On this page
- Departments (3)
-
Text (9)
-
THE NORTHERN STAR. Aram 28, 1849. _. in ...
-
Sffie ittetiGuolts
-
fiSALTH OF LONDON DURIXfl THE WEEK.—The ...
-
Efte UroDiiice*.
-
Cambridgeshire.—Alleged Case o p Suicide...
- Untitled
-
Dublin, Moxday.—Influx of Pauperism ik t...
-
THE STANFIELD-HALL MURDERS. EXECUTIoToF ...
-
, '" ¦ ¦ ¦ . m OVlT ¦¦ ¦ ' ¦' " . ' ' , ...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
The Northern Star. Aram 28, 1849. _. In ...
THE NORTHERN STAR . Aram 28 , 1849 . _ . in 11 ^ 1 ^ 1——**™—^ ' *^^^^^^^^™™ " ^^** " ^ " ^ TZ i i j ? I ¦
Sffie Ittetiguolts
Sffie ittetiGuolts
Fisalth Of London Durixfl The Week.—The ...
fiSALTH OF LONDON DURIXfl THE WEEK . —The deaths registered during tho past week were 1 , 089 . The excess on the weekly average of spring is considerable , and amounts to 126 . The epidemic disease exhibit an increase on tho average , the two numbers being 248 and 193 , but it is important to observe that most of the fatal complaints in this class—measles , scarlatina , cholera , typhus—have produced this week a mortality scarcely exceeding the usual araounl . Smallpox was fatal to eight children and four adults , while the average number of persons of aU ages who died of this disease is twentyone . The deaths from diarrhas . t and-dysentery were twentv-threc , or nine more than the average ; only one is " ascribed to cholera . The excess of mortality
is ascribed to hooping-cough , bronchitis , and phthisis , which number resi ^ ctively ^ 59 , , 6 , and 15 J , the average being 85 , 37 , and 145-effects which are probafy due in griat measure to the mcreased coldaesiof the weather , the temperature of the air taking one day with aaether , having been ^ mce last Sunday , the Stli instant , less than the mean temperature of the same liino , on an average pf seven years , by 67 d eg . This difference , on Thursday , the 19 th , even amounted to 14 * 5 deg . The mean temperature of the week was only 3 rl deg . . The hi g hest temperature did not rise on any day above -S 92 deg . ; it was lowest on Thursday—namely , 30 S deg . —on which day also the lowest mean occurred , and was only 32 * 4 dec . The mean reading of the
barometer in the week was 29-626 ; it was the highest on Saturday , being 29 * 741 . A tallow chanoN Jer died in Greenwich , according to the verdict of a jury , of " disease of long standing , hastened by destitution and want of commoa necessaries , " a case which , as appears from an observation that fell from the coroner , was aggravated by want and atrocious neglect in his ownftouse . In the sub-district of Marylebone , two children , the son and daughter of a labourer , died of " the want of the common necessaries of life . " Inquests were held in both cases . The wife of a labourer died of " exhaustion , the natur al effect of delay in procuring for herself medical aid in parturition ; " a return which was also made by a coroner s jury . The births during the week numbered 1 , 348 .
Serious Accident . —On Friday week as the Rev . P . Hamilton , chaplain to the East India Company , was standing in conversation at the corner of Prince ' s-strcet , Hanover-square , a ladder fell from an adjoining house and , striking him on the shoulder , prostrated him with great force . He was at once conveyed to the Academy of Music , which he had left but a few minutes previously , and Mr . "White Cooper was sent for , who found on examination that the right leg was broken immediately above the ankle joint , the left shoulder much injured , and the back greatly strained . The leg having been set , the rer . gentleman was conveyed to his residence at Poplar . Notwithstanding the severity of the injuries , he is likely to do well .
INQUESTS . Suicide at the Pore of Devonshire ' s . —On Friday week . Mr . William Peu , who had for many years held the situation of Secretary to his Grace the Duke of Devonshire , in addition to an office in the Board of Green Cloth , drowned himself in an iron tank sunk in the garden . The-tank was only three feet in length , and about eig hteen inches in depth , and was filled with water . On Monday afternoon an inquest was held at the Rising Sun , Charlesstreet , Grosvenor-iquare , before Mr . Bedford , on the body , when jury returned a verdict of " Temporary Insanity . " Saturday . —Death bt Fibb . —Mr . H . M . Wakley , deputy coroner , held an inquest at the Middlesex Hospital on the body of Miss Elizabeth Fettit , aged 51 . —Mr . Pettit , gas fitter , St . Martin ' s-lane , said that on Thursday evening week he had returned home to his residence , Brooks-street , New-road ,
and in a few minutes he heard the stream * of the deceased , who was his cousin , in the drawing-room . He hastened there , when he found her enveloped in flames , which he extinguished , but not before her clothes were nearly burnt off her body . She was taken to the above institution , where she died the following Sunday . She was drying her stays by the fire , when they caught , and the flames communicated to her dress . —Verdict , "Accidental Death . " J > eath fbou Starvation . —Before Mr . II . M . "Wakley , the deputy coroner , at the Marquis of Cornwallis , Marchmont-strect , Russell-square , on the body of Hannah Soundy , aged 41 , who it was alleged died from want of food . The jury , on their return from viewing the body , said they had never witnessed such a shocking spectacle . The body , which lay on a miserable mattress , at No . 13 , Russell-place was little better than skin and bone . The coroner remarked that he had never in his life
seen such an emaciated form . It appeared by the evidence that about seven years ago the deceased became insane , and had since then been confined in several lunatic asylums , from the last of which she was discharged three years ago . Her insanity returned , but no steps were taken to procure her admission into another asylum . Lately she had been living with her husband , a pearl cutter by trade , hut often out of employment , and suffered the greatest privations . She was unable to rise , and in her husband ' s absence was frequently heard crying " Gome to me ! I ' m in bed , starving to death !" Notwithstanding his distress , the husband sought no aid from the parish , and the deceased died on Friday . —Verdict , "NaturalDeath . "
Fatal Accident . —By Mr . H . Wakley , at the Jubilee , Gee-street , Somers Town , on the body ot Joseph Haines , aged 70 . Deceased was employed in the fitting room at the Euston-square Station of the Xorth Western Railway ; on Easter Monday he was engaged , with some other men , in raising an engine to repair the shaft , which was out of gear . It was placed on some bnffer blocks , which were on a scaffold , when they gave way , and one of them , weighing about Clbs ., struck him on the back part of the head , which led to extravasation of the brain , accompanied with erysipelas , and consequent death . Verdict , "Accidental death . " Moxdat . —Melancholy Death op an Officer . — Before air . Higgs , at the White Horse , Strand , on
the body of Lieut .-Col . T . Sutcliffee , aged 59 , late of the Royal Horse Guards ( blue ) . —Mr . W . Knight , of 3 ^ 7 , Strand , stated that the deceased had resided in his house for the fest three years . In the course of their conversation the deceased related to him the history of his life . He had held a commission in the Royal Horse Guards , was with his regiment at the battle of Waterloo , was severely wounded , and left for dead on the battle-field . Since then he ha 1 been in the ar tny of Columbia , South America , and by thus entering another service had forfeited his halfpay from the British government . Returning to this country with but very slender means , he endeavoured to improve them by literary pursuits , his last work ( which he completed only a short time ago ) being "A Chronological Record of the Trade , Commerce , Resources , Expenditure , and Progressive Improvement in the Textile Manufactures of Great Britain and Ireland , from the earliest period
to the present time . " He finished this book by the opening of the present session of parliament , and being without the means of publishing it , wrote to Lord John RusselL with whom he had had some previous acquaintance , to assist him in putting the work to press . He was at this time utterly without money , and all his hopes were built on the success of his application , but his lordship ' s reply was unsatisfactory . He had depended entirely on the proceeds of his book to pay witness what he owed him for his support during three years , and the failure of his undertaking caused him great sorrow . Deceased had lately been in good health with the exception of a slight cold , and on Sunday witness was much surprised to find him dead in his bed . —Mr . George Lane , surgeon , of Endell-street , said he had made a post mortem examination of the body , and found the cause of death to be suffocation from ossification of the heart . —Verdict , " Natural Death . "
