The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-10-09 00:00:00

Court ?<tips.

THE Ron) CELLI) MUUDER.

Die examination way trimmed on Tuesday morning nt
11 o'clock. Tli, t* iiirt was very much crowded'. The
-AMP 1111;Igi.trat., •:.t rb bfl 31iiiiilay The risutier, in
apiwaratii door.. Was no change, Wall brought up
11l eliiirge of 51r.

• . •
Ilke fellos keg the subitaare of Use evidence auldzscei
: -

8.1r..14 Kerl.ake. the cook in Mr Kent's Im•asellolal was
the first aut 50.., onieed bed.s. ; but her evidence was
iner•ly repetiti.,ll UT sa.deou. lat.. ltale by previous wit-
nv s•es ; .0511.1 i. 1.! tA.,111.1.4 I'. weep:Pilate evidence
Lich is already well-huown to our readers.
dause4 Ifolltham rave evidenee tadae•l in connee•
Con with the charge before the Court, had not the
slightest to at i,ig; upon the case.
Emily Owl olepo•A•ol that she \Va.{ assistant nursemaid
at Mr. Kent's family. Ihi the ttttt ruing oof the murder
she wetat iuto the eaur,ery shortly niter 7 o'eloek.
nurseaudat wwv li,. Sr ; lout tl gla witnesa went in
several t lIIICS the pa i neve:. spoke to lie:, WO made
an v retietrk nh,lat the child beieg arissia.g.
The Mi,es Kent deposed to having slept together on
the night of the murder, and that they bad nut Isamu
disturbed during it,., night.
Miss Conatance Kent made II similar statement. In
tt Willa the missing night-dr, S.,}llegnid that • he
had three tai;;lst•alressva. (hi the night of ti e murder hlie
wore one which site had 'restudy worn intim sunday or
Monday, anal also wore it in Saturday night. l'hought
she wore a clean one ona Saturday night. One of her
taight•dre,vea is its missing, but site did hot know what
had become of it.

jaine: Morgan. the parish eginsMble of Rovl, miapoarmi
to m•king a sarch of tie I.retnises. He n.peatial tie
statements which have already appeared in our e..inamc
We mrry to say that Mr, Kent aim oti.ers on
leaving the town Tactility evening were hooted by the
mob.

TROWDRIDGIt. Oct, 3:

The examination of the witneNees wats—le:uSioeti tli
morning at 11 Ab.rk. There WIVI a full Ia gels of
r.te; Sir .1. W. 'dry, Chairman of Quark r
Seroi:orob rtaalial. The hotly of the court -rums
lqiin crowded by the and a uunikr of ladma
flirt rec ~,,, ith seats on the itch.

Mr. S formiecUldull, AS hcf,,re ;
Mr. I:il.ton ape e.avei for 1.133 1.1i40110r ; ;‘ll,i Mr.lin
the raft for M. KutLit.l Lis faitily.

