The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-04-19 00:00:00

ecntral NeWs.

CARPET Mast:sacrum. —There has just been COM-
'acted at Wilton, for the MC.11.00111 at Woolwich, an
Axminster carpet in a single piece, ,neasuring seventy
feet in length and thirty-live in breadth, and weighing
nine pounds per square yard. The loom in which it
was woven has been recently erected, and is the largest
that has ever existed in this or any country. Its first
production was a carpet manufactured last year for
licr Majesty, which is now in Windsor Castle.
THE MURDER AT WENTHROMWICH.—On Wednesday
morning on inquest wan held at the Royal Exchange
public-Inutile before Mr. Hinchliffe, coroner, on the body
of John Corbett, the murderer of his wife in one of the
streets of Westbronawich on the With of March, as
already ii ticed in the Nxprees. It will be remembered
that the ilea .ased. after cutting his wife's throat, cut his
own also in s frightful manner. Although it was with
great difficulty that be could take nourishment, he lived
until Tuesday. After • long euanuation, the jury re-
turned a verdict of .felo de N.
Tue DODDINGTON TRAGEDY. —On Monday • petition,
numerously and influentially signed, praying for a coin.
'notation of the extreme sentence of death passed on the
two poachers, John Banks and Richard Bolton, con•
vieted before Mr. Justice Hill, at the late Chester
.%ssizes, of the murder of two gamekeepers, named
Thomas Maddock and James Beech, in • poaching
affray at Dieldington, was forwarded to the Home
Secretary. One of the grounds on which the petitioners
rely is, that the act was a momentary impulse, and
being done without premeditation, cannot strictly be
termed • murder. Both have since been reprieved.
PoisoNtiqn I-ImA WATCH—Two boys, one aged 15
years, the other 16, were charged at Liverpool last week
with putting chromate of potash (a deadly poison) into
the holy-water font in the Catholic Church Blackstock
Street. The culprits were employed at a soap inanufac•
tory, where the chromate is used to bleach palm-oil. The
adulteration was discovered by the "slippery' state of
the water; by its causing • burning sensation on the
foreheads of those who used it. and by its destroying the
texture of • woman's handkerchief, and by its colour,
which wan red. The boys said they did it to daub the
faces of the people not knowing that the stuff was poison-
ous. They were ordered each to find two sureties of I:10
each to be of good behaviour, or in default to be impri•
soiled for six months.

A Lerrza PEON THE SUIT N.—The Sultan. on con-
ferring a pension of 6,000 f. on Mademoiselle Eveillard,
daughter of the French Consul murdered at lljeddah,
wrote to her the following letter:—" Abdul Medjid
Khan to the young daughter of the regretted Consul of
France at Djeddah.--Soine insensate wretches have
immolated a just man, the father of • family. They
have left alone and an orphan the child of his blood and
of his affection. May Almighty God permit his servant
Abdul Medjid to beconie the second father of the young
girl, and may this sower of the West not refuse the
friendly dew which is offered to her by him who would
give his power and his life to cicatrise the eternal wound
made in her young heart. This is the prayer of the
unworthy servant of God, judge of the innocent and
the gnilty.—AßDUL MEDJID KHAN."

_
DEATH raox HTDROPHOBIA.—An inquest wu held
at Wolverhampton on Friday afternoon week, by Mr.
Coroner Phillips, on the body of Thomas Price, a labourer
at the Swan Garden Works in that town, who died a few
days previously in terrible agony. During the parox•
ysins he repeatedly charged Isis wife with having
pokined him, and this, notwithstanding the marked
character of the symptoms exhibited by the unfortunate
man, was considered to render an inquest necessary.
The post-mortem examination, however, fully cleared
the poor woman of all participation in her huxbanirs
death. Price was a great dog fancier, and had doubtless
been innoculated with the fatal virus by some one of his
canine pets, but neither lie nor any of his friends seemed
to have any recollection of his having been bitten or of any
of his dogs having become rabid. The jury found that
the deceased had died of hydrophobia.

THE Loss or THE JASEUIL—The official account of
the unfortunate loss of Her Majesty's gunboat Jaseur
says, the complement of that vessel was FA; met and
officers, including 12 natives of the itahsinas ; unless,
therefore, there were supernumeraries on board, the
number is erroneously stated in the New York news-
papers as having been seventy men. The official
account consists of a letter from Lieutenant Scott, late
commanding the Jaseur, to the Vice-consul at Trinidad,
dated Santa Cruz, Cuba, March 10. Immediately after
the receipt at Havannali of the intelligence of the arri-
val of Lieutenant Scott with part of his crew--twenty
in number—at Santa Crux, his Excellency the Captain
General ordered her Catholic Majesty's steamers Don
Juan d'Austria and General Lew to proceed to their
assistance; instructing the former vessel to convey
Lieutenant Scott and his party to Port Royal, and
directing the latter steamer to search all the bays and
the south coast of the island, in order, if possible, to fall
in with the two missing boats and take them to
Jamaica.

