The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-19 00:00:00

Vrobintial.

ONE OF THOSE PAINFUL ACCIDENTS unhappily too
frequent at the seaside occurred at Dunbar last
Saturday. Two of the youngest children of Mr. Wilson,
who was staying at Dunbar with his family, went out
on Saturday afternoon to bathe ; the rough sea becom-
ing too much for them they were in danger of being
drowned, when the father and eldest brother rushed
in after them. Whether they all got out of their
depths, or whether Mr. Wi►son and his son became
entangled with the younger children, is not known,
hut the whole four were drowned within sight of Mrs.
Wilson on the beach. The eldest daughter Helen
was sixteen years old, the younger sister Alice four-
teen, and the son James eighteen. The father's
body bad not been recovered on Saturday evening.
The deceased gentleman was brother of Mr. Wilson,
Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
THE FLOATING ISLAND ON DERWENTWATER Was
seen for the first time this year on the 10th inst., and
is much larger in appearance than has been seen for
several years back, its length being about thirty
yards by ten broad, and it is somewhat remarkable
that it should invariably appear in September, as we
find in 1840 it appeared on the 13th ; in 1850, on
the 22nd; in 1851, on the 27th ; and in 1854, on
the 13th ; but on all these occasions it was only
visible for a few days, being submerged in conse-
quence of heavy rains; but if fine weather continue
it may probably remain visible for a longer period.
THE BEAR kept at the Elolms, near Clifton, last
Monday most savagely attacked a young lady who
was foolish enough to venture within the limits of
Bruin's tether. The bear fastened his teeth in her
person, threw her down, and hugged her with great
violence. Her screams and shouts attracted several
gentlemen to the spot, who boldly seized and beat
the brute till he bad relinquished Miss —. The
young lady is much hurt and seriously shaken.

MR. J. T. SENIOR, of Broughton-hall, Aylesbury,
was last week fined 5/. and costs by the local
magistrates for shooting w ithout a licence. Mr.
Senior is himself one of the county magistrates.
THE CATTLE MURRAIN is retorted to have made
its appearance among the cattle in the neighbour-
hood of Devizes. In one dairy, near the town,
several cows have been slaughtered, and losses have
occurred in other parts of the county.—The Bridg-
water Times reports the appearance of the disease
in that neighbourhood, and says it was first heard of
as attacking a beast recently imported from Ireland,
the owner believing it had brought over the complaint,
but it also has appeared simultaneously in other
parts of the low grazing lands of Somersetshire, and
where there was no reason to suppose it was im-
ported by any foreign cattle. In fact much dif-
ference of opinion prevails as to the contagious power
of the disease.
THE HERRING FISHERY for the year has closed.
The season has been brief, and not satisfactory.
John o' Groat's Journal, an authority on the question,
remarks :—" To many families the return of tho
fishermen will this year bring little to cheer the fire-
side for the next twelve months, for scores have not
only failed to earn a sixpence, but have sunk them-
selves in debt which may not be wiped off for years
to come." The trade, which appears to have been
conducted very recklessly, is said by the writer to
have received a check which may result in good, and
business men, it is to be hoped, will in future
endeavour to conduct their business on better prin.
ciples.
THE FIRST ANNUAL REPORT of the Woodbury
(Worcestershire) Reformatory School has just been
made. Thirty-seven boys have been admitted in the
course of the year—all under the 17th and 18th of
Victoria—of which number Worcestershire supplied
fifteen. Four of the inmates had been removed to
other reformatories ; two, who had absconded and
been recovered, to the 4kbar school-frigate ; one to
St. Bernard's, and one to Hardwicke ; two had been
discharged as unfit for reformatory treatment; ono
is at Parkhurst, having absconded ; and three have
absconded and not been recovered. This leaves
twenty-seven still in the house, of whom one has
run away twice and been recovered ; three have run
away once and been recovered ; and four are waiting
their discharge as cured.

M11MM.,...11
--

Yee an Volta.

