Glasgow Courier. — 1863-12-24 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

AUSTRALIA.  Muarotne.—The quiet of the month of October 11 been broken by the commission of several atrocion crimes in various parts of the country. One was the sticking-up of a toll-keeper at his gate close to Ballarat, on the night of the races, the 2d instant, by two armed, masked, and mounted robbers. They obtained only about 60s in silver, but not until after a very severe struggle with the unfortunate pikeman, who was seriously injured.—A most brutal murder was committe,i on the 21st at Woodstock, the victim being a married woman, named Elizabeth Beckinsale, the wife of a dairy farmer. The husband was at first arrested on suspicion, but he charged a man in his employ, named Jas. Barrett. with the guilty deed. Barrett was speedily secured and formally brought before the City Court, when he was remanded for seven days for the necessary evidence.— A frightful murder of three human beings was committed early on the morning of Monday the 4th instant, a short distance from the town of Ballarat. The murderer is a man of about thirty-five yearsof age, and an Englistunale named James or Elijah Dixon, and the victims were his wife and two daughters, aged respectively two and four years. His wife was an Englishwoman, about twenty. seven years of a,ge ; the family consisting of four children, two boys, still hying, and the two girls murdered. She left her husband about fifteen months ago, and went to Melbourne in company with another man, taking with her the two little girls. Being there left by her paramour, she proceeded to England, from whence she had only arrived about six weeks before her death. On her arrival she rejoined her husband at the house where the tragic occurrence took place, but they lived very uncomfortably together. The murder was perpetrated before sunrise, as the oldest boy, who slept in the back room of the house, says his father called them to get up about sunrise, and before that he heard a noise, and said, "Father, why do you beat mother so hard r Seem afterwards the father of the boys went to a neighbouring store, when, in reply to the ordinary salutation, tho father said that he had "cooked her goose and the girls," and meant to have killed the boys too, but his heart failed him. He was then secured, after some resistance, and the police being at once informed of the occurrence, proceeded to the house where the tragedy had been perpetrated. The unfortunate man, Dixon, admitted Ids guilt on be:ng arrested. He had been before in custody on the charge of lunacy, and it is generally believed that ndency to mania, superadded to jealousy, caused by his being deserted by his wife, was the cause of this ter. ribl event. He was tried on the capital charge, but as e evidence of the medical gentlemen who examined ') bins showed he was not of sound mind, he WAS acquitted, and remanded to the asylum, where he will probably remain for life.--A reward of £lOO is offered in the Government Gazette for the apprehension of the person or persons who murdered a Chiaaman, named Loon Lok, whose body was found iu a waterhole at Wattle Flat, near Heathcote, on the 31st August last. The deceased was wounded in nineteen places, apparently with a pickaxe, and the following property was taken from his person :—A colonial gold ring with flowers on a square shield and Chinese characters inside, a 54 dwt. nugget, and about £4O in gold cud notes. A