CEIME IN AMEEICA.

West Coast Times, Issue 685, 4 December 1867, Page 4

CRIME IN AMERICA.

A young woman named Dergan, a native of Cloogh, county of Sligo, was recently executed in New Jersey, for the murder of her mistress, Mrs Coriell, wife of a medical man, in whose service she was. The motive of the murder apparently was to get rid of the mistress in order to marry the master. The cold-blooded manner in which the deed was done was thus described by Dergan : — " On the 25th of February I heard Dr Coriell 1 say he was going away, to be absent late at night, or he might not return until next day. I went over in the cA r ening, about eight or nine, to Mr William Tail's, and told the ! girls that Dr. Coriell would not be home that night. When I returned Mrs Coriell went to herbedrooin and undressed, slipped on her wrapper, and came out in the sitting-room and laid down on the lounge. My mind had been previously made up that I would put her out of the way some time when the doctor was absent. I waited until she got soundly lo sleep, and when all was still outside, and not a sound inside, I thought it a fitting opportunit3 r , and I took up the little chair of the child, which was in the room, and creeping stealthily up to her, I struck her with it on the head twice. Mrs Coriell was only stunned by the blows, and, jumping on her feet, she staggered once or twice, and when partially recovered and finding it came from me, she exclaimed, " Don't kill me, Bridget ! " and grasped me by the throat to struggle with me for her life. During this I hit her on the cheek to make her release her hold. Then she picked up a chair and struck at me, but missed me. She then run out of the door upon the porch into the garden. I ran after and brought her back ; and as I came in, Mamie, the baby, stood in the middle of the sitting-room floor, and as she passed she stooped down, embraced and kissed it, Avhen I seized the bread knife, which I. had previously prepared and placed on the table in the silting room, and stabbed her two or three times, when she grasped the knife, and,in my endeavors lo wrench it from her grasp, cut her hands very terribly. After relcasinghcrhold upon the knifcltook hold of her and pushed her into the bedroom, and as I was doing this she resisted and placed her bloody hands against the door ; but I succeeded in forcing her into the room aad thi'ew her on the bed, when I stabbed her repeatedly with the knife. As I was forcing her into the bedroom, the kerosene lamp, which was got upset ; and, after stabbing her about twenty limes with the knife, I let her lie on the bed, and went out and shut the dooi\ I then picked up the lamp aud poured the contents of it on the bed and over her, and went out and shut the door. I then set Mamie on the lounge and went up a tail's with a light, and commenced to ransack the bureau, to make an impression that robbers had been there, and in my haste to overhaul the tilings, the bureau was upset. I placed the lamp on the window, and after the bureau was capsized I ran down stairs aud forgot the lamp. I then changed Mamie's clothes, and took tho little frock it had on, it being bloody, and rolled it in a paper, and put the end of it on the stove and lit it, and, opening tho bedroom door, I threw it on the bed. I then shut the door and fastened it, and sat down on the lounge, and took up little Mamie. I then heard a noise at the bedroom window, and ran out on the porch and saw Mrs Coriell standing at the window with both hands grasping the window-sill. I pushed her, and she fell dead on the floor. I returned to the sitting-room, and again took up little Mamie and left the house. When I got as far as the road gale I saw that I had left the light burning in the sitting-room, and I returned to the house and put it out. Then I left again, and went over to William Condi's, and they refused me admittance. Then I went over to Mr Little's, and he admitted me arid took me into the room where his wife was in bed. Mrs Little took little Mamie with her in bed, and as I was siting down Mrs Little spoke of the blood on my skirl, when I put it under me that it should not be more particularly noticed."

Baron Platt, \vhen once visiting a penal institution, inspected the treadmill with the rest, and being practically disposed, the learned judge philnnlhropically trusted himself on the treadmill, desiring the warder lo set it in motion. The machine was accord-ingly-adjusted, and his lordship began to lift his feet. In a few minutes, however, he had quite enough of it, and called to be released ; but this was not so easy. " Please, my lord,'' said the man, " you can't get oil*. It's set for twenty minutes ; that's tho shortest time we can make it go." So the judge was in durance 'until his " term" expired.