The Sun. — 1827-10-27 (London, England)

SINGULAR ASSASSINATION IN KINCARDINESHIRE.—The fate of one of the Sheriffs of this county, in former times, merits notice, especially as connected with a ruin in the parish of Eccliscraig, formerly a place of great strength, being erected on a perpendicular and peninsulated rock, sixty feet above the sea, at the mouth of a small rivulet. It was built in consequence of a murder committed in the reign of James the First, and the circumstance deserves to be recorded, as it affords a specimen of the barba• rity of the times. Melville, Sheriff of Kincardineshire, had, by a vigorous exercise of his authority, rendered himself so very obnoxious to the Barons of the County, that they had made repeated complaints to the King. On the last of these occasions, the King, in a fit of impatience, happened to say to Barclay, of Mathers, " I wish that Sheriff were sodden and supped in brue." Barclay instantly withdrew and reported to his neighbours the King's words, which they resolved literally to fulfil. Accordingly, the conspirarators invited the unsuspecting Melville to a hunting party in the forest of Garvock ; where, having a fire kindled, and a cauldron, of water boiling on it, they rushed to the spot, stripped the Sheriff naked, and thrqw him headlong into the boiling vessel; after which, on pretence of fulfilling the a spoonful of the broth.— naglßarclay, tod, screen himself from beowder, must have been impreg. RtAfohotte.tyeevartlehtniehlgiiiaesnnaycndeacannettenio,oifbenaatlhcolifefeaKsgssinpviti noble. Some of the conspirators were afterwards pardonedOne of the pardons is said to be still in existence ; and the reason assigned for granting it is, that the conspirator was within the tenth degree of kin to Macduff, Thane of Fife.  A trick several times attempted of late to be put into execution, by persons suspeeted of being " body snatchers," for the purpose of getting possession from the parish of the bodies of unknown persons meeting with a sudden death, was tried on in the parish of St. George the Martyr, in the course of the last few days. It will be recollected that on Thursday last, a young man died in Kentstre2t, through the alleged inhumanity of the woman he lodged with, who turned him into the street when on the point of death, and an inquest appointed for the following day, on the morning of which two persons called at the workhouse, one stating he was the brother-in-law of the deceased, whose Define was Oliver Clare, his own being Davis, and that the deceased's friends, though justly irritated by the irregularity of his life, were nevertheless desirous of taking charge of his funeral, and desired to have the body given up to them. This Mr. Hall, the master of the workhouse, told them could not be done, the inquest not having been held, and they departed, but returned again on Monday night between eleven and twelve o'clock, with an undertaker and repeated their demand for the body, but being again unsuccessful, the inquest being adjourned, they threatened to apply to the Magistrates next morning but nothing more was heard of the matter until Wednesday, when another man, giving his address " Craddock, undertaker, Waterloo-town, Bethnal-green," came and said he was appointed to meet the brother-in-law, bat after waiting some time, he also departed, and nothing has been heard of the party since. The body bas been interred by the parish.