The Express.
London, England, 1863-11-11 00:00:00

HAYYAIILIT.

TIM HYMNS, LITTLi DAISY-A BULL IN A CHINA
SHOP. Mr. Charles Mathews; Miss P. Wright sad Mrs. IL Pits
wlllists.—TNl COLDLY NAM. Mr. sad Hit Charles
Mathews—And KY HUSBAND'S GHOST. Mr. Clark.

LYCI7M:

THIS Immo, UNCLI BABY. Mr. Wl6dleasib and
Was C. Leek:m-1m DI YONIO, a Love Stars. Yawn
neater. Brongbars. 'tariff, Marla,. sad Jordan ; Wawa
Terry, Lanese, and likawsralsr, aad Mrs. Lea.

RZITAWNIA,

Till 01111.11, THE DAYS bi LOQIB XV. Illaisams B. Law
sad E. Yarnold —Till 011 AT GHOST WNW. Mir B. Milos
—Paul Nulls sad Woe. lisoa—AMl LADY AUDLIEYB
SECRET.—Commence at half.past B.

DIOR WATZR AT LONDON IDADOI.
Tim DAY —NanaIAL It.. lia.....AMmam. Ilt. Ms
To-aroma,— Monlag. TA 10......11bwa5a5. ?I. Ik.

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11.

Ore columns have for the last two days deve-
loped the story of • most remarkable murder,
perpetrated silently upon three persons, in the
crowd and bustle of a principal London thorough-
fare. This morning the story closes with the
suicide of the murderer. On Saturday evening
last, about 9 o'clock, • cabdriver at the
Shoreditch Station was hailed by • middle-
aired man dressed in black, with wh;nkers
and moustache. This man, with a lady and two
children, got into the cab, which proceeded
towards the Royal Oak, Paddington. They had
no luggage except a leather hat-case and a few
parcels. Paring through Bishopsgate-street, the
man ordered the cabman to pull up at the sign of
the Green Dragon, in order to get him a pint of
half-and-half, and whatever he pleased for him.
self. The cabman got the beer, gave it to the
man inside, and then went to his horse's head.
The pint pot was emptied, and the cabman ob-
served that the man turned it upside down just as
he gave it back. The cabman got on the box
and drove on. But at the top of Holborn-hill
the man put his head out of the window, stopped
the cab, stated that he should not accompany the
lady and children to the end of their journey, paid
their fare to the Royal Oak, adding a bonus foi
the driver, and without a word more ,
walked slowly away, in a direction down
Holborn-hill. No words passed between him
and the woman or the children. The
cabman drove on to the Royal Oak. Massa
he stopped. He approached the door, beside
which it seems another cabman happened to be
steadily. " Look here !" be exclaimed as be
opened the door; " there is something very queer
" here." And no wonder, for he saw the woman
and child lying at the bottom of the cab. The
woman had the eldest child—about seven—in her
arms. The cabman took one of the children in
his arms. Its head fell back, and it was appa-
rently dead. A doctor was at hand, who after a
brief examination pronounced the woman and both
children dead ; but the bodies were still warm.
It was apparent that they had been sick, and
the medical man detected • dray smell
of promio add. The bodies were at Mee
conveyed to St. Mary's Hospital. Here
were materials for • sensation inquiry. How bad
they met their death 1 Had they died in a fit ?
But there was no sign of spasm. There was no
pulse in either. The bodies were quite passive.
Had they died from violence ? But who was to
commit murder in the streets of London t Though
there was • smell of prussic acid, still it is no easy
matter to administer it in a cab on the journey
from one end of London to another. Again, if
murder had been perpetrated, who was the perpe-
trator f If any one had done the fatal deed it
was probably the man who, the cabman
said, " looked like a chemist," who was
dressed in black, and who had left the
cab at the top of Holborn-hill. And who
was bed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday
passed without any trace of his existence. At
length late on Monday night two Inspectors of
Police, haring discovered that a person, precimly
answering the description of the man who had
hired the cab, lived at Ann's Cottage, Wellingtoo-
road, Cold-harbour-lane, knocked at his door. Not
a sound was heard—not a light was to be seen.
The knocking was repeated, and each time with
more violence. At length the door was opened on
the chain. After some conversation the chain
was removed and the Inspectors entered. The
man attempted to rush off as if for a
light, but was prevented by the , Inspec-
tors, who told him they had one. There
appeared to be no one in the house except the man
who opened the door, but the house itself,
though small, bore a respectable appearance, and
some of the rooms were well and comfortably
furnished. The party went up-stairs to • bed-
room on the first Poor, when the man began
retching. He denied having taken poison, saying his
heart was affected. Being asked about his family,
he said that he had a wife and two children—the
one eight years of age, and the other four ; but
his wife, he said, was 27. So that the descrip-
tion tallied mainly with that of the three who
were found dead. At the same time he insisted
that his family had left for the country
on Friday to visit the wife's uncle at
Southampton. The neighbours, we are told,
reckoned their absence only from Saturday.
The matter required further investigation, and the
Inspectors insisted upon his accompanying them to
the station-house. On his way thither he spoke
of his wife, accused her of drunkenness and infi-
delity, and declared that he had been frequently
obliged to leave his bed and walk the streets.
During all this time the retching continued, and
when he had reached the station it became m
violent that • medical man was sent for. Hs
tried to administer emetics, but it was only after a
struggle that the patient consented to swallow
them. lathe meantime he had become so exhausted
that be sat down whilst the description of the
woman and the two children was read to him.
His fortitude or his obstinacy presently gave way,
and be exclaimed at interval; as the Inspector
read, "That in them." The retching continued
—the exhaustion increased—he lay down. Being
asked what he had taken, he replied, "I think it

