Unlucky theft

Three of those ragged little urchins who spend their time in antics about Covent Garden Market, and pick up any unconsidered trifles that come within reach, were placed before the Bow Street magistrate charged with having stolen about 12 oz. of a poisonous drug called belladonna, and administering it to other boys, whereby their lives were endangered.

It appeared that a herbalist in the market packed in a hamper two jars containing belladonna made into a salve, and left it outside his shop to be at hand for the carrier who was to call for it. The pack age attracted the attention of the young prowlers, who took an opportunity of cutting open the brown paper cover and helped themselves to about 12 oz. of the luscious prize, which on inspection and tasting they took for Spanish liquorice. One of them, seized with envy at the success of the operating thief, exclaimed, “You shall not have it all,” and snatched away a portion of the booty, which he immediately swallowed; and in consequence became delirious and had a narrow escape from death. The plunderers now converted the compound into that popular beverage, liquorice water, by aid of the pump at hand: and dispensed the deadly draught to all applicants at the easy rate of a pin a drink. Their customers, of course, suffered in proportion to their greediness or their “realized property" in pins; but though some were seriously ill, fortunately none died.

Fatal accident to an aeronaut.

As part of an evening's amusement a professional aéronaut, a Mr. Hall, ascended in a balloon from the Cricket-ground, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the presence of a large concourse of spectators. The ascent took place at 10 minutes to 7, and a quarter past that hour the balloon was seen to descend rapidly in the neighbourhood of Boldon, about 7 miles from Newcastle, and fell in a clover-field. It appears, that as the balloon ascended it passed into a transverse current of air, which rapidly whirled the machine towards the German Ocean. With the purpose of descending somewhat, the aéronaut opened the valve, and discharged a quantity of gas. It seems, however, from his incoherent expressions during his subsequent delirium, that his terror of being carried to sea deprived him of presence of mind. He discharged so much gas that the car struck the earth several times, canting out a large part of the ballast, and throwing the unhappy man into the nettings. Being thus released from part of its weight the balloon rose, and Mr. Hall attempted to regain the car. In this he failed, and fell a considerable distance to the earth; where he was found so greatly injured that he died in the infirmary.

Singular Accident. Four Persons Burnt to Death.

Four persons have lost their lives at Hull in a very singular manner. A man named George Taylor, landlord of the Lord Durham public-house, Cross-street, in that town, had occasion to tap a puncheon of rum. For this purpose he had used a gimlet; but the hole made by the instrument not being large enough, he had the folly to heat the kitchen poker to enlarge it. On applying this instrument the spirit ignited, and an explosion took place. Taylor was dreadfully burnt on his hands and arms, his hair was singed off, and his clothes almost destroyed. He rushed into the street, and the fiery spirit instantly spread throughout the dram-shop, which was in flames in a moment. The housekeeper was in one of the back rooms, and had just time to escape unhurt; but two of Taylor's children, six years and four years old, were enveloped in the flames (which soon spread to every part of the premises), and were so much burnt that they died a few hours afterwards. There were two other children in the place; of these one was burnt to death in the place, and the other was so much burnt that she also died. So that altogether four lives were lost. The house was gutted, and a great deal of other damage was done before the fire was subdued.

Ladies' dresses. Fatal accidents by fire.

The present balloon fashion of ladies dresses proves as dangerous as it is ridiculous. Numerous accidents are recorded by which young ladies of high position and social worth have fallen victims to the vast flimsy integuments wherewith it is the pleasure of the fair sex to invest themselves.

The family of the Earl of Bradford have suffered a melancholy bereavement. Lord and Lady Newport, had arrived at the family seat Weston Park on the 15th instant. Before retiring to rest the Lady Newport was engaged in conversation with ladies Lucy and Harriet Bridgman, the daughters of the Earl, when suddenly the light dress of Lady Harriet came in contact with the fire, and was immediately in flames. She rushed into the hall, Lady Lucy following her and attempting to extinguish the burning dress. In this affectionate attempt her dress caught fire. The screams of the ladies brought assistance, and the flames were extinguished, but the unfortunate ladies were so burnt that both died, after great sufferings.

Miss Jane Morrison, daughter of the Dean of Faculty, residing at Glasgow, set her light muslin dress on fire by a candle, and Miss Hill, daughter of a gentleman at Nottingham, caught fire in the same manner: and both were burnt to death.

On the 21st of November, the Hon. Miss Plunkett, daughter of Lady Louth, residing at Brighton, allowed her dress to take fire in her bedroom, and she was so much burnt that she died.

