The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-08-07 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY AND PAINFUL CASE.-FOUR
DEATHS BY CHOLERA AND MURDER IN
ONE FAMILY, IN LIVERPOOL.

Yesterday, before P. F. Curry, Esq., the borough coro-
ner, inquests were held, conjointly. on view of the bodies
of James Culkiu and Catherine Celkin, both children.

Jane Kane sworn, said,—l am a wiciw, and livein Paul.
street. The deceased parties lived in Oriel-street. The
father's name was Patrick Joseph Culkin, and i knew him
well. The house is in a court. He had three children,
namely, James, aged about eight years, Sarah, about seven
years, and the third, Catherine, aged about eleven months.
No one but themselves lived in the house. One of the
children (Sarah) died of cholera on Wednesday evening
last. Next morning, at seven o'clock, his wife died. I
was present when she died. I saw the husband then, and
he appeared to be in a very melancholy way. I heard him
say several times that he could not live after her. I asked
him to take a cup of tea. He said, No ! he would never
again taste food in this world. The deceased children,
James and Catherine, were then in the house. I slept in
the house on Thursday night. Next morning the husband
still appeared to be in a low melancholy way. About
twenty minutes before ten o'clock I went out, and left the
father and the two deceased children in the house.
I gave the youngest (Catherine) into his arms. About ..
half-past two in the afternoon I went back. I found the
docr fast. 1 lifted the latch, but could not get in. I then
went and lifted the window, and got in through it. I
looked into the bed where the corpse of his wife lay, and
behind the corpse I saw Culkin lying. He had one arm
round the neck of the corpse, and the other on her breast.
I then observed that his throat :was cut. I did not know
then whether he was alive or dead. I unlocked the door,
the key of which was inside, and called in assistance. Dr.
Kilner was passing at the time, and I called him in.
Several neighbeurs also came in. We then found the two
'deceased children, James and Catherine, with their throats
cut, and quite dead. They were both on the same bed
with the corpse. James was lying at, the foot of the bed,
and Catherine by his side. Culkin, the father, was taken
to the Northern Hospital. Previous to Wednesday last
I never observed anything in his conduct and manner that
led me to suppose him to be at all deranged in his intel-
lect. He was very much attached to his wife and chil-
dren. I never saw a man more affectionate. After the
death of his wife he spoke in such a toolish way that I did.
think he was not himself. He has been in such low cir-
cumstances that be was latterly advised to ask parish
relief.
(The blade of a razor, wrapped at the handle end with
a piece of cord was produced.) The razor-blade pro-
duced was all he had to shave himself with for the last
twelve months. I know it, and have seen him frequently
use it. It was tied round the handle end, as it now ap-
pears. I found it myself. It was lying on the hearth-
stone. I gave it to the doctor, Mr. Kilner. I did not
observe if there were any marks of blood upon it.
Mr. John Dixon Kittle!. said :—I am a surgeon. On
Friday afternoon last, as I was passing the end of a pas-
sage in Oriel-street, a woman came out and almost
pulled me into a house in the court above. She was too
much excited to tell me what had happened. In a room
on the ground floor I saw a bed, in which I saw two
corpses which had apparently been laid out for burial, and
behind the two, next to the wall, I saw Culkin lying in a
state of insensibility, and blood about his neck. After
that I found that his throat was cut. There was a great
crowd of persons collected. I sent out for the police, and
then had Culkin removed to the Northern Hospital. He
was then partly conscious. I afterwards found the two
bodies described by Mrs. Kane. They were both quite
dead, and had evidently been so for some hours. Their
throats were both cut from one side to the other, which
had evidently caused their death. This razor blade [pro-
duced] was handed to me by the last witness, or some fe-
male in the house. There were several spots of blood
upon it. There was a great quantity of blood on the bed,
but 1 observed none on the floor. lam satisfied that the
eldest child could not himself have inflicted the wound
which I saw on his throat.
Ellen Bent sworn.—l am the wife of Nicholas Bent, and
reside at No. 2 Court, Oriel-street. I knew Culkin and
his family by sight. Mrs. Culkin died on Thursday
morning. I saw her husband the same day. He told me
that his wife was dead, and that he could not live after it.
He also said that if we heard of anything in the paper we
need not be alarmed. I saw him again on Friday morn-
ing. He appeared then in a very curious way. T asked
him—" Why did you nat bring your wife and child yes-
terday ?" (Thursday). He said he had sent to Dou.glas
to her sister, and expected money to bury her, but had
not got it. That was about ten o'clock in the morning.
He also said that he had been to Mr. Jones, who keeps
the Harp Tavern, Vauxhall-road, and who had given him
brandy and wine for himself and his family for charity,—
God bless him ! He waved his hand in a kind of way,
and I saw no more of him 'until the afternoon, whenl
heard of what had happened. I then saw him in the bed,
and the two deceased children with their throats cut in
the way described.
Mary Guy said : I am a widow, and live at 48, Jordan-
street. I knew Patrick Joseph Culkin. Three weeks ago
he hired a cellar under the house I live in for a school.
On Friday week he left, and said he would be back on the
following Monday. He came on that day, and said his
little girl was very ill of the cholera. I saw nothing more
of him till Thursday last. shortly after dinner, when be
came and said that his wife and child were dead. He said
he would sooner die than live, after the loss of his wife.
He also said that his little boy was sick, and he doubted
whether he would not be dead Before he got home. I saw
nothing more of him afterwards.
Mr. Thomas Lea said : iam a relieving officer for the
parish of Liverpool. I visited the house of Patrick Culkin
on Friday last, for the first time. I understood the family
had been relieved the day previously. I found the door
fast, and got in through the window. I found a child, ap-
parently about six or seven years old, lying dead on a
table. I saw a woman lying dead on the bed. I saw
Culkin and two other children, all lying on the bed with the
deceased woman. I advised him to get up, as it was dan-
gerous to lie with the deceased ; and said I would return
in the afternoon, and arrange aboat the interment. I re-
turned in the evening, and gave him some relief. He was
much excited when I saw him the second time. I then
saw the two children whom I had teen before in the bed.
The eldest was running about the house, and the youngest
was in the arms of a woman. I did not observe anything
in the manner cf Culkin, beyond dejection for his loss, to
lead me to think that he was out of his mind.
The CORONER here stated that this was all the evi-
dence he bad to lay before the jury.
Ann Kellett, who lives in Hanover-street, here said'
that she knew Culkin, and entered into some particulars.
tending to show that he called upon her and her husband,
on Thursday night, and that from his manner and lan-
guage at the door, she thought he was not quite sound in ..
his mind.
The CORONER said he did not deem it necessary to take
this testimony upon oath, inasmuch as acting upon the
advice of legal friends, he deemed it better to leave the
case to be dealt with by the judges, who would be in the
town on Saturday next. The judge had a discretion upon
medical certificates of the man's insanity to commit him
(if guilty of the murders) to the Lunatic Asylum, where
he would be taken care of, or if it appeared that he at the
time laboured under temporary insanity, to discharge him
should he recover. This power was given by a late act of
Parliament. He quoted the following case, as bearing a
strong analogy to that before them, from Cox's Criminal
Law Cases :—" The prisoner was indicted (Jane, 1848,
before Mr. Baron Parke, in Huntingdonshire,) for the
wilful murder of Harriet Barton, his wife, by cutting her
throat with a razor. It was proved that the prisoner and
the deceased were husband and wife, and that, up to the
day named in the indictment, he had always treated her
and their children with kindness. They were seen talk-
ing together at their doer at night, and at four o'clock °Ti-
the following morning it was discover, d that he fat
the throats of his wife and child, and that he had at-
tempted suicide. When questioned by the surgeon, he
exhibited no sorrow or remorse, but stated that `trouble
and dread of poverty and destitution had made him do it,
fearing that his wife and child would starve when lie was
dead.' lie made a further narrative, which, coupled with
a knowledge of the prisoner's private circu:nst:;nces, in-
duced the surgeon to form the opinion that ti's prisoner,
at the time he committed the act, had not, in con-
sequence of an incontrolable impulse, to which all lm-
man beings were suhject, any control over his con-
duct. The desire to inflict pain and injury on
those previously dear to the prisoner, was, in itself,
a strong symptom of insanity, and the impossibility of
resisting a sudden impulse to slay a fellow being was
another indication that the mind was insane. Finally,
the surgeon's decided opinion was that the prisoner
was in an insane state of mind at the time. Baron
Parke told the jury the question was whether, at the
time the prisoner committed the act, he was in a state
of mind that rendered him responsible for the murder ;.
and that would depend upon whether he at the time was
aware of the nature and character of the deed he was
committing, and knew he was doing wrong by so acting.
In this case the prisOner was convicted, and sentence of
death was passed, but he was afterwards pardoned."
The CORONER concluded by saying that the safest
verdict would be one involving the felony, and the case
would be dealt with in a higher court.
The jury immediately returned a verdict of " Wilful
murder against Patrick Joseph Culkin in both cases."
The accused is still at the hospital, and very ill, but
hopes are entertained of his recovery. He bad formerly,
we learn, been in good circumstances.