The pris peer 14ml t':i• sane: einie Atli:Wien to the
es idea! e which she Lbil the two pr: vimis days,
am: in die:Wised the same calm demeanour which she
has exhibited throne) t the ereavedings.
Evil len e era:a:ant ail.luia il At great length in answer
to Mir iries in ale gen-r .11y into all the circumstances
connected with ties inelaucholay affair. Aa Moat of
these are familiar to ti-n riblic it is unnecessary to
recapit .late them. more particularly as very lath. was
addle, .1 having any important and direet application to
the pris •r. The witness wk... testimony bore Most
iiiiii sliA;ele Ilion the accuse I was
Eliaa Dallimore, who del-me:el sr follow% ;.—My
huc-
h,.nl in. an ellii.er in the Wilts I 'minty Police. On the
aftenuem of s.turday, the :MCI of June, I went to
Ituaidlidldentse for the pi.rposi: Of examining the fe'eale
imitates of the house. I went Ut. to tile hullo re, and
went in with the nurse. la opening the doer I 10111,51
it Rialle a little noise. Any one aecustintril to the door
by opening it with care might do it without making any
noise, but a atraisger inuld nut. I said " Well nurse,
thi is a very shocking thing about the poor di.1.1," and
she said, "It is." I :Odd, •• Can you give any account
of it. do you think r She said' "I got up about fire
o'clock, and uniumil the chit i from the eot, Piet I laid
down again." I Said, " Why Ilia you lay ileia-n again
after missing the little boy ?' She said, " I tl he
must be with his 114 Ike generally gins in there
in the suarmir,." She mid, " This is dime through
jealouay ; the little boy pies into 11111111.iniins'S Mont and
tells everything." I saol, "No one weld her •
child for doing such a thing as that, would they ?"
'' Who do you think would do it, nurse r She
said I really can't tell." She undreamed herself, and I
went out of the room till sin: hail finished. That is all
I reineiailier that she said at that time ; aloe made several
oh • 're:diens about the murder. I examined the other
female inmates of the I -. I also the night-
dresses of the yaung ladies, including that of Miss Con•
stance. L (MIMI Ilutleng whatever suapieious about any
id them. After doing this I went down into the kitchen;
the nurse come in sii • • • I time. while I was there. The
nightdress of Miss Constance, like thosc. of the other
ladies, appeared to have been worn about a week. When
I was in the kitchen I sail, " This is a shocking Song ;
I tieek the whole house is responsible for the child."
The nurse, who Was present. told Ines that the little boy
had 110 t been very well, mail that she Insh given inin mune
medicine on the tiay of the iiiiirekr. .4 pro sen Haien:it
Fric'ai•r came to the kitchen door, an.l the noir*. turn. .1
retnel and said, " What have you been doing Fricker ?''
He " I hare been Opotillig the water closet. 'File
iiiirse a MI have you found bur thing Ile teetl, "Nu."
" Nor yati won't," the lierst sAi.l. Nothing, way 5,41,1
at that time :dealt the hitanlnuig of 4 knife. On MondsY,
the th id July, the nurse W.,5 brought by Superimett•
dent Foley ig a trap to my liouae, to remain with
sue for a little time. I spoke to her gee, ral times
about the child. I asked, •• Who could you think
Ins, lillirtierett the child She san,l. " I don't kuiwv.
I think . • one noist have aecreted in the
I told her I did not think any one was secreted
in I!, Linus,, intl asked her low they could get in.
" I don't know anything about it ; I can't say," she
re! heil. Luring the week I said, " The cut being fulled
down as it was, I don't think soy One Cuillil li.mrt taken
ont the hlatiket ." She taid it seas a Idanket, and
could be elided out underneath. I told her Itl gia it
was impoesible for ally mie to Italie taken the child out
and have left the bed in that position I said it wax
impieuilde fur one nersein to have dune the murder, 1
said, looking at the site of the child, it was impossible
for filly person to have tucked in the clothe's with the
child ill his arms. She amel, "1 don't know about
that, lett 1 nut touch the cot ; it Was as I found
it." I spolee to her aeveral times, after about the
niewler. I asked her if she tlionglit it was Miss (I:in-
stil:cc. She said, " I 't think Miss Constance could
have done it." I I.lteel her what she thought of
Master %Vlil.ulu, with Miss Constance, having dune it.
" !" she " Master Wiliistm is re tit for a girl
than at boy." I told the muse 61. e did nut Scent to Shen
very Well, pull she said cite alept more soundly than
usual oil the night or the mewl, r because Ale !Old more
work to ilo that they. I ask.' lier bow it was she did
not hear anybody mine into her room. Sine mid Limy
might have put ruilletoilig to her nose Anil 050,4151 her to
Inane monody. I aakeel her if elle thought Mr.
Kent did the murder. She 'said, " ;I Could not
thinle for A 1110111ellt that lie elbl it, for lie is to., fund of
Ilia ell .i.lisll." I asked liar a here bile found the child's
clothe s 011 the morning, and she replied, "Oh, wheie it,,
you think I found them, but where I tint then r
was alivan a piece of &heel lay Mr. Foley at Road-hill-
house on the day of the murder. Since then it has heel)
a saint In of instruction* (ruin Mr.
Foley I took this cheat-llama:I Lu, Itoral-bill-house. I
.1.) test think it was maile for a ; It appe.trs
to bane Well 11.1.51 C 0111 of the back of some other gir-
-1 went, hut I believe it has Leen used by it Wlllll,Ol for the
' pr. tise:ion of her chest. It was on the 9th of August
I :.4.1: this Hound to Itoad-hill-house. The nurse Caine
dealt several times un.l aaked me what I Wits duaig
there. I said, " A gentleman will tell Inc what I lose
1,. do before I leave.' Mr. Foley came into the kitchen
mid told me to try the flannel on the cook, houarnimia,
and nurse. I did eu : the piece of flannel was not wide
enough lor the cheat of eil her the cook or housemaid)
On my pieceeding to try tho Oil the nurse she
" It is nu use, even if it A's lilt; that is no reason
Any huould liaVe done the murder." She did tout
liesitate to take off her things. I tr, d the Haiitiel on
her, 40111 h 141151, •• Tim ace, 1/111-be, the II ditiel exactly tits
yeu, which it ilbt lut the servants." She repeated that
that xvaa no tia-on why she diit the murder, and add
the flannel i,inhi tit others at well am her. I mail, "libel
is title ; it tit.% Inc. and Might tit a great many others,
but tioy War,: Oa in the house at the time of the
MUIII, c.'' I went to Roaillaill-liouge this m iiiii iug with
Sup. bi.b.litient Wolfe. I Went IWO the nurse's bed-
timiii there with Mrs. Kent. I saw • cot and • bed
there. I got upon the bed, and knelt upon it, and
looked across to the cut. blrs. Kent brought her little
child into the 'lean, and it was pist into the cut end
coeereel up with the bedclothes in the usual way.
Kneeling up in the l-ed I witild nut see the child. I
could only sce a tonsil portion of the pillow. 'Abe site
of the cot is open Caine's,,, In, but is faced by something
nuide rabid) prevented the child from hying seen through
it. 1 aaa the hianket with which the little child was
covered ; it is I 4 aid In lingth and I yawl in width ;
it would not allow much to Ise ItlCll,-11 iu at the side, but
ills quite enough to be tucked in at the bottom of the
cut.