Fatal Accident at the Bow Gas Works . —Before Mr . Baker , at the London Hospital , on the body of Henry M'Quead , aged 30 , a labourer employed at the Gas Works , Bow . —Steptcn Tapping said that about a fortnight since he was in the gas factory where deceased was engaged in gas tarring the iron columns , for which purpose he had to be raised by a rope about 50 feet He was taken up about 40 feet when the rope broke , and in his fall he knocked down the foreman ( Mr . Lawrence ) and his son . The foreman called for assistance , upon which witness and some other men went to them , and found the deceased in a state of insensibility , and bleeding from both ears . The foreman had also his left leg broken . They were both placed in a cart
immediately , and conveyed to the London Hospital . In answer to the jury , the witness said that the rope was about an inch in diameter , and had been borrowed for the purpose . It had been used in the same manner on two occasions previously . The Coroner observed , that if the directors allowed ropes to be used such as that by which the deceased lost his life , that they might lay themselves open to a charge of manslaughter . He hoped greater caution would be used in future . The deputy manager of the works stated that the deceased had to be placed on a gas pipe full of gas . The foreman had previously tried the strength of the rope . Mr . Foot , surgeon to London Hospital , said that the deceased died on Saturday last , from a fracture of his skull . Verdict , " Accidental Death . "
Tuesday . —Alleged Ill-Tbeathe , ni of Lunatics at the West Loudon Tkioj ? . —Before Mr . Payne , at the Cooper ' s Arms , West-etreet , Smithfield , respecting the death of William Lewis , aged 22 years , who was alleged to have died in the West London Union from neglect andill-usage . It appeared from the evidence that the deceased was apprenticed- to a hosier in Worcester , and he had lately come to London for the purpose ot obtaining a situation . He failed in doing so , and he became very low and desponding , and at times was out of his mind . On Thursday evening , the 12 th instant , the deceased entered a coffee-house on Holborn-hill , where he called for some coffee , and remained there for upwards of two hours , when he suddenly attempted to bite one of the customers . He WM fortunately pre-
Fisalth Of London Durixfl The Week.—The ...
vented , and he was ultimately taken in a cab to the West London Union . He was very violent , and straps were placed round his ancles and arms . MJ . ClifJ the taskmaster , directed the deceased to be removed to the probationary ward and ^ trucfe turn several times across the legs with » thick rope , « claiming at the same time with an oath 1 U Drln von to vour senses—you have got into the wrong HdVJow . " When the deceased was placed on the Sed and fastened down , Clift again struck him with the rope . In the night the deceased called out » Fire I" and Hopwood , the keeper of the probationary ward , obtained a thick walking-stick , and beat him about the body and legs Tlie deceased frequently said , "Pray don't beat mo . 111 be quiet ; " but Hopwood continued striking him with the stick . On the following morning the deceased was directed to be removed to No . 4 ward , which
was formerly used as a cholera ward . Several of the paupers carried him there , and he was again strapped down on a bed . Mr . Clift was present , and after the usual means had been adopted in such cases , he placed some ropes round tho deceased ' s legs and fastened them to the bed post as ti ht as he could . The deceased raved very much , and Clift struck him on the face with his fist and said , " Will you be quiet ? " The deceased suddenl y answered , " Thank you for that , Mr . Clift , I shall expect tho next . " Clift then struck him several violent blows on the legs and thighs with a strap , first with the buckle end , and then with the other end . Tho only clothing deceased had on was a pair of thin drawers , and he frequently implored them to take pity upon Ijim . When Mr , Bullin , the surgeon , visited tho ward , the ropes were taken off him , and ho was described as being very violent . The deceased remained in that state for some days , and during that
time he was frequently beaten by Mr . Clift , Hopwood , and the nurse—sometimes with a broom , and at other times with a stick . His bed was only cleansed once in three days , and occasionally tho effluvium was most dreadful . He died on Saturday last . One of the witnesses , named Storey , said there were several insane people in the union , and they were allowed to run about the yard and mix with the other inmates . A surgeon seldom or ever visited them , and the Board of Guardians seldom inquired about any of them . Mr . Clift had formerly been a soldier and a policeman , and he was cruel to them all , and had endeavoured to hush up the present affair . The jury said , Clift had behaved himself in a most disgraceful manner , and that his conduct required the most rig id inquiry . Tho coroner said , there was none of the officers of the union present , and that it would therefore bo advisable to adjourn the inquest .
Escape mou Newgate , —On Monday afternoon , about three o ' clock , a man named Strudwick , under sentence of transportation , contrived to effect his escape from Newgate hy climbing over the wall of the court-yard and descending into the street , by passing through tho house of Mr . Macdonald , the Number Seven , Newgate-street . On Wednesday the two sheriffs ( Mr Alderman Finnis and Mr Goodhart ) , assisted by several of the aldermen , attended at Newgate , and proceeded to make a lengthened inquiry relative to the escape . From what has transpired , it appears that the convict , who belonged to the Westminster gang of burglars , was tried at the March sessions of the Central Criminal Court , when he was sentenced to transportation for
fourteen years , and was about to be removed to the Milbank prison , preparatory to being sent abroad . On Monday morning Strudwick and some other convicts were set to limewash some of the wards on the female side of the prison , when unnoticed in th « course of the afternoon he entered an empty room , having a skylight . By some unexplained means he contrived to climb up the bare wall , a distance from the floor of about fifteen feet , and gained tho skylig ht and forcing his way through , reached the roof surrounded by chevaux-de-frize and other obstacles , and then proceeded over the roofs of at least a dozen houses , until at length he reached that of the house of Mr . Macdonald , the proprietor of the public-house known as Number Seven , Newgate-street ,
where a trap-door presented itself ; this the convict forced open , and proceeded to descend the stairs . This was about half-past three o ' clock in the afternoon . The waiter hearing a little dog belonging to Mr . Macdonald bark violently , proceeded up stairs to ascertain the cause , when hie met a man on the stairs , one of the sleeves of his jacket being saturated with blood . The waiter asked him how he came there , when he said ho was a plasterer , and that he had been at work at one of the adjoining houses , on the roof , a portion of which had given way , and but for the parapet of the house he should have been precipitated into the street , and that he had severely injured his arm , and in his agony and confusion he had clambered up the wrong roof , and that was the reason he had entered the
house . The waiter believing the statement , and observing the marks as if he nad been recently at work , told him to come down , and opened tho door at the foot of the stairs , as well as the bar-flap , and advised him to run over to Bartholomew ' s Hospital , and get the injuries dressed . The man then went out into Newgate-street . Nothing further was thought of it until the evening , when , from the convict being missed , an examination was made , and it was then found that he had effected his escape , when the authorities were informed of the above circumstances by Mr . Macdonald . The whole of ; the case will undergo a strict and searching investigation before the committee of aldermen . Although the utmost exertions are being made to recapture the convict , up to Wednesday afternoon he had succeeded in escaping detection .