On the 11th of December, a widow lady, named Eckett, residing in Arboretum-street, Derby, was dressing her hair near the fire, when her light dress was drawn towards the grate, caught fire, and she died of the injuries.

Wife-murder

At the Central Criminal Court, Isaac Harmond, bricklayer, was charged, on the coroner's inquisition, with the wilful murder of his wife, by throwing her out of the window. This was a case of the greatest brutality. The prisoner was a drunken brute, and when intoxicated conducted himself with outrageous violence. The unfortunate woman, his wife, was not of sober habits, but appears to have been a quiet woman. She was unceasingly the victim of the prisoner's ill-usage. On the morning of the 15th of September, the prisoner appeared to be already drunk; he was heard inquiring for his wife, and on being told that she was out, said that when she came home he would do for her; and he then proceeded to demolish the crockery and furniture of their miserable home. The wife came home, and the prisoner declared he would have her entrails out, and would stick a knife in her. At 7 o'clock the wretched pair went out together; they returned at 10 P.M., and directly they got into the room the door was locked, and the prisoner exclaimed, “You have had your turn with me to-day; now I'll have mine.” The deceased exclaimed, “Pray let me out;" but the prisoner answered, “No: I've got you here now, and I'll do for you.” Cries and a scuffle were heard. Immediately afterwards the body of deceased was seen falling from the window, on the stones under which she was found, mortally injured. She was removed to the hospital.

Such are the habits and necessities of humble life, that even this terrible brute had some place in the affections of his ill-used companion. In a statement made before the police-magistrate, she attempted to shield her murderer by declaring that she had fallen from the window by her own act. But when the hand of death was upon her, she shrank from maintaining the affectionate lie, and confessed that having got upon the bed to escape his brutality, the prisoner had pushed her out of the window; and the prisoner himself, who to the world had treated the matter very indifferently and ascribed it to accident, stated that he had struck the poor creature on the head with a poker, and, on her running to the window to cry for aid, had pushed her out.

The jury took the mild view of the case, and found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter only. Baron Bramwell said that the jury had felt themselves justified in considering the prisoner to be guilty of manslaughter; and he did not complain that they had returned this verdict: but he certainly should not have been dissatisfied if they had found him guilty of murder, and if that verdict had been returned he would have been hanged, and he would have deserved it. He then sentenced him to be kept in penal servitude for the rest of his life.

Wholesale poisonings at Bradford

A terrible occurrence has taken place at Bradford, by which a large number of persons lost their lives, many were reduced to a condition of permanent disease, and an unknown number have suffered severely. The incident thus fraught with death and disaster is of the simplest possible kind, and, such is the reckless carelessness with which business is conducted in the rough-and-ready manufacturing towns, might be re produced any day.

On Sunday, the 31st of October, two boys, sons of working men, died very suddenly, and their deaths were reported at the police-office. It was supposed that they had died of cholera, and at the moment little attention was excited. In a few hours, however, it was rumoured about that a great number of persons in the town had been taken ill, and were suffering excruciating pains. Inquiry was now instituted, and it was found, that the persons suffering unanimously attributed their sickness to lozenges they had purchased in the market-place on the Saturday previous, that being market-day at Bradford. The inquiries of the authorities elicited the following almost incredible case of carelessness.

There is a certain Joseph Neal, a confectioner at Bradford, who was in the habit of adulterating his lozenges and wares of the like kind with a substance which in the trade slang is called “daff,” but which is in reality a preparation of gypsum, called in commerce “terra alba.” This substance, when used in such proportions as Neal and others like him are in the habit of using it, is not destructive of life, nor to any noticeable degree deleterious to health. Neal wanted to make up a quantity of lozenges, and accordingly he sent over to Shipley, to the shop of an apothecary there named Hodgson, with directions to bring him back 12 lbs. of “daff.” Hodgson was ill in bed when Neal's messenger arrived, and when the application was made known to him, sent down word that the messenger had better let the matter stand over till he himself could come down and attend to it. The man, however, persisted, and at length Hodgson desired Archer, his assistant, a lad who had only been three weeks in his service, to supply him with the article he desired.

