The Arkansas banner., 1850-05-07
THR norBLE TRI,L

aus1dReg of ancient family and large estate, had resided at -. Abbey, aboat miles from the county town. He was wtdeweF and had but one child, beau tful and accomplished daughter, who, upon his de- crase che then being just Fl years of ageJ became sole possessor of his property, and also contiaued
 to dei at the same place. shortly after her fathers death Miss FarshaWe beaeVolently adopted. as her companlOn dblaaI rslaAivs--a high-bern young Irish lady, named Eveeen O'Neili, who had just been Jeff, not merely f0Ttuneiess, but totally friendlesz orphan.
 On the day of the Asslzes at a well known county town in Englasd, this yonng female. Eveieen o. Neill, was brought Into the dpck under an aecusa- ton of having murdered Miss Fsnshaw The ac- cused was tall graceful. mOdst and beautiful with large dark eyes features deadly pale, qaiversg lips and her hands lightly pressed before her.
 It was charged that this orphan girl this depen- dant deliberately mu rdered her benefactress. temp tod by merceary motives, Miss Fanshawe havng previously made 8 will, leaving her property te Eveeen, h case she should die unmarried. The priacple evidence iatfeducd was the butler named Coilius lie stated that "a few mlnates after four o'clock, on,the morning of the 2sth July, he was aroused from his sleep by repeated violent screams, issuing apparently from the sleeping room Of his mistress In great alarm, he partially dressed, and hurried quickly he possibly could towards that room. The door stood slightly sjar, and. pushing 1t smartly open he crossed tine threshold. and was
 
 pet by the side of the bed lay the body of his mis- tress, in her nghi-dress. bathed ia blood kDsel. iHg close to her was the prisoner at the bar, with her left hand resting her mlstress's bosom. and her right hand uplifted with small drawn dagger. which was apparently about to be plunged n her mistresss body. Both the dagger and the hand which held it were dripping with blood" Shud- der of horror agtaied the whole court at this part of the deposition; and the accused sank her head between her hands, groaning heavily. The exami- nation proceeded
 Mir. Collins, will you here describe the exact po- sitiOn a which your mistress lay when you first saw herf
 her knees drawn up some height from the carpet which. being a loose one. ruffied on heap un- der and around her, as though great struggle had taken place Her head lay on one side, with the right cheek resting the carpet, and her hair was torn from underneath her cap, and hung backward over her head.
 Mr. CoIlins-You say that the prisoner was kneel- ing by her side, aud holding dagger, which you thought she was about pIunging in yoar mis,rsss's breastl
 Witness-Yes.
 Mir. CoIlins-Aud there was quite sufficient day. light for you see,g with perfect dislnctness, the objects you have described2
 Witness-Yes
 Mr. Collins--Now, cir, on your oath, was the point of that dagger directed dOwuwards.
 With considerable hesitation, the witness con fessed that he could not speak positively in that respect.
 With regard to tho chamber, ho time was lost iu making strict and well uducted examination oi the apartments and the result that several most extraordinary matters wero brought to light. Ths bed in which the i'll faed lady had slept was con- pleely saturated with bl0od and the sheets t1mbled and twisted In such way that clearly eyinced that she must have fought hard with the murderer By passing the curtain aside. Miss Fanshsw could reach the pull of a bell, hanging in her own maid room, and summon her at any moment she qained. This bell pull was found carefully tied round the adjoining bed- completely out of the sIe-pers each This apparently indicated two i'n- portant facts: list. that the murder must have beeu
 deliberately planned affair." 2d, that it must have been committed by some one intimately acquainted with the apartment On the victims body being examined, it was found that she stabbed in 9 different parts and her hands and arms were also gashed in many places. in way that showed how desperately she must have fought for life. On the bed was found very large lock of hair torn up by the roots. The hair at first thought to be Miss Fanshawe's own: but, on examination, none was torn from her head neither did the lock cOrres- pond in the least with hers either in color length. This also the with Eveieen; and, after most patient investigation at the inquest, all con cerned unanimously admitted the inexpcabe fact that this lock of womans hair was neither the mur- dsred ladys nor that of the accused. Eveleen her self gase the following voluntary explanation of the position in which she was found:
 was aroused from my sleep by hearing what conceived to be a struggle, mingled with smothered screams going on in the sleeping apartment of Miss Fanshaws. 1 listened, and hearing scream still more distinctly, and also what thought to be cry for help, l hestated not . moment iu hurrying towards tire room. As l approached the door, which Ht the end of long corridor, and al eoRside- fable distance from the sleeping room of anyone else, my own chamber being the nearest 10 il. heard what l thought to be voices of individuals hurriediy conversing; but when reached the door, which Miss Fanshawe never locked, l found il slightly open, and entering, discovered her life less body on the floor, in d pool of blood There were persons visible in the room. 1 screamed repeatedly at the sight and, in dreadful agitation. sank my knees. and then fell across the body, by which 1 became besmeared with the blood of my dear murdered friend. whom loved as myself. On arising. happened to dagger, and lif,ed tt up by the end of the blade, hardly knowing what did. At this moment, the butler entered the room,
 The defence of counsel unsvailing; sen- tence of guilty was rendered., and Eveleen was - convicted.
 At the very next AssiZes a man, who sur rounded by an appalling mystery, was accused of beiUg the sole peTpetFator oi the deed CiFcum- stanlai evidence brought the act hume to him, with conviction to the minds of all men, aud he also sentenced, but anticipated his doom, and poisoned himself in prison, by the aid of female accomplice leaving the following confession behind him
 q" In few moments shali be dead, and now write all l wish to say, aud whatever my life has been, whatever my religious noliobs are, all men may believe every word l here write to be tho se- lemn truth. am innocent of the murder of Miss Fanshawe, and have not the remotest idea who murdered her. The night she was murdered was many miles distant, and this could have proved on my trial, could not have done so without eon- fessisg that was engaged that night m committing a murder, but where or on whom, will never be known. My hands cut in the death grapPls, aud my clothes smeared with blood. The witnesses asserted that they me urkiDg about the Abbey grounds; they either wiliuy lied or were mistaken by my resemblance to another. The dagger with which Miss Fanshawe murdered really was mine. although tdenied il on my trial. being desi rous 10 make the best of my chanca of acqattal As deposed on my trial, was in the habit of car rying it about me, but lost it week before the Inu rder wss committed. to the Abbey and have no doubt the real murderer had picked il up, and sad he str ru ment of the deed. What my