Murder at 6 Dalrymple Crescent

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

“MURDER BY A MANIAC OF HIS BROTHER AND SISTER

A DREADFUL tragedy was enacted in Dalrymple Crescent, Grange, yesterday morning in the deliberate murder by a maniac of his mother and sister. The names of the unhappy victims of the murder were Mrs Hunter, aged 68, wife of Robert Hunter, sculptor, and her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Hunter, aged 42. The murderer is John Hunter, aged about 30. The young man has been weakly in body and erratic in his disposition from his boyhood.”^[1]

Apparently about 10 o'clock he was seen “making his way to the street”. The two ladies attempted to stop him, and just outside the gate, his mother “laid her hand on his shoulder”, whereupon he turned and knocked them both down with a piece of iron bar and continued to hit them when they were down.

The murder itself was not witnessed, but a mason nearby heard a noise and turning round, saw the bodies and Hunter “walking about excitedly in the flower-plot” The murderer took refuge in the greenhouse . ” The alarm spread rapidly, and a large number of the neighbours and workmen in the neighbourhood were soon on the spot, among whom were Rev. Robt. Gemmell and Dr Newcombe, both residents in the Crescent”^[1]

The police, his father and brother appeared on the scene, and he was persuaded to come out of the greenhouse. He was formally committed and taken to Calton Jail.

“The double murder excited great interest in the usually quiet neighbourhood and a large crowd … remained in front of number 6 during the day. In the afternoon it was found necessary to place two policemen in front of the house to keep the crowd of the pavement and prevent the continuance of the disgusting spectacle of a search among the stones upon which the two ladies had fallen by lovers of horror for blood marked mementos of the awful tragedy.”^[1]

John Hunter was tried for murder at the High Court Edinburgh on 27 Nov 1865. He was found insane. And was “to be kept in strict custody in the prison of Edinburgh, awaiting Her Majesty's pleasure.” ^[2]

SOURCES

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} The Scotsman newspaper, Friday 6th October 1865 - Page 2
2. ↑ National Archives of Scotland, ref no: JC26/1865/301