A STRANGE CASE.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2907, 10 June 1878, Page 2

A STRANGE CASE.

On March 27 one of the most strange cases that has been tried in Ireland for many years came to an abrupt conclusion. The case was heard before Lord Justice Deasy, and the Attorney-Greneral for Ireland conducted the prosecution. Catherine Mullarkey, who has. not yet attained the age of seventeen years, was indicted for the wilful murder by poison of her husband, on January 16 last, at a small town named Dunmore, which has already obtained ah unenviable notoriety. The accused was educated at a convent school, and within five months of the termination of her school life she found herself married, widowed, and standing in a criminal court charged with murder. The evidence for the prosecution appeared to be strong. It was sworn that accused was married to her husband, who was considerably her senior, against her will, and that she lived on bad terms with him; that she. procured phosphoric rat-poison, and. that the three empty jars in which that poison had been were found , in her bag after her arrest, and that some j medicine. which Bhe, prepared for the deceased bad exhibited a blue light and other phosphorescent appearance while in process of preparation on the j fire. It was proved that her husband , had died in a week after the medicine was supposed to have been administered with the usual appearance of poisoning by phosphorus ; and the post-mortem examination corroborated the supposition, though no trace of poisonwas found in the intestines, and ;none^S^*B^medical witnesses were able "to swear positively that death had resulted from poison. Additional interest was given to the case from the fact that almost the strongest evidence against the accused was that of a nephew of her late husband, a man named John Eyder, for whom she had manifested a great tenderness during her brief married life, and to whom she had sent a most loving note after her arrest. This young man actively assisted $he police in their searches in the rooms of the accused, pointed them out her trunk, and opened the bag in which the empty poison-jars were found. He gave the note, in which there was an allusion to having been overcome by temptation,, to the police a few hours after its receipt, and accounted for his delay by the state* ment that he hardly gave it a thought. In cross-examination, the credit of John Ryder and some others of . the principal Crown witnesses was fearfully shaken by Mr M'Dermott, Q.C., who was the leading counsel for the defence. The foreman of the jury expressed their opinion that there was no case, and a juror added, " Not a shadow of a case," had been made out against the accused. Under'those circumstances the Crown declined to continue the inquiry, and a verdict of " Not guilty" was handed in, • and the accused was discharged amidst loud cheers. The accused, who is very beautiful, maintained the most perfect composure, and showed not a trace of anxiety during the whole of the trial. After her discbarge she expressed disappointment that the abrupt conclusion of the case prevented her having an opportunity of hearing tbe speech of the leading counsel for the defence.—-Home News.