Steam Boiler Explosion . — Between half-past ten and a quarter to eleven on Tuesday morning , a terrific explosion of a steam boiler took place in the saw-mills of Mr . Keys , Back Church-lane , Whitechapel , by which the roof and walls of the mills and some of the surrounding houses were blown up , and a great number of houses in the neighbourhood materially injured . Immense pieces of the boiler were blown into the air a considerable height , and in their fall they broke everything before them . Immediately behind the saw-mills there is a row of small houses , forming one side of a narrow lane called Charles-street , and in one of these houses was kept a school where there were between twenty and thirty children at the time of the explosion . The
back wall of this house , which joined the mills , was completely destroyed , but providentially the children sustained no injury . Large pieces of wood and machinery were blown to considerable distances beyond the premises , causing great damage , and there is scarcely a house within some distance of the mills , which has not sustained more or less injury . Fortunately at the time of the accident , the workmen were in a part of the premises at some little distance from the engine-room , but when their proximity to that room is considered , and that large masses of iron were blown into the air , and fell in , crushing the roof and floors before them , it is surprising that no life was lost . Two grown-up persons and one child received some injury , but not of a serieus
nature . The premises were insured in the Sun Fireoffice . Subjoined is a copy of the official report of the extent of the damage done : — " Tuesday , April 24 , 1849 . —Quarter to eleven , a . m . —Called b y a stranger to a fire at Backchurch-lane , Commercialroad-m-the-East . Upon arriving there found that an explosion had occurred in tlie patent saw-mills of Mr . Thomas Keys , which did the following damage : Backchurch-lane , Mr . Keys—One boiler exploded , the shaft displaced , roof of boiler shops blown off , ends of engine-house and part of factory blown down , machinery and contents severely damaged by explosion , the counting-house and offices seriously injared , and windows broken . No . 88 , ditto , Mr . Starkey—Back , front , and roof seriously
damaged , and windows demolished . No . 89 , ditto , Mr . J . Rickeits—Building similarly damaged and furniture broken . No . 87 , Mr . J . Edgington , grocer and cheesemonger—Premises shaken by explosion , window glass damaged , and roofs of kitchen and washhouse broken in . Nos . 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 08 , and 69 ditto—Window glass broken , and premises damaged hy explosion . No . 93 , ditto , Mr . Readdy , cooper—Roof of dry shed damaged by explosion . Charles-street , the school-house belonging to Mr . Hibbert—School-partially destroyed , and front house ditto . No . 1 , ditto— -Premises partially blown down , and furniture destroyed by breakage . No . 2 , unto iurmiure
—JDiiuuiugs anu cxieusiveiy uamagea by the explosion ; back , front , and roof destroyed , and window-glass demolished . Berners-street , No . 14 £ , Mr . Stagg—Stabling damaged by explosion . Ditto , Nos . 23 , 24 , and 25—Buildings damaged by explosion , « fcc . Ditto , Mrs . M'Donald—A piece of wood , about fourteen feet long , forced through the wall , and window-glass damaged . Hatty ' s Gardens , Nos . 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5—Premises severely injured , and glass destroyed . Campbell ' s-place , Northstreet , Mr . J . F . Campbell—Roof of premises broken in . Church-street ,. Nos . 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6—Premises all . severely injured , and glass demolished . The cause of explosion unknown . "
Most Serious Accident at Kensington .- On Tuesday evening a band of brass instruments was playing in front of the King of Prussia publichouse , ' Kensington , when a p haeton , drawn by a grey horse , in which were a gentleman and lady , approached . The horse took fright at the music , and started off at full speed down the road , when , between the King of Prussia and the church , three boys were run over by the phaeton . At the same instant , opposite to a most dangerous turn in the road , the phaeton came into fearful collision with an omnibus , the pole of which was driven with
dreadful force against the' lady and gentleman in the phaeton , and one of the shafts or that vehicle entered the cheat of one of the emnibus horses . Several persons who witnessed the accident instantly went to the assistance of the sufferers , and messengers were sent for a surgeon . The boys were first taken into the nei ghbouring shops . The lady w found to be lifeless . The gentleman , who was carried up into the back room of the Castle , had sustained an injury of the abdomen from a blow from the omnibus pole , and the . medical gentleman in attendance , said it was impossible that he could long survive ; jhe body of the lady was soon afterwards
Fisalth Of London Durixfl The Week.—The ...
conveyed to the Crown Inn , , adjoining the churchyard , where it awaits a coroner s inquest . Of the three boys , one of the name of Connor had his leg broken , and was promptly conveyed on the police stretcher to St . George ' s Hospital , where he now lies . The second boy , who is named Boucher , had a serious injury of the forehead , from which he was covered with blood , and also of his left arm , and was conveyed to the same hospital in a li ght cart soon afterwards . The third boy , named Simpson , who was not so severely injured , was conveyed home by his father . The crowd that was immediately collected was immense , and continued until a late hour throughout that portion of the high road . The name of the lady is Rogerson , and the gentleman is a Mr . Tucksfield , of Elm-cottage , Barnes , Surrey .
The horse of the latter was stopped in its course , and is now in a stable at Kensington , not much injured , and the driver of the omnibus is detained at the station-house . Further Particulars . —Mr . J . Austin Tuxford appeared weaker on Wednesday than on the preceding night . Mr . James Merriman and Mr . John Merriman are in constant attendance upon him . He has been twice visited by Dr . Arnott , ot Bedford-square . Mrs . Rogerson , accompanied by her two daughters , arrived at Kensington on Tuesday , and remained there in a most distressed state of mind till midnight , when the medical gentlemen prevailed upon her to return to Elm-bank . One of ficr daughters remained with the body of her deceased sister at the Crown Inn . . Mr . Tuxford's
brother has also been constantly with him .. The reports ofthe medical men give no hopes of the ultimate recovery of Mr . Tuxford . He has five ribs broken , and he has been gradually sinking ; The deceased young lady was about twenty-two years of ago , and Mr . Tuxford , who is about forty years of age , was about to be married to one of her sisters . The boy , George Connor , whose thigh was fractured , and the boy , JoaephBrucher , whose head and left arm were injured , and who were taken to St . George ' s Hospital , are reported to be progressing favourably . Robbery . —On Tuesday afternoon some thieves entered the house of Mr . Maurice Levy , wine merchant , Norfolk-street , Strand , and stole his cash box , containing upwards of £ 500 , in notes , gold , silver , and securities .
