Broadside concerning the murder of a shearer, and the deaths of a mother and daughter.

Transcription

An account of that
barbarous murder on
the body of a shearer,
in the village of currie
near Edinburgh, by
some journeymen ma-
sons on Monday last.

On Monday evening, a poor man, with his wife and
fire children, the youngest, we understand, aged about
nine months, and carrying with him a certificate of
excellent character, arrived at the village of Currie on
his way to the harvest shearing. At currie they were
provided by an hospitable individual with the accom-
modation of a shed for the night. In a public house
near to the shed, a mason and some of his companions
were carousing; and the wife of the mason finding it
impossible by ordinary entreaties, to prevail on him to
return home, invented a story that the poor stranger
had been making voilent intrusions into her house.
On the story being told to the mason, he and his com-
panions proceeded to the shed where the poor family
were asleep, and by some of them, the husband was
dragged from his bed and inhumanly murdered. The
inhuman murderers have been apprehended and lodged
in Edinburgh Jail.

We copy this murder and suicide from the same
paper.?The town and neighbourhood of Barnet was
thrown into the utmost consternation, on Tuesday, by
the report that two ladies were murdered at Hadley
Green.- Mrs Spencer, a widow lady of great respect-
ability, 60 years of age, and her daughter, aged 39.
The bodies were found in the morning by the servants,
their clothes completely saturated with blood, and a
bloody razor was found near the spot. The premises
were examined, and every thing found secure, without
the slightest marks of violence. An inquest was held
on Wednesday at the White Bear, Hudley, to inquire
into the mysterious circumstances. Ann White, a
cook in the family, stated, that on Monday night she
saw both her mistresses, but did not observe any thing
peculiar in their behaviour. About eight o'clock on
Tuesday morning, the ladies not having come down to
breakfast, witness became alarmed, and asked the
housemaid to call them. Not receiving any answer,
they waited until nine, and then both went up, when
on opening the outer door of the bed-chamber, they
observed blood on one of the beds, hut no one in the
room. Witness became exceedingly terrified, and ran
for assistance. She heard one of them walking about
between four and five o'clock. In answer to other
questions, she stated that she never heard her mis-
tresses quarrelling, but that on Saturday Mrs Spencer
told her she must, bring her bed into their room, as she
was alarmed at her daughter's behaviour. A nurse in
the family proved that Miss Spenoer was very eccen-
tric, and appeared to her at times out of her senses.
Other witnesses spoke to the same effect. After the
Coroner hrd summed up the evidence, the Jury, after
a few minutes' consultation, returned the following
verdict:?' That Mary Spencer, senior, met her death
from wounds inflicted by her daughter, who afterwards
cut her own throat, being at the time in a state of
mental derangement.

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