The Express.
London, England, 1862-10-03 00:00:00

MURDER OP 1 SHIPMASTER.

SHIELDS. WIEDNINDAT NIGHT.

Mr. Reed, the coroner for South Northumber-
land, held an adjonnsed ioquest, in North Shields, this
afternoon, upon tho body of Mr. Richard Sprague, ship-
master, belonging to Brixham, who died ow the 18th Sep-
tember last, from a fracturoof the skull, indicted upon him
by some person who bad attempted to rob him, on the night
of the 13th, in the Borough-road.
Two brother., named Joh° and Robert Armstrong, gave
very singular and confused statements of what they knew
of the transaction.
. . . .

J. Armstrong stated that he was coining down the Borough-
road, about a quarter past 11 p.m., when he heard cries of
" police," end observed a man fall and another run away. He
followed the man that ran away, but lost bim amongst
some new buildings. He said that he then returned to the
man that be taw falling, and asked him—meaning the ie.
jaries to has bead— " what had done it." He replied nothing,
and he (Armstrong) left him, as be would ant make himself
bloody by touching him. But be bed gives another ver-
sion, namely, that when he ran to that part of the rasa
from whence the crlee of police" emanated, be found the
i demand attacked by (two men ad • woman, and that
the woman put her hand iota him (Armstrong's) mouth,
ad tore it. The other brother Mated that be wee
coming down the Borough-road between tea and eleven
o'clock on the night of the 13th, when he saw • man run-
ning away, with five men chasing him. He mu after the
man, but lost him, and he got away. He denied that he
ever saw his brother that night in the Borough-road; and
both these men' strange to say, had flatly denied to the
superintendent of police that they knew aught of.the attack
on Mr. Sprague at all.
Mr. Bates, surgeon, proved that Mr. Sprague died from a
severe fracture of the skull, the result of a blow from •
stone, and Mr. Bates stated that before deceased became
unconscious. and being told of the dangerous condition he
was to, he told him, the doctor, that the wound on his
bead bad been inflicted by some one striking him on the
head with • Moue or stick. and be admitted that he was
in company that be ought not to have been in when he re-
ceived the injury.
The jury returned a verdict of "Wilful murder" against
some person or persona unknown.—Leeds Mercury.

MURDER or • Pomona's-N.—Three working
potters, John Hughes, Absalom Simperia, and John Wardle,
have been committed for trial at the next assizes at Staf-
ford for the wilful murder of James Crump, an officer in the
county polio. force of Staffordshire, stationed at Hanley, is
the Potteries. About one o'clock of August last, Crump,
while on duty at Calrige. near Hanley, requested three men
who were standing in the street talking to go home. This
they refused to do, ill words sod a scuffle ensued, and is the
end Crump was knocked down sod left lying in the road
apparently deed. He was taken to the North Stafford-
shire Infirmary, where he lingered without hope of re-
covery until last Thursday evening, when be died-
Before he was removed to the infirmary, and the day
after he got there, he nude three depositions on oath be.
fore magistrates, and io the last of these he stated that,
throe prisoners, who bad been apprehended on s=
and who were then Fewest, were the men who
him. Au inquest on the body was held on Saturday, at
Healey, when the jury retuned • verdict of aggravated
manslaughter against the prisoners. On Monday ofta
however, when the case wile before the stipsediaryll=
the covet • magistrates at Stoke-on .Trent, the prosecutor,
Colonel flOgg, the chief constable of the county, preferred
a charge of wilful murder, and on this charge the magi,-
ester, after • consultation decided to commit the pri-
mmer, for trial Cramp was • single young man, had base
in the force oily • few months, and was stated to he a
steady, sober, well-conducted officer.
lisrawricins —Yesterday afternoon an inquiry
was bald at the Duke's Heed Tavern, High-street, White-
chapel, by Mr. Humphreys, respecting the death of • female
child toned dead on Sunday morning last. North Buckley,
I the wife of • stevedor, deposed to finding the body in Black-
smith-court, wrapped up in • newspaper. She beaded it
over to the police. Dr. Comley, divisional surgeon to the
police, mid the deceased was • remarkably fine child, about
two hours old. There was a mark of • blow on the right
parietal boos, with • correspooding injury to the Weis.
There were also mark' whisk showed that a mews had
apparently Weed hold of its bead with a firmness which
compressed the aide of the skull, and then pressed the
windpipe with the thumb and finger of the other hand. The
umbilical cord was roughly torn, and was not secured. The
lungs were fully inflated, and the child had unquestionari
been born alive, and died from the violates to the head.
The jury returned • verdict el " Wilful murder against
some pence or persona nakareve.*
Alcorn= CUL Dr Inranricinn.—Yesterday,
one of the inmates in the house at No. 19, Middle-street,
Cloth-fair, on going into the cellar observed a pored under
the water-butt, and on opening it dlatinvered it to contain
the body of a fine male child, which, on being wereyed to
Si. Bartholomew's Hospital, was found to War marks of
death by videos*.
At the International Exhibition, in Claw 2, dm.*
is shown by Kr. Waters, of 2, Marthealane. Cannowstrest,
London, a preperatiort at that valuable stimulant, Quints" In
the form of wins. Dr. Hearn, se well as the "lancet " news-
papeE report highly of Its merits. Copies of numerous soedical
and other testimonials are forwarded on applkatice to MY
Waters, who. In eider that " QUIIIIDO Wine" shall be available
' to all classes, has arranged for Its sale by grocers, chemists,
ltalLur warehouseman', sod others at Be. per doses quarto—
Loadouraprr.—indvertlennenat

THE CORN TRADE.

