The Sun. — 1847-03-31 (London, England)

MURDER IN CAITHNESS.  This district has this week been thrown into a state of great excitement, by the commission of one of those diabolical crimes which are fortunately of extremely rare ocearrence in this county, and, indeed, in the north of Scotland. Isabella Gunn, an old woman, apparently about sixty years of age, living in the Achow of Swiney, in the parish of Latheron, has been made the victim of a most atrocious, yet evidently deliberate murder. Her residence is at the end of the Free School of Achow, situated about two hundred yards from any other dwelling. O❑ the morning of Sabbath a school is taught, and it is customary on that, as on other mornings, for some of the children to go to her room for fuel to kindle the fire. Accordingly on the morning of Sabbath last one of the scholars went for that purpose, and was surprised to find no reply given to the customary salutation. Another of his school-mates speedily followed, and discovered the body of the unfortunate creature lying under a quantity of straw which had been spread over her. She was dead ! The alarm was immediately raised, and forthwith a number of the neighbours were assembled. They found that the crime of murder had been that morning committed upon the lonely woman, and judged that it could not have been of very late occurrence, as the body was yet warm. The foul deed had evidently been committed by means of strangling, as a pi,ce of rope was found round the neck of th, deceased. _ . _ _ .  Immediately on the fact being known to the authorities, Sheriff Gregg, and Mr. Henderson, procuratorfiscal, proceeded to the place, and ectunaenced a judicial investigation into the circumstances connected with the diabolical deed. The body was examined by two medical gentlemen, who found certain parts of the neck tam face of a livid odour, evidently the result of strangling. There were also marks of violence on other parts of the face, one in particular on the chin, where, to all appearance. an iron instrument had been applied. On one of the hands there was also a blue mak. Several small sums of money, amounting, in all, to upwards of ts%o pounds, were tound 0 different parts of the deceased's person, and lying between the body and the chest. According to a statement said to have been made by her to some neighbours oil Saturday, she had occasion to le,.ve her hitt for a short time, in the dusk of Friday evening,',and m her return she discovered that some one had °titan-aid admission during tier absence. On entering, she obst-rvt,d, according to our infortna• don, a man in her be i turning over the bedclothes, for the evident purpose of obtaining booty. So soon as he observed he was detected, he threw a small shawl over his f,ice, and made his escape as fast as possible, throwing away the shawl when he found himself beyond the reach of recognition. No other object can appear to have dictated the com• mission of this foul murder, than to lay hold of the reputed money of the deceased. In this. the perpetrator cannot have been more than partially successful, from the small sums on her person. Some papers belonging to her were also found in an adjoining field. It would appear that a shawl was also found round the deceased's neck, being placed between the rope and the neck. Of course, there are a great many other circumstances which have come to light, during the progress of the investigation, both from the examination of witnesses and otherwise, but, for obvious reasons, in the present state of the precognition, it would be injudicious to record them. It is sufficient to say, that a young man has been apprehended and lodged in jail, under suspicion of being connected with the murder.—John 0' Groat Journal.