St . Martin ' s-in-the-Fields . —Election of Guardians of the Poor . —In consequence of there being 60 names proposed , the result of the election was only known to-day : —The 24 persons proposed by the churchwardens have been elected , the hig hest having polled 1 , 462 votes , and the lowest 1 , 158 . Of tho 24 names proposed by Mr . Charles Cochrane , that gentleman himself obtained 871 , and the lowest of his nomination 193 votes , Of the 16 names proposed by others , four were also included in the churchwardens'list , and were consequently among the highest . Of the remaining 12 , Mr . Wakley , M . P ., obtained 838 , and the lowest on the whole poll 130 votes .
Efte Urodiiice*.
Efte UroDiiice * .
Cambridgeshire.—Alleged Case O P Suicide...
Cambridgeshire . —Alleged Case o p Suicide .- — About two years ago , a Miss Bowtell , the daughter of a bookbinder , residing in Cambridge , became a convert to the Romish church , and after a time she became acquainted with a young Irishman , named B .-Smithson , who was employed in the town , and who proposed marriage , but wished the ceremony to be performed privately ; to this , however , Miss Bowtell objected , and the present Catholic priest , tho Rev . Mr . Quinlivan , it is understood , was altog ether opposed to the match . Consequently , and tor some supposed interference of Mr . Quinlivan , Smithson waited on that gentleman on Monday night week , and at the close of the interview ,
committed a very grievous assault , lor wmen no was taken before the magistrates on Tuesday ; but the prosecutor was suffering so severely from the injuries sustained that he was unable to attend , and the case was remanded until Monday last . On Wednesday se ni g ht the legal adviser of Smithson ( Mr . Garrett ) waited upon Miss Bowtell , and pointed out to her as delicately as possible the serious nature of the charge against her lover , at which , as might be expected , she was seriously affected , and great depression of spirits followed . On Thursday Mr . Hammond , surgeon , was sent for ; but his aid was of no avail , for the vital spark had fled , the young lady having , there is too much reason to fear , taken poison . An inquest was holden on the body of this
unfortunate woman , when Mr . Hammond stated that he had made a post-mortem examination , and found a stricture of the stomach , some patches of inflammation , and a . whitish powder mixed with the food , but what it was , or what was the immediate cause of death , he had not been able to ascertain ; consequently the inquest was adjourned , and the coroner requested Dr . Webster in tho meantime to analyse the contents of the stomach . Miss Bowtell possessed considerable personal attractions , and was thirty-two years of age , It is evident that Smithson strongly suspected the priest of interfering to prevent Miss Bowtell marrying him ; although when he accused Mr . Quinlivan of it , that gentleman denied it , and said his feelings were just the reverse . On Monday last Mr . Quinlivan appeared before the court to prefer his charge against ( Smithson . He was in very delicate health , owing to the injuries received ; and the magistrates decided upon
committing the prisoner for trial at the assizes upon the felony . Norfolk . —Emilt Sandford . —All persons holding subscriptions for Emily Sandford or Eliza Chestney will have the goodness to pay the same to the bankers immediately , the former being about to emigrate under the protection of a brother . —Daily News , Surrey . —Daring Burglarv . —On last Saturday evening , between the hours of eight and nine , the residence of Mr . Daflbrne , Russell-terrace , Brixton , was feloniousl y entered , and various articles of jewellery , trinkets , & c , stolen . Among these were a lady ' s gold chain , two or three brooches , and a morocco case containing a silver fruitknife , fork , and spoon . The thieves gained admission through an unoccupied house nearly adjoining , and then making their way along the parapet , which is surmounted by a high-stone balustrade , they entered a bed-chamber window after cutting the glass and removing the fastening . Fortunately , they were alarmed before they had secured all within roach , andt « everal similar articles to those stolen were left
behind . Explosion in a Colliert . —On Friday morning week , about seven o ' clock , an explosion of sulphur took place at Reeling ' s Colliery , the property of Benjamin Gibbons , Esq ., in this parish , and adjoining the Oak Farm Works . The " doggy" had examined the pit as usual at six o ' clock , before the men went to work , and believed that all was right , but about seven o clock an explosion took place , by which three men were dangerously burnt , and two others slightly injured . One of the three men , John Hickman , who is about fifty years of age , was so severely injured that he died on the following morning . Mr . Ireland , surgeon , of Kingswinford , is attending two ofthe other men ( James GlaEzard and John Lester ) , but entertains no hope of their recovery . —Birmingham Journal .
Lancashire . —Female Burglar . —On Friday week a young woman , Isabella Crook , was charged before tho magistrates with breaking into the house of Mr . Steel , Duke of York Tavern , Urmston . Tho prisoner had been discovered secreted in one of the bedrooms , behind two sacks of flocks , lying on the floor , with a sheet around her . She had broken through a wall out of the shippon , into the back brewhouse , and so gained admission to the house . She was committed for trial . Worcestershire . — Alleged Poisoning . — On
Thursday week , Martha Price , a widow living at Maddresfield , and who had attained the venerable ago of 93 , died under circumstances pregnant with suspicion , and strongly suggesting that she had been poisoned by her son , Thomas Price , a labourer , who lived in the house with her . She had been for some timq attended by Mr . West , surgeon , of Malvern , but though she had been ailing , she seemed to be recovering her usual state of health . However , when he made a call upon her on Tuesday he found her much worse and sick , and on asking the son the reason , he said that she had had some soup sent her from the eourt ( Maddresfield Court ) which was too rich for her stomach . This tale has since proved to bo . altogether untrue ; Mr . West ,
however , believed it at the time , and left her without making further inquiries . She got worse afterwards , and died . As soon as this event had taken place , a neighbour , named Ann Bridges , informed the Rev . H . Philpot , the clergyman of tho parish , that she had seen Thomas Price give his mother a cup of tea on the Tuesday , on the top of which she observed an unusual scum and when his mother had drunk it , there remained a spoonful of white sediment at the bottom . She immediatel y afterwards was seized by a pain in her stomach , and continuous vomiting ensued . The motive for this supposed matricide is thought to be supplied by the fact that the old woman had £ 170 in the bank , which her son would become possessed of on her death .
