A WOMAN MURDERED BY WOMEN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1089, 1 November 1883, Page 4

A WOMAN MURDERED BY WOMEN.

■ A murder of a most brutal nature, • a nd without even a single extenuating circumstance, took place, says a Glasgow paper, recently on the south side of the river. What makes the crime all the more revolting is the fact that it committed on a woman by women (if they may be called by such a name), who were near relations to their victim. The provocation, it any, was of the slightest, and they cannot be said to have had even a motive beyond the drink-inflamed desire to kill and slay. Had the victim been killed by a sudden bl6w, ora stab ot a knife delivered in a moment of frenzy, the case might kaye: been attributed to drink, but jrtjere three young women, whose ages rAngec from 18 to 23 years, in the open day and Open street, deliberately and concertedly knock down, bite, and fatally kick and trample upon a young woman, with a six months’ old child in her arms, the cause must be sought for in another direction. Such a crime of course could only occur amongst the yery lowest scum of society ; but it is saddening to think that such a class exists in the city, and that such a horrible tragedy could have taken place in broad daylight, and in the presence, we might almost say, of hundreds of spectators. The details of the murder are few and simple, but they are none the less sickening on that account. For several years past a family named Murray have rendered themselves notorious on the south side of the river, and several members of the family have been in "trouble with the police on more than pne occasion. They used tS five about Spring Place, but latterly three of the sisters have removed to the neighborhood of Caledonia road. r l his was formerly a highly respectable locality but latterly the exodus from the city has converted it into a Southside Saltraarket, and hardly a Saturday night passes without a disgraceful drunken fight. All around there is a dense'working class population, but it isVpso the home of many who gain tneir Jiving by dishonest and. disgraceful means. The sisters who live there are Ann Murray or M‘Nish. 21 years, Catherine Murray or White, 19 years of age, and Margaret Murray or Reid, years of hge. 1 It is not known whether all the three are married or not,’ but they all reside in different houses, and gave other names, as already stated. Their brother, Henry, is a sprigger, and lived with his wife, Ann M'Laughlin or Murray, at 125, Kids ton street, which is only a short distance from Hallside street and Rose street. Henry Murray and his wife did not live very happily together, and it is stated that he is very violent when under the influence of drink. His sisters are also possessed of the same temperament, and for some . reason or other they hated therr Sister-in-law, Mrs Murray. On Monday another brother of the Murrays named Charles, came home from sea, and he visited his sisters, bringing, as a matter of course, some drink with him. The whole family, it appears, were gathered together in Ann Murray’s house,- at 18, Hallside street. Henry Murray Whs not working, and his wife went ’ .there ' to look for him. They were all drinking; but in the afternoon the brothers Henry and Charles went out, leaving the three sisters and Mrs Murray together. The latter, it is said, accused.the sister of enticing away her husband,' and upon this Ann struck her. . They seemed to have made it up again, for shortly after the three sisters and, Mjs Murray, who had her six-months-old baby in her arms, came out of >the house and went into a spirit shop in Caledonia road, where they hadLmore drink. On coming out to the street they began to quarrel again, and from words they came to blows. The three sisters set upon Mrs Murray, and bn the .authority of some woman who witnessed the occurrence they tore out her hair by handfuls. Several females tried to save the poor woman, but they could not keep the sisters from her. " tike furies, they knocked her down and jumped upon her body while she was lying prostrate on the ground and calling for help. While in this helpless position one of the sisters bit her in the,breast and tore her hair. Although all this took place in a pretty busy* thoroughfare, shortly before four o'clock in the afternoon, the affair does 'tibt' seem to have been witnessed by any but a helpless crowd of wbtnen and children, who could do 'but scream for assistance. No Ijdpijbt' it. all ; took place in a very short space of time ; but it does seem strange oh the face of it that there were neither men nor police present to save the poor wretch from her murderers.' "'Sddri Was the case, however, but at last some of the women did succeed jn. relieving Mrs Murray. The chilcLwas taken from her, and she herself was J assisted to her feet by a neighbor. Bhe . was. to feeble to walk, but she was <■ kindly helped to her own hous£ % where‘ . she died almost immediately. When all was over as far as she was concerned, information of the occurrence was sent to the Southern Police office, and Dr Robert Chalmers and Detectives McDonagh Sinclair and Kilgdur set out at once for Kidston street. : ! Gn -entering the house they found Mrs’ Murray lying dead on the floor and her infant in the arras of a neighbor. Dr Chalmers examined the body, and fotmil a bruised dislocation about the size of . a man’s hand on the right side of the lower part of the abdomen—which was quite black—extending dojvq the right labia, an abrasion on the right elbow, dislocation on back of right (land, an .abrasion above the right breastytwo marks like teeth on the left breast/ 1 an abrasion of the skin on the lid of both knees, dislocation on right side of right thigh, and another on outer side of left ,thigh. Leaving a constable in -bf the body, the detectives set out in search of the three prisoners, whom they found and arrested.