
die. Before he expired, he said that be had been a schoolmate with
Dr. Smith; had been acquainted with him fifteen years ; that they
had been On terms of great intimacy and friendship ; and he bore
also honourable testimony to his character as a man of science end a
gentleman. It Is not stated distinctly in the letter what originated
the cruel hostility which is exhibited in this melancholy sffaie, but
it appears to have been deeply wounded feeling on the part of Dr. J.
Our correspondent states that he had made many personal Mends in
the section of country where he had fixed his residence, and was um.
venally respected and beloved. He was engaged. at the time of this
affair, to be married to an intelligent and amiable young lady of
liliesiseippi; which circumstance appears to have had a con-
nection with the duel. The lady reached the ground only in
time to take her last earthly farewell of the object of her affection.
Her frantic cries, mingled with the grief of the friends, the letter
paints as a scene of the most heart-rending description. The Phila-
delphia Gazette of the following Monday says—" The account of
a duel in lamisiaas, which was published in this Gamete exclu.
sively on Saturda , and appears in the Morning Papers of today.
affords melincheo proof of the ferocity that Is produced by this
horrible practice." h then repeats the particulars of the duel as
given above, and adds—" The Richmond Compiler doubts the
truth of the account, by teases of its horribility. Some =TIP"'
haps, for the honour of human nature, hope it is not true ; but what
is human nature, in certain forms ? What atrocities will not men
commit, when actuated by dewily reality r
ED. -

Aug. 17. 11. &dick Riq. thellfddb Temple, to Paulin&
Nanerede, daughter of P. J. Nanerede, Lai. of Philadelphia.

DIED.
The 17th Inst. at Kellwood, is the 17th year of het ye. the Laill
Cecelia Sandi Murray. daughtee of the Earl of klitasSeld-114
16th inst. at Townsend-house, Megoisea-parlt, Maj* C. H. Glover,
lull 36th Regiment Bengal lawny. hged 44—At Carnber,ell.
Sarah Eellrabeth, the wife of 11. Oftestaway, E.q. of the East Inalta
coaspatq's Service.

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Pristred ma Ps e
Owns, Ns. haves

Jew Mavis, at
lei .11/90 ate Su.