A WOMAN MURDERED BY WOMEN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1180, 29 November 1883, Page 1

A WOMAN MURDERED BY WOMEN.

A murder or a most brutal nature, and without even a single extenuating circling stance, 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" was committed on a woman by women (if they may be called by such a name), who were near relations of their victim. The provocation, if any, was of the slightest; and they cannot be said to have even a motive beyond the drink-inflamed desire to kill anHtlayv Had the victim been killed by a sudden blow, or the stab of a knife delivered in a moment of frenzy,- the cane might have been attributed to drink, but where three young women, whose ages range from 18 to 23 years, in the open day and open street, deliberately and coDcertedly 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 6rime, of course, could only occur amongst the very 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, wo might almost say, of hundreds of spactators. The details of the murder are few «md 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 one occasion. They used to live about Sprinar Place, but latterly three of the sisters have' removed to the neighborhood of Caledonia Road. This was formerly a highly respectable locality, but latterly the exodus from the city has converted it into a South-side Saltmarket, and ha.-dly a Saturday night passes without a . disgraceful drunken fight. All round there is a dense working class population, but it is also the home of many who gain their living by dishonest and disgraceful means. The sisters who live there, are Ann Murray, or M'JSfish, 21 years of age, Catherine Murray or White, 19 years of age, and Margaret Murray or Reid, 33 years of age. It is not known whether all three are married cr not, but they all reside in different bouses, and give other names, as already slated. Their brother, Henry, is a sprigger, and lived with his wife, Ann M'Laughlan or Munay, at 125 Kidston street which is only a short distance from Hailside street and Rose streetHenry 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 their sister-in-law Mrs Murray. On Monday another brother of the Murrays, named Charles, came home from sea, and he visited his sisters, bringing 1 , as a matter of course, some drink with him. The whole family it appears, were gathered together in Ann Murray's house, at 18 Hillside street. Henry Murray was 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 nnd Mrs Murray together. The latter, it is * aid, accused the sisters of enticiDg her husband away, and upon this Ann struck her. They seemed to have made it up again, for shortly after the three sisters and Mrs Murray, who had her six-months-baby in her arms, came out of the house and went into a spirit shop in Caledonia Road, where tl.ey had more 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 on the authority of some women who witnessed the occurrence they tore out her hair by handfuls. Several females tried to save the poor womaD, but they could not keep the sisters from her. Like furies they knocked her down and jumped upon her body while she was lying prostrate upon the ground and called for help. While in this helpless positiori 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 not seem to have been witnessed by any but a helplesscrowd of women and children, who could do little else but scream for assistance. No doubt it all took place in a very short space of lime ; but it does seem stnmge on the face of it that there were neither men nor police present to save the poor wretch from ber murderers. Such was the cane, however, but at last some of the women did succeed in relieving Mrs Murray. The child was taken from her, and she herself was assisted to her feet by a neighbor. . She was too 7 feeble to walk, but she was kindly helped to her own house, where she died almost immediately. When all,was over as far hs she was concerned, information of the occurrence ; was sent to the Southern Police Office, and Dr Cha"mers'and Detectives M'Donagh, Sinclair arid Kilgour setout for Kidston street. Ori entering they found Mrs Murriy lying dead on the floor and her infant in the arms of a neighbor Dr Chalmers examined; the body and found a bruised discoloration about the siae of a man's hand on the right side of the lower part of the abdtimen—which was quite black—extending down- the right labia, an abrasion on the rjghc elbow, dislocation on back of ~rigl>s hand, an abras ; on above the right bYeiis'K two marks like teeth,on the left abrasion of' skin on the lid of both knees, discoloration on right side of right thigh, and another on other side of left thigh. Leaving a constable in charge of the body, the detectives set out in search of tha three prisoners, whom they found aodarroßted.