By the thairman.—When 1 went to try on the chest
liaised sit Road-liill-lauuse none tit the women servants
aura such nu article.
Lrouaiuii,e.i by Mr. Ribton.—l did not take down
in writing any of tho lendtlien“i couversationa I bad
milli the prisoner. Mr. Slack examined use last w.ek.
Taat was tile first time 1 mentioned them COIINIMArt.
the Kimucr. 1 tout use magistrates the result id
Div experiments with the cliest•tl. .1 before the pri-
sosier lilt 11...1 for her father's house on the 27th of
August ; but 1 slid nut aay nophiug to them about the
couverpotioiol. I MU, sot aNkL,I about them, ated 1 did
Lot thitik it worth while toapeak of them unasked. ii
ars after the inquiry into Slisa Coustance's Cu, that I
b:ii d the flaatiel on the ',simmer. The flannel has been
cut out to come old gariiimit, and I du nut think it was
made for the cheat.

Tim Co:minim said it struck him that nothing that
C1.1.1i. (coin the tirimitur%i room could add to tlio un-
I lr.i the child hum•olt came from thr room.

Ihe piece &mud truuitl be good et Menet; againat any-
laaly else, but it coukl nut be evidence ,tgain.t the per-
bull train it hum, room ti., e1,i,1 wa cenfeatiedly taken.
kir. I:ibtun was; much obliged fur the auggestiun (rum
the itebvii, and oul.l not further puraue the matter ;
bet lie might state that he wait tubt tile prituner I.ad
toe Cr aura a &mid 111 her life.--ITo the a itue..--
Thom; things are generally worn by elderly Italica, are
t Ley. nut 71

\Vito, Oh no, by young ladies as well as old
Is! es. I si,.ar 011 C mybell (Laughter.)
Mr. I *hull not take the liberty of asking
you your age, SWIMS. IseNl d lAtighttr.)
Witne.ot contioutd.—Wl.ru 1 lookml at the cot this
mug I wAs on my knees in the lied. It aits the
youngod child *Mob was p 1 in the cot. I du not know
wit. mar it was younger than the boy who was mut--
timed.

ii.iperintendent Woife.—On the Ist of Augnst I was
alma n hy the priumer tl e position 0 the cot mid her
own bed. When I went to Road to-day I found the
cot and the he.l in precuiely the same position. I nay-
silf put the clothes in the same stste in which the
.se told me she found them u the morning after
the murder.

Dlr. Clark, clerk to the magivtrates, produced the
depusition of the prisoner taken before the magiatrataa
at Road on the 91. of July, uu the occasion of the gene•
rid imptiry into the cireunictioluec of the murder.
At the reque4 of sir. Itibton,
Dlr. Kent was recalled, anil stated that, on the 9th of
July, while being examined before the insgictrates at
Road, he caid, "I believe come one well aiqualuted
with the child and the I cc, or come dhichargeil set,
cave muct have munlercif the child. I know that a div-
clirrgril tervant of 'nine has uced expressions of revenge
tlie children."

