Another case of murder, which occurred in 1806, was brought home in a
singular and complete manner. A Deptford gentleman, named Blight, was
killed by a pistol-shot, and Sir Astley Cooper, from an examination of the
victim's wounds and of the place of his murder, arrived at the opinion
that none other than a left-handed man could have committed the crime.
Acting on this conclusion the police arrested one Patch, who had been seen
in the locality. When Patch was asked to hold up his hand to plead the
indictment, he put up his left hand. The jury brought in a verdict of
guilty, and before execution the criminal made full confession of his
terrible deed.
Dreams also have played no inconsiderable part in the discovery of crime.
We have not space in the present article to notice all trials where
dream-evidence has been offered to the court; a brief notice of those
cases in which it has had an important bearing must suffice. The most
notorious instance, of course, is that of Maria Martin, the victim of the
Red Barn tragedy. After her departure from home, in order, as was
supposed, to many William Corder, nothing, either by way of letters, or
otherwise, was heard of her, except brief mention in Corder's
communications. Nearly twelve months passed, when Mrs. Martin was startled
and horrified by dreaming, on three successive nights, that Maria had been
murdered and buried in the Red Barn. After much persuasion her husband and
son consented to search the place, and there, in the exact spot indicated
by Mrs. Martin as having been pointed out in her dreams, was found the
body of her missing daughter, buried under the flooring in a sack.
Mention may also be made of the case of Ulick Maguire, an Irish farmer,
whose wife dreamed that her husband had been murdered by a disappointed
lover of hers, named O'Flanagan. A few days later an idiot boy, who lived
in the house, was heard shrieking in terror: "Shanus dhu more O'Flanagan
(big black James) has kilt Ulick, and buried him under the new ditch at
the back of the garden. I dhramed it last night, evry wurrd av it." The
singular coincidence of the lad's dream with her own excited Mrs.
Maguire's suspicions to the utmost, especially as her husband was away
from home at the time. She ordered a search at the particular spot
mentioned by the idiot boy, and there, to her horror, was found the body
of Ulick, with the skull cleft in twain. Immediate request was made for
"big black James." He had absconded and enlisted in the army, but on being
charged with the crime he admitted his guilt, and suffered the penalty of
death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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