The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-08 00:00:00

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FATAL GUN ACCIDENT.

A sad catastrophe occurred on Thursday at
Exeter, by which Martha Winson, a tailoreas, aged 18, lost
her life. The deceased young woman was sitting at work at a
table, in the house of her employer, Mn. Brannam, :32,
Codninton-nreet, when the son of that person, Abraham
Branner°, a mason, 18 years of age, came in to dinner.
Presently, it appears, he took uptern which was in the
as room, and w loaded and cap ; but Brain= does
not appear to have known the tact, for while be was
handling it the charge exploded, and a quantity of small
shot went through the deceased's head, entering at one
ear and pas•iog out at the other. The poor girl fell back-
ward, and died almost immediately. A surgeon was in
attendance at once, but his services were of course uneven-
mg. The face and bead of the deer:as-A were terribly
shattered, and every one on the spot was horror-stricken
at the event. No one appeared more affected than the
young man who had occasioned the fatality, who was
shortly afterwards led away in the custody of the police.
An inquest on the body of the deceased was held at the
Windsor Castle Inn, Summerland-etreet, before the city
coroner, in the after-part of the day. The mother of the
deceased. who resides is Runelletreet, identified the body of
her daughter. Having heard of the accident, she at rived
at the house in time to see the deceased draw one breath
and expire. The chief witness was Sarah Ann Bremner,
with whom the deceased bad slept the previous night. She
was at work in the room when the disaster occurred, and
Abraham Braunani was also there, and he gave an apple
to deceased and to witness A few minutes afterwards he
rose from his seat, took a gun from the miner of the room,
and began to rub it with his hands se if to clean it. De-
ceased then got up and went to a cupboard to take out an
iron, and while she was doing so a dog came in. Abraham
Brannam said to the dog, "Here, Charlie," and it ran
behind the deceased girl and made a noise ; at that moment
the deceased stooped down, and the gun went off,
and she fell backwards. Brannam caught bold of witness,
and exclaimed "She 'a dead, she 'a dead," and ran out of
the room screaming like a madman. The gun belonged to
Mr. Thorn. It was used a few days ago. Witness did not
know that it was loaded. There had been no ill-feeling be.
tween Branum and demand, and not five minutes before
he had kneed deceased. Maria Shears gave evidence to the
same effect, sad John Harvey, a butcher, of S. Sidwella,
said that that morning he had met Brannam on Fore-street-
hill, when he said be should go out shooting sparrows in the
afternoon. Brannam expressed his regret at the occur-
Noce, which, he said, was purely accidental.— Wesfern
Morning News.

Gassy WI!SWAN RAILWAY. —After the termina-
tion of our yesterday's report of the special meeting at the
tad • terminus, the chairman's list of directors was
aIAIJHBORY AM) YBOVIL RAILWAY.—The directors'
report 'Wee that in the earnings for the half.year ending
the 30th of June last, as contrasted with those of the
corresponding half.year of 1862, there has been a gross in-
crease of 3,1081. 14a. 6d. Sum the opening of the line the
traffic has been steadily progressive, giviog the best assurance
of the continued prosperity of the undertaking. The traffic
for the year ending 30th June, 1863, is equal to 261. per
mile per week, or 54.0421. 4s. 4d. ; the bathe for the year
eluding 30th June, 1862, was 221. Is. Id. per mile per week,
or 45,8741. 3s. Id. • showing an increase of 3/. 18a. Ild. per
mile per week, or '8,168/. la. 3d. After deducting working
expensee, government duty, interest, and all other charges,
the accounts now presented show &balanced 8,2614 ss. 6d. ;
the balance on revenue account from last half-year is 2,194/.
17s. 9d. ; available for dividend, 10,4561. 3a. 3d.; the
dividend of 5 per cent. to be paid to the preference share-
holder' will require 2,716/. 9.- 6d., leaving a balance of
7,7391. 13e. 9d. ; out of which the directors recommend that
a dividend should be declared on the ordinary shares, at the
rate of 41 per cent. per annum—this will require 6,855/.
14s. 4d. ; there will then be • balance to be carried forward
to the credit of the current half.year's account of 883/.
19e. sd. The dividends will be payable on and after the
17th indent.

LARGE EXPORTS OF COTTON FROM CHINA.—By
the Chum mail which has just reached Liverpool we learn
that two ships, the Storm King. with 3,906 bole*, and the
Otitis Howard, with 2,506 bales, had left Shaoghae for the
Mersey. The arrival of cotton, however, at Shaogbae from
the interior had been much retarded owing to ready moue;
being at • premium. Trade was dull, and unsatis-
factory amounts from the North gave little or no
prospect, of improvement. Freights were quoted
for Liverpool at 41. to 41. 55., at which rates the
following engagements had taken place—viz., the Empress
of India and Ornsogaody ; the West Derby, of Liverpool,
bad been chartered to take troops to England. In addition
to the two first-named ships, the Grenadier, Opbir, ad
Oxus were loading for Liverpool. At Hong Koog a good
demand existed the sales having during the fortnight
amounted to 13,700 bales. The export trade was dull, and
but for the annual demand for tea.clippers the market had
tot a redeeming feature. The Chrysolite. E.T.L., and the
Jura were on the berth for the Hersey. At Canton there
were 7,409 bales ready for shipment.
Psreourum.—Notwithstanding the report of Dr.
Trench, the medical officer of health for the borough of
Liverpool, to the effect that there is no evidence to prove
that pretoleum is injurious to health, the inhabitants of
Bootle and its neighbourhood are making strong remoiri
etrauces on the subject, and some medical men have given it
as their opinion from personal visitation that • good deal
of suffering and sickness hes actually been caused by Petro.
leum. At the last meeting of the Health Committee it was
stated that the chief nuisance amen from the mode in which
petroleum wee stored on the dock quays. Reprasentatioo•
on this subject are to be made to the Mersey book Board,
in order, if possible, to iodate thatbody to prevent petroleum
being Mandan the dock quays for any length of time, It
L believed that, if the importers were compelled to use her•
metically sealed cask', instead of the indifferent barrels em-
ployed by many of the dealers at present, comparatively
LOU annoyance would be caused.

APOPLEXY AND licroxicamox. —Yesterday even-
ing Mr. Wm. Payne. the City comber. held an inquiry at
St. Bartholomew's Hospital, respecting the death of Hr.
Henry Vernon, aged 15l years, who lost his life under the
following circumstances s—The deceased had been • reader
in the employ of Messrs. Bradbury aid Evans for twenty
years, but was out of a eituatioe for some weeks. Led
Monday night, at half-past ten o'clock, the police found
him lying on the step of No. 127. Fleet-Mreet, and he was
removed to the illation-house under the erroneous notion
that he was drunk, "because be snored." After being
kept the night in the police cell he was sent to the hospital,
where he died from apoplexy on the following day. The
post-mortem *imminence proved conclusively that the use
fortunate deessaed had not been drinking. The jury »-
tweed • verdict of "Death from apoplexy." sod recom-
mended that is fates medical aid should at once be called
in in stub mom