I r. Itibtom—l shall not ask the name of that person.
! My object is hot to throw suspicion upon any individual.
! Icit to show that the expreasimos of the prisoner, "Oh !
it is revehge," and " Oh ! it is i-sious.y," may have
' hail some groutel, however unfounded, in the circum-
stances; of the family.
Witness continued.— A discharged servant called my
cldidreu "laomd children.° particularly referring to

the LtL. Loy, when ..he left. a few daya before the
end of the 10.1111:1, she owe %engem., pg.tiost the
children mid Him:dolled myself but Idu not recuilezt
the teed.., word..
_ . .

The r inlrtran. The magistrates linve made inquirie•
s
respecting the person, and M6ve found that she was not
the neighbourhood at the time the murder wAs e,oir
: initt..d. . .

• Mr. Clark prAnced another statement made by the
pri•oncr in tbe 13th mr.l:aly. and ow, made on-ordh
when Mhei Coast:eon Kent
The contents of time dchosithems have already been
puldidied, end vnihra‘v nothing whit m has not, bm"
elicited mu the cow se of the present inquiry.
Mr. Sounders.- -This ma 111, case for the presecution.
The rue... Mugs were thou adjourned until the neat
day.
Tllf,Wl:lllDiat, f)ct. 4.
Elizabeth flemu.th was this morning again placed at the
bar. Time umazastretes hell( their seats on tie bench at
II Aick. Sir John W..tudre prAdcml. The attend-
ance of the public was even lager than it wax On the
be three previous days, ataZ a mtuutr of ladies were slso
pre•eitt.
Tile memume connsel appeared for the prosecution and
defence a• WI yesterday.
'iiprisdaer looked anxious and careworn, bnt there
w. mom change in her mleameanour, %VIAL'S WWI firm and

c.,mio,ei.
Mrs. Ibillimore was re-ezatuined, and her husband
aI.. gave evideuee, but their testimony was maim-
port ant.
Mr. Satm.!‘ r. appraen.!.. I it was r, r t..
dekrinine i. it r ~• I,nl I. s,i s:1•1
to s.y upon whst cliarg, the primg,cr sleatld he cone
omitted. .

Chairman wsoi quite aware that the charge on
which a rti•••,er 1.14 rolsljUtd wac in the discretion
of the Cmirt ; kit, at the aime time, looking at the
grave con 'nonce: of a ..... mittal to a young person
whii,. provi•o: unto:r.lents were known to be re,peet-
Ale, he Wileaer it War intetilkiii to cilar.4i, the
prisoner as principal, accomplice, or aevessory after the
Lot. . .

Mr. Saund-ra was not instructed to make any special
applicatian as to flue form of c 11111 l supposing
the inalist!...s to cuing to the winedision that such a
step should be taken, as the eli lirman was quite aware
that in the event of a comiii;ltal the proms:stor was not
bound to prefer his hill bef..re I lie grand jury on that
particular charge.
Mr. Itlbtott then proceeded to ml !ross the magistrates
for the prisoner. Mr. Saunders hail said in his openinz
mwecli that the tragedy enacted at Ronul had sent s thrill
of horror through every lentsr in the country. l7nilcles-
tins dily, this dreadful crime, if wilful erime it was, stood
out ..hale in the ; ala of atrocity. To funnier a poor
isibwent, utiotfeieling, and unprotected child under such
circant-tances was indeed s eel lie which it would he jog-
posAil•le to describe in fitting language. It was a crime
which might be said to
.. -blur tile of dav . _

