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CLOTHING FOR THE DISTRESSED…

PAINFUL CONCEALMENT OF BIRTH.

GARIBALDI AT SPEZZIA.

LIBERATION OF REV. SELLA MARTIN'S…

ADVERTISING FOR A WIPE.

THE GLASGOW MURDER.

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THE GLASGOW MURDER. Important Letter from Mrs. ME'Lachlan's Agents. The following letter has been addressed to the Glasgow papers by the agents of Mrs. M'Lachtan :— Sir, —We think -tt riarht, on behalf of Mrs. M'Lach- lan, tO acquaint the public With tho niror, under which the statement, read for her before sentence to-day was made to us. When we first visited her in prison to obtain information for the defence, she gave us to under- stand that the statements in the declarations contained what she had. to say in the matter. At that time she had not been made acquainted with the fact that oid Fleming had been liberated from prison, and on two subsequent visits she insisted to as that Mr. Fleming would surely clear her. At a subsequent interview we informed her, in reply to her repeating that expectation, that Mr. Fleming had been dis- charged from custody. At this she manifested great astonishment, and said she could not believe that to be true. In consequence of our explanation as to Mr. Fleming, she inquired of the matron of the prison, who could not, consistently with the prison regubtioml,. give her any information on the subject, and she thereupon sent for her husband to ascer- tain beyond doubt whether our statement was correct. Having assured herself as to this she sent her husband with the intimation that -he had a communication to make to us. Both Mr. Dixon and Mr. Stracha i were out of town, but Mr. Wilson went to see her on Tuesday, the 12th of August last. At this time we were not aware of the evidence which might be brought against her—we had not seen either the medical or chemical reports, and had not spoken to any one of the gentlemen who prepared them —we had not seen any of the articles in the hands of the authorities which the-Crown intended to produce against her; and we had no information of what these articles were. No indictment had been served, and we were not aware of the names of the witnesses which it was the intention of the Crownto adduce against her, nor had we seen any of the witnesses examined by the Crown at the trial, with the exception of Mrs. Cbassels, at-Hamil- ton, her two boys, and Wharton, the railway clerk there- We knew nothing else of the case but the news- paper reports, and no information whatever relative to any part of the case has beeu communicated to Mrs. M'Lachlan by any one of us. The indictment was not served upon Mrs. "M'Lachlan till the 30th August. On Mr. Wilson seeing her on the 12th August, she voluntarily gave him, in a general way, the substance of the statement above referred too. Mr. Wilson com- municated to Mr. Dixon (Mr. Strachan being still absent from town) on that day what she had told him, and on the following day (13th August), Mr. Dixon went to see her on the subject. The statement was repeated to him, and notes taken of it at the time. From these notes taken by Mr. Dixon on this occasion, and from further conversations with her had by Mr. Dixon and Mr. Strachan together, in regard to the details, the statement which was read to-day was written out. It was written out as nearly as possible in her own words, and repeatedly gone over with her, not with any view of using that written statement as a declaration, but for counsel's information in consulting as to the,, course to be taken upon it. The statement we received from her was immediately thereafter sub- mitted by us to counsel with a view to our being advised as to theme to be made of it in the defence. Subse- quently, after the indictment was served, and upon anxious and most deliberate consideration of the case which could be made out against Mrs. M'Lachlan, we were advised not to admit that she was present in Mr. Fleming's house on the night of the murder, by putting in the statement as a special defenoe. It was judged expedient to contest the point of h6r presence in the house that night, as the Crown evidence- it appeared to her advisers — would fail to place that point beyond doubt. It was in consequence of this decision (based upon the feeling that, in an issue. of life or death, no admission, especially one of such vital importance, should be volunteered by the defence) that the statement was not made use of at the commencement of the trial. This morning, however, before the Court met, Mrs. M'Lach- lan sent for her counsel and agents, and expressed to them her desire and determination that the statement should be made in open court; and she wished if it could not be read for her, to make the statement with her own lips. The statement was accordingly read for her, and, counsel's copy of it. signed by herself, was thereafter" lodged in the hands of the clerk of court.