The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-28 00:00:00

SHOCKING TRAGEDY IN CANTERBURY.

ATTEMPTED MURDER BY A LOVER, AND DES-
PERATE SUICIDE.

CANTERBURY, MONDAY MORNMO.
Last night, between 7 and 8 o'clock, a shocking
tragedy was enacted in this city. A young man
made a deliberate attempt to murder a young
woman, with whom be has been keeping company
about three years, and afterwards committed suicide
in a most determined manner. The parties belong to the
humbler walks of life, but the dreadful event his created
greet excitement in this city. The young woman, Esther
Cullen, is 21 years of age, end is a domestic in the service of
Mr. Higdon, of Castle street, end Horton, who wee years
of age, was a labourer in the employ of Mr Small, builder.
Horton had been keeping company with the girl for up-
wards of three years; but his conduct towards her was
occasionally very violent. Two years ago she summoned
h4in before the magistrates, and he wee bound over to keep
the peace. Since that time the girl is said to have fre-
quently expreesed her intention of breaking off the ac-
quaintance altogether. On Friday, however, she went
with him on an excursion to the Crystal Palace, and Yes-
terday afternoon they were out for • walk together. It is
said that they bad • quarrel oo Friday, but we have not
been able to ascertain whether there is any truth in the
rumour. Last night Mr. Higdon and his family went to
church, leaving the girl Esther Cullen and her sister,
who is about 12 years of age, in the house. Between
7 and 8 o'clock Horton knocked at the front door,
and on its being opened by the sister he walked in.
The sister invited him into the parlour, but instead of
following her, he walked straight into the kitchen. What
transpired is not exactly known, but in a few seconds the
little girl heard the report of a pistol, and Esther Cullen
rushed into the street, exclaiming that she was shot. She
, was bleeding from • wound in the face. An alarm was
raised, but some time elapsed before anyone ventured
to enter the kitchen, and when at length Mr.
Devise, superintendent of police, did so, he found the room
filled with the smoke of powder. He heard • gurgling
noise, and on looking round discovered Horton lying on the
floor io • pool of blood, with • large wound on his right
temple and another in his throat. Beside hint were two
pistols, both of which had been recently discharged, and •
knife. One of the pistols and the knife were marked with
blood. It is coojectured that after his intended victim left the
kitchen, Horton first stabbed himself in the throat with
the knife, and afterwards & the pistol at his bead.
A surgeon was sent for, and r. Tustin's assistant was
promptly on the spot, but his services were of no avail, es
death ensued in a few minutes. An examination showed
that either the wound in the neck or that on the temple
wee sufficient to cause death. The injury sustained by
the girl was, fortunately, not of • very serious cha-
racter. The pistols were of the ordinary description,
but evidently quite new, and io one of the deceased's pockets
• ball was found. It is difficult to account for the super-
ficial nature of the girl's wounds, as the *pistol was dis-
charged almost full in her face. Bat it may be that,
having been hurriedly and unskilfully loaded, the hall had
rolled out into the pocket of the deceased while he wee on
his way to the house of his intended victim.

DREADFUL BOILER EXPLOSION AND LOSS OF
LIFE.

At about a quarter to 3 o'clock on Saturday
afternoon the inhabit me of the centre of Greenock were
startled by • lend explosion, whichwas soon found to pro-
ceed from the bunting of a boiler on board the iron screw-
steam lighter Ruby, of Renfrew, lying at the Mid Quiy.
The following are the particulars :—The Ruby had a high-
pressure engine of about 8-bone power, which was supplied
with steam by a common fine boiler placed perpendicularly.
She belongs to Messrs. Henderson and Ooldburn, Renfrew.
Shortly before 3 o'clock she arrived in the West.
harbour, laden with coals, and having on board William
Crombie, the master, Richard Line, the mate, both be-
longing to Glasgow, Robert Gilchrist, et:gum-keeper,
belonging to Kilayth, and • number of labourers who
had oome down for the purpose of discharging the cargo.
When the Ruby came into the harbour she passed
up the west side of the Mid Quay, outside of a lighter
named the Brownie, belonging to D. Nicoll, coal agent here,
which in the early part of the day had been discharging
coals on board the ship Margaret Kerr, at the West Quay,
but when partially discharged had shifted alongside of a
brig lying in the same harbour. The Ruby ran
against the Brownie, the Ruby's anchor piercing
the hull of the Brownie under water on the starboard
side about the waist, making a hole in her. The
Brownie began to fill with water, and it was immediately
deemed advisable that she should be run round to the bank
opposite to the Tar Pots, on the east side of the Mid Quay.
Accordingly, for this purpose, the Brownie's warps were
thrown off, and the Ruby, with her anchor still sticking
in her aide, took her in tow, and both were run round
Pear to the Tar Pots. There the Brownie began to
settle down, and her crew were hurrying to get
on shore, collecting together their clothing for this
purpose. Just an the men of the sinking Brownie were
about to step oo board the Ruby, the boiler of the latter
burst with a fearful explosion. sending up • clued of steam
which for • few minutes ocaceeled the real position of affairs
in immediate proximity to the accident. When it bad
cleared away men were running from the place suffering
from injuries. It was found that Robert Gilchrist,
the engineman of the Ruby, had been cut about
the head, and that David Hooter, the mate of
the BreArnie, was missing. He bad last been seen
standing aft on board hie vessel, about to get into the Ruby,
and it is supposed that he had beep struck by a portion of
the boiler and knocked into the water. The after-part of
the Ruby had been blown out ; she had filled with water and
settled down oo the ground, the water reaching to about the
deck. It was high water at the time. The top portion of the
boiler, weighing about three hundredweights, had been pro.
jected over a number of high buildings, alighting on the pave-
ment at thenorth-west corner of W illiamatreet and Dalrym-
ple-street. A second portion of the boiler, not quite so large,
fell on the Breast, between the weighing machine and the
corner of William-street. A third portion of the boiler
was blown out into the harbour. A steam pipe was
blown through one of the wooed-floor windows of Mr.
Warren's boarding.honse. The man-hole door was projected
over the houses at the Breast, alighting in Shaw-street,
at the foot of Longwell Close. The engine grating
was thrown over a tenement, alighting on the top
of some cellars ; and a man's coat or jacket was thrown on
the roof of a high house. A large portion of the lighter's
deck alighted at the East Quay-lane. The most of
the wisdom of the houses and shop. in the district,
extending from opposite to the Fish Market oo
the west, to about Shannon's-close on the east,
were completely demolished by the concussion. Kane-
daily were the panes of plate glass in shops along the
Breast, up a portion of William street, and in Shaer-street,
some of them very large, completely swished. Shop-
keepers were running to their doors to look on the ruin
which had soddenly overtaken them, without being able to
sewing for the cause of it, and great consternation pre-
vailed, some attributing the devastation to the shock of an
earthquake. The streets were strewed with broken glue,
and several persons were injured by fragments of it falling
on them.—Grecnock Telegraph.