The Commonwealth. — 1867-04-20 (London, England)

THE MOUNT STEWART MURDER.  At Perth Circuit Court, before the Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland and Lord Dew, James Crichton, a ploughman, was charged with the murder, on the 30th of March, IS3G, of Janet Henderson, or Rodgers, within the farmhouse of Mount Stewart, Strathearn, Perthshire. The deceased, who was an aged woman, wife of James Rodgers, labourer, Aimtilly, had on the 28th of March come to the farm of Mount Stewart, tenanted by her brother, William Henderson, to keep his house till he could get a domestic servant in room et Christina Miller, who had loft. On the 30th Henderson went with his horse and cart to Perth, and was absent from 10 in the morning till eight at night, and the deceased was the only person in the house. Olt his return he found the prisoner Crichton waiting at the stable, and Crichton assisted him to unload and put up the Force. Henderson then went to the house, but could not get in. He then followed Crichton to his house, several hundred yards off, to ask if he had seen his sister, and was told by him she had not been seen since the forenoon. He returned to the farmhouFe, and called for his sister at all the doors and wir, ow, but there was no response. At length he took a ladder, and got in by a bedrcom window. He found the deceased lying dead on the kitchen floor covered by a heap of bedclothes. He went for some neighbours, and the same night Dr. Laing, Bridge of Earn, and the police were sent for. Some money and clothing were discovered to be missing. The medical evidence showed that death had resulted from a wound inflicted by an axe, the blow, to all appearance, having been immediately fatal. The walls of the kitchen were spotted with blood up to CIL high, but no traces of blood were found elsewherb. The evidence which connected Criohton with the deed NM wholly circumstantial. It appeared that he alone was on the farm so far ftß could be discovered, on the day of the murder; that the fragments of a pipe reeem. bliughis werelf owl (I in the kitchen; that he had changed his clothes on the day of the murder, and next day a suit of clothes as set oat by his wife to bleach and dry. The only probable motive was plunder, but the evidence tracing the stolen property to the prisoner was rather vague. The doctors were of opinion that the murder had been committed in the afternoon. It was not till December that Criohton WAS apprehended, as suspicion in the first place had fallen on Henderson, whom Crichton had aomeed of committing the murder on his return at night from Perth. Henderson was, however, liberated, and a reward was issued for the apprehension of the murderer, and eventually Crichton was taken. The evidence of Christina Miller, formerly Henderson's servant, was to the effeot that, after leaving the farm, she had remaineda night or two at Crichton's, and that one night while heard Crichton say to his wife that if the murder was found out he should be hanged, to which his wife rein bed she had plied that she and the family would be disgraced, and would be unable to live for the people. This witness (who had been imprisoned in order to Enure her evidence) deposed to seeing some pounds in the hands of Crichton 'toe wife, fnroolmus iwhomconclusion, sheur. Ahdaadm onad d leavingress ing borrowedthe bro u u few ehillinge. On Thursday the ease was b jury for the Crown, and Mr. Scott for the prisoner, Lord Dose summed up, pointing out many strong fade bearing against the prisoner. The jury, after 11 minutes' absence brought in a verdict of Not Proven.  THE SPECIAL COMMISSION FOR CORE, LvitEram,