Hodgson told Archer to go up into the garret, and there he would find the “daff" in a cask. Now, in this garret there was a cask without any distinctive label. The lid was broken in three places, and it was as unprotected as any other article in the garret. The contents appeared to be the “daff” of which the assistant was in search, and he accordingly weighed out 12 lbs. of it, and delivered it to Neal's messenger. It was deadly poison—it was arsenic—which he had given to him by mistake. Neal's assistant returned to him with the supposed “daff,” and he handed it over to one of his workmen to be worked up into the lozenges. This man stated before the magistrates, that after working at this job from 6 in the morning until about 11 or 12 o'clock, he was taken ill with vomiting, he suffered great pain in his face and arms, and was ill for some days afterwards. It did not, however, occur to his mind to connect his illness with the work upon which he had been engaged. 

The lozenges in due course were made up and deposited in stock, no one having any suspicion that aught was amiss. William Hardaker, a person who appears to keep a stall or booth in the market-place at Bradford on market-days, presented himself at Neal's shop, and asked to be supplied with 40 lbs. weight of the lozenges. The deadly compound was offered; but he objected to them because they were not so white as usual. However, the price was reduced from 8d. to 7 1/2d. per pound, and he purchased them. Any one of the lozenges which were thus delivered by the dealer to the retail chapman contained arsenic enough to destroy two human beings 

Bradford market-day was the following Saturday. Hardaker got his little piles of sugared death ready, and the tragedy began. As the habit was, upon that day one person after another went to Hardaker's stall, and bought, some one pennyworth, some two pennyworth, of the deadly stuff. Some of the purchasers slipped the delicacies into their own mouths; some gave them to the children they had with them. These fell the first. The lozenges were scattered all about Bradford and in the villages around. Presently in the streets and in the houses lamentations arose. Then deaths occurred, and the alarm spread over the town. It was soon discovered, that wherever there was a sufferer, there had been a lozenge, and so the police soon found their way to Hardaker's. His stock was seized, and the Special Lozenges were handed over to an analytical chemist in Bradford, who discovered that they contained arsenic in large proportions. Each of them, by calculation, must have held nine and a half grains of arsenic! Nor could the inhabitants of Bradford feel secure that with the seizure of Hardaker's stock there was an end of the mischief. From his hands the lozenges were speedily traced to those of Neal, the dealer. This man stated that after Hardaker had been supplied, all that was left of the lozenges, including the scraps, was put into Scotch mixtures in his own shop. Where was this to end? Neal and his wife had, since they were apprised of the calamity, endeavoured to pick out the poisoned lozenges from their stock, but the man admitted that a considerable quantity even yet remained. The officers were at once most properly directed to go and make a clear sweep in Neal's shop.

When this was done Neal took to his heels, and ran away from the officers, who followed him to his workshop, and found that there were there in an upper room fragments of the poisoned lozenges, of which he had not made mention.

He was taken into custody, and Hodgson, the chemist, was also apprehended. In the meanwhile the most active measures were taken by the authorities to warn the inhabitants of the town and adjoining places of the dangerous compound that had been thus vended in market overt. This praiseworthy precaution was probably effectual in preventing further mischief; but the carelessness of the dealers and the passion of the poorer classes for cheap luxuries—though they know full well that this cheapness is obtained by the grossest adulteration—had proved abundantly serious, for eighteen persons died, seven or eight cases were reported in which recovery was doubtful, and at least 200 were ascertained where the sufferers had been ill, but out of danger.

Hodgson, the chemist, was indicted at the York Assizes for manslaughter; but after hearing the evidence, Baron Watson stopped the case, saying, that in his opinion, there was no case for the jury. The man was consequently acquitted.

Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister.

An interesting trial came on in the Court of Chancery before Vice- Chancellor Stuart and Mr. Justice Cresswell. The question raised, was, whether the marriage of a British subject with his deceased wife's sister at Altona in Schleswig-Holstein, where by the law of the place such marriages are legal, is valid in England; and consequently, whether, according to the law of England, the children of such a marriage are legitimate.

Mr. Brook, of Meltham Hall, near Huddersfield, married his deceased wife's sister at Altona, and by her he had a second family. Both Mr. and Mrs. Brook died in 1855. Mr. Brook left his property among all his children in certain proportions. His son by the second marriage died; and the question was, whether his share of the property went to his brother and sisters, or to the Crown by reason of the illegitimacy of the deceased, who could consequently have no collateral heirs or next of kin.

After taking time for deliberation Mr. Justice Cresswell gave judgment, that as the parties were British subjects, they were bound by the laws of England; and as that law forbade the marriage with a deceased wife's sister, the custom or law of a foreign country could not sanction what as regarded them was illegal. The issue of the second marriage were, therefore, illegitimate, and the property of the deceased son vested in the Crown. The Vice - Chancellor adopted this reasoning and decided accordingly. The judgment was subsequently confirmed by the Court above.