Yorkshire . — The Embezzlement op nearly £ 5 , 000 at Leeds . —On Monday , Mr . Peter Mann , chief clerk ofthe Leeds Waterworks Company , was further examined before the sitting magistrates , at the Court-house , Leeds , on a charge of having embezzled a sum of nearly £ 5 , 000 , the property of his employers , the Water-works Company . The investigation , which was taken before Mr . Carbutt , Mr . Monkland , and other justices , occupied a considerable time , in consequence of the necessary reference to the books in which the accounts of the eompanv
Kept by the prisoner were entered , but tho facts lay within a very narrow compass . Mr . N . PrestOn , a clerk in the service of the company , produced a number of "rent cash books , " each beino- made for a separate half-year , which purported to contain the particulars ofthe various sums received on account of water rents by the collectors , and paid to the prisoner . The entries of these sums in the rent cash hooks , as wel as in the general cash book , into which the sums jwroorting to havo been so received were , or should have , been , correctly
ca' ' tered , were in the ; handwriting of the prisoiiei during the year 1 S 47 , but during the . whole of that year the entries in the general cash book do not correspond with the entries of the receipts from , thc collectors ofthe water rents . There is an . entry ol the accounts for the year 1847 , having been audited by two directors on the 6 th of May , 1848 , but wit noss was not present . The " rent cash-books were at hand for audit if thoy had own required as well as the general cash-book . In 1848 , during the absence of Mr . Mann , Mr . Preston was in the habit ol receiving the rents from the collectors , and handing the cash-bOX and the key to Mr . Mann ^ on the following morning , or on the morning of the second day . but he made no entry in the " rent cash-book , leaving that to be done by the prisoner . The sums their l in wieu
mid in by the collectors were entered m copaid in by the collectors were entered - infecting books by themselves or other clerks . During Mr . Mann s absence for three months of that year ( 1848 ) Mr . Preston received the rents from the collectors , and made payment thereof to the treasurers , Messrs . Beckett and Co . Tho accounts for 1848 have not yet been audited , in consequence of the Michaelmas survey of empty property not having been completed , and other charges for water supplied under special circumstances , not having been adjusted . —Mr . Robert Bird , who had been a collector of the company since February , 1846 , states that his duty was to go to the office ofthe company every night , and there to enter the water rents he had collected during the day in a book called the
collector ' s water rent book . When he had so entered them in detail , he had to make out an account on a piece of paper , specifying each portion of the year to which the accounts received related , as sometimes there w . cre arrears received . The accounts of water rents were formerly presented halfyearly , but now quarterly . Mr . Mann signed a receipt in the book in red ink for the sums the collectors paid him , and it wa his duty to enter those sums in the " rent cash-book . " All the entries made by Mr . Mann in his presence were correctly mado in the collector ' s water-rent book ; but sometimes it happened that Mr . Mann was not at the office in the evening , and then he left the money with another clerk , who locked it up in a cash box
and gave it to Mr . Mann when he came , and witness frequently found when he went to the office next morning that Mr . Mann had correctly entered the money he had left overnight . All the payments he made to Mr . Mann were in that manner correctly entered . —Mr . Richard Newton , another collector , gave similar evidence as to the course of business , and said that the prisoner had always correctly receipted at the foot of the daily accounts the monies he paid him or left for him . —Mr ; Preston , on being recalled , said that for the last three or four years the arrears of rents received are partly in the handwriting of other clerks , and for the last three or four quarters the entries in the rent cash book are principally in the handwriting of other
clerks . —Mr . Mallinson , a ledger clerk in the bank of Messrs . Beckett and Co ., tho treasurers to tho Water Works Company , referred to a pass book showing the accounts between the bank and the company from January 1 , 1841 , to Dec . 31 , 1847 , and a subsequent book bringing down the account to the present time . The monies were generally paid in by Mr . Mann ; occasionally by Air . Preston . The money was generall y drawn out by cheques signed by directors , and recently were countersigned by the chief clerk . The first-mentioned pass book was signed at the end by the three gentlemen who were auditors of the borough fund accounts in 1843 , and dated Oct . 18 ; there were also the initials of two of the directors . —Mr . J . R . Bywater said that he had
been employed during the whole ofthe last week in investigating the accounts , ofthe Leeds Waterworks Company . He had looked into the rent cash books partially , but more particularly into those from Feb . 28 , 1847 , to Dec . 31 , 1847 , and those from Jan . 1 to Dec . 31 , 1848 , and from the latter period to March 31 , 1849 . Witness produced an account which he had drawn out of the sums received by Mr . Mann from the collectors , as shown by the rent cash books , and also the amounts paid b y him to Messrs . Beckett and Co ., during the ten months from Feb . 28 , 1847 , to Dec . 31 , 1847 , which showed a balance against him during that period of £ 1310 lis . 5 d . The rent cash books from which this account was made up . do not appear on the face of them to have
been before the auditors , though there was an audit of the accounts for that period , by the company ' s auditors , on the 6 th May , 1848 , and on the 18 th October by the auditors of the town council . The general cash book , which appears to have been before the auditors , agrees , so far as relates to the payments made by Mr . Mann to the treasurer during those ten months , with the pass book of Messrs . Beckett and Co . He could not mention any particular sum that Mr , Mann had received from the collectors , and had withheld , as he paid in several days' receipts at one time , or at least a sum on account of those receipts . The cash account for 1848 had not yet Wen balanced and consequently not audited ; but a " rest" was taken of the receipts to
the 31 st of December , 1848 , and that showed that the prisoner had paid to the treasurer £ 3050 4 s . Id , less than he appeared , by the rent cash book kept by him , to have received from the collectors during that year . In the three months ending 31 st March , 1849 , there was a similar deficiency of £ 342 Is . 2 d ., making an aggregate deficiency of £ 4702 16 s . 8 d . As the witness was unable to state any particular sums which the prisoner had received and not paid over , the further examination was adjourned until Monday next , for that to be ascertained . Lancashire . —Reform . —A petition to parliament in favour of the reform movement—namely , for retrenchment and direct taxation—ia being got up in Liverpool , and has already been signed by great
numbers . Somersetshire . —Suspected Poisoning Case at Bath . —Much excitement has for several days existed at Bath , in consequence of rumours having been circulated that a man had been poisoned by his wife , who had married again three days after her deceased husband ' s funeral . The indecent haste of the woman ' s marriage is certain , and a coroner ' s jury are investigating the circumstances connected with the man ' s death . Deceased wa-s a quarry-man , named Henry Marchant , about 28 years of age . On Saturday ni g ht , the 31 st of March , he was in good health , and left a fellow workman at twelve o ' clock , saying he was going home . On reaching his lodgings
his wife made him a cup of tea , which was very unusual for her to do , anu in about an hour after partaking of the tea Marchant was seized with violent vomiting and pains in his stomach , He continued ill for about a week , and then died . He was buried on Friday , the 13 th of April and on the following Monday his widow was married by licence to a Mr . Harris , a man of independent income , upwards of seventy . This Mi * . Harris , had buried two wives , within the preceding thirteen months , the last only a few weeks before his marriage with Mrs . Marchant . —The jury decided unanimously that the stomach of deceased should be analysed by Mr . Uerapath , of Bristol ; and the inquest was adjourned for a week .
