Glasgow Courier. — 1857-01-29 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

MURDER AT LOCHMABEN.  We regret to state that the crime of, we fear, deliberate murder was perpetrated in the burgh Of Lochmaben on Saturday night last. About 7 o'clock on Sabbath morning, as a little girl named Im•ry was passing along East Street, Lochmaben, she observed a man lying dead upon the street. The body was recognised to be that of David Alston, gam• watcher to the Lochmaben Association for the Suppression of Poaching and other Offences; and from the appearance it presented there was little doubt that death had been caused by violence. Information was immediately conveyed to Dumfries, and in the course of the day Mr. Jones, superintendent of police, and Mr. Maori:Jinn, assistant to the Procuretor-Fiscal, arrived at Lochmaben to investigate the case. A post mortem examination of the body was made by Dr. Scott, Dumfries, and Dr. Dickson, Lochmaben. On the head there was found a large wound as if inflicted by a bludgeon, and which was sufficient to have caused death, besides several other injuries. On Saturday evening Alston had been drinking at the Commercial Inn, in which, at the same time, there were drinking several wellknown poachers, who, in the course of the evening, used language of a threatening nature towards Alston. About 11 o'clock Alston left the Commercial Inn to go home to his house at Templand village, which is situated about two miles distant to the north of Lochmaben. In a few minutes he returned to the inn, which was then shut up ; after knocking sad being admitted, be stated that he had been assaulted —his mouth was bleeding—and he named one of the men who had been in the inn as having struck him. The landlord, Mr. B. Thomson, offered to accompany him part of his way homewards, and Alston and be left together. Afterproceeding somedistance alongst the street. Alston pressed Mr. Thomson to return, as there was no appearance of any person to molest him, and Mr. Thomson accordingly turned back. On his way home, he met three men going in the same direction as Alston, and whom he recognised as haying been in his house during the evening. Nothing farther was heard of Alston until his body was found next morning, as already mentioned, about 200 yds. from the spot where he and Thomson had parted. It is supposed that Alston halted for a minute, and had been struck on the head, probably from behind, and instantly felled to the ground, in which position he had received a continuation of blows. From the position in which the body was found, it was evident that no effort could have been made in self-defence. The polioe have apprehended four men, named Win. Smith, illll Alex. Mooney, John Farish, and John Joh stone, labourers, and most, if not all of them, addicted to poaching—on suspicion of having committtd the offence; and on Tuesday, after the usual preliminary, they were committed to Dumfries jail for farther examination. Alston was a quiet, inotfonsire man, though considered very strict in the performance of his duties as a game watcher, and we believe that the night on which he met his sudden and dreadful death was not the first occasion on which his life had been threatened.—Dumfries Courier.