A Tiger in the Streets.

 A tiger has almost killed a boy in the streets of London. As a tiger was in the course of conveyance from the London Docks to the establishment of Mr. Jamrach, a dealer in animals, the door of the van got unfastened. The tiger bounded into the road, and proceeded along the carriage-way till it encountered a little boy, upon whom it sprang, tearing his neck and head in a frightful manner. One of Mr. Jamrach 's men over powered the tiger with repeated blows on the head with a crowbar. The boy recovered and brought an action against the owner; his counsel stated in aggravation of damages that the towns in which the show was exhibited were covered with placards announcing, among other sights, "the tiger that eat the boy in the Minories!"

This was not the last exploit of the same animal. Subsequently sold to the proprietor of a travelling menagerie, he was placed in the next cage to a full-grown lion. The partition between them was weak, and the tiger in a state of frenzy tore it down, made an attack upon his neighbour, and after a short struggle destroyed him.

Witchcraft in the Nineteenth Century.

 A case remarkable not only from the length and absurdity of the imposition practised, but also from the apparent respectability of the dupe, has created great interest at these assizes. Indeed, the story resembles a legend of the dark ages, rather than a statement of what has actually taken place in this age of boasted light and knowledge.

A substantial farmer, named Thomas Charlesworth, residing on a small farm of his own at Bromley Hurst, near Rugeley, married, a few months ago, a young woman in his own station of life. The marriage displeased his widowed mother, who had been living with him, and she left, cautioning him, however, before her departure not to attempt to make cheese, as it would be sure to tumble to pieces. Heedless of the widow's caution, cheese-making was prosecuted, but with little or no success, the milk refusing to turn, or, if a cheese perchance were made, it was certain to fall to pieces. The farmer and his wife then were taken ill, and the dairymaid also became unwell, without any ostensible cause. The farmer, coupling these things with his mother's prediction, came to the conclusion that he was "bewitched." Bemoaning his condition to a neighbour, Sammons, a tollgate keeper, and who at times worked on the farm, Sammons recommended him to go to a " wise-man," James Tunnicliff, also living in the neighbourhood, who "could do anything." The farmer and his wife immediately set off to Tunnicliff 's house, and the cause of their journey told, Tunnicliff proffered his services to relieve them of the dire calamity under which they were suffering, and next morning he made his appearance on the farm. Without seeing the cows, he pronounced them bewitched, and the horses, the farmer himself, his wife and maid, and, above all, the cheese-kettle, he declared to have fallen under the same curse.

He could remove the enchantment, but money would be necessary; and forthwith the simple farmer paid him 5s. for himself, 5s. each for some horses, 5s. for the cheese kettle, and 3s. 6d. each for the cows, in all amounting to about 71., for removing the spell. Things, however, did not mend at the farm; on the contrary, the wife was occasionally seized with sickness, the husband suffered from unaccountable aches and pains, especially after Tunnicliff had been on the farm, and at night there were mysterious noises, accompanied by the shaking of the house, bellowing of the cattle, howling of dogs.

Application was again made to Tunnicliff, who represented the state of the farmer and his wife, and the extraordinary noises, to have "arisen from the "widow's curse," and the enchantment put upon them, through her instrumentality, by wizards living at Longton, Burton-on-Trent, and Derby. More money was required to remove the enchantment, and to pay the expense of the journeyings to the wizards, in order to neutralise the effect of their spells. Charlesworth freely parted with his money to the amount of 30l., but the farmer and his wife derived no benefit from the expenditure. Tunnicliff at length went to live on the farm, and resided with the farmer and his wife several months, during which period he was engaged at intervals in making crosses on all the doors with witch hazel, and in burning blue and other lights to overcome the power of those who had bewitched the farmer and his wife. On one night, according to the evidence of Mrs. Charlesworth and her dairymaid, when the master of the house was very ill, a sound like that of a carriage was heard in the yard, then a rush of wind was felt through the passage, and the house dog was seen to enter the room, followed by the shape of another dog nil on fire. The frightened inmates said the Lord's Prayer, and the fiery dog disappeared, leaving the watch-dog in a sad state, with his tongue out and his paws hanging down.