On Wednesday, a presentation, consisting of a purse
containing 200 guineas, and an atomic balance, was pre-
sented to Mr. Daniel Stone, late managing director of the
Manchester Mechanics' Institution, on his retirement
from that office.
E HON. MR. MOSTYN.S LANDED ESTATES.—A week
or two hack., we took occasion to place on record the great
success which had attended the sales held by Messrs.
Churton, at Tailgate, when very few of the lots remained
unsold out of the whole estate, and since that time we
find those Lave been picked up. We have now the pleas-
ing task of noticing the brilliant success which attended
their sale at Rhyl, on Tuesday last, a larger number of
buyers attending than was ever known ; it was computed
that no less than 300 persons were present, in conse-
quence of which they were compelled to adjourn from the
Royal lintel to the newly-erected tublic-room. The ut-
most escitement prevailed, and the biddings were most
• spirited ; the building lauds ranged from 2s. to 7s. 3d. per
square yard, and, though the quanft y which was allotted
for that purpose was small, realised nearly £5OOO. The
small farms, too, were eagerly sort_ ht after, and some
fetched upwards of 40 years' pure; ase on the present
rentals. This speaks well for cur two neighbouring rivals,
" Tailgate" and " Rhyl," and we trust that as so many
spirited capitalists have invested their money, the public
will encourage them, by giving to each a share of its
support. We ought likewise to mo.tionthat the sale of
the
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leasstta: e‘sr
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sofoukl, p lnaecaerin
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every lot being sold at satisfactory price s.— Ch,ester Chron.