—We are, &c., J. A. DIXON. JOHN STRACHAN. Sept. 20 1862." W. M. WinsoN. Further Kevelations. An importamt document, which appears to be authentic, has bfen published confirming a part of the statement made by Mrs. M'Lachlan after her conviction. It will be remembered that the prisoner mentioned that on her b. return from her ineffectual attempt to obtain the whisky, for which old Fleming had sent her out, she passed a Mrs. Walker, who was then standing, in conversation with another person, whom she did not know, at the close-mouth. The editor of the Free Press, desirous to probe this story to the bottom, made inquiries at the public-house to which Mrs. M'Lachlan had referred, but without gaining any information there. He then sought an interview with Mrs. Walker and her husband, and obtained from them the following declaration:— I hereby certify that I was standing with my bonnet and shawl on at my own closemouth, 143, Elderslie-street, on Friday, July 4, at about 11 o'clock in the evening, speaking to my friend, Miss Dykes, the greengrocer, when I distinctly saw a woman dressed in a dark bonnet, light grey mantle, and dark coloured dress, whether flounced or not I cannot say, walk quickly by me, coming from the direction of Sauchie-liall-street, and turning immediately round the corner into the lane at the back of Sandy- ford-place. Miss Dykes asked whose servant that might be, out at such an hour, and I replied that I did not think she was a servant, but, judging from her appearance, some loose character. A man, following close to her heels, looked very impertinently into my face as he passed me, and I watched him, expecting to see him also turn round the corner of Sandyford-place and join her, but he did not, and went straight down Elderslie-street, southwards. My husband, who had been that after- noon at Gilmorehill Gardens, and whom I was at the time waiting for, joined me from the ParticK-road direction a few minutes after the woman bad disappeared round the corner. I remarked that that was a queer direction to come from the gardens, and he replied that he had come round that way with a friend, and that after all it was not so late. He then pulled out his watch, and said it was exactly a quarter past eleven o'clock, The woman could not have been gone by two minutes when this occurred, and I know it was on the Friday evening, because I was down the water at Gourock that very day, and had only reached home a short time previously. I was one of the first persons to enter the house, No. 17, Sandyford-place, an the Mon- day evening, and have been questioned about this statement both by,the Fiscals and by the counsel for Mrs. M'Lachlan—with whose appearance I am well acquainted, having often served her with groceries at the time when she was a servant with the Flemings. When questioned I made the same statement that I now do, but was not called upon to appear as a witness on the trial, having been recently confined of a child, and being in a very weak state of health both then and still. I have subsequently conversed both with my husband and Miss Dykes on these cir- cumstances, and their recollection of them coincides exactly with mine. (Signed) For JESSIE WALKER. September 22, 1862. JAMES WALKER. We hereby certify that this statement, so far as we are con- cerned in it, is perfectly true and correct. (Signed) JAMES WALKER. September 22, 1862. AGNES DYKES. Since the prisoner's -statement was published, three sisters residing in the city have come forward, and stated that on the night of the murder they were at a marriage in Partick; that they passed along Sandyford-place at four o'clock on the Saturday morning; and that then Mr. Fleming's dining-room was lighted up, although it was daylight. They further state that they know it was the Saturday morning in question, on account of the ma: riage taking place on Friday the 4th of July; that they then went back immediately after the report of the murder got bruited abroad, and found that the house they had seen lighted was Mr. Fleming's, and r.hat they are satisfied of the hour, because they re marked when they got to St. Matthew's Church that it was about ten minutes past four o'clock. If the Crown should deem it necessary to institute further inquiries, we understand that Professor Lister, of the University, is prepared to 3ay that the effects of such wounds as those inflicted upon Jessie M'Pherson would be exactly similar to what they have been described in the prisoner's statement, in regard to the languor, stupor, &c. We are also informed that Dr. G. H. B. M'Leod would cor- roborate him in that opinion. Petitions in favour of the condemned woman M'Lach- Ian are being signed in Glasgow. It is stated that Mrs. M'Lachlan maintains that pro- per demeanour which becomes one in her awful position. She is calm and collected, and quite docile and mild in the hands of those in charge of her, who, it is needless so say, behave towards her in the most considerate manner allowed by the rules of the prison. These, owing to the state of her health, have been somewhat relaxed in regard to her dietary. The Rev. Mr. Doram, the chaplain, has visited the prisoner regu- larly since her incarceration, and to him she givea respectful attention, as also the matron, who reads to her occasionally from books fitted to lead her mind to subjects which ought to engage her notice. Since her trial she has had interviews with several of her friends -and her agents. On Monday her brother and sister from Inverness bade her a .ast affectionate fare- well, when it may well be imagined a most harrowing scene took place. All of them were deeply affected and melted into tears. On Tuesday her husband visited her; the interview was likewise most affectionate and trying to both parties. We understand that it has been arranged lct-.t, the should bring their child from Greenock on an early day, with the view of taking him into the prison for the prisoner to see him. We believe that she has explained her stolid appearance in court during the trial by saying that she was unable to weep in court; but, after she got to the quietness and gloom of the condemned cell on Saturday night, she obtained relief in a flood of tears. Her agents, we understand, have indicated to her the nature of the efforts which are being made in her behalf out of doors, while, of course, taking due care not to raise her hopes