Things continued in this position for some ten or eleven months, when a suspicion being at last entertained that Tunnicliff was himself the cause of all their misfortunes, the farmer recovered his senses, and instituted a prosecution against him for obtaining money under false pretences. At the trial the theory of the prosecution was, that the prisoner had administered some noxious drug to the farmer, his wife and cattle; and as a proof, it was shown that briony root had been found in his house; but the medical testimony did not support this part of the case. Tunnicliff, however, was found guilty, and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, with hard labour.

Singular Railway Accident

 A singular and fatal accident has occurred on the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire line. As a train was traversing this line it was signalled to them that another train was ahead, and that they should stop. The train was accordingly brought to a standstill on the Dinting Viaduct. It was quite dark; and some of the passengers supposing they had arrived at the Hadfield Station, two men and a woman, mistaking the parapet of the via duct for the platform of the station, stepped out, and immediately fell over onto the ground below, a depth of 75 feet. Two were instantly killed; the third died in an hour.

Fatal Accident on the Ice.

 While a number of persons were amusing themselves on the ice of the ornamental water in St. James's Park, at about half-past 3 p.m., the ice suddenly broke, and four lads fell into the water. The bystanders immediately threw hurdles and poles towards the sufferers, one of whom made his escape by means of a drag-pole. Unfortunately, in consequence of the rush towards the scene of danger, several other persons became immersed. One of these, a lad, aged 16, became entangled in the embraces of the three original sufferers, and perished with them.

It was complained that the men of the Royal Humane Society were not on duty. It appeared, however, that this being the first day on which the ice was sufficiently frozen to bear, though imperfectly, the arrangements for the icemen had not been completed; and that, on the following day, 11 men and a boy would have been placed on duty in the Park. The three men who were on duty on Saturday had been repeatedly in the water; and two of them had just gone to the office of the Society when the accident occurred. The third man had been in the water seven times that morning, and his clothes were frozen upon him. The thermometer was at 21°. The Society complained that the insufficiency of their funds compelled them to make an arrangement far less efficient than they desired.

EXPLOSION AT EDINBURGH.

An explosion, by which seven persons were very dangerously, and two others severely, hurt, has taken place at Edinburgh. The circumstances are somewhat singular. A deaf and dumb man, residing in a house in the Old Vennel, left home about 4 P.M; when he returned, he brought with him a little keg, which, in answer to inquiries by his wife, be indicated he had found in a passage near. On questioning him again as to its contents, he scanned it narrowly, and made signs to imply that he thought it contained butter. Still in doubt, however, he proceeded to force it open with a poker, but failed. He then put the poker into the fire, and, having made it red hot, be commenced to bore a hole in the keg with it. The keg actually contained gunpowder, and immediately a fearful explosion took place, which blew the roof off the house, and injured, more or less, all who were within. Seven of these were thought to be in danger of their lives.

An explosion has also been caused at Glasgow, by stupid carelessness. A collier, near Glasgow, brought home two tin flasks, one containing gunpowder, and the other some cold tea which he had not drunk while at work. The flasks were similar. He told his wife to put the tea on the fire to warm; she took the wrong flask; after a time the powder exploded, shattering the room, and wounding the people in it.

THE BACTON MURDER

At the Ipswich Assizes, William Flack, aged 18, was indicted for the wilful murder of Maria Steg. gles, at Bacton, on Sunday, the 8th of May last.

The trial of this case, which had excited the greatest possible interest throughout the county of Suffolk, having been appointed to take place this morning, the court was crowded to excess at an early hour. When the court was opened, the prisoner was placed at the bar, and from first to last preserved an unmoved countenance, and a degree of self-possession quite irreconcilable with his extremely youthful appearance.

