The Sun. — 1854-05-20 (London, England)

DREADFUL MURDER IN DEVONSHIRE.—A dreadful and Mysterious murder has just been discovered near TorIlligton, North Devon. E iris on Wednesday mottling, the 17th inst., a farm labourer living in the village of Taddiport, was proceeding to his work, and when about a mile from Torrington, near the residelice of Sir Trevor •Wheler, be heard a IoW moaning noise, and, on look!ilg round, he saw the body of a young woman lying la a ditch, s'aockingly mutilated. He lifted her up, and found that the poor creature still breathed, but her head was one mass of cuts and bruises, and the "Min was protruding through the top of the skull. That a foul murder had been attempted there was very little doubt, the cupidity of the perpetrator of the crime being apparent from the fact that the poor girl's pockets had been rifled of a few shillings, and a basket 4.11 d a bundle which she carried bad been stolen. On Inquiries being instituted, it appeared that the victim of this cruel outrage was a young woman named Richards, employed as a glover is the neighbouring parish of Longtree. She had been to Torrington to take in her work and receive her wages, and on Tuesday afternoon she left Taddiport on her way home about 4 o'clock. The place where she was found is an open shallow ditch, about five minutes' walk from the village. The attack must evidently have been made in the road from the quantity of blood and hair upon the road and the adjacent bank ; and it is probable that, after becoming insensible, she was drag:zed to the side of the highway and thrown into the ditch. The young woman was removed to the nearest house, where medical aid was procured, but she expired with_ out being able to give any particulars of her assassin. The supposed murderer, a man who was seen following the young woman through Taddiport, is a stranger to the neighbourhood. The police traced his footmarks to the aqueduct on the road to Bideford, where all further clue was lost. On Thursday afternoon the police succeededin apprehending the mansupposed semurderer,en following nd the h e has since been identified as the deceased out of Taddiport on Tuesday afternoon. He then wore a large pair of whiskers,- but when taken into custody they seemed to have been recently shaved off. The accused bas been removed to the lockup at Torrington to await the result of the coroner's inquest. BEQUEST TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM —The will of the late Colonel Joliffe was proved on the 17th inst. It contains, in addition to several private legacies from his personal property, some valuable bequests to public institutions. The beautiful chimney-piece in the diningroom at Ammerdown Park, Sotnersetahire, confessedly the most perfect of its kind in England, is bequeathed after the decease of his two nearest surviving relations, to the British Museum. The su. ject of the chef d'oeuvre is a graceful bust of the youthful Bacchus, crowned with the fruit and foliage of the vine. • The compartments on either side are elegant representations of the Cornucopia, and the pilasters present in alto relievo an image of the Thyrsus. The whole is an unrivalled specimen of the Most chaste and finished sculpture,