"was something in the glass which was not
" spirits ;" and then said, " I know what my wife
" died of now—it's prussic acid, and it was in the
" house. I might have taken aconite. I think
" I did." A bottle containing aconite has since
been found in his house. Having slept some time
he awoke, called for writing materials, and having
addressed an order to • Mr. Cuttoce to pay his
wife and children the money due to him, he expired
before he could sign the document.
It appears that this wretched man's name
was S. W. Hum.; that for • considerable
time he held the situation of traveller to a whole-
sale chemist ; and that the only difference
between the appearance of Hurrr and of the
man who got out at Holborn-hill on Saturday
was the moustache. It is true that HUNT was
not in the habit of wearing a moustache, but a
cabman has recognised the dead body as a person
whom he took on Saturday last from Camberwell
to Shoreditch. It may be that the moustache was
assumed for the occasion. At all events, there can
be no reasonable doubt that this man murdered his
wife and children, whatever may have been the
motive which prompted him to commit the act.
The singular thing is, that he seems to
have made no attempt at escape. He
went back to his own house, and there
awaited his fate. Whether he swallowed
the poison whilst the Inspectors were thundering
at the door it is useless to inquire ; such a
fact is highly probable. But the feeble effort,
almost in the agonies of death, to disguise his
identity with the murderer of his wife and
children, furnishes a singular illustration of the
weak inconsistency of degraded humanity. He
had neither self-possession enough to fly, nor yet
strength to confess his iniquity.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

THE CONGRESS.

The cabinet will meet again to-day to oonsider
of the answer to be returned to the proposal of
the Emperor of the French.
The Paris Prase of to-day says :—" The im-
perial proposition has been addressed to 15 govern-
menta—to England, Russia, Prussia, Austria, Spain,
Turkey, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and
Norway, Belgium, Greece, Holland, Switzerland,
and the Germanic Confederation. It is affirmed
that Italy has already sent its adhesion. According
to information we believe to be reliable, the adhe-
sion of Russia is not doubtfuL A rumour is current
that Prussia has already by telegraph informed its
ambassador at Paris of its inclinations, which
are entirely favourable to the imperial pro-
ject. The English journals seem to indicate that
England is not disinclined to assist in the realisa-
tion of this great project. Finally, Austria inclines
visibly towards the acceptance. This acceptance is
imposed on the Austrian government by her situa-
tion and the dangers which might result to her
from hesitation. The relative position of Austria
and Prussia seems to afford security against a
refusal on the part of those two Powers."

