The Press.
London, England, 1853-12-24 00:00:00

qtc(ibents an Oftuts.

A SnoeKtxn MrnnEn was perpetrated in York on
Tuesday evening. Mr. John Hall, of Swainton New
near Scarborough, was at York, attending the
great Christmas horse show. In the evening, being
in liquor, he fell into the company of two loose girls,
who induced him to accompany them to the King's
Stahl), a dark lonely place, near the river ()use. A
little before six o'clock a 111R11 named Sargent saw
31r. Hall with these two girls, who were shoving hint
with a view, it is supposed, of robbing him.
Ile endeavoured to beat them oft, but was so much
intoxicated as to lie unable to do so, and they per-
sisted until they forced him gradually down to the
water's edge, when one of them gave him a shove.
and ho fell into the water. Assistance was imme-
diately procured, but he was quite unable to help
himself, and was sucked in under a vessel lying near
the spot. The body was found two hours afterwards,
with six 5/. notes, nineteen sovereigns, and ss. lid. in
silver, in the pockets. The two girls ran away, but
were apprehended in the course of the night.
A ItAnixi. AND SUCCESSFUL ROBBEILY was perpe
trated in the Strand on Monday. A brougham was
standing at the door of a jeweller's shop
with nobody
inside. The driver's attention was distracted for a
few moments by some queries addressed to him by a
gentlemanly-looking man, and meanwhile some thief,
evidently an accomplice, purloined front the interior
of the vehicle a canvas bag, containing an immense
itnantity ofjewellery. The property stolen is said to
be worth 2,001)/. Both parties escaped before the
loss was discovered. Probably they had somehow
got information of the bag and its value.

A C %sr: or SUSPECTED MCIIIIER a short
time since, under rather extraordinary eimainstances,
in the parish of St. Fergus. near Peterhead, Seot-
Wok the victim being a respectable laboming man,
on whose life the alleged murdurvr, Dr. Smith, had
etlCcted insurances to the amount of .2,M0/. Dr.
smith having lately been apprehended, a full inves-
tigation has been made, the result of which lins
just been made known to the Lord Advocate
for Scotland, upon whom it lies to determine whether
or not the accused shall take his trial for the deed.
Meantime Dr. Smith continues in close confinement
in the gaol of Peterhead.
AT THE 1111011 Colin' OF JUSTICIARY, Edrillbllrgil.
on Monday, William Cumming, a seaman, was con-
y ivied of the murder of his wife, by repeated assaults
and barbarous treatment. The prisoner had served
ill the East Italia Company, from which It was said
he had a pension, and married the deceased on his
return home five or six years ago. Several witnesses
deposed to repeated acts of the most brutal cruelty.

SATURDAY,

Medical testimony was called, and a long catalogue
of injuries was proved. The immediate cause of
death was oppression of the brain, caused by external
violence. The prisoner admitted having struck his
wife with his hand on one occasion, but alleged that
he knew nothing of the more severe injuries, and as-
serted that she was given to drinking. The jury
unanimously returned a verdict of guilty of murder.
The Lord Justice Clerk passed sentence of death on
the prisoner, to be executed at Edinburgh on the Hill
of January next.
NAKEI) $01)Y or A Yol-TII, with a number of
marks and bruises on various parts of the body, was
found on Monday morning last by a labouring man
passing down Irvine-place, in East Acton. Nothing
could be found lying near the deceased that would
show how lie came there, or how or where he came
by his death.
THE TorAL WRF.eli OF THE STEAM • sll 1-1 r3111()1.1
was announced at Lloyd's on Monday, and caused
much sensation, on account of the heavy amount of
insurances that had been effected on her cargo, which
is reported to have been worth upwards of
The Humboldt VMS a most powerful steamer, of nearly
1,400 tons burden. She had been twelve days out
only front England, but, getting short of coals, Cap-
tain Li ties bore up for Halifax harbour to obtain
fuel, and, on arriving oft' it, hove to for a pilot, who
shortly came on board, and undertook to take her
into the harbour without delay. A dense fog pre-
vailed shortly after, but the pilot persisted in going
,n, and in attempting to make the harbour ran the
vessel on to a forinidable reef of rocks, known as the
Sisters. She was immediately backed off, but on
sounding the pumps was found to be making water
so rapidly that it. became necessary to run her ashore.
The whole of the passengers and crew were taken ofd'
in safety, together with most of their baggage and
luggage. Very little of her cargo, however, was
saved, and towards night the sea broke completely
over her. Afterwards it is stated that the machinery
had sunk through her bottom, and the vessel was a
total wreck.

StNDAV EVENINa rim Mr.ruort, Gravesend
steamer, was run into, near Blackwell, by the Dublin
screw steam-ship Sylph, and, from the violence of the
collision, the Meteor was cut almost down to the
keel. Great confusion and alarm arose amongst the
passengers, who were saved with some difficulty.
The Meteor went down in a few minutes after the
shock.