The Sun. — 1869-01-07 (London, England)

MURDER.  We understand that on the 19th of December the Rev. W. J. Shearly, of Welles, forwarded to the Home Secretary the statements of four inhabitants of Wookey, which were personally noted down by Mr. Shearly. The position of these parties to the convict gave weight to their declarations— the woman who brought him up, the man who worked with him through the week before the murder, the schoolmaster who taught him in his early youth, and the conjoint evidence of a family with wham ho was in the habit of splendiug much of his leisure time. The evidence thus gathered pointed out that Wm. Bisgrove was illegitimate, not 19 years old, had been much neglected, was weak in apprehension, and for years had been subject to fits, brought onbyseeing a man killed by the falling of a stone in a coal-pit near Farringdon ; and his fellow workmen spoke of a fit Bisgrove bad on the Tuesday before the murder, as being of long duraton, and leaving Bisgrove violent, and then lost and foolish. The Home Secretary communicated this information to the Chief Constable for Somersetshire, with a request that he would inquire into it, and, we believe, all the above statements were verified, and their importance even added to by further information and search. These confirmed declarations, combined with the memorial from Taunton and the petition presented by Mr. Chichester Fortescue from 100 colliers, with no doubt reference to legal and medical authorities, were sufficient, it appears, to enable Mr. Bruce to advise her Majesty to commute the capital sentence. We are glad to have it in our power to make this authenticatt.d statement, as we believe the full reasons for her Majesty's clemency are but partially known.  His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has taken Chiswick House for a term, intending to reside there from time to time during the reconstruction of Sandringham, which will probably occupy a period of 18 months. It is gratifying to find that the anticipations of a prolonged absence of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales i from England are thus dissipated, and the inhabitants of Cheswick and its neighbourhood may congratulate themselves upon the prospect of an improved condition consequent upon the Royal presence. It will be recollected that Chiswick House was the residence of the late Duchess Dowager of Sutherland for some time before her death. The marriage of the Marquis of Hamilton, M.P., eldest son of the Duke and Duchess of Abercorn, with the Lady Mary Curzon, daughter of tho Earl and Countess Howe, was celebrated this morning at St. George's, Hanover-square. A meeting was held on Tues'lay, at the Man'. siou-houso, Dublin, for the purpose of forming a peritntient committee to carry out the proposed monument to Henry Grattan, in College-green. The Lord ..11a3 or presided. Amongst those who proposed and seconded resolutions were Mr. Pitn, M.P. ; Dr. Webb, F.T.C.D.; Dr. Shaw, F.T.C.D. ; Mr. John Norwood, Alderman Manning, [Judge Little, the Very Rev. Dr. Sprott, and the Rev. Mr. Carroll. It is gratifying to find men holding different political and religious opinions uniting cordially together for the purpose of doing honour to an illustrious Irishman. The movement has now been placed on a broad national basis, and we will not permit ourselves to doubt of its triumphant success.