From the statement on behalf of the Crown, it appeared that Maria Steggles was the housekeeper of the Rev. Mr. Barker, the rector of Bacton, who was 85 years of age; and that she had filled the double office of housekeeper and mistress of his establishment for a very long period, being nearly as old as her master. The establishment was simple in its character, and primitive. There was but one female servant, and one outdoor labourer; and all took their meals together at midday on Sundays. The rectory was a lone moated building at the extremity of the village, and a mile and a half from the church, near to which the prisoner lived. The prisoner had formerly worked at the rectory, and knew the habits of the house; but he had not won the favour of the old housekeeper, who seemed to be anxious not to allow him to come there, on the very day of her death; for she had sent a message to him on Sunday, the 1st of May, to discharge him. On the 8th, Mr. Barker, as usual, quitted the rectory at a quarter-past 10, to go to church, on horseback, the girl having gone on foot before, leaving Mrs. Steggles to prepare their dinner. She usually sat, and did sit, on that day, in the kitchen, which was approached from the front of the house through a projecting glass door, which, on such occasions, she generally kept half fastened by a chain. Before the girl went to church, she drew a mug of beer for the horse-boy, but, as he did not call for it that day, she put it down within the glass door, near the cellar door. When the service was over, Mr. Barker and the girl, on their return, found the glass door open, and on the kitchen floor was stretched the body of Mrs. Steggles, almost dead, and deluged with blood, which had flowed from several severe and mortal blows on her head, and a dreadful gash across her throat, from the combined effects of which she died at half-past 1 o'clock. The legs of the table, on which were found an open prayer-book and her spectacles, were broken and spattered with blood, while the carpet bore the bloody prints of footmarks, as if the murderer had stepped into the blood of his victim in order to reach the window. The beer-mug was lying empty under the table, and there was beer sprinkled along the floor from the door to the mug. There was no trace of blood or dirt on the stairs which led to the bedrooms out of the kitchen, but an examination of those rooms showed that the murderer had ransacked them. The girl's work-box was broken open, and a red purse, with steel rings, containing three sovereigns, a loose coin of Queen Elizabeth, and a sixpence, was taken from it. From Mr. Barker's bed room a pistol was taken; and from a keeping-room below was taken a poker. In addition to these facts, the inspector of police, when called in, found some pieces of clay under the table, which had evidently fallen from the heel of the murderer. One of these was very perfect, and bore the deep impression of several round-headed nails. The house, on being further searched, did not present any marks of external violence, so that the murderer must have entered by the glass door; and it was equally clear that he must have taken off his boots either before or after the murder.

In order to connect the prisoner with the crime, a great body of evidence was given, which, though circumstantial, was most conclusive in its character, especially when taken in conjunction with, and in contradiction of, his own statements. There was no doubt that he was very poor; that he had some months before expressed an intention one day “to steal some of the old parson's mouldy sovereigns;" that on the 1st of May he was engaged in stealing some eggs at the rectory, and that he had asked a lad to go again on the 8th. On that morning he was “chiming" in the belfry till church time, when he left and walked along the road to within 100 yards of the rectory, beyond which he was not seen to go. From a gap into a plantation, and over a field leading to the rectory, some footmarks were discovered, which bore a general resemblance to those of the prisoner, who was last seen in that road at about 10 minutes to 11 o'clock. About 20 minutes past 11, he was seen running homewards across some fields by a footpath, at the back of the rectory, with his boots unlaced, which had before been tightly laced. He was next seen to go to a neighbour, and ask for a shirt and a pair of boots. Being told to call again on Monday, he went home and put on his brother's clean shirt, assigning, as a reason, that his own, which was not forthcoming, was too bad to wear. He was also seen about that time to fetch two pails of water from a pond. On Monday and Tuesday he was at work, and asked for his wages, which amounted to 3s., saying, he wanted to go to Bury next day to receive his militia pay. On Wednesday, he sold a red purse, with steel rings, to his sister for 1d., and then, having borrowed ls. from her, went to Bury, where he spent 1l. 5s. in clothes, and was seen in possession of about 1l.16s. more, and a large old silver coin, resembling that lost by the girl. While at Bury, he let fall various extraordinary expressions indicative of a malicious feeling towards the deceased. To some he said, “She was to have cooked him two hot dinners, but would not, and she was served right;" and to others, that “he meant killing her, but she was dead now, and that was all right." On his return home he stated he had been paid his militia money, which was false: and to one person in Bury he accounted for the possession of so much money by saying he had earnt it at Harwich, though he evidently did not know the road to that town, and had never been there; and to another he said, “It was lightly come by, and might lightly go.” To several persons at Bacton, when interrogated, he said he had gone to a Mr. Francis, and then home directly after chiming,” and had not gone out till after dinner. Under these circumstances, he was taken into custody, and his left boot being compared with the clay found under the kitchen table, was ascertained to correspond exactly. On his clothes and boots were no marks of blood; but the girl's coin was produced by a silversmith, who bought it from some man during the visit of the prisoner to Bury. A knife, which belonged to Mrs. Steggles, was found hidden in the privy of the prisoner's house; and a pin, also her property, was traced to his sister; while his little brother Charles produced to the police a pair of steel purse rings, which the rector's maid-servant identified as her property, and which the lad now said he found trodden under foot in his father's yard. The prisoner's sister proved that the purse sold by him to her had rings on it, and that it was thrown by accident with the rings into the fire by her elder brother on the day he went to Bury. Under these extraordinary circumstances the prisoner was, after many examinations  and remands, fully committed for trial; but, after a time, he requested an interview with the magistrates, to whom he made a statement to the effect that “a man named Robert Moore had asked him, on the 8th of May, to go to the rectory to do something; that they walked along the road to the turn down, where Moore went to the house, while the prisoner pursued his way; that they met afterwards on the same morning, when Moore told him he had been and done the thing he went to do, and that he had wrapped his hands and feet up in rags, which he had afterwards burnt.” Finally, he stated that “Moore had given him a sovereign and a sixpence not to say anything about it.”

