Glasgow Courier. — 1846-06-06 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

HORRIBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE.  On Wednesday evening the neighbourhood of Widegate Street, BiPtiopsgate, was thrown into a state of great consternation by the rumour that a man named Towny, residing in the above street, had committed suicide, having first murdered his wife. It appears that the deceased and his wretched partner were the parents of three children, the eldest of whom, a girl about 13 years of age, weut to the lodgings occupied by her parents, a second pair back in the house in question, about 4 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon. She knocked at the door, but receiving no answer, the girl looked through the keyhole and saw her father in a position which led her to believe he was in a fit. Having given the alarm, the door, which was locked, was burst open and Towny was found quite dead, suspended from the bedstead. A paper was found pinned to his coat, which contained a statement of the motives that induced the unhappy man to commit the rash act, viz., the dread of approaching starvation. Towny carried on the business of a Jobbing tailor, or slobberer," as it is technically called, and had been out of work for is considerable period. About three quarters of an hour after the discovery of his body, in pushing the , bedstead nearer the wall, the body of his wife was discovered on the floor under the bed. The poor woman was also quite dead, and • from the appearances presented, it was evident she had been strangled. Her hands were tied together, and were tightly and conemisieely clasped. It is said she was given to drinking, and it is supposed that her husband, ongoing home about 2 o'clock, found her lying on the bed intoxicated, and that he thereupon proceeded o Us her hands. The act or strangling her was not accomplished without ',scuffling noise, which excited the notice of the neighbours. alled out, They sugposing them to be lighting, and the noise g 04.4 Sitt CON ring unable ti) err much rusietance. either  from the effects of the Ihkuoi sue Il husk, or, as is conjectui ed, from the operation of some drug which had been administered, with or without her own consent, by her husband. The woman was at the time of her death In daily expectation of her accouchement, and it is considered remarkable that the manner of her untimely death did not bring on the pains of premature parturition. It is rumoored that Tawny or his wife made application to the parochial authorities for temporary relief during the time of herconflnement, and that relief was refused them unless they went into the workhouse, with which condition Towny could not bring himself to comply. The truth of this, and other rumours relating to this lamentable affair,will on dcrgo full investigation at the inqu est, which is expected to be held on Thursday. According to some reports, the wretched husband took the life of his wife with her own consent, but this is scarcely consistent with another statement which appears entitled to credit—that he has repeatedly been heard to threaten her life, and that he has on previous occasions proceeded to various acts of ill-usage. Three children are made orphans by this lamentable occurrence, which, from the circumstances of the woman's condition, the alleged refusal to give her temporary relief, and the misery which they were known to have endured during the period of her husband being out of work, has created the greatest sympathy in the neighbourhood.—Londos Paper.