too much. She seemed thankful for their services, and on being told that the public generally believed her statement, remarked—" Well they may believe it, for it is true It is stated that a public meeting will be held shortly, in favour of the prisoner; and the following memorial to the Home Secretary is being numerously and respectably signed:- "Unto the Right Honourable Sir George Grey, K.C.B., her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department. The memorial of the undersigned clergy- men, merchants, bankers, solicitors, and other inhabitants of the city of Glasgow and its neighbourhood, Humbly showeth,—That in the case of Jessie M'lntosh or M'Lachlan, who is at present confined in the prison of Glasgow under the sentence of death, your memorialists respectfully submit—1st, That the evi- dence adduced at the trial was entirely circumstantial, and was not such as to clear up many doubtful and obscure points that deeply affect the solution of this important case. 2nd, That an extraordinary and exceptional character had been given to the case by a declaration read by the prisoner's counsel after the verdict was returned, which declaration pur- ports to be a true statement of the prisoner's connection with the crime, and is affirmed to have been made by her to her agents on the 13th day of August last, before she had any information as to the evidence to be adduced against her which declaration was net made use of in the prisoner's defence. 3rd. That from the circumstances in which the declaration was made, the nature of the de- claration itself, and the painful excitement created on the subject, it appears to your memorialists to be impe- ratively* necessary for the interests of justice and the satisfaction of the public mind, that there be a special investigation ioto the whole matter. 4th. That, in the meantime, a respite of the sentence ba granted, and upon the above inquiry being made that the crown be gra- ciously pleased to interpose further in the case as the ends of justice may appear to demand. And your me- morialists, as in duty bound, shall ever pray." The numerous petitions distributed over the city of Glasgow praying for a respite to the condemned cri- minal, Mrs. M'Lachlan, are being largely signed. From day to day circumstances connected with the tragedy are gradually oozing out, all pointing to the old man Fleming as being an accomplice in the murder. It will be remembered (says the North British Mail) that in the Fleming as being an accomplice in the murder. It will be remembered (says the North British Mail) that in the condemned prisoner's last statement she averred that I during the eventful night of the murder, Jessie M-Pher- son told her that some weeks ago there was a gentleman in the house who had remained all Thursday night until Friday afternoon, when he went out with old Mr. Flem- ing, who conveyed him to the station, and that the old man did not return till eleven o'clock that night, when he was gie'an tipsy." A gentleman has communicated with the prisoner's agents, who says he can vouch for the accuracy of that part of the statement referring to the presence of a gentleman in the house that day, and of his parting with old Mr. Fleming that afternoon. One button, which seems to have belongecl to a shirt or nigh dress, was found among the ashes in the kitchen grate of the house, No. 17, Sandyford-place, on the night of Saturday, July 12. One of the officials from the fiscals office who visited the house was B. M'Laughlan, who, on arriving, questioned the officers in charge of the premises whether any ashes had been removed from the grate and fireplace and ashpit. On finding that no one had dis- turbed the ashes, he proceeded carefully to rake the ashes in the fire-basket and elsewhere for traces of anything capable of throwing the least light upon the bloody tragedy. The finding of what seems to have been a shirt-button was the result of the examination. It was carefully laid past, and can now be produced and gjpoken to. A servant in Sandyford-place, who says she was in company with her sweetheart, a seaman, until four o'clock on the Saturday morning in question, has volunteered the statement that, while parting with the j sailor at the back of Sandyford-place, she saw the con- j demned prisoner and old Mr. Fleming in the back garden of the house at 17, Sandyford-place, the old man being at the time carrying a shovelful of coal into the house. She asserts that ahe was afraid of losing her situation, and therefore did not make this known sooner. A woman named Mary Black, called on Thursday at the County Police Office, Glasgow, and voluntarily made the following statement: On Saturday, the 5th July, about a quarter before seven in the morning, she was pro. ceeding along Sauchiehall-stree in quest of work. When near 17, Sandyford-place a woman, Mrs. M'Lachlan she supposes, met her, and asked her if she was working. Black replied that she was not, a i1-3 tranger then said that if Black would come and a dav's work for a gentleman she lived with he would do t-r.o'.i turn for her. After some conversation Black agreed, and the two went to the house at No, 17, Sindyford-place. On enter- ing the lobby an old man came downstairs, and thestrange woman said, "Mr. Fi,ming. He asked Black if she was willing to clean the house, but she said she was not very sure, as it was work she was not accustomed to. He replied, "The house is mine, though my family is not at home." He said he would pay her well. At this time a second wo- man came downstairs, having her sieves up, apparently as if she bad just been washing her hands. This woman was taller than the first