(REEITIMS TawLuta.)
FRANCE.

THE EMPEROR'S LETTER TO THE
SOVEREIGNS.

PARIS, Nov. 11.

The letter of the Emperor of the French to the
Sovereigns inviting them to a congress at Paris,
has been published to-day. It points out that from
the political condition of Europe it is impossible
not to acknowledge that nearly everywhere the
treaties of Vienna have been destroyed, modified,
or misunderstood. The Emperor continues as
follows:

" We are threatened with a change, so much the
more formidable because the improvements effected
by civilisation, which has bound the peoples toge-
ther by an identity of material interesta, would
render a war still more destructive. Let
us not wait before taking our part
for sudden and irresistible events to disturb our
judgment, and draw us, despite ourselves, into
a contrary direction. Callcd to the throne by
Providenoe and the will of the French people, but
trained in the school of adversity, it is perhaps
less allowable for me than any other to ignore the
rights of sovereigns and the legitimate aspirations
of peoples. Thus lam ready, without a precon-
calved system, to eater an International Congress
with the spirit of moderation and justice ordinarily
the portion of these who have endured so many
various trials. If I take the initiative in this over
I do not yield to an impulse of vanity, but
because I am a sovereign the most credited with
ambitions projects, and I have it at heart
to prove by a frank and loyal step that my sole
object is to arrive, without a shock, at the pacifica-
tion of Eu-ope. If this proposition be accepted, I
pray you to accept Paris as the place of meeting.
Europe would perhaps see some advantage in the
capital whence the signal for overthrow has so
many times issued becoming the seat of con-
ferences destined to lay the basis of a general
pacification."

THE FXPRFSS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 11, 1863.

Prince de la Tour d'Auvergue has arrived in'
Paris, and will go to London iu the character of
ambassador next week.
M. Nadar was able to leave his bed yesterday,
and he walked a little in his room upon crutches. It
is said that he leaves Paris for London on Thurs-
day. He has finished the official account of his two
last ascents, which will be published in the form
of a book with the title, " Moimoires du ()Sant."

ITALY.

(TROY OCR OWN CORI

TURIN, Nov. 7.

The King, after presiding over a cabinet council,
will start to-morrqw from Turin for Naples. After
a short stay at Ancona, he will leave so as to arrive
on the morning of the 9th at Pescara, where the
bishop will bless the new railway, on which the
King will travel to Foggia. Thence be will travel
by coach to Avellino and Naples, which he will
reach on Wednesday, the 11th. On the day
following, the naval review will take place.
It is only to-day that the trial trip on this railway,
which the elements seemed resolved to impede, or at
all events to retard, took place. Its completion
under the circumstances is a marvel of engineering
activity. Grattoui, the engineer, collected work-
men from all quarters, distributed them under com-
petentforemen, had them protected against brigands
by bersaglieei, against the rain by clothing, and
againit the obscurity of night by electric lights. All
this astonished the inhabitants of Vasto and
the brigands of &aro, and for twenty
and thirty miles around the people came
and wondered at what was being done.
The electric light, emitted from 240 electric batte.l
ries, and extending in a continuous line for many
kilometres, was a splended sight, which even the
well-informed might enjoy; but to the lively
imaginations of those whom a vile despotism kept
in utter ignorance in order to make them the blind
instruments of its will, the scene presented some-
thing supernatural. However, this very ignorance
of the population will make them more pliable
now, and they repeat one to another, " It is useless
to contend against these Italian demons (meaning
thereby the people of Northern and Central Italy),
who change night into day, and subdue mountains
and torrents." Impressed beforehand with these
ideas it is easy to conceive with what enthusiasm
the King will be received. The people are in
transports of satisfaction and wonder, and the
number of strangers and Neapolitan citizens who
have come to Foggia, in order to accompany the
King to Naples, has not a little contributed to
produce this state of feeling. If Francis 11. could
witness the scene, how he would be ashamed of the
imbecility of his government, and how incom-
patible must he not perceive it to be with the pro-
gress that has taken place.
Prisons are being prepared in the islands of
Elba, Giglia, and Gorgon for those brigands who
have been sentenced to transportation for one year.
Giglia alone will afford room for 200.

