Glasgow Courier. — 1855-03-22 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

THE CLAREMORRIS MURDER.  The trial of Maurice Prendergast for the murder of his cousin James E. Prendergast, on the 12th of Oct. last, commenced on Monday at Castlebar Assizes. The facts of this revolting case, which bear some resemblance to those of the Greenacre tragedy, appeared several months since in the public journals, and are more clearly described in the following statement made by counsel kr the Crown :  'Some years ago the deceased left this country for America, and, having amassed some money, returned home in the month of Oct., 18.53, and took up his residence with his father, Eneas Prendergast, in the town of Claremorris. It appeared to have been the habit of the deceased to carry his money, amounting to about £lOO, in a small bag, about his neck. The deceased, after his return, was in the habit of managing his father's affairs, and on the 9th of Oct. last he went to a barn belonging to a Mr. Davis, which was at some distance from Claremortis, where he had some corn in process of thrashing. The deceased went there also on the 10th, on the 11th, and again on the 12th, which was the last time he was SPen alive. On this latter day, after having been at the barn superintending the work going, on there, the deceased proceeded to the house of a Mrs. Tolan, and, after speaking to her for a short time, left on his return to Claremorris. The prisoner lived at some little di, tance from Mrs. Tolati's on the road to Claremorris. Shortly after the deceased had left Mrs. Tolan's house, she heard a shot in the direction of the prisoner's house, and coming from the direction which the deceased had taken. This shot was also heard by some men who were working ins field not far from the prisoner's house, and the deceased was never after seen alive. It appeared that the wounds of which the deceased died were produced by shot, and not by a bullet, the neck end face of the deceased having been very much injured by shot; and also that the prisoner had obtained a gun from a person named .kitesborough, and had bought powder and shot, and with this gun had killed some wild fowl, and that this gun had been returned by the prisoner to its owner on the 18th of October. It farther appeared that, prior to the committal of this murder, the pecuniary means of the prisoner were very small, and that he had been in the habit of borrowing money from his friends for his twn support; but that on the very day of the murder, and also subsequentis, the prisoner appeared to have Plenty of money at command, and treated several of his friends in Claremorris, and finally conclu. led the evening of that day ins sort of drunken carouse in his own liou;e. The prisoner left the country on the 27th of Oct., and on the sth Nov. the body was seen floating on the water ^f a quarry-hole in the neighbourhood of the prisoner's dwelling. The arms were tied across the breast, and two stones attached to the wrists. The legs were cut from the trunk,and were seen lyingat the bottom of the water; and, on the drag being used, the head was discovered s,he at the bottom of the bole, tied up in a calico beg. hasincion then attached to the prisoner, and upon the Police visiting the house which had been occupied by the Prisoner they discovered marks of blood near the fireplace; a hatchet also was found there, which turned out to he one the prisoner had bought about • fortnight prior to the murder, and on the blade were discovered some human hairs; there was also discovered a quantity of duck and snipe shot in the house, being the description of shot which had been extracted from the bead of the A warrant having been issued for the apprehension of the prisoner, lie was arrested on board a tugboat prior to embarking for America.' The trial occupied the whole of Monday without closlae the case for the prosecution, and the jury were locked up for the night. The case was resunicd on Tuesday, and Mr. Serjeant Howley having delivered his charge, the,jury, after a long consultation, brought in • verdict f not guilty: The prisoner was then ordered to be iiischarged : hut such was the angry feeling of the people in the densely crowded court, that his friends reqnested that he shoull be detained till their could convey him Away privately. In the defence it Was urged that the evidence fur the prosecution was wholly circumstantial. - Times.  VAST SILL or