Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-11-13
CONVICTION OF A MURDERER UNDER
PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES.


The London Times publishes an account of
the sentence to death Of one Mullins, found
guilty Of murder under peculiar circumstances:
- The murdered person, Mary Emsley, was
a widow, about 20 years Of age, of very miserly
habits. She lived entirely alone, in the neigh
borhood Of Mile-end, not only performing all
domestic duties for herself, but going out to
collect her rents for she possessed consid erable
property in houses. Every Monday she went
on this errand, and would bring home some
f30, E40 or ESQ. She was last seen alive about
2 O'Clock on the evening Of Monday, the 18th
of August. On the ensuing Friday, the 17th,
a man named Emm, who had been occasionally
employed by the deceased, communicated
with Mr.. Filth, who had married daughter
of the deceased, and the result was that the
house was entered, and Mrs. Emsley was found
murdered in lum mber-room Many people
had knocked at the door Of the house during
the preceding three days, but could make no
one hear, and it cannot be doubted that she
had been murdered in the night between Mon
day and Tuesday. A reward was offered, frst
of flOO, then of f30O, and on the Sth of SeP-
tember a communication was made to the pO-
lice by a man named Mullins, the subsequent
accused. He denounced Emm as the murderer,
and said that he had been watching ENNIS
cottage, and had seen him 60 out into brick
field and hide parcel. Mullins conducted
the police TO the spot, and, of course, was the
enough, contained property belonging to the
deceased. The parcel was tied round with a
dirty spron-string. There was an enclosure
bound with waxed cord. The property con-
sisted of spoons and other articles, together
with check for fl0 drawn by firm who
were tenants of Mrs Emsley, and paid by them
TO her on the very day she was murdered.
Whoever, then, possessed this check and put it
into the parcel may be fairly looked upon as
the murderer. The whole gist Of the case for
the prosecution was to show that not Emm but
Mullins himself made up the parcel and hid it
in the spot whittier he afterwards conducted
the police. The evidence, though entirely cir
cumstantial, comes from many different quar-
ters, and the combined effect is to leave
no doubt that Mullins, and no one else,
had possession Of the deceased's property,
and used it TO insure the ruin Of Emm.
1t was proved beyond a doubt that Emm
went TO Stratford on the night Of the murder,
that he was in company with more than one
person up TO midnight, and that then he went
home to bed 1t was also proved that on the
day when he was alleged to have hidden the
weeks after the murder-he was not out of his
cottage till ten o'clock, Mullins having stated
that ne saw him in the brickfeld between
and Q. Emm, therefore, being proved inno-
cent, and Mullins's evidence shown to be false,
we have very strong grounds for transferring
cumstances cause suspicion to grow into eer-
tainty. Mullins was seen about the place
where the parcel was found On the Friday,
the day before he made the charge, he was
seen at the brickfeld. He had been seen on
the evening Of the murder, at about O'Clock,
In the neigEborhood of the deceased's house.
The witness Raymond positively identified
him, and another person saw him passing
through Stepney-green We are not disposed,
however, to attach much importance 10 the
last fact, for the sailor who gave the evidence
knew nothing Of the prisoner before, and might
as Mullins 5 counsel suggested, have recognised
him from the description when he was after
wards confronted with him at the station
house. The sailor said that Mullins was sgi-
tated, and that his pockets seemed to have a
good deal in them, and gave information to the
police before Mullins was apprehended. There
are, however, much stronger pieces of evidence
On the mantelpiece of Mullinss lodgings was
found piece Of staing exactly similar TO that
which bound up the parcel, and there was also
wax, such as was used for the cord which was
tied round the enclosure. It was suggested
that Mullins, knowing that Emm was a shoe
maker, used Taxed cord in order to give a
color to the story that Emm had hidden the
parcel. A pencil-case belonging to the de-
ceased was disposed of by the prisoners wife
shortly after the murder. Mullins was by
trade plasterer, and the hammer he used ex-
actly fitted the wounds which deprived Mrs
Emsly Of life. In the clotted blood was the
mark of a nailed boot, and such boot Mullins
had thrown into dusthOle some time after the
fatal day. In short, the usual circumstantial
evidence which is forthcoming when tn ese
tales of blood are unrsvelled leaves no doubt
that the prisoner was guilty.