Glasgow Courier. — 1848-10-19 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

HORRIBLE MURDER IN LISBON.  A dreadful deed has just come to light in Lisbon. On the night of the 12th inst. a man found between the Fandagao and Campo de Santa Clara a large bundle on the ground, near a wall. On examining it, he found the substance enveloped in the cloth was a mass of dead flesh. Fearing to proceed alone In his examitiation, he gave information to the nearest gnard-house. The parochial authorities were summoned, and, accompanied by the man, they proceeded to the spot where the bundle was lying. To their horror they found it contained the naked trunk,all covered with st tbs, of a woman's body, merely the trunk, for the head, hands, and legs had been cut off, and were not in the bundle. The mutilated body was removed to the guard-house. Early the following morning a policem In appeared, bringing with him the legs and hands, which ho and a comrade had discovered the previous night in the street, If another parish. A dense crowd of people surrounded the guardhouse all the day. Over 3,000 persons were admitted to see the body, hot no one could recognise it. About three o'clock a young woman pressed forward to see the corpse. Tne Regedor of the parish immediately recollected that he had a few days previously summoned this young woman to answer a charge made against her by her mother. The charge was, that the daughter had stolen a gold chain and three mohlores. The daughter, when summoned, denied the charge, and said that her mother was not right in her head. The Regedor said that he would send the mother, as she was unwell, to the hospital, and the daughter to jail. "To jail I my daughter to jail That—no! I declare she stole nothing from me." The Regedor dismissed them, and promised to the mother an order of admittance to the hospital. On the following day the dmighter went to the Regedor, and told him that the mother, being now better, had determined on not going to the hospital, and had sent her to thank him. The Regedor thought no more of the circumstance, : until he saw this young woman pressing forward to look at the mutilated body. Be asked her where was her mother? She left her house this morning. Where is she gone? Idu not know. Notwithstanding the cool and collected manner in which she answered these questions the Regedor suspected her. Officers were sent with her to search the house. She sat down to blow the are while the search took place. Two knives covered with blood, • hatchet, and a strong needle, half-a-foot long, were found. A little garden at the back of the house was dug up, and every retires examined, but nothing further was discovered until Marie Jose arose from the place where she had been sitting. It was retuarked that the earth of time floor of that spot had recently been disturbed. The police dug up the ground, and found deep down the head of the murdered woman. The young woman, seeing that further concealment was useless, declared that that was the head of her mother' Matilda da Luz; that it was not she who had committed the murder, bat a man of her acquaiutance, and would not tell his name, even though they did to her what he hind done to her mother. It was eight o'clock on the morning of the 12th that he committed the deed ; as soon as he entered the house be stabbed the mother, and, ehe added with a smile, 'One blow finished her, he cut off the head with the hatchet that had been found, and tie legs and hands with a razor and the two bloody knives." She ha uot s ttetnpted to save her mother, because he had threatened to kill her also if she interfered. She smiled as she told this story. That she and an accomplice committed the murder to recover a gold chain and a few moidores is not doubted. The officers are on the track of the accomplice. Even though she could he convicted of the murder, Maria Jose cau only be banished for life. The law of Portugal exempts a woman from the puuishment of death.