The Potteries Examiner : — 1872-04-13 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

THE MURDER, OF BISHOP PATTESON. A correspondent of the Western Morning News, writing from on board her Majesty's ship Rosario, deseribes what has been announced as the revenge I taken by England upon the island of Nukawu, in the South Pacific, upon which Bishop Patteson was murdered. The correspondent remarks that, owing to the infamous slave traffic, every white man had come to be regarded as an enemy, and on the Rosario arriving at that island on 29th November, the ship's gig was sent round the coast to endeavour to discover a passage through the reef, the ship steaming round the reef and native canoes following her nearer the shore. When opposite the village natives case down to the beach, danced, and then sent a shower of arrows against the occupants of the gig. This was not noticed then, but subsequently the natives having renewed their hostility, fire was returned, and the ship's boats were cleared for action, two cutters, a jolly boat and gig pulled inside the reef, the natives still dancing a war dance, and shooting their arrows. Having decided to land, a volley was fired, and we rushed for the beach. Upon touching, two of our men were wounded. We then burnt the village and canoes, and left the island the same day. One of our wounded men died, twenty days afterwards, from lockjaw. Having subsequently taken on board a missionary as interpreter, the Rosario visited Vasatai Island, the chief of which admitted killing and eating the crew of the ship I Wild Duck, alleging that, as white people were kidnapping natives, he had ordered all white men to Ibe killed. The Rosario fined the village fifteen pigs I which animals are so greatly valued that one to thres; I them is the price of a wife. Your pigs were paid at Aurora Island. An officer having been struck Iby a native with a club, the Rosario destroyed some of their villages.  DREADFUL MURDE it _OF A LADY IN  Viiii)&f.  On Monday morning a terrible murder was discovered in a large house, No. 13, Park-lane, Hyde'. park, London, nearly opposite the mansion of the Duke of Cambridge. The atrocious act we discovered under peculiarly distressing circumstaneon The daughter of the murdered lady, Miss J5P,5 Riot, a young lady about 20 years of age, only returned from Paris on Monday morning, when she was in. formed by one of the servants, named Eliza Watts, that her mamma had been missing ever since about eleven o'clock on Sunday morning, when she last maw her dress and go down-stairs with the dog, for a walk in Hyde-park, and that though company was expected to dinner in the afternoon, she had not been seen since. The information naturally calmed great anxiety in the young lady's mind, who could not assign any reason for her mamma's absence. In the amuse of further conversation the servant said that Marguerite, the cook, also went out on Sunday evening about six o'clock, and had not since returned, and that therefore she had been in the house all night by herself. She further informed the young lady that aa all the cupboards were locked she had had very little to eat, as her mistress had taken nearly all the keys with her. Miss hid, having duplicate keys of her own of the cupboards where viands unit plate were kept, went shortly afterwards, as soon as she had composed herself a little, and unlocked a pantry on the ground-floor, when to her groat horror she found her mamma dead, and doubled up, strangled, with a rope round her neck, one end of which was fastened to an iron safe where the valuables were kept. The rope was drawn so tight as to out the flesh of the neck, and it was fastened, to lead at first to the supposition that the deceased had probably committed suicide. The attendant circumstances, however, lead to the supposition that a systematic and barbarous murder has been perpetrated, in , which, probably, more than one person is concerned. The body of the deceased shows that a straggle has taken place. Thero are bruises and seratehee on her hands, one of her finger nails is broken completely back, as though she had laid hold or pushed with great force against something t, prevent herself from being dragged into the place in which she was found. Her hair also was full of cinders and bits of coal, leading to the inferenee that she was first attacked down in the kitchen, and then dragged into the coal-hole, just as she would be going out up the front area steps. This view seems to be oorroborated by the feet that the coal-bole exhibits evident signs of a struggle. The deceased's back-comb, a hair-pin corresponding to those she wore, and also some of her hair, have been found among the mai in this place. As soon as these horrid discoveries were made the servant began to relate other suspicious circumstances. She states that shortly after her mistress had gone down-stairs to go out up the area she also went down into the kitchen, when she found Marguerite, the Frenchwoman, outside the kitchen, in the area, with the kitchen-door locked, and standing before the kitchen window. As soon as she saw the English servant in the kitchen she appeared to be excited. She commenced wringing her hande and saying, "Oh. madame has gone out, and taken the keys with her. and I am shut in the area." The kitchen window was at this time open, and ehegot through into the kitchen. Nothing particular further occurred till one o'clock. when Eliza Watts went out to fetch some beer in for dinner. She went out by another door, but on her return was kept out by the Frenchwoman for a long tins; and it is presumed that, during this interval, whoever were in the house then carried the body up-stairs and locked it in the pantry, where it was found. During the whole of the afternoon Marguerite appeared uneasy. She said to her fellowservant that she had an appointment in the evening, and if her mistress did not return she should not stay in after nix o'clock. Shortly after six she went out and did not return, and hae not up till this tires been seen. On examining the house on Monday afternoon it was ascortaiued that most of the places where the valuables had been kept had been broken open, and the valuables had been stolen. A quantity of plate, French and English bank notes, together with French bonds and stocks, have been carried away. The deceased is a French lady, a widow, named Maria Caroline Beeson Rio!. The name of the Frenchwoman who has absconded is Marguerite Dixblanc. She is 28 years of age, about five feet five inches high; has a full round face with a very fresh colour, with a dimple in one cheek. When she left the house she had on a green satin dress, a dark pepper and salt waterproof, and a veivet bonnet trimmed with black ribbon and roses.