The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-07


Foul ana Unnatural Murder at Sc. Louis.
! TESTIMONY OF CHILD ONLY SEVEN YEARS OF AGE.
From the st. Louis Democrat, Aug ~
We are called upon TO make record OF still another
one Of these frighlfu occurrences which 50 violate
every principle Of humanity, which so disturb the
cOnsliluti0n OF our society," and thrill the pubic ear
with the horror of its details. We feel relief al
ways ut the recital Of these nhuman ases if there
ter how trIRing, which may lead US to believe th.s
the human heart that prompted the deco is not all
perhay and blackness. In this case the perpetrstor
dunk. In the eye Of toe lay this is no exc lse;
yet every must feel that the arrangement witch
the poor inebriate suffers from the poison ne has Inn
bibed Is no slight pAlliati0n of tue crime. Thomas
Ecgar, after he had shot the wife Of his bosom, ap-
pears to have 30 far recovered the instant from
The bfuazing effects of liquor as to feel deep re.
morse. He dragged her from the box 0 which she
was sitting when he shot her, and placing pillow
under her bleeding head, left the house, saying TO
himself and the little girl who was by thai he would
he quilted the door This surely indicates That he
all lost to the common feelings Of the human
breast; and before we condemn we should reflect
how much Of this unnatural act is owing to the al
cOhol he Drank the vender Of it too ana should feel
touch Of pity, ut least, for the man whose own
hano has madly robbed him Of wife and his child
Of q mother
We give, in full, the evidence of Mary Ann Dunn,
the little girl who was the only witness to the deed,
as taken down by Justice Allen, at the inquest held
by him on the dead body Of Mrs. Edgar. We give,
alsO, the statement Of the Justice as TO the credit
which should be given to the testimony of the girl
Thos. Edgar appears to be about twenty five years
Of age, and says he is an Englishman. He was not
arrested until yesterday morning, when he was
found walking along on Cherry street by two of our
citizens, who having heard Of the murder and know.
ing the man, took him and delivered him at the po
lice Office. From thence he was sent to the county
Jail to await examination.
The evidence of the little girl, which we here sub.
join, will be found to be interesting, and full in de-
tails
At an inquest held on Cass avenue, between Fit.
teenth and Sixteenth Streets the 3lst day OF july
1864, upon the body Of Ellen Edgar wife Of Thomas
Edgar, then lying dead
Mary Ann Dunn, seven years of age, being pro
duced and sworn on her oath, says that sbs vas
present when the said Ellen Edgar was Sd 8; sue
was standing up near the corner of the shanty she
had the baby in her arms; when first saw Mr.
Edgar, he was lying on the ground out at the back
Of the shanty, and was drunk; Mrs. Edgar laid the
baby on the bed, in the corner Of the shanty, on
box with chairs around it; Mrs. Edgar had shut the
window shutters, and was going TO shut the door;
the baby cIept out Of the bed before she could shut
the door; Mr. Edgar then stepped into the snanty;
after he got in the loom little while, Mr.. Edgar
called the clergyman ~; she gave Tim
over her head; he struck her with the dpper before
she struck him; she then slapped him on the head;
he then took up his single barrelled gun, that was
standing at the bedside, and said he wouli shoot
her and her child; Mrs. Edgar, when she saw tue
gun coming, put the baby Ia the bed, and got up
and put on my dress and ran out OF the shanty;
when was outside heard the gun go off, and whea
heard the gun let of came ia ae Jain; saw Mrs.
EDGAR lying on the box all bloody, bleeding at the
month and lose, and blood running out of her
breast; her breast was open; the body WAS ~.
Ing the bed on the floor about two feet from the
box; the baby dress was the same as il you had
dipped j, in tub Of blood; its face was bloody;
when came in the room there was 10 one there
but Mr. Edgar, Mrs. Edgar and the baby; If any one
had gone in or out could have seen them; was
close to the shanty all the times Mr.. Edgar hal the
gua in his hand; he was just putting it away where
he got IL when went in; there q pillow on the
floor; he laid Mrs. Edgars head on the pillow; he
dragged her OF the box and laid her on the pillow
and left her lying, and he went away he said he
would be hung; as he went out the door he said to
me, Mary, III be hung" Mrs. Edgar did not speak
after she was shot; this was last night after dark;
tried to put the baby to sleep, and had much trou
Bile, when Mrs. Dunn came and halloed murder, and
lady came and took the baby away"
The justice states that the girl Mary Ann Dunn,
was questioned to the nature of an oath, and APP
peSred to be conscious Of the sacredness Of her obi
CATION to state the truth, and that she told plain
and staig htforward story-so much SO as he ever
beard from child.
The jury Of inquest returned The folio wing their
veroiet:-"That said de- eased came to her death
by violence, from gun shot, in the hands Of her
husband, Thomas Edgar"