Fire at Greenock . —On Sunday morning a fire was discovered to have broken out in the extensive sugar-house in the Glebe , the property of Messrs . Ebenezer Connall and Co . The fire maintained its unabated fury for two hours , when the voltree beams , joists , and roofing gave way , carrying with them in their descent cisterns , pans , pillars , and sugar moulds . The loss is estimated at about £ 20 , 000 , nearly one-half of which will , in all likelihood , have been comprised in the value of the building and machinery . Clarence-street , opposite the sugar-house , was covered to the depth of several inches with the boiling molasses as it escaped from the interior of the house . The premises and stock are both insured ; the latter was large at the time .
Portsmouth . —Alarming and Fatal Accident . — A most awful accident happened on Wednesday afternoon in this dockyard , which is expected to terminate fatally to one or more persons . As a gang of men were employed on the new dock , building by Mr . Bramble , atthe north corner ofthe yard , in working the " traveller" of the tramway supported on piles for raising and lowering stones into the basis of the fabric from a lighter moored alongside , the gear broke , and the " traveller" went over the rails into the lighter , and most soriously injured two men in the vessel and dragged several others from the scaffolding supporting the tramway . Some fell into the vessel , and others into the water . Six men were maimed , three of them dangerously .
Three of the most seriously injured were conveyed to the Portsmouth , Portsea , and Gosport Hospital . One man , whose leg was bo severely injured and lacerated ( a bolt having stuck into his thigh four inches deep ) that the only chance of saving his life was by removing the limb above the joint , had that operation most skilfully performed by Dr . E . J . Scott last night by gaslig ht ; little hopes , however , are entertained of his recovery . Another man who had both legs broken—one m three places ; it is much feared he must lose it , but he is not in a state at present to undergo the operation . The third is seriously injured in the chest and head . The greatest attention was promptly afforded by the Excellent gunnery-ship , and the poor sufferers were
taken to the hospital upon the shoulders and . in the arms of the crew of that ship , which is moored adjacent to the spot where the . accident occurred . The medical officers ofthe Excellent were ' the first in attendance , and accompanied the sufferers to the hospital . The less injured were conveyed to the medical department of ihe dockyard , where they received the promptest attention from the officers of the establishment . The cases of these poor men . illustrate in a most striking light the value of such a benevolent institution as the Portsmouth Hospital . The poor fellows were not admissible into the & aval Hospital , and but for the establishment of the former , would have had no p lace of reception where their cases could have been done justice to nearer than Winchester .-
Death of a Miser . —An inquest was held on Monday afternoon , at Bristol , on the body of Mrs . Parsons an elderly lady , who- was found dead in her bed on the previous Saturday morning , when some
~ . ...... _ . facts were detailed of a rather extraordinary character . It appears that at the latter end of last July her husband , Samuel Parsons , who was a master mason , was accidentally killed by a stone falling on him from the top of a quarry in which he was engaged at work . The deceased administered to the property , and in her account stated there was only 6 s . in money in the house . She has since continued to live in the most penurious way , denying herself even the" very necessaries of life , and has been even known to assist in making and carrying the mortar for the men to use , and she was frequently in the habit of collecting the offal from the public roads . As some rumours , however , had got afloat that the old lady had a good deal of money , on the
information relative to her death being . circulated , a whole tribe of her relations , first and second cousins , entered the house , with a view of seeing what they could get . In ransacking an old chest of drawers they pulled open one which seemed rather wei ghty . There was a large sheet of paper on the top , on removing which they found underneath a whole layer of sovereigns ; there was then another sheet of paper , and underneath that again another layer of sovereigns , and so on till they amounted altogether to £ 1 , 000 , with eighty old spade guineas , and thirty half-guineas . The deceased has left behind her a considerable property ^ . consisting chiefly of houses . A verdict in accordance with the above facts was returned , by the jury ,
Ar00608
Dublin, Moxday.—Influx Of Pauperism Ik T...
Dublin , Moxday . —Influx of Pauperism ik the Towns . —I havo had occasion to remark , recently , upon the increasing evil of the influx of rural paupers in the southern towns , caused by land clearances , by the wholesale committals for larceny by the country justices , and by the utter destitution . The spread of cholera , and the dread of contagion , have induced the civic authorities of Cork to attempt the dislodgement of these hordes of rural paupers , and the Town Council ,, on the application of the health committee , have " voted a sum of £ 100 for clearing the streets , and carting paupers to some
distance from the city boundaries . " But what is to become of these wretched beings when the carts of the Cork corporation shall have dropped them upon the road sides , some five miles out of the precincts of that city ? There is no law of settlement in Ireland , else those intruding , paupers might be forced back to the places from whence they came , and their own electoral divisions or parishes compelled to maintain them . As it is , many of them , no dou , bt , will wander elsewhere for a refuge , if they do not betake themselves to plunder ; many more will find their way back to the lanes and alleys of Cork , to be driven forth again at the expense of the corporation , for the poor law guardians have no power to interpose ; but the far greater part , it is to be feared , will perish from cold and hunger in the fields or upon the roadways . In explaining this
alarming accumulation of pauperism , the Cork Heporter says : — "If every case were inquired into , nine out of every ten of these paupers would be found to have arrived in our city through the medium ofthe county gaol , having been driven thither by magistrate-landlords , whose only object was to throw upon other shoulders the burden they ought to bear . This ini quitous system we have over and over again exposed—it is a system now continued more perseveringly than ever . " This forcible expulsion of paupers is one ofthe worst manifestations of our horrible social system , every day becoming more desperate , and approaching nearer to general embarrassment and insolvency . —Daily Newt . The cholera is making progress in Cork ; but in other places generally its ravages have greatly abated .
