The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-29 00:00:00

RAILWAY AND PUBLIC
_pOMPAPIX.4 IN

PARLIAMENT.

COMMITTEE ON SCorrion RAILW ATE. —A com-
mittee, consisting of Mr. Haggard, chairman, Sir J. John-
stooe, and Megan. Peacocks, Blanco's., and Moor, will
meet, on the re-aseginbliug of parliament, to consider the
merits of the following proposed new railways for Scotland
—Crieff and M.tbvin Junction, Danboro Valley, Great
North of Scotland Railway, No. 1, North British Railway
(Perth Branch), Scottish Central Railway (Dundee and
Newtyle &amnion, Stations, sod Dundee and Forfar Line),
Soottish North Eastern and Alyth Railway, and Birth
Atwood Valley and 5104100 u Railway, Scottish North
Easters and Scottish Central Amalgamation, Caledonian
Railway (Brolisholm and Tennoctiside Branch), Dumfries.
shire and Cumberland (Solway) Junction, Hamilton sod
Strathaven and Caledonian Company'. North British
(Abbey) Holm and Legate Branch and Carlisle Citadel
Station Branch, Portpatrick Railway (Steamboats).
THE EAST LONDON RO.ILWAT (TELI.MID4 TUNNEL L1...1E)
Tb* total number of house. proposed to be purchased and
pulled down for this proposed line amounts to 970, dis-
placing as far as can be estimated 6.713 pergola. The
property consists principally of small dwelliog-hones,
dilapidated larger onee, and let off tenements in obscure
courts and ow:allied localities out east, the number proposed
to be taken in St Matthew, Bethoal•greeu, being 57, dis-
placing 302 persons ; 216 in the neighbourhood of Queen
Aone•street, Whitecliapel, displaciog 1,491 ; Mile-end Old
Town 99 houses, sod 529 persona ; 87 in St Botolph, Ald•
gate, and 510 person. ; 321 in the vicinity of Back Church-
lase and Gravel-lane, St. George's.io.the-East, displacing
2,569 persons ; and 187 houses in St Mary, Rotherbithe,
ejecting about 1,312 persons. It is stated that although
power in sought from parliament to tak e thio whole of than
uses aa being within the limits of deviation, yet it is not
probable that more than • comparatively small number will
actually be taken, and that so provision is made for the dia.
placement, ea no inconvenience is anticipated.

THE ALLEGED FRAUDS ON THE SOUTH EASTERN
AND GREAT NORTHERN or FRANCE RAILWAY COMPANIES.—
at the Dover Quarter Sessions, yestonley, Henry Williams,
one of the clerks employed by the South Eastern Railway
Company, was brought up on several charges of etubeulisg
monies belonging to the South Eastern and Greet Norihern
of France Railway Companies. The mooiee were alleged to
have been received by him for railway tickets issued to pas-
sengers between Dover and Paris. He wee first indicted for
stealing 5/. 13s. 6d., the property of the South Eastern Rail-
way Company, at Dover, on the let of January, 1864. There
was a second indictment spinet him for stealing 171. 10e. 6d.,
the proprty of the same company. on the 27th of Vey.
1863. The prisooer was acquitted on both charges, but the
Recorder (h r. Bodkin) said enough had transpired to justify
him in recommeodiag him to be very careful as to his con-
duct for the future. The prieoner wee thee discharged.
The total defalcatioo of tickets issued to Paris and the re-
ceipts reported to the company on amount of them amount
to 84h1.

SOUTH KENSINOTON Museum.—During the week
*aiding March 26, the visitors have been as follows :
Oa Monday, Tomday. and Saturday, free days, open from
10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 14,118; oat Wednesday and Thursday,
Modesto' dare (admission to the public open from
10 mu. all 6 p.m., 1,712; total, 15,830. Prom the opia-
te( of the museum, 4,515,25:3.
Moaa THAN EVER AND DM= THAN 'rm.—This
applies to the largest and best stork of opting and summer
patterns ever submitted for politic approval. The world-famed
M. trousers at Allred Webb MU.., the originator's only seta-
..[blMbrase Breekosnet, lionovarsquare. 18.1Adr

1864.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT.—Busy Sr. EDXONDS,
MAW 28.