In order to contradict this statement, Moore, and other witnesses in confirmation of his evidence, were today examined. Moore denied the whole transaction, and set up an alibi, which was amply supported by the other witnesses.

The jury found the prisoner “Guilty;” he was sentenced to death and executed, having first confessed his guilt.

The aged clergyman was so much affected by the horrible death of his old housekeeper, that he became insane.

A melancholy accident

 On the 7th November a melancholy accident occurred at Liverpool. An aged gentleman, Mr. Hamnett, a spirit merchant, usually visited his three nieces at Seaforth on Sundays. On this occasion one of the nieces accompanied him to the railway station on his return. He got on to the platform as a train was moving forward, and opened a carriage door; his niece expostulated, and he shut the door, but directly afterwards opened another. The moving train pulled him off his feet; Miss Hamnett clung to his coat; and, in an instant, both were drawn between the carriages and the platform; and though the train was quickly stopped, both uncle and niece were crushed to death.

Fatal Accident in the Zoological Gardens.

An in quest was held at the York and Albany Tavern, on the body of Edward Horatio Gurling, a keeper in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's-park, who was, owing to his own imprudence, bitten on the Wednesday previous, by a venomous serpent called the cobra di capella, of which bite he died in a few hours.

The body presented no very unusual appearance, not being swollen or otherwise disfigured, and the mark of the serpent's bite being indicated only by a slight discolouration on the bridge of the nose. The accident occurred in the Serpent-house, which is fitted up in such a manner as, with the most ordinary precautions, to insure perfect safety from casualties of the kind. The whole front of each cell is of thick plate-glass. By means of an iron rod, hooked at the end, and inserted through the small aperture at the top of each compartment, the reptiles are easily removed into the compartment next their own, and made secure there, while the keepers place food in and clean out the empty one. Visitors are enabled to see the serpents in perfect security through the thick glass fronts of the compartments; and nothing can be better than the arrangements of the Society in this portion of their display, the keepers having the strictest orders never on any account to lift the glass slides or to attempt doing anything in the compartments without first removing their occupants. The cobra which inflicted the fatal wound is that found in India, Ceylon, and the adjacent islands, and differs from the African cobra, a specimen of which is placed beside it, in having its skin marked with rings of a dirty yellow colour.

Edward Stewart, one of the attendants of the humming-bird collection, said that he helped Curling in the mornings, and had been with him on the evening preceding his death; they had been out together the previous night, and had not been to bed at all. Deceased was not intoxicated when they went to the Gardens, but was in an excited state. Witness was present when the fatal accident took place, and was going out of the room with a basket of sparrows, a little after 8 o'clock, when the deceased walked inside of the railing which fenced off the compartments in which the serpents are confined, and lifting up the glass front took out a Morocco snake by the middle. Another man entered the room at the time, and witness, turning round to Curling, said, "For God's sake put it back again!" He replied, "I am inspired," and laughed at witness. He then laid the snake round the shoulder of witness, who stooped down, and said, "It will bite me in a minute;" after which he put it back. Witness then walked down the room, going on with his work, when the deceased, who was close beside him, inside the railing, exclaimed, "Now for the cobra!" Witness called out, "Good God! what are you about?" but he had the cobra out before he could prevent him, and put it under his waistcoat. It coiled round his waist and came out behind; when taking hold of it, about a foot from the head with one hand, and with the other lower down, he held it up in front of his face. It then flew at him, and witness saw the blood flowing from the bridge of his nose. Gurling said to him, "Run for Hunt," and he ran off accordingly. How long he was away he could not tell, being in a maze, but deceased must have put back the snake in the interval, for he was in his compartment and the front glass closed down. Witness was perfectly sober at the time. He had seen deceased excited with drink once or twice before, but never so bad, and when he was intoxicated he generally went home.