Arrival of the Lord-Lieutenant . —His Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant , the Countes 3 of Clarendon , and suite , arrived on Saturday evening , shortly after ten o ' clock , in Kingstown Harbour , from Holyhead , by her Majesty ' s mail packet Banshee , Lieutenant Smithctt , R . N ., commander . State or Trade . —The weekly commercial report of the Freeman s Journal contains the following : — " Trade continues in the same depressed state , the transactions in many articles being insufficient to
attoi'd a quotation , and , we fear , from present appearances , no amelioration can be expected before harvest . It is very distressing to be obliged to record the same observations week after week , but the depopulation of some parts of tho country is so complete , between the workhouse on ono hand , and wholesale emigration oh the other , that trade may bo said to to be almost extinct , and judging from the falling off of consumption in Dublin , there must be a serious diminution in the Customs and Excise revenue of this country . "
The Crops . —It is rumoured that the young potato crop is much injured by the late severe wea ther , and the accounts from the country are looked for with much anxiety . There is hope of a change in the weather to-day . The last three weeks have been as bad as ever were known in this country . Tuesday . — The Famine . — The most afflicting accounts ofthe condition of the western districts are daily received . All classes are suffering dreadful privations—the poor are perishing in numbers , whilst those who had struggled against adversity , up to this time , are on the gulf of bankruptcy . The deaths by starvation are hourly increasing , and there is a lamentable want of preparation to meet the next two months . The private accounts from
the west are most harrowing , and the misery of the lower classes is shown by the number of paupers that assail a person for alms in the nei ghbourhood even of this city . The famished look of these beggars , and their wretched rags , tell too plain a tale of abject wretchedness . The Rev . James Anderson , rector and vicar of Ballinrobe , and Protestant chaplain of the Ballinrobe workhouse , has addressed a letter to Lord John Russell , describing the horrible scenes which he is hourly compelled to witness . ' « Can it be possible " says the reverend gentleman , " that we are to be left to die , and be lost wholesale in this truly wretched country ? Here now the cholera has reached us , and no wonderfor really language
, cannot expres § the deplorable condition we are in . We have a workhouse built for 800 : but often do I find over 2 , 000 stuffed into it ? Besides this , the auxiliary establishments , temporarily got up , arc crowded to a fri ghtful excess ; the paupers , of course , dying in awful numbers , and even on the public roads at noon-day . In fact , death has hurried multitudes away who mi ght have been saved had small timely aid been afforded , and this disastrous work still progresses with increasing power . For a year and more the workhouse hospital and fever sheds have been crammed to overflowing with patients , I myself , a few days since , saw in one bed ( fivefoet three inches wide ) ten large children , five being , I may say , the common complement . Hence
hundreds ot persons lives are continuall y being victimised , and their places again filled up in quick succession with fresh candidates for the grave , while the nurses and officials are all down in their turn . Misery is thus concentrated , as it were , in tlie workhouse , but , alas ! it is widely spread , and spreading faster and wider than ever , all over the country in every shape and circumstance ! I beseech you my lord , that you will find out what is to bo done , as something must , and that speedily . Your lordship may perhaps say , ' Why not get in the rates and feed and clothe the people ? ' Put all the medical aid and appliances in requisition—strike new and higher rates—multi ply auxitfaries , < fcc . ' In God ' name , let us have no such mockery now . for the
country itself is bankrupt—the lands are wastedthe proprietors ruined—no rents coming in , and the better classes all flitting to other regions . Surelv , my lord , if things proceed in this calamitous way we shall only find a parallel to our own case in the plagues of Egypt ! " The vice-guardians are acquitted of all blame hy the Rev . Mr . Anderson , for they labour to their utmost from morning to night . The tax-collectors are in hopeless arrear ; for , after the most perilous exertion their books show a deficiency of £ 7 , 000 . Some of the creditors of the union , who cannot obtain payment for the supplies already furnished , are themselves on the brink of starvation . Mr . Tracy , the claimant of the Tracey peerage , died yesterday morning in this city , where ho had
only lately arrived from England . Wednesday . —Famine in the West . —The fearful state of affairs in Mayo is most painfully exhibited in the following statement , which appears in the Mayo Constitution . '— "During the Quarter Sessions of Westport we witnessed a scene which we believed no state of misery or suffering could have brought about . It was that of hearing seventeen unfortunate creatures , convicted of various crimes imploring the Court to transport them from their native country , as their only refuge from the horrors of death from hunger . Cholera . —The average deaths in the poorhouses of Westport are set down at 100 per week . The following is an extract of a letter from Ballinrobe : — " On Monday ,, the 16 th inst . I regret to inform you , a case of cholera occurred in the workhouse here , which proved fatal ; since then it has raged through the town most fearfully ; few ( if any ) once attacked
nave recovered . The mortality in the workhouse is awful . What with fever , dysentery , and cholera the people are dying like rotten sheep . " ' Death of Sir Arthur Blennerhasse tt — The Evening Post announces the death of Sir ' Arthur Blennerhassett Bart ., of Ckurchtown Housed neav Kil arney , of cholera . In general the epidenSs declining but m some localities in tho south the mortality has been to a very serious extent ; ad in Rathkeale and other parts ofthe countyOf Lime-? no vtrS ^ S" middle cla h ™ Sen among K ™& i ? £ countr y generally , however ^ £ , r a ^ a 8 i ecn co to the poor and des l Mute . As yet , the cholera has made no great progress in the west ; but , on account of the extent of destitution , it is feared that it will produce calamitous results Alread y the mortality is very considerate in Ballinrobe . Revolting Murder at Pobtumna Castle . —The following account of a most appalling murder ap-
Dublin, Moxday.—Influx Of Pauperism Ik T...
fears in the Evening Post . Dreadful crimes of this hid , from motives of plunder , have become frequent in this . country since the . commencement of the famine;—'' Poor Miss Prendorgasfc ( a venerable lady of severity-nine , and a connexion ofthe Sligo family ) was , on last Friday night , inhumanly murdered and mutilated . She was found quite dead on Saturday morning by tho daughter of Lord Clanri . carde ' s steward , her pockets rifled ,, but no other effects touched or disturbed . Mr . Edward R yan , R . M ., of Portumha , and Mr . Edward Burke , of Marble Hall , hastened to the spot with police ; and the coroner , Mr , Ilosty , has been sent for . the poor old lady was evidently robbed , but why the savages took her life is strange , as she was wholly defenceless , and had not even a maid servant living in tho house , or any near neighbour to give an alarm . " ... _ _ - : -i . -..
Emigration . — From the Powerscourt estate , in the county of Tyrone , the trustees have latel y sent to New York about two hundred small farmers and their families , who have been provided with clothing and all necessary outfit , besides receiving asuni of money to meet their immediate wants on reaching their destination , From Waterford , and other ports , emigration is proceeding on the most ex . tensive scale . Renewed Insurrectionary Symptoms . —The following appears in the Tipperani Vindicator , a Repeal paper : — "A Carrick-on-Suir correspondent states that from circumstances which recently occurred in that locality , and came under his cognisance , there is too much reason to fear , the presence
oi emissaries among the people exciting to disaffection , and a renewal of the scenes of July last . The Carrick people ought to be on their guard against these machinators , if any such there be among them ; they should not suffer themselves to be betrayed into ill-advised proceedings by the ' poison of their words . ' Like some of the last incendiaries , they are indubitably vile emissaries , Dobbyns or worse , and only seek an opportunity of battening on tho lives and liberties of their victims . With the long and sad experience which Irishmen have had of the enemy ' s tactics in dealing with this country , they must be the veriest dupes in existence not to be convinced that nothing is too base , nothing too bad ,
for those to resort to whose object is to deprive this country and its people of their legitimate rights . " The State Prisoners . — -Tho Freeman ' s Journal contains the following : — " Some days since it was announced that the state prisoners would be removed from Richmond Bridewell to London , at the end of the first week in May , in order to appear in the House of Lords to have the writ of error argued . We have heard that the Attorney-General h as received directions to proceed to London on this bu « siness , but up to yesterday the authorities at Richmond Bridewell had not received any instructions as to the removal of Messrs . O'Brien , Meagher , M'Manus , and O'Donohoe . "
Depreciation or Landed Property . —In 1844 a small fee-simple estate in Westmeath , withm a few miles of Atlilone , was offered for sale . It consisted of a mansion-house , and 120 acres of fine land , free from tenantry of any kind . By private contract it was sold for £ 7 , 000 ; but the purchase was prevented by some legal difficulties . The following year the estate wag bargained to be sold for £ 0 , 000 ; but difficulties ofthe same kind interrupted the g ale . Another year elapsed , and the same property was put iip in the master ' s office in chancery , when the highest bidder was £ 5 , 100 . The inheritor petitioned
the court to prevent so great a sacrifice as a sale at £ 5 , 100 , and there was an order for the adjournment ofthe sale . The creditor became importunate at the long delay—a peremptory sale was directed last December , and the estate , which would have brought £ 7 , 000 five years ago , was finally disposed of for £ 3 , 500 exactly one-half the amount . The solicitor in the cause has given me the particulars as I hav « stated them , and he ia of opinion that the same property , if now in the market , would produce a still smaller amount , if bidders could be had at all . —Mornina Chronicle .
