Minnie Chirgwin - Anonymous, c.1882

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James Treglown, of Camborne,

found Guilty of Murdering Minnie

Chirgwin, in America

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JAMES TREGLOWN, a Camborne man,
Of murder guilty he;
Minnie Chirgwin the victim is,
A Cornish girl was she.

Twas at Port Oram, New Jersey,
Occurred the sad event,
And quickly from America,
News was to Cornwall sent.

Courting they went, as young folks will,
A happy couple they;
No anxious care engaged their breast,
As day pass'd after day.

At length Treglown jealous became,
Harry James had her company,
And these together took a walk,
Happy they seem'd to be.

But hark! there is a pistol shot!
And James, he runs away,
Minnie Chirgwin is left alone—
A dismal sad affray.

In a canal deep, afterwards,
A body stiff was found;
Twas Minnie Chirgwin, a lifeless corpse,
Rigid, cold, and drown'd.

From evidence, 'twas evening time,
The fatal shot was fired,
The poor girl fell—sad was her fate—
By each and all admir'd.

"Oh, my mother." loud she cried—
She thought of loved ones home;
For by the deep, dark river's side,
Alas she friends had none.

The murderer fled unto a farm,
Employment then did seek,
And he was soon engaged unto,
A farmer named McPeck.

But justice soon was on his track,
He was to trial brought—
And what was said did clearly show,
Treglown had fired the fatal shot.

He said that Minnie was unchaste,
This statement was quite new—
Himself he contradicted oft',
All he said was not true.

But judge and jury did decide,
And that too very soon—
"Guilty of Murder" the verdict was—
Treglown now waits his doom.

Confined within the prison cell,
What must his feelings be,
To think he took a life away,
And all through jealousy.

Ye lovers all take warning now,
Think of Treglown's sad fate,
Nor let your jealous passions rise,
To strife or deadly hate.

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Minnie, born 1865, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Chirgwin, was murdered the 26th of June, 1882. She was 17, James Treglown was 22.

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