I shall conclude with the record of a noble ac-
tion. At Spezia a child, five years of age, fell into
the sea. The accident was seen by a youth named
Bonatti, who is not quite nine years old. This lad at
once jumped iuto the water, and with great labour,
u well is at the great peril of his own life, he saved
the child. There were six or seven peasants pre-
sent, but though they made a great outcry they did
nothing in the w►y of active assistance.

WEATHER B.EPORT.-(THIS DAY.)

WIDAIEDAY, Norma 11. $ &Z.

THE TRIPLE MURDER IPA STREET CAb.

Kr. Matthew Spiess, prdsose to Mn.s Painter. of Den-
mark-hill, lee informed the polies that he was the landlord
to Hunt. The f►mily were disagreeable tenants, sad he
had wished to gat rid of them. Hunt had been his tenant
for four years. Hs s►w bim on Friday night, when be told
him his wife was out of her mind, and be had sent ber and
the children to Brighton.

The body of Hunt bu been identified by the cabman
Parker as the man whom be drove from the Great Eastern
Railway to Ferniest's inn. Another cabman. named
Peirce, as we stated yesterday, bas identified him as a man
whom he had driven from Camberwell to Shoreditch
station. It seems that on Saturday overlies, about seven
o'clock, the second cabman was on his stand at Camberwell.
green, when he wiei bailed by a lady in black with two little
girls. She told him to drive to Shoreditch station, and to
take the check-string in his band, as she would have to
stop him on the road. When they had proceeded about
SOO or 300 yards down Camberwell.road a man, who after-
wards turned out to be the deceased, hailed bim, bat the
cabman mid be was engaged. The man, however, said ha
had friends in the cab whom be wasted to join.
It Iris capacity of traveller for Menus. Butler and McCul-
loch, Hunt seems to have obtained a knowledge of herbs and
chemistry. He bad fitted up a small laboratory in bis house,
where he resided with bin wife and two children. The neigh-
bours my that he end his wife were constantly quarrelling,
and that at times they appeared to be very wretched.
He bed been beard on more than one occasion to my be
would "do for his wife and children one of three days,"
aid some persons who sympathised with them remonstrated
with Hunt on their amount.

The Mr. McCulloch referred to above is not a " west-sod
chemist," as hes been reported, but the present bead of the
firm of Messrs. Butler and McCulloch. Last evening we were
informed that Hunt had been in their employment for about
three yean. Hie usual baldness was to make a round of calls
early in the day and arrive in Covent-garden in the after-
noon, when he atteoded to customers in the 'hop, or did
whatever was required there.
On Friday last Hunt asked for leave of abseoce for Satur-
day, "as he was going into the oouotry, to Marpte." On
Monday afternoon be appeared at the shop at his usual
time, and without exhibiting any strange in his appearanee
or manner. In the course of the afternoon Mr. Young-
man, Mr. McCulloch's foreman, asked him if be had read
the particulars of the horrible affair in a cab. To this
he mode no reply, sod he conducted himself in a surly way
towards persona who came into the shop during the net of
the afternoon; but in the evening be sat with Mr. McCulloch
in the eonntioghouse, and appeared to be in high spirits.
He was laughing and joking more freely than he usually
did when in a similar frame of mind. He parted with
Mr. McCulloch on Monday evening as late as 7 o'clock,
not the slightest suspicion being entertained by anyone
in whoee company be led bees that he was the murderer.
Hunt had lately told Mr. McCulloch in a confidential sort
of way several times that his wife was a great trouble to
him. Ms seemed very food of his children.
We have been requested to state that Mr. Hoot, pharma-
ceutical chemist, 6, High-street, Denmark-bill, Camberwell,
who supplied the box of ointment to the deceased woman,
is in no way related to or connected with the mordent's
family.