BIRMINGHAM. OCT. 2.
With the exception of two or three days-on oue
of which, the 14th, nearly inch of rain fell-the wea-
ther daring the past mouth was mostly fine and favourable
for the harvest, but the tharucteriatic of this summer
(absence of sunshine) has continued, consequently the bulk
of the wheat in thin part of the country has been earned is
indifferent coeditiou, and a terse portion cannot be thrashed
before the spring. Reports of the yield vary much, the wady
crops with few exceptions disappoiat the owners ; the late
ones are more productive. Upou the whole we do not
think there is an average crop, including the extra
breadth of land wider wheat : we shall therefore require
considerable supplies of foreign, notwithstanding the
potato, crop is larger and of better quality than in any
year since 1845 ; there are, however, doulita of the pota-
toes keeping sound, appearances of domes having receetly
been reported in some parts of England and Ireland,
The quantity of foreign wheat and flour which, from
arraigements already made, will be imported into the
United Kingdom, is so great that in our opinion it must
teed to keep the prices very moderate if not to cause them
to go lower, although the farmers' stocks of old have
rarely if ever been reduced into so small a compass, the
growers having been induced to thrash by the scarcity
and high price of straw and the fair obtainable value of
their wheat during the spring and summer. In France,
prices of native wheat range about the same as in this
country, sad the export has been very much confined to
the surplus stock of Americas arid other foreign wheats
which they had previously imported ; it is now pretty clear
little will be required except for that part of the
country bordering on the Mediterranean, which
always imports more or lees. In America wed
Canada the produce Is represented to exceed even
that of the two last 14•110/11, and although the
means of transport to the sea-board are said to Lave ic-
• crease 50 per cent. since the harvest of 1861, much will have
to be retained in the interior over the winter, solely for
want of power to convey it to market, and the places of
shipment. The amber of grieln.laden ships from the east
I of Gibraltar on passage to the United Kingdom has in-
creased to about 650, or more than at any time for some
years. The import" of wheat and flour for August were
1,261,061 quarters, being nearly equal to those in July,
which were the largest recorded. For the past month we
expect they will be equally great Our preemie prime are :
English white, 6s. to 7s. 3d. . • red, fa. ed. to 6e. 10d. •
American red, 6s. to 6s. 4d.; Itumelia, se. to 58.44. ; Ohirka
se. 6d. to sa. Bd. per 62 lbs. at Birmingham. The crop of
barley bas proved almost an average, and a considerable
portiere is well secured • some little is still in the fields. and
of course much injured. The arrivals of foreign continue
moderate, and the pries has sot varied much during the
month ; *event cargoes of sew French of fair quality have
arrived at Gloucester, and a great many more are expected ;
but these are mostly intended for malting, for which pur-
pose much of the English will not be very suitable, and but
little is of a fine colour. Our present prices are-Fneoch
grioding, 295. to 30a ; Odessa. Taganrog and Marianople
26a. to 28a. ; Danube, 25e. to 275. ; all per 3921b5. at Bev
mioghani. The oats of the growth of this year are proving
of very fine quality sad of heavy weight in both Esglsad and
Ireland, but in many districts the crop is marplained al as
regard, quantity ; we think this grain will ride relatively
high, the stocks of old being unusually light, imports by no
means large, and we believe a smaller breadth of land under
tbisgrain thee wrath No DOW whiteotts haveyet arrived at
Gloucester, and grey are a good deal inquired for. Our preasut
prices are-Irish white, Da. to 24e. ; grey, 22e. 6d. to 23a.
6d. ; black, 21s. to 22a. per 31216. at Gloucester. No floe
Irish ate of either description are on the market. The mop
of beans, am expected, is proving a very great oue, but •
considerable part is still in the fields, and consequently at
this late season, cannot be secured in dry condition, which
may render the Egyptian and Morocco, of which there are
a large quantity on peewee, more saleable. Indian corn
having for some years been lower than beans, the sub-
stitution has much lessened the consumptioa of the latter.
The few new beaus yet brought to market are fine both in
quantity and condition, selling at 14s. 6d. to 15a. 6d. ;
15s. 6d. to 16s. 6d. ; Egyptian, 14e. to 14a. 6d. ; all per
1961b5. at Birmingham. The pea crop, although • dewiest
one, is turning out quite as expected; very few have however
appeared at market, sad old advanced about 2s. per quarter.
Few are on the way from Canada-hem than for some years
at this season ' • but shipments from the Baltic are now on
the ion:resale. Good white feeders are held at 15s. 3d. to
15e. 6d. per 1961b5. at Gloucester. The supplies et Indian
corn to Gloucester have folly kept perm with the demand,
which is slow, at 12s. 6d. for African and American, sad up
to lie, dd. for Odessa and Galata at Gloucester. Millet
finds buyers in limited quantities, at 10e. 9d. to lie. 6i1.,
and Dart at 12a. 6d. to 13s. per 19610 a. at Birmingham.-
(From Moan. J. and C. Sturges Circular.)