"And ties: deeeer'sliaile iiPei the dusky brow of nietit."
But lie was afraid that one feet was pitifully prominent
in L111.10,41110(0.1 ill Illiry—viz., that they were net 111111/
any nearer the truth than they were iniiiiteliately alter
the perpetretion of the dreadful art at Hoed. The
exertione of the proseeutfirs —conducted in is manner to
whieb lie weulil preeeetly allude—lied, unfortunately for
teem. unfortunately for the public, unfortunatety for
the intereete of truth, been tented into a wrong rhantiel,
The Bench, however, lied not now to consider by what
fien I in human shape. the frightful deed WAS perpetratea.
The qiiibl.oll before them was, had any evidence been
addlooll which would w ,rreut them in mending Hie
accused for heal! Ile wind.' at the outset direct their
attention to one or two points which, though discussed
by Mr. S modem in his opening speech, had really no
Milne& 'to hearing open the present case. The first
had reference to the tone at which the 11111likr
Was committed. He submitted that whether it
was committed early in the night or towards
the approach of morning. hail nothing to do with
the prisoner RL (110 bar. The lueetion of time mold no
more affect her than it could any other prom who
might be charged with the crime. So with respect to
the wound iiitheted filer death. Whether it out
indicted after dead', or whether the child was ,tell alive
and breathing, hail nothing to do with the prisoner. It
was a •peculation foreign to the preeent inquiry. Mr.
eseutillere lied made • great deal of the Newfoundland
deg, and ef the fact that it Willi not heard barking on
the night if the tender. It appieired, however, th it
that eireunveance was of no impirtance whatever as
r. g iriled either the prisons r or anyboly else, whether
i ~,,, ate of the house or a stranger ; }memo° the
eihlence hail proved beyond question that the ilog wan
enclesoll in a yard, and that any Person might have
Ismael front the drawing-room WIllilOW: or even front
tt.e front door if the drewing•roem window were •
"hi nil," witheet being seen ify the dog at nil. Mr.
Saunders hail indulged in various Ise:celiac, epezulations.
lie hail sdil, in the first place, thet noinely
could have broken into the house. Mr. It.leois,
having referred to the prolohility of mime person
being coecealeil in the het., went ou to lay- • •
Bat it did nat necessarily follow hot loonier was con-
tempiated in the first instantie. Perliepe all hi, it was
intruded was to t tke eseey the child. Sitpposing that.
when the child we: re aid from the honee, it wOo
found I het the slithilz pro-ess bad been carried fir.
how did the remaining fact aecord eitli his speculation
that the deed rei, done hy a stranger Tile throat wai
tilt, • stab Was given in the title, and the body was
thrown down a water-closet. It was unquotionably
put there for secrecy ; lout an initiate of the house mast
Isaac litiown that, melee to the constniction of the
watereloset, the body meld not pass the eplesh•lmard.
lieeid, s if the munler hail been committtol by oue of
the inmates, some tricot of Ifleol must have been die
-
covered ; fide although the el/111011C! Of the surgeon went
Mellow that the blood did not sport out of the wounds,
yet blood was found on the Star of the water-closet, mid
wholly could have handled the chill without having his
clothes in unite degree st tine I with blood. But thole
Was Ink evidence of anything of the sort. The crime.
again, twee have been iietp 'Meted with s 111 l le iustrui
meta. Mr. fiiiinilere hail, strangely enough: produced
tuu,,,iie to tell the megistretea that all the knives were
s ,fe ; bet them wee mu entire ebeener, as far as at iins
of blood an I an instrument were coneerileil, of anything
to comma :dubiety in the house with the muriler. How
iii,! 010 culprit get away ? It was a kin irk doleful that
it Was 'stated by the prisoner, it. some of the many Mill-
TeNatione which she had with the other inmates, polio-
ollie era, and others, (hot she saw the marks of tai, feet
! upon the cirri in the drawing-mime Those inarks
scent 'ls, observed by Mrs. Kent, who had described
them as pointing in the direction of the window, and as
haVilag been maiie apparently by n•iled 11100 S or
le mt.. Flow canoe those footmarks there? It was idle to
eeiipose Heft such boots or ahoes—filleil with hails— were
worn toy the prisoner ; lint hail the prosecution made
anv inquiry with the vii w of dieciivering by whom the
marks woe made? Fieemarks were also found On Vie
tall grass outsi le. Ti,. .aistant gardener. 'AllowaY,
had explained that they were mien. by himself the night
ho-fine; hut ifs straneer was leaving the house after '
lieving cut the throat of this child 111 the water-closet,
would not those mirks of feet in the tall grass at once
eiimpist to him is mole of teking his departure without
kaviug a trace behind? There must have been a heavy
fall of flew on the night of the teenier, for it wee the
Idle of su 11111 l er, and yet iffi far as he knew no mirky,
of dew were felted on the beets or shoes of the inmates,
if, indeed, they were examined. Mr. Settielere had
stated in his ole•ning lipmeli that the drawingirimin
window could not have been put in the state in which it
was found exi•ept li3u Nlliale penion wilt, returned into the
huts: lint lie hail utterly failed to prove hie assertion.
The prosecutor hail peer thought it worth while to
make the experimmit. It lied been left to Kerslake
and Ilex, the cook and housemaid. to make the expert.
pint for them+. Ives, which they huh on the
morning oh the ferment inquiry, when they feund that
It Was perfeetly may from the outside to put the window
in the comlitaiin ii, Which it Wee (11SCOVOIS.S1 on the
morning after the murder. lie did not mean to assert
that the crime was perpetrated by a stranger, but he
had thought it his duty to AIIOW that the hypothesis of
thie being an accidental murder, the original intention
going no further than the steailng of the dal, and of
. .

