The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-18 00:00:00

ATROCIOUS STABBING CASE.

On the afternoon of Saturday last, a melancholy case
of stabbing took place in Peter-street, a locality which
has gained an unenviable reputation as the haunt of the
vicious and degraded. The culprit is an American seaman,
named Thomas Mulligan ; and it is somewhat remarkable
that the two stabbing cases which have occurred in Liver-
pool during the past week should both have been perpe-
trated by transatlantic sailors, who display a freedom in
the use of the most dangerous weapons, fortunately not
so common in this country as in the " model republic,"
and which we have no wish to see imported into this land,
which has ever hitherto evinced a hearty hatred of such an
unmanly and unnatural mode of assault. The particulars
of the case in question are briefly these :
On Saturday afternoon, Thomas Mulligan, while in a
state of intoxication in an infamous house, kept by one
Hardigan, was robbed of £9. Immediately afterwards,
discovering his loss, he became infuriated, and went again
into Peter-street, vowing that he would take the life of
" every prostitute in the town." While he was
saying so, a girl of light character, named Baxter, hap-
pened to wander to the door of her dwelling ; and, ob-
serving that he was whetting his knife and uttering im-
precations on the class to which she belonged, she re-
traced her steps hurriedly into the house, and told her
companion, Sarah Anneßurke, what the infuriated seaman
was threatening in his wild frenzy to do. These girls, it
appears, live in a house closely adjoining that occupied by
Hardigan, where the American was, robbed ; but they had
no connexion whatever with the theft. When Baxter told
Sarah Anne Burke of the man's proceedings,they went out
together, and Mulligan, probably supposing that they came
from Hardigan's, rushed upon the girl Burka and stabbed
her in the face and on the head several times, making
some fearful gashes with the formidable weapon which he
wielded. She attempted at first to elude his grasp, but
she was unfortunately unable to effect her escape. There-
upon the unfortunate girl was conveyed to her lodgings,
where for some time she lay in a state of insensibility. On
Sunday evening, as it was supposed she was on the point
of death, her last declaration was taken in writing by Mr.
Superintendent Clough. She then declared solemnly that
she had no hand whatever in the robbery of the prisoner ;
that she had never seen him before he made the attack
upon her, and that she knew nothing of him whatever.
Mulligan was secured immediately atter the commission
of the crime, and taken to bridewell, where he now lies.
It appears that in addition to the wounds on her head and
face, the poor girl was most seriously stabbed in the centre
of the back. It was thought that, in consequence chiefly
of this wound, she would not have survived beyond Sun-
day evening ; but, though her death was currently ru-
moured in the town yesterday morning, she still
survives. We believe that she is about thirty or thirty-
five years of age. Yesterday forenoon she was quite
sensible and collected in her conversation, and she en-
gaged in prayer with affecting fervour. It is not thought
that she can possibly survive much longer.

POISONING IN A ROMAN CATHOLIC CONVENT.—On
Saturday last an inquest was held on the body of Emma Forty, aged twenty-one years, at Bridlington, near Bris-
tol. The deceased was a penitent at the convent of the
Good Shepherdess, Arno's Vale ; and it was proved that
she came to her death in consequence of poison adminis-
tered to her by Miss Ryder, the sister assistant, in mis-
take for medicine. She was' compelled to go to bed
in the morning, and when dinner was taken to her room
she was found to be a corpse. The sister assistant is the
daughter of Bishop Ryder, of the Protestant church, and
was 1 enelf formerly a Protestant. The jury, in their
verdict, recommended to the convent anthorities that,
in future, they should change their mode of dispensing
medicines,