The Express.
London, England, 1862-05-17 00:00:00

MURDER OF A GENTLEMAN AND THREE
CHILDREN Ar MANCHESTER.

Yesterday morning one of the most daring and
deliberate murders since that by Rosh was committed in
Manchester, and within about 300 yards of the Exchange.
About half-past 8 o'clock Mr. Evan Mellor, a house sod
estate agent, living at Old Trafford, left home awl pro.
ceded to Manchester, with the intention of going to the
offices of himself and son, in St. James's-chambers, is
South King-street, and next door to St. James's-square.
He arrived at the staircase leading to the offices, which are
oa the second floor, about • quarter past 9 o'clock, and had
ascended to the second landing, when he found a man aid
his wife, named William Robert Taylor and Martha Anne
Taylor, waiting for him close to the door leading to his
offices. The man was armed with • large knife, such as is
used by provision dealers, about 10 inches long in the blade.
and 1t inch broad, and pointed ; the woman was armed
with, or held, probably for the use of her husband,
• six-barrel revolver pistoL Mr. Mellor, it is sup.
posed, was attacked by these parties immediately
he reached the landing, and received several slats
in the breast ; then turning from his &manta he
fled down stairs to the first landing, calling for help. There
a porter in the employ of Mr. Leathertirow, named Hooley,
ran to rapport him, and whilst this man wee holding him in
his some, the assassin who had stabbed him descended the
stairs and fired one barrel of the revolver at him. The shot
however took effect in one of the arms of Hooley. Mr.
Mellor died almost immediately, and his body was removed
soon afterwards to the Royal Infirmary, whither also
Hooley was taken in order that he might have surgical as.
(stance. The occupants of most of the offices on the stair.
case of Si. James's-chambers had arrived, and consequently
there was an immediate rush of people to secure the actual
murderer. The woman was allowed to walk away, but the
police were east for, and she gave herself into custody.
Mr. Mellor's see and a man in their employ were in their
own offices, and heard the noise occasioned by the murder,
but not in time to render available•ssistanoe.
On the antral of Sergeants Bateman and Bramall from
the police•tation at the Town-bell, William Edwd. Taylor
was given into their custody. He made no resistance, end
instantly gave up the revolver. Bateman asked him where
he lived, and the prisoner replied, "At No. 5, Britannia-
buildings, Strangeways." The officer, on searching him
found three keys in his pockets, and the prisoner, pointing
to one of them, said it was the key of a luck bedroom, in
which he would And something. Bateman then went with
Sergeant Watson to Britannia-buildings, which consists of
large, respectable, newish-looking shops, rented at 501. s
year, fronting to the main street, called Sirangeways. On
ascending to the back bedroom indicated by the male pri.
goner, the officers encountered, if possible, a more horrible
some than that they had witnessed before ; for lying mar
dared oaths bedroom floor, aide by aide, were the three
children of the prisoners, two girls ands boy. The unfortu-
nate children were dressed is long clan cotton night dresses,
with black bands round their waists, and looked as placid am
if asleep, having probably been poisoned. On the breast of
each of them was pinned • paper bearing their names and
ages " Mary Hannah Taylor, 12 years of age." " Hannah
Maria Taylor, 8 years of age." " William Robert Taylor, 5
yeses of sp." These paper also contained the following
ineariptioa :—" We are alx—but one at Harptry lies--
thither oar bodies take. Mellor sod Soo are our murderer;
but God and ear loving west, will avenge ea. Love roles
hers—we are all going to our sister, to part no more." The
bowie end shop were empty of furniture and goods,
an execution having been put in some weeks ago, when
everything was sold. It is 'opposed that this and other
proosedinp bad prompted the prisoners to commit the
murder which created so much excitement in Manchester
yesterday morning, and which was the immediate cause of
their apprehension by the police. It appears that daring
tbe early put of the winter Taylor gave notice to Mellor
that • kitchen boiler in his house was in danger of bonne(
end wilted to have something done to make it safe. His
wishes were not complied with, and the boiler bursting
during a frost, one of Taylor's daughters was killed by
it—the sister alluded to in the paper found on the mar-
lin( children's bodies. An inquest was afterwards
held ea the body of the child, and in consequenceof the
•Sfillinna eleali by Taylor, the jury, in their verdict, ctn.
Mandl esadsot al Yeller in the matter. This is said to
haws semi a had feeling between the two men, and to have
imissiap io the matter of the subsequent
eareeMea thestort Inenexpectewl.
Oa ilimpeemi lisiemen returning to the police-offer he
examined these:tea sod found nye of the barrels loaded, and
one of having been recently die-
chargbeid.446lllo =011;he police-Ce the male promote
said, " Thank God I I have finished my work." The wife is
said to have stated that she canoed the death of the children,
but it is ransomed that it wee originally Wooded the wife
also should have takes and beam the words on the
labels, "We are six." poison,Th.male and female prisoners are
said to have earinaged looks of exultation after they were
in castedy.
Oa being placed before Mr. Ellison, the magistrate, the
male prisoner, who was respectably dressed, appeared some.
what careworn. The female prisoner is not the mother of
the murdered children. She was of
woe, wore • hat with long black feather, 7117:17•11,ap=
kid gloveson her Made, and otherwise very well dricasiwilltbs
is 25 years of has and lft. Sin. in height. The fade above
narrated having isen deposed to,
Both prisoners were remanded till Monday next.

