The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1841-12-24 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

HORRIBLE MURDER AT CHIRK.—We lament tO say, that one of those horrible murders, with which the principality is seldom disgraced, was committed at Chirk, on Thursday evening last. The unfortunate victim is an aged female, named Ellen Evans, who keeps a small shop for the sale of grocery, and such other commodities as are to be had from huxters, in country villages. She was also in the habit of lending money to poor people in the neighbourhood, on such trifling pledges as they might be disposed to 'eare with her ; and this circumstance led to the inference that she was possessed of a considerable sum of ready money, and appears to have excited the cupidity which prompted the commission of the murder. The last time Mrs. Evans was seen alive was on Thursday afternoon, at five o'clock, when she served a person with some articles of grocery, and was then in good health and spirits. In the course of air hour (about six o'clock), another customer called at her shop, and and wag horror-struck on finding the deceased lying on her back on the floor, with her head nearly severed from her body. It would seem, from the appearance of the body, that she had resisted the attempts of her murderers to rob the house in the first instance; and that one of the ruffians had then thrown her down, set his foot on her mouth, and cut her throat from ear to ear with a knife. The house had been ransacked, but little booty had fallen into the possession of the murderers, as a considerable sum of money (which was the bulk of her property), had escaped their observation, by being secreted in a bed. These are the principal facts connected with the murder. We have received other information, which it would not be prudent at the present moment to submit to the public, lest the ends of justice should possibly be defeated. Suffice it to say, that strong hopes are entertained that the murderers will be discovered, and brought to justice.—Chester Courant. On Friday morning a cruelly distressing loss of life occurred on the other side of the river, near Hew Holland. The schooner Stourbridge was coming up, having a boat in tow, when the painter giving way by which it was attached to the vessel, the captain, Jeremiah Smith', anxious to prevent its being lost, threw himself over the stern of the vessel into the boat, but unfortunately alighting with his back on the gunwale, he was stunned and fell into the water; the boat drifting away at the same time, his own crew were deprived of the power to assist him, and after hanging by the broken painter attached to the drifting boat, until seemingly exhausted, he sank to rise no more. It is lamentable to add that Mrs. Smith was on board the vessel, and consequently a spectator of her husband's melancholy death ; • and it is horrible to state further that her distressing bereavement might have been averted, had the common calls of humanity been responded to as they should have been by the parties who had it in their power to save the drowning man. A light sloop from Goole was going down the river, with the wind in her favour, at the moment of the catastrophe, and although passing within twenty or thirty yards, those on board were deaf to the hail of the schooner, and the cries of the crew to save their captain.