Star. — 1819-06-24 (London, England)

HIGH COURT OF JUSTICIARY, EDINBURGH. Yesterday se'nnight came on the trial of Peter Bowers, journeyman mill-wright in Haddington, charged with the murder of John Sandilands, daylabourer, or farm-servant, to the Earl of Dalhousie, upon the 15th day of April last, by striking him on the head s' ith an axe. Tke prisoner having pleaded Not Guilty, the Jury were sworn to try the case. It appeared in evidence, that same young men had been amusing themselves by leaping on the high-road opposite to Coalston toll-bar, when they were joined by the prisoner and his master's son, who had been working in the nei hbourhood, and after finishing their job, had re ed themselves with some gills of whiskey at di erent public-houses. The deceased was standing enjoying the amusement, when the prisoner said he would jump with any of them for two pence; and having lost his bet, refused to pay it, when some trifling altercation took place among the parties, and the deceased said, old as he was (66), he would either jump with him, or fight with him, for any thing he liked. Some high words then ensued between the prisoner and the deceased, the import or amount of which was not distinctly recollected by any of the witnesses present; but' it ended in this, that the prisoner advanced towards the deceased, and struck him a blow on the head with an axe, which he then had on his shoulder, and inflicted a severe wound on his left temple, out of which part of the brain protruded. After the examination of the witnesses, the Counsel for the prosecutor and prisoner addressed the Jury ; and the Loan JUSTICE CLERK having summed up the evidence, the Jury retired, and deliberated for an hour and three quarters, when they returned a written verdict, finding by a plurality of voices the prisoner guilty of the crime of murder libelled, but unanimously and earnestly recommended him to mercy. After a most solemn and impressive address from the LORD Jus rice CLERK, he was sentenced to be executed at Edinburgh on the 21st day of July next, between the hours of eight and ten in the forenoon, and his body to be given for dissection. There has never, perhaps, in the annals of drunken-ness, appeared a more striking illustration of its fatal effects than this trial has afforded. One of our fellow-beings has already fallen a victim to the madness of intemperance, and the surviving prisoner has justly forfeited his own life to the laws of his country. The origin of this quarrel was the paltry sum of twopence, and the fumes of a liquor, which have destroyed more than the wildest ambition of the n o't sanguinary tyrant. It was very strongly and very justly impressed, by the Lord Justice Clerk, upon the prisoner and all present, that, according to the laws of Scotland, intemperance is neithm- a justfication nor a palliation of a crime. In delivering his admirable charge to the prisoner,' he again observzd that he wished to enforce it upon all classes, from the highs st 1 to the lowest, that all must ansy er to the violated laws of their country for offences committed under the influence of ardent spirits. The prisoner had always supported an ereellent and irreproachable character, and the clearest evidence was adduced to prove his former solkety ; the drinking of half a bottle of Scotlalars~s, made him murder an old man whom be never before saw, merely because he used some contumelious language to him ; abd we trust and hope so awful and striking an event will contribute to the forming of societies against the intemperate use of the destroyer of our reason, of our, selves, and our fellow 'mortals.