The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-10-21 00:00:00

fIORRIBLE CASE OF MURDER IN DUNDtE,

(From the Edinburgh Courant of Saturdalt9

We learned last night the following particulars relating t(
a case of murder perpetrated in Dundee on Thureday night
which, for cold-blooded atrocity, has had few parallels in thi
part of the country. On Thursday morning two men, wh,
gave their names as Mackenzie and Duff, and who appease'
to be substantial north-country graZiers on their way horn'
from the Falkirk Tryst, called at Mr. Croall's coach•office.
Prince's-street, here, and inquired into various particular:
regarding the starting of the Dundee coach, which leave,
here at ten o'clock. As they had business to transact in one
of the banks, which does not open till ten o'clock, they re-
quested that the coach might be delayed a few minutes.
which was promised. About five minutes after ten Duff.
who was a short stout man, returned by himself, and asked
whether the coach could not be delayed a little longer till his
friend Mackenzie finished their mutual business at the bank.
This could not be acceded to, and the coach set off without
either of them. Mackenzie, who is taller than his compa-
nion, and remarkable from one or two projecting front teeth.
joined his friend at the coach-office soon after the coach had
gone, and both took an omnibus and joined the steamer just as
she was about to leave Newhaven. It would hence appear
that Mackenzie had received Duff's money at the bank, and
had it in his possession. There were two steamers starting
across the water at the same time, and it is remarkable that
Mackenzie took the wrong one; but as they both reached
Pettycur at the same time, the mistake was of no moment
farther than as it gave rise to much excitement on the part
of Duff, who expressed great anxiety lest he should lose
sight of his friend and his money. Both parties then took
their seats on the outside of the Dundee coach, near the
guard, and proceeded in this way to Cupar, without hay-
iug much intercourse with each other; Mackenzie employ-
ing himself during the greater part of the way in a low chant
or muttering, of which, however, nothing could be made.
At Cupar a change of position took place. Both parties
came down from the coach ; and on remounting, Mackenzie
took his seat near the driver, while Duff kept his old place
beside the guard, and continued so to Newport. On crossing
tlce Tay Ferry, Mackenzie's manner was observed to be
somewhat agitated, so much so, that person who knew him
remarked to another, that that was Mr. Mackenzie, an ex-
tensive cattle dealer, but he seemed to have got a slap over
the fingers—thus referring the strangeness of his manner to
some supposed loss he had sustained. The coach arrived at
Dundee about four o'clock ; and our information regarding
them from that time is not so precise. What is certain is,
that in the evening two men, answering in all respects to
these persons, and of whose identity with them our informant
had no doubt, were walking out of Dundee ' • and when beyond
the Law, the short man was shot from behind with a pistol,
and, it is supposed, left for dead on the road. The poor man,
however, recovered a little ; and was able, we have been
told, to crawl to some house in the neighbourhood, or other-
wise obtained assistance, and had sufficient strength left to
tell the whole story, and to fix upon his companion as his
murderer, charging him at the same time with having £l,OOO
of his property in his possession. Information was immedi-
ately sent to the Police-office at Dundee; and a search being
set on foot, the other was apprehended at eight o'clock yes-
terday morning in one of the carriages in the first train of
the Dundee and Arbroath Railway. The rumour in
Dundee, when our informant left, was to the effect that the
two parties had dined together in Dundee; and that Duff
asked his companion for his property; that he evaded the
request, under the pretence that that was not a proper place
for settling their accounts, but proposed that they should
both proceed to a friend of his a few miles out in the country,
where they would get a bed for the night, and might settle
their affairs quietly. To this, in an evil hour, the unhappy
man consented. It is said that the tall man bought a pistol
from a young man in a respectable ironmonger's shop in
Dundee. It is remarkable that Thursday was the fast day
in that town, so that he would have some difficulty in finding
a shop open. It is also said, that when he was apprehended,
a large sum of money was found upon him. This shocking
case had excited, as well it might, a great sensation in Dun-
dee, both from the respectable sphere in which both parties
had previously been moving, and from the deliberate villany
with which the murder must have been committed.