A HORRIBLE MURDER was committed near Clifton
last week. 't'he details of the case are as follows :
On Friday evening a gamekeeper in the employ
of Mr. W. Miles, M.P., passing along the north
side of Nightingale-valley, Leigh Woods, near the
rabbit warren, discovered the body of a woman
lying on the ground, with her arms extended, and
her face covered with blood, quite dead. The
keeper raised an alarm, and on examining the body
it was discovered that her throat was cut from ear to
ear, and the head nearly severed from the trunk.
There was also a wound in the right side of the
head, apparently caused by a bullet. There were
no other marks of violence on the body, and no
instrument of death was found near it. The
deceased female appears to be about thirty years of
age; she is of diminutive stature, rather handsome,
and is dressed in a grey alpaca gown, frilled round
the neck and down the front, with kid boots and two
skirts, one gry and the other white. She had no
bonnet. The body was removed to the New Inn, at
Rownham Ferry, and information forwarded to the
county coroner, Mr. B. Fry. In the course of
Sunday it transpired that a respectable woman
named Bowden, who keeps a beerhouse in Dowry-
place, Hotwells, had stated that between twelve and
one o'clock on Friday a young woman of slight
make, and precisely resembling in dress the
deceased, accompanied by a sailor, came to her house
for some beer, and then left to visit Leigh Woods.
Upon further inquiry, these parties were found to have
no relation to the murdered woman. The inquest on
the body was held on Monday. G. Wort, the game-
keeper, described finding a bloody handkerchief in
Leigh Woods, and afterwards the body between five
and six o'clock on Friday evening. The throat had
been cut; there was the mark of a pistol bullet at
the right side of the head, and the blood upon the
arms and sleeves of the deceased's dress was still
wet. Near the spot were footmarks, apparently
those of a man. There was no bonnet, shawl,
mantle, or cap nesr the deceased. The pocket of
the dress bad been cut out, but this had since been
discovered in Ashton-park by one of Mr. Smyth's
keepers. Edward Jones, superintendent of the
Ashton police, produced the portion of the pocket,
and then deposed : The initials on the handkerchief,
" C.P.," were the same as those on the stockings,
flannel jacket, and chemise of the deceased. Thomas
Fry, gamekeeper to Mr. Smyth, of Ashton-park,
proved finding a portion of a woman's dress, on
Sunday morning, on the top of Rownham-hill. It
appeared to have been thrown over the park wall
froth the roadside. Mr. Rudd Lucas, surgeon, of
Long Ashton, described the appearances he observed
from an external examination of the head of the
deceased. There was an incised wound across the
throat about six inches long and from two to three
inches deep. The upper part of the windpipe was
completely severed. The external carotid artery on
the right side was divided, as well as the internal
carotid artery ; and the gullet was also wounded on
the right. He noticed a wound on the right temple,
apparently produced by a bullet. The cut in the
throat must have been made by a sharp instrument
—such as a knife or razor. He thought the deceased
had been dead about two days when he first saw her
on Sunday morning. The coroner then directed a
post-mortem examination to be made, and the in-.
quiry was adjourned for that purpose till this Saturday.
On Tuesday the body was viewed by a Mrs. Green,
landlady of the White Lion Tavern, Temple-street,
who speaks to it with considerable confidence as that
of a female who slept at her house on the Thursday
night. She states that the female came to her
house at twelve o'clock on Thursday night, with a
man whom she stated to be her husband. The hus-
band was dressed as a seaman. The woman had a
dark grey alpaca dress, with frill round the neck and
(town the front, kid or leather boots with high heels
(just the dress of the murdered woman), and a straw
bonnet with coloured ribbons, and black cloth mantle
with figured velvet trimmings. They slept there,
and breakfasted and left at ten o'clock, the husband
stating that he was going to receive his money
from his ship. The woman told the landlady that
she had been married since April, but had been
living in respectable service at Clevedon till that
day, when her husband came down and fetched her
away without giving any notice to her mistress.
What is regarded as a suspicious circumstance is
that the man induced the woman to turn her clothes
out of a box which she brought to the house with
her and tie them up in a bundle, and that before
leaving he gave the box to a servant girl. Con-
stables have been despatched to Clevedon by Super-
intendent Jones, of the county constabulary, to
investigate the matter. Mr. Superintendent Hand-
cock, of the Bristol force, has also sent a detach •
ment of twenty-five men to make a thorough search
of the wood. They are to examine every crevice,
and draw all the rabbits' burrows with hooks, in the
hope of finding the cloak and bonnet. Up to the