one, and stouter made about the body. She had a red mark upon her left cheek, about the size.of a man's hand, and Black thought it was the mark of blood. This woman whispered something to the first one, and looktd at Black, after which she said, Come down to the kitchen, and I will give you sticks to light a fire." She went down, accom- panied [by the woman and the old man. One of the women then took a bundle out of the room off the kitchen, where she laid it down on the floor, near to where Black was sitting on a chair at the fire. She said, There are four petticoats and a gown to you. This dark dress I will call upon you for after some time, but you will take it down and scour it. The petticoats you will get for your trouble." The woman also put a tablecloth on the floor, and put in it two short gowns and various other articles of body clothes. The front of ihe dress appeared to Biack to be very wet, and she took hold of it in her hand. The woman told her not to do that. She said that one of the servants bad had a child, and that the clothes in the bundle were those worn by the servant. She said the child was horn at four o'clock in the morning, and had put them greatlv about. The old mau said that" this was a serious matter when the like of it occurred in a gentleman's house." Black asked the old man if the woman who had been confined was his servant, and he replied that she was. She then asked where the girl was, and he said she was removed to Rotton-row, for fear of the family falling in with her. Black then said that it -was a serious matter removing a woman so soon after her confinement, and asked of the old man what doctor was pres 'nt at the delivery. He said that the' woman who had taken her (Black) into the house was the person who bad officiated as doctor. She then said that if she saw the child she would take it, as she had given her own away to the father of it a short time be- fore. The man replied that the child was dead, and that the woman who had taken her into the house had got it buried unknown to the public. At this time the woman who had taken Black into the house was in the act of coming out of the room off the kitchen from which the first bundle had been brought, having in her arms same bed-clothes, which appeared to be sheets saturated with blood-they seemed to be "dripping"—but on see- ing Black she returned into the room. Black then said she wanted to go away, but the old man put his left hand on her right shoulder and said—" Take this bundle with you, and I will handsomely reward you"—meaning the first bundle. Black observed at this time that the old man's left arm and semmet were all covered with blood. She said she would not take the bundle unless she got it in the presence of the policeman on the beat. The woman who gave Black the bundle asked the old man to give her (Black) a little money, and she would take the bundle away down the low road which led into Anderston, and that she would get a 'bus for 2d. The old man put his hand into the right-hand side of his trousers, took out a small purse, and offered Black an old £1 note, saying "Take this bundle of clothes, but you are never to speak about them, and they will be of some use to you." Black said no, that she would not have a jE20 note and take them out of the house, unless she got them in the way before stipulated. The old man's face then got very red, and he said she was not to speak of what she had 1 eard, and he would handsomely reward her all her days. He said, "Call upon me at 17, Sandyford-place; my name is John Fleming; or call at ruy offi je before fiye o'clock on the afternoon of Monday, and speak to me. Black, said she would, as she was anxious to get, awav out of the house. Black then proceeded up-stairs, followed by the old man, who urged the acceptance of the £1. The door was locked, but he had the key of it in his Docket. He again said, Girl, take the bundle, for there is something- serious in the house this morning." Black repeated, "No, I think the house does not belong to you, and that you and the two women are robbers." He replied, go, but there is somsthing serious as I mentioned before." The woman who first offered the bundle then called the old man away. Black then' asked that she might get out, for she suspected. that some person had been murdered. The old man then opened the dOlr and let her oat, and she went home to her lodgings. Black left the house in Sandyford-place at five minutes past eight o'clock. It appears that the old man Fleming has left Glasgow and gone to Dunoon, the sea-side residence of his son, whither popular indignation has followed him. On Wed- nesday afternoon a SCJoe occurred ia Dunoon which has rarely been matched in that usually quiet watering-place. Old Mr. Fleming was waiting near the quay for some of his relations, whom he expected by the .steamer, and subsequently was observed to go into a barber's to get himself shaved. While there it was discovered by a few people outside who the customer was that the barber Had got, and soon a large crowd assembled, who gave un- mistakable evidence of their displeasure at the eld man, by hooting and shouting, and calling for his expulsion. Accordingly, when the oid m"n came out, he was received with a shower of stones, and had to beat a hasty retreat. He went as fast as he could up the road leading from the shore to the parish church, and, failing to get access to a gentleman's house there, and being likely to be severely injured, a tradesman went out and pulled him into his house, where he remained until a carriage was obtained, which conveyed him home. OIl>

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