The Sun. — 1862-01-24 (London, England)

MURDER NEAR DUMFRIES.  The Dumfries Courier of Tuesday contains an account of a supposed murder in the Valley of the Glenkins. It appears that the name of the murdered woman, who kept house for her two brothers (farmers), was Ann Hannah; and the woman apprehended on the charge of murdering her is Mary Timany, the wife of a labourer on the roads. From the medical examination, it appears that no doubt exists that the deceased died from violence. The Courier says :—" The accused is a woman of about 27 years of age, black-haired, of active habits, and not unprepossessing in appearance. She is a Scotchwoman ; her husband is an Irishman. They have four children, the two eldest being daughters, of ten and seven years of age respectively. The deceased was a powerful, strongly-built woman, with whom, in a fair encounter, the other would have had no chance whatever. The house in which the accused and her husband resided belongs to the Hannahs, and it is believed that the occupants were about to receive notice to quit on Whitsunday, as the two women were often quarrelling. We believe the authorities are in possession of a considerable amount of evidence, showing that on repeated occasions the prisoner had threatened to take the life of the deceased. It has been alleged that the prisoner was jealous that her husband was too intimate with the deceased, but on what authority we have not ascertained. On one occasion when deceased refused to lend some tea to Mrs. Timany, the latter is said to have threatened that she would one day give her what she would not recover from for seven years ; and at another time, when speaking to a visitor of Ann Hannah, it is said that she used the words, ' I'll dae for her yet ; I'll gang in and leave her a corpse some morning.' The visitor thereupon told her, To use her tongue and hands as she liked, but to take.no weapon.' This last story is not quite credible, but we give it as we have heard it. One point that tells strongly against the accused is, that while she alleges that on the day of the murder she had not worn a tartan dress found stained with blood, and hidden away on the loft of her house, it can be proved by at least two witnesses, not of her own family, that she was seen wearing that very dress on the morning of the 13th. The authorities are actively engaged in the investigation of the case, both at Kirkcudbright and in the neighbourhood of the scene of the murder. We believe that on Friday night the chief constable proceeded to Edinburgh, and after consultation with the crown agent and Sheriff Hector, placed in the hands of Dr. Douglas Maclagan various of the productions showing stains of blood, with a view to their being scientifically examined and reported upon. The prisoner still resolutely denies the crime with which she is charged, and in the meantime her children are under the surveillance of the police. While being conveyed to Kirkcudbright, the prisoner's principal anxiety appeared to be as to who should look after her pig. The funeral 11)f the deceased took place on Saturday last, and was numerously and respectably attended. The body was interred in the churchyard of Dairy."