The Sun. — 1852-11-03 (London, England)

AWFUL MURDER IN DEVOASHIRE.  A most barbarous and shocking murder was cornmite d at the village of Milton, in the parish of Bueltlatei Monachorum, on Friday night or Saturday morning lust. This hamlet is situated about four rai!es south west of Tavistock, and about ten mil's teem Plymouth, end the person murdered is a Mrs. M..iry White, a v..itioat, shout sixty years of age, who carried on a small huelcsteet business, Felling tea, c if e, c indles, &c. The old lady bore an excellent character for frugality and honesty. She was last seen alive on Friday eight about eleven o'clock, at which hour she was sitting up for a men named William Glanville, who had gone to Tuvistock, and from whom she expected to receive some lees. la the course of the evening she had called upon several of her neighbours to have a gossip, and about hulf-paet ten she returned to her house. Shortly afterwards Glanville brought her the lees, and after she had received them he saw her no more. She lived in the house alone, occupying the lower room of a somewhat miserable cottage as her shop, and the ap-stairs room was her sleeping apartment. In this room she had a large box, about three feet long, and in this she kept her money, which was believed by all her neighbours to be con iderable, though no person has been as yet able to state the amount. Mrs White, the deceased, was a smart, active woman, and although about sixty years of age, she was accustomed to milk one of her neigbour's cows, both night and morning. On Saturday morning, therefore, as she did not appear, about eight o'clock one of her neighbours began to speak of its being odd that Mary White had not come down; and shortly after nine one' or two of them tried the door. It was found that the door was locked, and that the key was not inside, whereupon one of them got a ladder, and ascended to a window over the shop, about 12 feet high, and having cut the fastening, opened it, and crept into the chamber. He saw some one lying in the bed, the bed clothes apparently undisturbed, and the person being to all appearance in a calm sleep; but on coming close, and slightly moving the clothes, he found that there was an immense gash in the throat, and that the person had either committed suicide or had been murdered. He immediately returned to the window, and descended into the street, but so horrorstrickee wits he with what he saw that he thought it was a man, and not Mrs. White, whom he bad known when living, but who was so disfigured by the blood that was about her face that he was unable to recognise her. This person, immediately he had come down, ran over to Mr. White's, the brother of the deceased, with whom else her son lived, and there stated what he had seen. Young White elms over, with others, to the house, and a shoemaker, named Westlake, came along with White and one or two other men, and Westlake broke open the door. The party found all below undisturbed. They immediately proceeded up stairs, and one of the wee went ferulad earl pulled down the bed-clothes, and then a most awful sight presented itself. The poor woman WEIS floating in a peel of blood; her head had been almost literally severed. from her body. e ds discovered th t it was his mother. pa.-ren end that all tlae Young White, on seeing her, said that the money-box had had been (An few pence taken, money, with the exception other circumstances, led t .a e forlt a isn supposed instrument, bh and this fact, coupled with et foul murder hed beenso Ibteewnabsroakt tenrwo the conviction that was found withthe but must nothing petrated.whaSteevaerrch could have bean iwn at is i c tine: o b secreted himself in th d the murderer E, room, behind the truckle bed, and that he had ob'ained admissioninto the cottage in the course of the evening, while the deceased was out. Information was itemedi •1 a" sent to the coroner, Mr. A. Bone, and at eleven on Monday morning a respectable lur„ o'clock and evidence taken, of which in the above was imPanerlud' the principal facts that were e_. we have stated heated. The son of the deceased, a stolid pereon, seemed to regard the death of his mother, under the circumstances, u with, to say the least, great calmness. closely as to the quarrels that had occurred between himself and his mother. It is a singular fact that the son went to Tavistock on Saturday for Merritt, and asked him to come over to Milton, as a woman had been murdered, and it was some time before Merritt learned that this " woman" was his own mother. In the course of the day a man named Corner was taken into custody on suspicion, but was liberated, there being no evidence to warrant his being detained. The inveetigation Wll9 continued till seven in the evening, when, there being no further evidence, the inquiry was adjourned till the 13th inst. An application will probably be made to the Government to offer a reward for the apprehension of the murderer.