Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1879-04-19 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

FIE TRAGEDY AT PEEBLES.  The bodies of Mrs Murray and her three children were buried on Tuesday at Innerleithen, to which neighbourhood the poor woman belonged. There is now no doubt that the children were ft.urdered by their mother. Mrs Murray, whose maiden name was Binnie, and who was about thirty years of age, is described by those who knew her as a shrewd, sensible-looking woman, and her tidy, methodical habits were shown in the condition in which_ she kept her house end children. It *would appear, however, that a tendency to insanity had formerly shown itself in her family. Her brother is at present an inmate of Rosewell Lunatic Asylum, to which, for the second time, he was removed about three weeks ago; and it was alleged in Peebles on Saturday that some time ago a female relative, in a temporary fit of mental derangement, put an end to her own life. It is said that on the occasion of the birth of her youngest boy, seventeen weeks ago, Mrs Murray exhibited no symptoms of aberration; but it appears that, for some few days previous to Friday last, she had been complaining of fearful pains in her head, with a loss of appetite, to alleviate which she, Oil Thursday, took some simple medicine procured by her husband in Peebles. On Friday morning husband and wife would seem to have breakfasted together, about half-past six o'clock, before the Lrmer set out for his work as a susfa.oeman at Bonnyrigg. Al that time, Murray avers, there was nothing in the behaviour of his wife to attract his attention in any way. Three surfacemen, who were working about 200 yards to the north of the cottage, do not remember to have seen either Mrs Murray or any of the children during the morning. The driver of the 6.55 train from Edinburgh missed her from her accustomed post when he passed the crossing about 8'15; but, on the other hand, some officials of the train leaving Peebles at 8-25 are under the impression that they observed her shortly after that hour standing at the door of her house. Whether that is so or not, it does not appear that anyone saw her alive after that time. It was half-past twelve o'clock when Mr John Cairns, farmer at Winkston, in driving from Peebles by the old road, had to open the gates himself, as no one appeared from the cottage in response to his calls. Mr Cairns, on getting home, asked if any of his people had Been anything of Mrs Murray. As none of them had, he, about three o'clock, accompanied by one of the women on the farm, went down to the railway, when the tragedy was cliscovere& From an examination of the cottage it seemed evident that, in whatever way the maniacal fit had seized the unfortunate woman, the slaughter of the children, and their subsequent disposition on the bed, had been carried out with some deliberation. Three of the victims were Lund dressed in their ordinary clothes, and the books and satchels of the two eldest were laid out as it. they had been about to start for school. From the position of the bodies it is conjectured that the children had been killed in the order of their ages, and the eldest by appeared to have offered some resistance. On the table, where the breakfast things lay untouched, there was found the school slate of one of the children, on which Mrs Murray, apparently just after she had murdered her offspring, had written in a fairly firm hand these words—" This is my head my Darien man." On the top of a basin of porridge, also standing on the table, was Mrs Murray's marriage ring, stained with blood, which before committing her last frenzied act she had evidently taken from her finger. With the bereaved father, whose uniform steadiness has earned for him the respect of his employers and fellow-workmen, much sympathy has been manifested in the district.  A fire broke out on Sunday at the Marlborough Post Office which has completely deranged the postal and telegraphic communication of tbe town. Three large building:, were burnt to the ground.