Julia Brown was charged with the wilful murder of her
illegitimate child, Frederk*Brown, aged three years. The
prisoner pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Keane, Q.C., in opening the ease, said that the
prisoner at the bar was io Febnary last in service with •
clergyman of the name of Beth= at Brettenham. That on
thel7thof February she went to her father's at Felsham, and
she had only one dram with her. She bought some
rakes on the way And gave them to the children ;
her own child ate one, but the other did not.
She went to bed with her sister Elisabeth and the child.
When Elizabeth awoke she found that the prisoner was up.
At about 7 io she morning the prisoner went up to say
goodbye to her mother, as she was going back to her place,
and she passed through the room to say goodbye to bey
child. She was with the child only a few minutes, and
five minutes after the went out the grandmother heard
the child vomiting. She went into the room, and found it
had vomited over its shitt. When the grandfather came
home he was alarmed, and mot for Mr. Anderson, • clergy-
man, to baptize the child, and for Mr. Leech, the surgeon,
who pronounced it to be dying. The notion which the
doctor then formed wee that the child died from a rupture
of one of the intestines. When tbh doctor was there the
mother was lying on the Boor, and she stated that she was
' faint. The child died at about 4in the afternoon, and be-
tween 12 and 4 the prisoner left and went back to her place.
Mr. Leech opened the child and took away the stomach and
portion of the intestines. He observed in the stomach two
holm having a charred appearance, and indicating the pre.
sauce of sulphuric acid. They were afterwards tested by
Dr. Image, who mine to the conclusion that the child died
from the operation of sulphuric acid, more commonly called
vitriol. When the prisoner was taken into custody her
boa wassearched, and • dews was found which was
the one she wore on the day in question, and it was found
' to be stained with what afterwards was found to be sul-
phuric acid, entirely undiluted. Mrs. 13etharn had bought
• bottle of sulphuric acid to clean dresses, and finding that
it was very powerful, she pot it into • cupboard, and on
searching for it after the murder it was ((mod to be gone.
There was no sulphuric acid in the house of the grandfather.
The jury would probably come to the conclusion that snl-
phuric acid was administered to the child by some person,
and from the absence of say person in the house and no in-
dication of any spilt about the child, which would pro-
bably be the case if taken by so young • child,
and putting all the circumstances together, they would, he
thought, also be ooavioced that it was administered by the
prisoner. Now the prisoner was keeping company with •
man named Decopeter, and they would hear from the evi-
dence that he had made an objection to marry heron account
of this child. The jury would hear these bete, and if they
came to the conclusion that the was innocent they would be
delighted to say so, but if not they would do their duty
firmly.
Eridenoe at great length having bees taken in support of
the above statement,
Mr. Cherry addressed the jury on behalf of the prisoner.
He oommeooed by stating that the very feeble defence be
should be able to offer was owing to the generosity of the
high sheriff, who bad instructed him (the learred counsel)
to watch the case on behalf of the prisoner. But the jury
would contrast his position with that of the proescution,
who had the assistance of en attorney to get up the case,
and a leader of the circuit and • very able junior to conduct
themes. The jury would make all allowance for this. The
motive opened by the learned counsel for the prosecution
had entirely failed. The man not only said be had
not promised but that the child had
been grantrooed. • prosecution were bound to
show acme motive for this most unnatural crime.
Both the grandfather and grandmother were very much
attached to the child, and had never made any objections to
maintaining it ; the prieooer therefore bad no mercenary
motive, nor bad she that baser one suggested by his learned
friend, but which he entirely failed to prove. Then, what
opportunities had the prisoner for committing this crime!
She got up and went downstairs before her aster, and after
that she only went upstairs to take leave of her child se you
would expect • mother to do. While she was in the
room with the child the door of the grandmother's room
was open. She corns, back into the grandmother's room,
and, according to the grandmother's account, she remained
talking with her for half an hour. but, supposing it were
ten minutes, what was the doctor's testimony! Why,
that the poison would take effect at once, and that the
child would cry out.
The jury acquitted the prisoner, the judge declaring at
the same time thatthere was no imputation upon her family.

