The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-03-14 00:00:00


-
MODERN CONVERSATION. TERRIBLE DISASTERS WITH LOSS OF LIFE IN
The reason of the frivolity of general discourse is not AMERICA.
Poor at Brooklyn, was burnt
'
difficult to discover; deeper subject' require to be read The Homo for the Aged I
about and thought over, and the young people of the day down Tuesday. Thirty pore ins are missing, and the
would grudge an hour to what they would consider such charred remains of twenty persons have been recovered.
uninteresting pursuits. Formerly •girl who knew nothing One span of a bri Ige near Harper's Ferry has given
what was going on in the world beyond her immediate way, letting a railway train through. Eleveo persons were
circle of fr:ends and round of amusements would have killed, and six burnt
been exceptionally ildinformed ; it was expected of her
that she should be able to converse at least on such simple
subjects, for instance, as the loss of the Deutschland, the
tragedy of the Mod, the Malay war, or even the result of
the last election that may have taken place. Now, unless
the information is imparted to her by her partners in the
ball-room or the skating-rink, she knows nothing what-
ever of what is passing around her, save, indeed, the
newest piece of scandal or the last announced marriage,
She has no time, even if she possessed the inclination :
in Londen those morning hours that once afforded at
least the possibility of quiet reading and intellectual
growth have been ruthlesdy swept away by the Jugger-
nanth of Fashion and crushed beneath the wheels of the
Plitnpton skate; in the country she is walking with the
sportsmen, even if she herself does not shout, riding to
hounds, rowing in the nearest piece of water when the
weather is warm, or skating upon it when frost confines
the hunters to their loss.. boxes. Naturally she is too
tired for any literature deeper than a light and probably
fast novel to prove attractive to her; and, indeed, if
physical fatigue did not insure this result the incessant
excitement of the life would have much the same effect.
If the muscles of the body are left long unused they
become stiff and comparatively useless ; at least 144 much
may Is. said of the powers of the min I. If, day after day
and week after week, girls are allowed to live in an
incessant whirl of dissipation, never opening is book
graver than a novel, and seldom reading even that, never
speakinge. poof
subject any
atct, or itlhe:pizsrthrmtahre last skatingeof (VI
day, what hope is there that their brains will ever mature
into the capacity for better things I—The World.

A MURDER IN IRELAND.

Another murder trial at Louth —aesues,-7- has termi-
nated in a disagreement of the jury. The case was
that of Edward Macdonald, charged with the murder
of ('harks Mee at Aghameen, near Dundalk, on the
17th November last. It appeared that Macdonald
and Rice were rivals for the hand of a daught-r of a
distant relative of the prisoner, named Frances
Macdonald. Rice was the accepted suitor at the tiro,:
of his death, awl WWI to have been married in about a
week. On the day of the murder all the parties met
at Dundalk Fair. Prisoner on two occasions asked
the girl ti take a treat, but she ref used, and he used
threatening observations. The girl awl her father,
accompanied by Rim and another man, reached a by.
road leading to Rice's house about midnight, awl then
parted with Rice, whose dead body was found next
day. There were traces of blood on the gro I. and
blood was also found on the prisoner's clothes, awl the
footprints in the field where Rua: was killed corresponded
with the boots of prisoner's br,ther, which were found
concealed in a ditch. Miss Macdonald swore that she
83W the prisoner distinctly at the bye-road where they
parted with Rice. The wounds on Rice's head were of
a most frightful character, one of them alone being
sufficient, as counsel stated. to fell an ox.

THE LINCOLNSHIRE BOY MORDERRE.
The prisoner William Gilbert Harrod MN browht
up before the county magistrates at Boston on Thurs-
day, on a second charge of having murdered Arthur
Hockley, five years of age, son of a retired fanner at
Fishtoft, by drowning, in Oct d)er last. The prisoner
was committed last week to Lincoln Assist.% on a
charge of murdering William Henry Hehblewhite.
At the inquest on the deceased boy, liockley, the pri-
soner was the only witness who could throw any light
on the matter, and was the last person seen wit)l him.
Before the magistrates, Mrs. Hockley, the deceaaed's
mother, stated that his evidence was untrue. Hobert
Watson, John Watson, and Edward Smart, all of
Tullington, near Bourn, where the prisoner had been
visiting, state.' that he had told them that he had
pushed the boy Hockley into a pond at Fishtoft, and
had given evidence at the inque4 and received a
shilling. The case lasted over four hours, and Harrod
was also committed for trial for wilful murder under
this second charge.

G REAT FIRE AND TERRIFIk: GUNPOWDER
EX PLOSION.
VIM LIVES LOST.

The latest intelligence brought by-iheLoando from Cape
Coast is as follows .—A fire broke out at Little Popo on
the lot February, 'l .stroying one-half of the beach town
In almost all the houses gunpowder is kept, and explosion
after explosion took place, the natives not attempting to
prevent the spreadiug of the flames. In one house 2,000
kegs exploilA, causing a shock like that of an earthquake.
Some of the natives, while plundering, were blown up,
and it is reported that about fifty were killed. The loss
is stated to be very considerable, two factories alone
having lost about £l,OOO.

SCENE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
After the House of o,lllMinul adjourned on Thurs-
day morning a painful scene to,k place. An unfortu-
nate man, who had obviously lost his mental balance,
remained seated in the Speaker's gallery after every-
one had retired from the Ho 1141) but the clerks, who
were completing their records At the table. and when
he was requested to leave he refused to do NA Ilk
manner seemed perfectly calm And collected at first,
and on his refusing to go out he was told that if he
did not go he would be turned out ; whereupon he
declared that it would be a hard job to do that, and
"I appeal to this country for protection. I
appeal to the Empress, to the House of Commons, antl
to the soldiers !" Several policemen went into the
gallery to remove him, and hon. gentlemen who had
not yet left the building flocked back into the House
to hear what Watt goinq on. He repeated his appeal
several times, and at last was carried out, exclaiming
with excitement. "I appeal to the Speaker, to the
Serzeant-at-Arms, and to the Home Office. Now,
don't tear my clothes !" The scene lasted several
minutes, and created • painful impression on those
who witnessed it.