its having been perpetrttel by a stranger and not by any I
of the inmates , if the house, wa.; not inconsistent with
the facts which hal be,.. proval in evidence. Another
specul-tion in which Mr. Satind,•at hail indulged watt
that the murder must have been llone by inure that one
venom. There was no reasonable proof of that. Surely
it was poasible for a strong anti active men or woman to
take a child of four years of age from a cot, and, having
first stifled its cries, to take it away without being
heard. But Mr. Saunders, having laid down the pro-
'Nattiest that the order could not have been dune by one
person, hail very illogically jumped to the conclusion
that of the two perstets engaged in the act the prisoner
must have been one, whoever the other might have
been. The learned gentleman proceeded to direct atten-
tion to Ow facto tit the ease. He referral to the charge
which had been made againat Miss Constance Kent, and
exj.resasid his tpinion that the magistrates wisely and
justly discharged that young la ly from enataly, although
Oh :evidence against ht r Was c nsiiluc.siuly stronger than
that against the poor girl vow at the bar. That maw-
rutien laving failed, it was then. he said, that direc-
tions came down faun the Home-office that the
Attorney-General oas consulted, and that Mr. Slaa
was imported into the case und a 1111 l nenced those inqui-
ries at Road and elsewhere which, he believed, would
he reprobated and denounced by everybody e:tIYdAY of
forming an opinion on the subject as alike alien to the
spirit o English law and muliver-ive of every known
principle of English just. ie. How bad the prison. r at
the bar Wen treated'? While Mr. Kent and his family
had from first to last enjoyed the assistance of an
attorney, WhO during the examinat conducted by
Mr. Slack, not only pat qutstions, but interposal to
prevent other question being pot—while Mr. Slack had
listened to the statements of every inmate of the house.
collating and comi mug them with one another, and
&Ruing inferences from them simply awl in combina-
tion—the poor girl sit the bar was not examined at all.
He vs I) much mistook the ttil.unal which he had the
honour of addressing if they would comment to allow
tie mselves to be male the instruments ..r this terrible
injuatice. He bet ieved they would tel; the prosecutors
that before they could atsk them to commit the pri-
soner for trial they most prove two things—first, that
they had conducted the preliminary inquiry f :irly ; and
secondly, that there was really soine aubstsutial evidence
against the accused. With regard to the piece of
flannel, the learned counsel commented severely on the
evidence of the woman Oath 111 l oho, lie said. if she
had not committed perjury, had about' suet an indif-
ference to troth as to renter her evidence utterly
worthless. Yet this was the woman who was intro-
duced at the close of the prosecution to strengthen the
weak parts of the caw. After the intimation a hich had
fallen from the bench WI to this piece of flannel, he
would say very little more on the point, except
to regret that a woman who had manifested much rea-
les% indiflerence to the fate of the poor girl at the bar
and to the interests of justice had been called as •
witness in the case. What did the conversations which
this *muse to-day had been called upon to detail imply ?
Absolutely nothing as helicating the prisoner's guilt.
God* forbid that he should attempt to cast suspicion
upon any individual, hut he could not help saying that
if Mr. Kent were to he placed at the bar the evidence
againat hint would lie far atrunger than that which had
lied, produced against this poor girl. There could be no
doubt. at all event*, that the tettimony adduced when
Miss Censtatnce Kent was charged was more complete
than anything which had been laid before the bench on
the present a:cession, sod, As the magistrates had moat
justly refused to commit that young lady, no he hoped
they *mild lost hesitate to adopt the same COMO with
respect to Its unfortunate client.
The magistrates then withdrew to deliberate in