ROY AL COLLIEGE OF SURGEONS. —For 1101110 time past
the Council of this institution has been earnestly
endeavouring to destroy the plan of "grinding" or
" cramming," as it is teriued, to which many of the
candidates for the diplotita have recourse in
preference to studying anatomy and the human subject,
and going round the wards of their respective hospitals,
the only legitimate way of acquiring that amount of
knowledge which the public has a right to expect from
those gentlemen holding the diploma of this college.
The medical profession and the public generally will be
glad to learn that the examining board are likely to
succeed in this laudable attempt, by requiring the
young gentleman to undergo an oral examination on the
dead body, to test his knowledge of anatomy ; this is
succeeded on another day by a written examination in
physiology. If successful, lie is required to pursue his
studies in surgery and pathology, and again to submit
to an oral and written examination on two days before
obtaining his diploma, the Council requiring, LK hereto-
fore, that the pupil shall be four years engaged in the
acquirement of professional knowledge.
•A RAILWAY TRAIN ON FIRE. —An accident, which
:night have been attended with fearful consequences,
occurred to the express train which ought to have
arrived at Liverpool at S.•.fil on 'Tuesday night. Shortly
after leaving Warrington the surrounding country was
illuminated. Above the din of the train and the roar of
the engine were heard the cries and shrieks of the pas-
sengers. On dashed the engine—there were not any
means of communication with the guard or engineer—
and the roofs of the two carriages twit the engine, and
all the luggage, were ill a fierce flame. Most provi-
dentially the engineer's attention was attracted by the
I brilliant light and loud cries, and the engine was brought
I to • stand just in time to enable the passengers to escape
I unhurt. The Raining carriages were detached and sent
I to a place of safety, though it is believed that the upper
j parts of them were totally destroyed. Great praise is
due to the officials for their coolness, and the prompt
IIieAAUFFS they took to allay the tenor and to secure the
J safety of the passengers. Messengers and lights were
j sent back to prevent accident from any on-coming train,
and in the space of half an hour the train was speeding
lon to Liverpool. Such an accident as tliis brings the
necessity of communication between passengers, guard,
and engineer forcibly before the public.

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MURDER AND RIOT AT CABDlrr.—Michael Donovan,
a tobacconist, residing in Adam Street, Newton (Cardiff),
had been drinking at a public-house, and his wife went
to fetch him home. An altercation arose, which ended
in an exchange of blows between the wife and Mrs.
Ratthews, the landlady, and • policeman was called in to
clear the house. The man and wife went home, where
the quarrel was renewed. Cries of " Murder" were
heard, and a little girl ran out saying that her father
was killing her mother. A constable ran up to the spot,
and at the door :net Donovan, who said he wished to
give himself up for killing his wife. The poor woman
was still Ineathing, but before medical assistance could
be obtained she expired, as far as can be ascertained,
from the effects of blows. The prisoner was removed
to the principal police-station, and soon the police found
it expedient to remove Mrs Matthews there also for
safety ; for the inhabitants of the vicinity, principally
dock labourers, had become excited by reports of the oc-
currence in the tavern. Intact a most determined attack
was made on the public-house, resulting in the destruc-
tion of doors, windows, and a considerable quantity of
furniture. A detachment of police with difficulty
cleared the prenaisee, but could not prevent a continued
discharge of stones and other missiles being kept up for
hours, until there was not a vestige of glass left in a row
of houses said to be the property of Matthews. Even on
Tuesday the spot was surrounded by hundreds of people,
who vowed that they would not leave one stone on
another; and the services of several policemen were re-
quired to keep them back.
GREAT LOBS OF LIFE BY A COLLIERY ACCIDENT.—
At the Main Colliery, near Bryneoch, Glaiuorganshire,
501110 men unfortunately struck into workings of an old
mine, and the water began to flow apa..v. The men
last no time in attempting to plug the hole, but their
efforts proved fruitless. The water gained on them
with a rapidity that completely hurled them back by
its volume and pressure. The alarm was given, and
there was • general rush to the mouth of the shaft, the
only way of escape. Not a moment was lost in bringing
up the men. Tram after train was sent down, with the
greatest possible speed, and in a short time fifty-five
men and boys and two horses were rescued. But the
water gained on the miners, and about twenty-five of
them perished. As soon as it was found that no more
men could be saved, two powerful engines were set to
pump, and the trains were converted iitto water-tubs.
'These were sent up and down by the ....twines with mar-
vellous speed, and brought up as many as 432 gallons
per minute. In addition to this another powerful
engine was set in motion, which pumped out WO gal-
lons per minute ; but unfortunately the depth of water
was little diminished. In two hours the water attained
the height of sixty-three feet. SOllle of the men and
boys saved bad a very narrow escape. One boy saved
himself by clinging to a horse's tail. A horse, having
reached the shaft in time, instinctively jumped in as one
of the tubs reached the bottom. Another horse did the
same, and by clinging to his tail, the lad saved his life.
The Government Inspector of Colleries arrived at the
Pit next morning and made a minute inspection.

. -
SUMPECTED NURLIF.R AT IitIIISGATE.--4irest excite-
ment was occasioned on Monday morning at Ramsgate
and the neighbourhood, by the discovery of the body ~f•
man below the East Cliff, near the residence of Sir
Moses Montefiore, Hart., under circumstances which
lead to the supposition that a murder has been com-
mitted. The body was found naked at the foot of the
cliff, with a stab iu the left breast reaching to the heart,
one arm broken, and the left hand missing, having been
cut off from the socket. The hand and a small chop.
per were subsequently found on the rocks at no great
distance from the body, and the coat, ivaietcoat, and
trousers of the deceased were also lying near the spot.
The unfortunate man is believed to be • German, and
has been identified by the porter of the Royal Oak Hotel
as having been at the house on the previous Sunday
morning He then asked the porter to brush his clothes,
which was done, and lie soon afterwards went away. I
The porter remembers that the left hand of the deceased
was bandaged at the time, and froi:-. this circumstance
an impression has arisen in the minds of sonic persons
that this was a case, not of murder but of suicide ; that
the deceased in a fit of frenzy first chopped off his hand
and then stabbed himself to the heart. The fact of
the arm being broken, however, favours the opinion
that lie fell (ruin the cliff; and • medical gentleman who
visited the spot, being appealed to, laid it was impossible
for the deceased to Luse stabbed himself to the heart and
thrown himself over the cliff. No weapons have been
discovered with which the wound ill the left breast could
have been inflicted. An inquest has been held on the
body, and the inquiry adjourned for a week.