The Sun. — 1844-01-24 (London, England)

FRIGHTFUL TRAGEDY.-011 Friday a dreadful and desperate murder was committed in Burntisland, which caused deep and general excitement and regret amongst the inhabitants. A man named Sliman, a shoemaker we believe, who had been frequently under restraint while living previously in Berwick, had been heard to threaten to kill several respectable individuals in the town and neighbourhood, under a mental delta. lion that they were possessed of and withheld some money or property belonging to him. However, no belief seems to have een entertained that he would put any such threat into execution, and he was allowed to ge at large. But on Friday, or the evening before, he had been seen sharpening two large pointed knives, and the Provost being made aware of this eircumstanee, we have been told by Sliman's father, he granted warrants to the town officer, named CQrstorphine, to apprehend him. The latter seat to Kinghorn for Simpson, the town officer there, to assist him, and in the course of Friday forenoon tbq came up to Sliman in the Links, when Corstorphine, taking him by the arm, told him he would consider himself a prisoner. The maniac asked on what warrant ; but before it could be produced,. struck a knife into .the officer's hand, nearly cutting it in two, and in another instant ran the knife into his heart. Cerstorphine held the warrant of apprehension under his vent, and it was pierced through by the knife, in its passage to his body. He fell down instantly, and died in two or three minutes. The maniac fled to his own house, where he barricaded himself in a garret; and as it was dangerous to come near him, another officer was sent for to Kirkaldy, and the posse comitatus raised, armed with such lethal instruments as they could lay hold of. Finding they could not easily break into his barricade, orders were then given, and slaters procured, to unroof the house. This• proceeding had commenced, when Sliman, imagining the egress would be now free, undid the door and bolted down stairs; but was fortunately secured by the officers before doing further injury to any one. Shrum has a wife and several children in Burntisland. The officer, Core storphine, was unmarried, but much respected in his offiee, and his untimely and tragical death is much lamented by the _whole community.— Caledonian Mercury. The St. Petersburgh Journal of the Bth gives an account of the solemn celebration of the betrothal of the Grand Duchess Alexandrine Nicolaieona with Prince Frederick of Hesse. After the ceremony the august betrothed presented their thanks to their Majesties, who then received the felicitations of all the other members of the Imperial Family. The Archbishops and the clergy celebrated a Te Ileum, and when the prayer was offered up for the health of the Imperial Family, a salvo of 31 shots was fired from the fortress of St. Petersburgh. When the religious ceremony had concluded, the mem • hers of the Holy Synod offered their felicitations to their Majesties and the young couple. The same day a banquet was given in the Great Marble Hall to persons of both sexes of the three first classes, and in the evening there was a grand dress ball in St. George's Hall, at which were all the Ambassadors. Foreign Ministers, and great personages of the Court. The bells were kept ringing all day, and at night the fortress and city were illuminated.