priente, and were ahsent for about half an hour. On
their rid • rn.
The Chairman saiil,—We do not think that a sufficient
priatsi facie roe has been ontablislied for c tttttt nitting
the young pernon at the bar to gaol for a period of some 1
the, and thus to cast a rertitin atigma upon the j
character of 011 C who has previutoly borne on ,
tintilemislied reputation. And who's conduct. as for as
it has rime before us in this matter, with the exception
of one or two Carta to which I need not allude at length,
is without reoroach. I ..11.11 :ering bow intieh curiosity
has bCell exhilittial relative to this dreadful affair—the
..ialiety naturally evioceil liy ea,, boily connected with
the family, the ottiemias inouiriei of those who are
I seemly eitrioni, and the °Mei:a investigations of the
authorities—it is reusarkable that wo aliould bee no
*Pherrauce, even if we could suppose lii rto be guilty,
either of a %ellen resarri on the one Mind, or of an
ictfecic.l friiiikaiesn on the other. When so many
!wraiths have elle-eased opinions its to the mode
in which this murder was done sual the motives
which xuggeated it, I ant not surpri.ed that the
young perniin at the bar have follewed the
general example and (twined a hypothesis of her own.
I do not nay that there in no material evidence before
us which may hereafter, perlialw with additions,
he in some wry or other actcd upon. Therefore, the
decision id the niagiatrates is that. although they will
nor commit her for trial, they will bind her to appear if
rho should he wanted again. Sureties to a moderate
ailment will be re piired. Sinue utiservations have been
mail, by Mr. Whim,. ts•rliaps 11,4 Illlnntlllll,lly, reflecting
lie me.ii• in at, Mr. Shsei. Las in
duet,. h.:. We think it our duty to nay that,
lq.:•41111; trim, what has conic before us, we do hot tliiiik
ayt I i, I.ke misconduct can be attributtl to that
I Tim • of the mngistrates WAS received with
I none cheering from the Fart of the court occupied by
I the taiLlic.
. . .

Tno pre.oner wa., then digeliar,ze.l, a verbal bond being
tAken from a relative to produce her, if required, under
a penalty of £lOO.

VIOLENT GALE IN EDINBURGH, AND ON
THE NORTH-EAST COAST.
EDINBURGH. Wednesday.
This morning thu neighbourhood was visited
by a storm of winch of unusual violence even
at the period of the minim's. The wind began to rise
about midnight, and between -I and 5 11.111. it blew • per-
fect hurricane, cud continued with boisterous VS iMUMMA,
di about noon. Numerous trees, 'tailings, chimney
pots, fie.' yielded to the violence of the gale, and cosi-
sitlerabledamage Itas been done in the fields, Iltackysnli,
and ganknd, and several wooden erection., have be. u
blown down. In the Firth of Forth the gale we. very
severely felt. A fishing boat, with three men on board,
was capsized about midday when near:ng Leith Pier,
and one of the fishermen, named John Liston. was
, drowned. The other two elell clung to the boat till they
Iwere taken off by the crew of another Newhaven boat.
The boat drifted to the baek id the pier and &dammed.
I Early in the morning a lighter bound from Leith to
Granimmouth, laden with gunpowder. was wrecked oB
I North Queensferry, and her crew, consisting of three
men, lost. About 7 o'clock the lighter hisebeen seen
making for Queensfarry, a quarter of an hour after-
ward* she was driven upon a rock near the flattery
Pier, and almiett immediately the vessel went to pieces.
Two of the men immediately punk awl never roi.e. The
third clung to a mast, and for one hour and • half
battled face to face with destiny. The preventive gig
of the comitguard was without delay launched to eile
rescue, but an violent was the gale, that she was in-
, staidly dashed among the rocks, her sided being atitve
in, nail the gig ciiii quently ',oiler.. I udelass. Seeing
• all human aid baffled by the fury of the elements, the
, poor fellow, resigning I self to fate, waved thc spec-
' taloro tot his grim Conflict a loot adieu, and met death,
, about 40 yards fr shore, with the calm heroism of •
i Braid!' sailor. The unfortunate men were, it is said,
natives of Greenock. Front the whole of the southern
, awl midland counties of Scotland reports !MVO been
reecived dhowittg the great severity of the gale. In the
; Firth of Tay, also, considerable dania,,ae was done to the
I shipping and for SUM hours the ferries were quite
Railway trathe Its.. also been in various