THE MIDDLE
DELUGE. LEPEL, OB MARSHLAND,

LYNN, PEDAL

The deluge in Marshland, from the bursting of
the banks of the Middle Level Cut, has Warmed in extent
daily, and competent persons ssy this morning that there
am thirty thousand sores of laud inundated. Never was
there such a panic felt in Marshland ; the vsat fens are cm
sea, and at high tide there is not less than sight or ten fee
of water on the land. It was found on Wednesday needful
to abandoo the dam which the 500 men bad been ethanol-
ing to construct for nine days, and the engineers determined
to construct a dam in connexion with St. Marv's-bridge,
about a quarter or half a mils up the cut from the rain of
the sluice. The bridge wee • wooden structure of same
considerable strength, and the floor was nerd as • platform
upon which woad pile-driving engines called "monkeys"
were fixed ; sad up to yesterday morning pike were drives
into the bed at the river till about three-miarters of the
width was dammed. Berme independent gentlemen and
engineers prophesied that the bridge would in a few
hours be washed away, and then it would be next
to impossible to construct a dam across the chew
eel, On Thursday the tide was very high: it over.
flowed the bridge, lifting it bodily. The creek*
of the strained timbers gave warning, and all the
mgs got olf ; the Bosse was frightful, and matters were
brought to • aids by a barge laden with gravel breaking
from her moorisp and dashing *gaited the new piling ; the
result was that the bridge was shattered and with • terrific
crash want to picas. Several other bridges are gone during
the night, and now there is hardly any obstacle to previa
• eleara.boat from going several miles up the cut ad
through the breach to paddle about the Una. The greeted
dimatimithWies is felt on the spot with the engineers sad
the Middle Level Commissioners, who have to all griper
ones failed to relies fully the disaster of the district It is
believed by practical men that within a week of the dr
struction of the sluice the
out
might have beta effectr
ally stopped from ruaniag out of the Ones into the Cut,
and this would lava saved all the subeequent catastrophes.
Rightly or wrongly, the public have expressed in no raw
mind terms their opinion that the authorities have sot
done all that could have been done to avert the dread one
wpm= which have been realised. They seem to in
paralysed, and it really looks as if the sea were agais throat
to regain her ancient landmarks. They have eon decided
to do nothing for the present, and mature is haring ith
way,wet the slightest effort being made to check Repo!** sod
progress. It is now feared that to-night's tide will toed sll
Bardolph Fen. Already a portion of land on that tide of
the Cut is under water. The 2i,000 or 30,000 acres of had
that are now fioodied with salt water were in the occupation
of about 200 Wassail', a number of whom being sand
farmers will fed the di Mar the greater. One poor fellow
had by a life of tedastry and petseveninoe saved enough
mousy to purchaes WON sixty acres of land a few veal
ace, and he bed pt his first cropping on it, and now
tt
all eater valor, add be is wider the impreasioe that be 0
thou
ruined. So great is the setaitement in the neig
that a steembeat has been put on to rue every boor to
iiat he. IL Is tailimato circumstance that after tidal
the lids TM jetri less. sod it is to be hoped that the
breiblnlin la Ihspastry will be brought down rod r*
to &pub Mai swanof ooastruetaer a dam dont
dies. It met likely that the ester will remain co
tam Meg el Mira seemw, from the inadequacyd the die•
brisk for ladasge. sot that this is the proscipel moist no
esoldes whisk somata ia the few for draioage sm
dogged with the water and cannot work, g:P:7-
olesoly Wowed in the smatter of repairs is mid to be 04
ha Ikea .10,011 N. Thin la a rumour here that the rof•T
.1101111bba• Mhos mar dere with the Middle Level Oriel!.
ANN to the setter. The destruction of propertf
,aqtat a mildloa of money, with the aor0"
et ibex/thole fen district being
mis, that the Weddle Level drainage rill "
to be a 6 doss over &pia.