The Sun. — 1844-01-23 (London, England)

CASE OF MRS. GILMOUR  We have not for years had any subject before us of so exciting a local influence as the trial of Mrs. Gilmour, or rather Christina Cochran, for the murder of her husband. Perhaps a greater romance in real life than the circumstances connected with the fate of this extraordinary woman never occurred ; and to a certainty all the inventions of fiction never promulgated circumstances so very uncommon as those which have taken place between the subject of our notice and her affianced bridegroom, after they had been united as one by the ceremony of marriage. From statements which have already gone the round of the press, most readers will be aware that Mrs. Gilmour and her husband were the son and daughter respectively of two neighbouring wealthy and comfortable farmers. Both of the farms on which this young couple were brought up are situate in the parish of Dunlop, Ayrshire; and both of the unfortunate individuals had little more than entered on life, which they did with the fairest prospects. For nearly five years before her unfortunate marriage with Gilmour, Miss Cochran had formed a warm and devoted attachment to another young farmer in the neighbourhood, referred to in evidence—John Anderson. The attachment was reciprocated on his part, and he had got settled on a farm of his own close to her father's, but circumstances intervened which prevented him from marrying Miss Cochran for a time. In the interim Miss Cochran's young neighbour, John Gilmour, got most devotedly attached to her without having the satisfaction of his love being returned, and he having resolved to settle in life, first took the farm called the town of Inchinnan, and then used every influence in his power to secure her as his wife, both by exercising the warmest persuasion with herself, and by craving the assistance of her parents in his favour. Under these circumstances we are assured by the most creditable authority that the parents, in accordance with the solicitation of Gilmour, urged the marriage on their daughter, notwithstanding her most determined opposition. Before the union took place, she frequently urged her parents to let her live as he was. She even begged of them to permit her to live single for life. She never could be attached to Gilmour, she said, while her heart was with another. A short time before the marriage took place, Miss Cochran and Anderson formally declared their attachment to each other, and, we are assured, separated both deeply bathed in tears at the cruel fate which awaited her, and which neither of them seemed to have the power to avert. The occurrences that took place with the young couple after the unhappy marriage will be found fully detailed in evidence, but in addition we have unquestionable authority for stating, that though they lived together for six weeks, and regularly retired to the same bedroom, Mrs. Gilmour never undressed during the whole time. She was frequently found bathed in tears by her husband during the day, and when spoken to about grief by him, she generally endeavoured to compose herself, and assured him she would redeem her promise—she would live with him, and work with him as a servant, but she was unable to do anything more. In her demeanour Mrs. Gilmour is mild even to simplicity; her manner-is_ as unaffected as a child, and under all the difficult positions she has been placed in prior to her being placed at the bar, nothing ruffled her countenance ; and she was always to be found the most cool and unaffected person present, or who took any part of the proceedings.—Renfrewshire Reformer.