The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-03-04 00:00:00

THIRD

DECIDING
Lord Stradbroke's Magna be;

CONFESSION AND APPREHENSION OF THI
MURDERER OF THE REV. MR. HAMILTON.

(From the Fermanagh Reporter.)
A correspondent, writing from Frederickton, New Bruns
wick, under the date of the 30th January last, says, " Perhaps
the power of conscience was never more clearly exemplifies
than in the following narrative, which I put down in sub
stance, in the words of the unfortunate man, as related this
day to myelf, from his own lips." The murder was one of
those barbarous assassinations which took place a few miles
from Bandon, in the year 1833 :
" The murderer's name is Patrick Leary. and he states
that in the summer of 1833, the Rev. Mr. Hamilton, a pious
man, who lived near Bandon, in the county Cork, purported
going to Dublin with his nephew, accompanied by a servant ;
but the parish priest, who dined with Mr. Hamilton on that
day, urged him not to go, but the business was urgent, and
he should proceed. The country was then in commotion ;
and a young officer of the 36th, who also dined at Mr. Ha-
milton's in company with the priest, said he was under or-
ders for Dublin, and would bring an escort for their protec-
tion, but he passed on without the rev. gentleman, who was
waylaid, the reins of hi, horse seized, himself dragged out of
his gig, his body stabbed, struck with bludgeons, and finally,
Leary dashed out his brains with a large stone I The ser-
vant and nephew narrowly escaped, but no trace of the law-
less gang was ever heard of until a few days ago, when a sol-
dier of the 69th Regiment, named Burgon, now stationed in
this town, was joking with his comrade, Patrick Leary, and
said, " Leary, I saw you at the Blackpool, and, if I am not
mistaken, you are the man who murdered the Rev. Mr.
Hamilton." [Leary was the man he enlisted at the depot
three years before.] Conscience smitten, although Burgon
was only in jest, Leary sent for his commanding officer, Co-
lonel Motiens, and confessed the whole crime, with many
others, which I deem prudent-to suppress at present, but
you will have learned the whole history before 1 can again
write to you. His deposition and confession were taken
down by the proper authority. Leary says he never had any
peace of mind since the murder, and that he and his accom-
plices got only 3s. 6d. each from the society for committing
the foul deed. One of the party went to the United States,
and, three still reside at Blackpool, whose names and residence
he has disclosed. Leary is now in gaol, awaiting orders
nom the Horse Guards for transmission home, to pay the
just debt he owes the offended laws of his country."
It appears by our correspondent's letter that Leary ac-
knowledged the Rev. Mr. Hamilton was a good man, and
that both he and his father's family were repeatedly relieved
from hunger and thirst by him ! Oh, the curse of party and
private association ! ! We received this communication in
time for our publication, but we delayed publishing thein-
telligence until the Home Office should have time to make
out the warrants for the apprehension of the parties, lest
justice might be frustrated.

A letter from Berlin of the 19th ultimo has the following
paragraphs :—His Majesty the King has fixed for Wednes-
day, the 23rd. the solemnity of the betrothing of the Prince
Royal of Bavaria to the Princess Mary." "Her Majesty
the Queen has received an autograph letter from Queen
Victoria, written in the German language, in which her
Majesty expresses Her joy and gratitude for the visit which
she has received from our Monarch.
MURDER AT MONKWEARMOUTII.—On Tuesday week a
murder of an extremely violent reckless nature was
committed in Monkwearmouth, s erland. From the facts
given in evidence before the coroner s jury, it is difficult to
find a motive which could have induced the commission of
such a revolting deed. Thep risoner does not appear to
have been so much inebriated as to render him incapable of
governing his actions ; and in the perpetration 1)1 the crime
he evinced a resolute determination to take the life of the
object of his rage. The name of the unfortunate deceased is
James Liddell. He was a man who appeared to have been
much respected in his station. He was forty-two years of
age, and has left a wife and nine children to deplore his
melancholy end. The circumstances connected with the mur-
der are very simple. It appears that the prisoner, James
Robertson, who was an anehorsmith, employed in a manu-
factory, was neglecting his work, and drinking spirits from
a bottle in a corner of the shop. The foreman spoke to
him, and an interchange of words took place. The short
parley resulted in the prisoner's lifting a hammer five and a
quarter pounds in weight, and felling the deceased to the
ground. The skull was dreadfully fractured, and the un-
fortunate man lingered in great agony until the following
(Wednesday) morning, when death put a period to his suf-
ferings. At the inquest a verdict of wilful murder was re-
turned against the prisoner.