Mr. G. F. Burder, house-surgeon at the University College Hospital, said that he was present at the death of the deceased, which happened on the morning of Wednesday, the 20th of October, at half-past 10. He had been there about an hour before the event took place. When taken in he appeared almost if not quite un conscious, and unable to support his head. His face was livid, his respiration very imperfect, he moved himself uneasily, and pointed to his throat and moaned. The pupils were rather large and acted very imperfectly, the left, however, being most active. The surface of the skin was of the natural temperature, and the pulse pretty good and strong. He never spoke after his admission, and could not walk or stand. Witness had him taken at once to a ward and put to bed, when artificial respiration and galvanism were at once resorted to. He seemed quite unable to swallow. The artificial respiration seemed able to keep up the action of the heart after natural respiration had ceased, but he rapidly sank, and galvanism had no effect. About five minutes after his admission respiration was at 20, but then shallow, and it shortly after be came very slow and ceased. His eyes were partially open throughout, but did not give indications of paralysis. The wounds were small punctures on either side of the bridge of the nose, symmetrically placed, four on the right side, and six on the left. The right eyelid was swollen, but the left not at all. The largest puncture would be about one-sixth of an inch in diameter, and the deepest was about an eighth of an inch. It had penetrated through the skin into the cellular tissue, but witness could not detect any mark in the periosteum. The face was more livid than is usual before death, and continued much so for some time. It extended, on the post-mortem examination, half way down the neck, and also about the back. Witness had never seen a case of the kind before. The post mortem examination was made 29 hours after death. In the brain there was no unnatural congestion, and the same might be said of the spinal column, except that it seemed unusually soft, in the lower part. The chest and lungs were less collapsed than in ordinary cases, which might be attributed to artificial respiration, but towards the back part of both lungs they were intensely congested, were black in colour, and a blackish froth issued from the tissue. The mucous membrane of the inner passages was of a very dark colour, and the passages themselves were filled with a dark frothy fluid. The same sort of fluid had also issued in considerable quantities from the wounds, between the death and the post mortem examination. The artificial respiration was continued for 40 minutes after the natural respiration had stopped, and until the pulse ceased to beat. There was nothing unusual about the larynx or glottis, and there was no sign of constriction. The black colour of the mucous membrane commenced in the lower part of the trachea, and increased as it descended. There was nothing unusual in the pericardium, and the heart was free from disease. The left cavities were firmly contracted and free from blood; the right were moderately full of dark- coloured blood, and a small quantity of very loose coagulum. The stomach had patches of dark- coloured spots like ecchymosis, the surface of the mucous membrane being mottled, and in some parts red, in others pale. The stomach contained a small quantity of fluid, but witness could not say of what kind. The intestines were healthy throughout ; the liver was of a darkish colour on the surface and in sections. The kidneys, though sound, were much congested. The spleen was excessively congested, almost black in colour, and very soft. The deepest of the punctures had been constantly since death exuding a thin bloody fluid. There was an ecchymosis under the skin, such as might take place from any other puncture, but no unusual inflammatory action.

The Coroner. — Did you discover the cause of death?

Witness supposed it was from asphyxia, and he had no doubt that it was caused by poison. Some of the post-mortem appearances could be accounted for as the result of the artificial respiration, but others resulted from the poisonous bite of a serpent.

The Jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased had lost his life by the bite of a ser pent known as the cobra di capella, when in a state of intoxication, and in consequence of his own rashness and indiscretion.

Singular accident

 A drummer of the depot quartered at Crinkle, in the King's County, has been killed in a singular manner.

A party of 22 men, attended by two officers, went out to Clonoghill bog, for practice with the Minie rifle; the target was 300 yards distant from the place of firing, and beside it there was raised a mound of bog-earth 4 feet 6 inches high, 4 feet wide at the bottom, and tapering to the top, where it was 2 feet 6 inches in thickness.

During the rifle practice the deceased and a corporal crouched behind the mound - it being the business of the latter to point out with a shaft the several hits on the target, and of the deceased to sound certain calls on the bugle, also indicating the place of those hits.

After some shots had been fired, a private discharged a rifle at the target, when the ball hit the top of the mound of earth beside which the deceased was, and, passing through it, struck him on the back of his head, through which it passed, and appeared under the skin of the opposite temple. The deceased exclaimed something about his being shot to his companion, and instantly expired.

The mound was 3 feet thick at the part where the ball passed through; and, when the distance is taken into account, the circumstance gives a strong proof of the effect of the new missile.