The Cork Examiner states that a nobleman in that county "has offered 600 acres of land rent free for a period of seven years to any respectable party who will undertake to pay the poor-rate and cess thereon for the term specified . " The Poor Law Commissioners have resolved on enforcing the Roman Catholic holidays in the case of Catholic paupers in workhouses . For doing so they have been severely assailed in the northern prints . It is quite clear that making Catholics work on these days ( nine in the year ) would bo violating their religious feelings , and the poor law is unpopular enough , without giving its administration a sectarian aspect .
The Stanfield-Hall Murders. Executiotof ...
THE STANFIELD-HALL MURDERS . EXECUTIoToF RUSH . * Norwich , April 21 . — James Bloomfield Rush , the perpetrator ofthe Stanfield Hall murders , was executed this day at noon in front of Norwich Castle . The enormity of his crimes , the station in life which he had previously occupied , the extraordinary circumstances of the whole case , his inexplicable conduct during the trial , and the steadiness with which he has since then persevered in denying tho guilt which was so clearly brought home to him , have all tended to attract in an unusual degree the attention of the public to his fate . It is very seldom , in this country and age , that the crime of murder rises from the vulgar and debasing associations by which the influences of civilised society surround it ,
and by its appalling magnitude takes its place among the list of historical events . In this case unfortunately such has been the result . The assassin ' s first victim was Recorder of Norwich , once the most important city in England after the metropolis . The second victim was that ill-fated gentleman ' s only son . They were shot down at ni ght , within their family mansion , without a moment ' s warning or opportunity of resistance . It was proved beyond tho possibility of doubt that tho man who did this foul deed was James Bloomfield Rush , a farmer , living in tlie immediate nei ghbourhood , and who owed a deep debt of gratitude to the father and grandfather of those whom he had soruthlesslv
murdered . Two helpless women , the one wife and daughter-in-law to the murdered men , the other her heroic servant , still suffer from wounds received by them on that dreadful night . Suspicion fell immediately and instantaneously on Rush . He was taken , tried , and condemned , tlie principal witness against him being a girl whose innocence lie had betrayed , whom ho then used as his tool in tho perpetration of forgeries which were to gain the property of tho persons he had marked out for slaughter , and whose life there is very littlo doubt that he would havo taken after she had served his infamous designs . Such were the crimes for which the convict Rush was . this day hanged upon the scaffold .
The conduct and language of such a monster inhuman form previous to his execution , when oppressed by tho memory of his tremendous guilt , and knowing that his days and hours were numbered , cannot bo uninteresting to the psychologist . There are , too , a variety of circumstances already published to tho world which have increased the curiosity felt upon this point . Rush , like Beveral other groat criminals—amongst whom may be mentioned Eugeno Aram and Thurtell—undertook his own defence , which ho conducted so as to strengthen the case against him and supplv links to the evidence previously wanting . Like Tawell , who was also a native of Norfolk , he was observant ofthe outward forms of religion , and while contemplating a savage
and wholesale murder practised family devotion with his mistress . One of our greatest novelist ? , by a happy flight of imagination , represents a eoftvict , when on tho scaffold and about to die , proving the ruling passion strong in death by picking tho pocket of tho chaplain . Rush managed at his trial , in tho presence of judge and jury , with the court crowded in every torner by spectators , to abstract a £ 40 check from a pocket-book handeil « P to him for inspection , and dexterously to conceal tho paper in tho lining of his hat , principally , as if would appear , for the purpose of blackening : li <> character of the solicitor prosecuting on behalf of the Crown . Like several other celebrated murderers , ho was not a man addicted to drink , and ,
singular to say , his general abstemiousness on tto ' « point gave tremendous force to a little fact in ' conduct on the night of the murders which was stated by Emily Sandford . These remarkable coincidences g ive additiona l interest to the . details of his conduct immedia tely before his execution , and to his general bearing from tho time when sentence- of death was pro * nounced against him and his doom irrevocably & ielk Tho following particulars we owe to the cour tesy o » Mr . Pinson , Governor of Norwich Castle , and of tb * Rev . Mr . Drown ,. Chaplain-to the Gaol . These gentlemen state that Rush , from the commencem ^ of his imprisonment , assumed the character , of > £ nooence and piety , and so carefully asserted his r ^ tensions to these qualities , and so over-acte d fl' » 10
part , as . to throw at once the strongest suspw " j on his sincerity .,:.-. He . itookeverv opportunity i donyinghis guilt , professing perfect tranquillity »• unhesitating confidence in his acquittal . H's c ° stant language was , " Thank God , I am quite tea fortable in body and mind ; I cat well , drink »| V and sleep well . " Tho wretched man ' s sleep w ^ served by his attendants not to be so q »« et \ ' ' ,. himself represented it , > He was cons ant in « ' » VJ , tendance at chapel , - ' and- very soon after nI 3 . t 8 . mittal requested the chaplain to administeV tae ' crament to him privately . This , however , the «• • f _ lain refused to do ^ arid ' thereupon Rush lost all ' fidence in him . After conviction he requested ' the Rev . W . W . Andrews , . of Felraingham , ana i Rev . C . J " . Blake , of Kettewng ham , mig ht Mi ^ mitted to visit him in Mr . Brown ' s company . ^ wish was of course complied with , and no do"" e convict expected to work upon the mind s o ¦ , . gentlemen , whose churches he had been in [ F jnliof attendinga conviction of his inTinronce . ^
, '" ¦ ¦ ¦ . M Ovlt ¦¦ ¦ ' ¦' " . ' ' , ...
, ' " ¦ ¦ ¦ . m OVlT ¦¦ ¦ ' ¦' " . ' ' , , n OUT * An accoun t , of the execution appeared u » fourth edition of Saturday last .
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), April 28, 1849, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_28041849/page/6/
-