WESTERN ClRCLTT.—Dartzts, lilmeca 26.
Cow Couirr.—(l3aore Mr. Baron Mattis.)
Tai lORTH WILIALL NURDZIL

The calendar contained the name of Thomas Hieks, who
was indicted for the wilful murder of Isaac Kendall, a young
man living at Souodwell, Kingwood St. George's, on the
Bth of December last
The circumstances of the ease are am follows :—The unfor-
tunate deceased was is the habit of travelling with coal
from &iundwell St. George's to West Kinston sod
Coombe, in the cou•ty of Wilts. On the morn-
km of the 9th of December his body was found lying
in a ditch at a remote plain called Foothill,
within half • mile of North it mull, the bead being
covered with wounds, the largest of which was seven inches
loogisod three-quarter, of an inch deep, and penetrati•g the
bone. There were other wounds about the body and on the
face there wee a large wood under the noes, and paes►g
through the jaw bone. The wounds appear to have been
indicted with • billhook or sharp inatruwest of that kind,
and the deceased must have been attacked while lying
asleep ender his cart on the rind. The reason for the dr
owed being murdered wee, it is supposed. to have pre-
vented him from giving evideooe at • trial in which the
prisoner was concerned at the Wiltshire quarter seesioes.
Several parties were &naafi), but the evidence was purely
circumstantial, although it was considered by the magis-
trates to criminate H and he was committed for trial.
Mr. Baron Martin, in hie charge to the grand jury on
Good Friday, maid there could be no doubt • murder had
been committed. It woe aOW requiring their carioca Con-
sideration as is the bat mode of dealing with it. It did
not seem to be • case in which there woe a doubt whether it
was murder or manslaughter. The perpetrator of the crime
was undoubtedly guilty of murder, and from the deposi-
time, be did not think the magistrates mild have done
otherwise than send the prisoner for trial. The evidence
was certainly very suspicious, and they might have thought
Nom* additional particulars might have been obtained
be-
tween the commitment and the day of triaL But he re-
gretted th►t no new facts had become known. If
they (mod • bill the nun would hove • right to
be put upon his trial, and if he were acquitted
there would bean end of the matter so far u be was con-
cerned. It would therefore be worthy of their °maiden,
tioo what course they should take with regard to that bill.
It might be that the evidence when it came before them
would create a different impression this it had done upon
his mind as well as on diet of Mr.BaroolkazawelL They had
both reed the deposition, io order, if possible, to ascertain
what conclusion could be legally arrived at. If however
they were of opinion that there win sufficient evidence to
ensure • conviction they would return a true bill ; but he
trusted they would remember the fact, that if the prisoner
was put upon his trial and acquitted, th►t in the event of
their obtaining any additional particulate they could not
call upon the primmer to answer the charge.
Late on Saturday the greed jury threw out • bill against
the prisoner, and Sir J. Awdry. the foreman of the jury, is-
formed the court that on the post-mortem examination the
coroner refused to allow the body of the murdered man to
be examined by more than one surgeos. This fact the
grand jury wished to be communicated to the public.
Mr. Baron Bramwell inquired what wee the coroner's in-
quisition
Mr. Edina, who defended the prisoner, said the inquisition
was not directed against anyone. The verdict of the jury
was that the deceased bad been murdered by some person or
persons unknown.
Mr. Baron Broomall said, then them was no charge on
the coroner's inquisition, to which Mr. Win replied it, the
negative.

The prisoner will be discharged, but if soy farther par-
ticulius come to light he will be again epprebeoded.