The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1860-09-04 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

SHOCKING MURDER AT GIARGIOR.— On Saturday afternoon, at 3 o'clock (says the Norlls Brnisa Daily Mail), one of the most dii-aressing child-murders which has ever fallen to our lot to record was committed at the river Clyde, opposite Messrs. Tod and Iligginbotham's works. The circumstances, so far as we have learned, are as follows : Mr. and Mn'. Shields, two respectable persons living in Commercial-road, had a fine little interesting boy, two years of age, named John. The child was in the habit of being allowed on dry days to walk out on the pavement to await the arrival of his , father at meal hours, and on Saturday afternoon be went out as usual ; but, instead of meeting his parent, he was picked up by a young man of about 214 years of ago, named John M'Fayden, and taken away up the bank of the river. The father soon came borne, but, of course, without the boy, and the fears of both parents were then aroused for his safety. A lonelieareli resulted in nothing satisfactory ; bun at length the mother, in going up the Clyde, met IFFayilen carrying what she immediately reisignized to be the clothes of her missing child. With maternal eagerness she questioned the young HMI as to where her boy was, when lie, with a lack-lustre eye, and in tones indicative of the greatest unconcern, told her that the boy was drowned, and that he had got his clothes and was going to sell them. Just at this moment several parties eat»e up and accused M'Fayden with drowning young Shields, when he replied, "God strike me dead if I did." However, as he had been observed in the very act, he was, of course, taken into eustaly. It would appear that M'Fayden had led the unsuspecting innocent up the river side till opposite Higginbotham's works, and there he began to strip him of his clothes for the purpose of appropriating and selling them. It is thought that his original intention did not extend beyond this, but, according to M'layilen's own subeequentconfeimion, the child began to weep and cry " MA," while being undressed, and it was then that the horrible idea was first suggested to him that by deatroying the child he should prevent detection. Acting on the insane thought, the boy was no sooner naked than, notwithstanding his piteous cries and infantine idnaggles, the murderous youth lifted him in his arms and pitched him into the water. Fearful lest his object hil,,Ultl not be accomplished, the young fiend got a stick about 3 feet bin:, and as his little victim was struggling lug close to the shore, ld'Fisytlen held him down with the wood till life was extinct. The murderer then lifted the child's clothes and turned his face towards the city. The fi-st question that will naturally arise on reading the above statement will be, is M'Fayden sane? It is very doubtful if he is. On being taken to the easteni-pulice office his mother was bent for, and from her statement of his previous conduct, the question of the prisoner's sanity will be a matter for inquiry. If the mother's statement con be verified, there is no doubt that the young tn.an is • .. .• • • • .  Tli; JoAu o' Groat's Journal gives an account of • severe storm which passed over the Caithness coast on l'hunulay and Friday, the Zird and 24th ult., and which destroyed udwards of 40 fishing vessels, and did otherwise a great amount of damage. Fortunately no lives were lost. The estimated loss to the fishennen of the caost is said to he £3,000, besides the loss of the season's fiAing. _ .  NUCCIRSVOL PEARL FILMING IN THE Idox.—Pearl fishing, writes &correspondent of the BanffshireJonntal, has again commenced in earnest on the Don. Within the bed two or three years two lads in Invernay are said to have reali.ed upwards of 1:110 by the discovery and sale of the pearls. One has been found near Dyce, for which Li has been refused by the finder. It is nearly the size of • smell marble. The usual size of those found varier from a pin's head to • large pea. The pearls are sow freely changing hands in the district at from 3s. to !Is., and up to as high as LI or 1:4 each.