The Potteries Examiner : — 1878-03-30 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL FOR  MURDER.  On Wednesday last one of the most strange cases that has been tried in Ireland for many years, came to an abrupt conclusion. The case was heard before Lord Justice Denny, and the Attorney General for Ireland conducted the prosecution. Catherine MuHarkey, who has net yet attained the age of 17 years, was indicted for the wilful murder of her husband, on the Ifith of last January, at a sma'l towu named Delmore, which has already obtained an unenviable notoriety. The ac. I cased was educated in a convent school, and within five months of the termination of her school life she found herself married, widowed, and standing in a criminal court charged with murder. The evidence for the prose. cation appeared to be strong. It was sworn that the accu,ed was married to her husband, who was considerably her senior, against her will, and that she lived on bad terms with him; that she procured phosphoric rat poison, and that three empty jars in which that poison had been were found in her bag after her arrest, and that some medicine which she prepared for the deceased hail exhibited a blue light and other phosphorescent appearance while in process of preparation on the fire. It, was proved that her husband had died in a week after the medicine was supposed to have been administered with the usual appearance of poisoning by phosphorus; and the past mortem examination corroborated the sup. position, though no trace of poison was found in the intestines, and none of the medical witnesses were able to swear positively that death hail resulted from poison. Additional interest was gi,ven to the case from the fact, that almost the strongest evidence against the accused was that of a nephew of her late husband, a man named John Ryder, for whom she hod manifested a great tenderness during her brief married life, and to whom she had sent a most loving note after her arrest. This young man actively assisted the police in their searches in the rooms of the accused, pointed them out her trunk, and opened the bag in which the empty poilma jars were found. He gave the note, in which there was an allusion to having been overcame by temptation, to the police a few hours atter its receipt, and ac,munted for his delay by the statement that he hardly give it a thought. In crosn•examination, the misfit of John Ryder and some others of the principal Crown witnessess was fearfully shaken by Mr. M'Dermoit, (lc., who was the leading counsel for the defence. The hearing of the ease began on Monday, and the evidence for the Crown closed on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, the foreman of the jury expressed their opinion that no case, and a juror added, "not a shadow of a case," had been made out against the accused. tnder those circumstances the Crown declined to continue the inquiry, and a verdict of Not guilty " was haudcd in, and the accused woo discharged amidst loud cheers. The accused, who is very beautiful, maintained the most perfect composure, and showed not a trace of anxiety during the abide of the trial. After her discharge she expressed disappoint. ment that the abrupt conclusion of the case prevented her having an opportunity of hearing the speech of the leading counsel for the defence.