The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-12 00:00:00

THE PROJECTED FLEET VALLEY

IMPROVEMENT.

Yesterday a special court of Common Council was
held, for the purpose of resuming the debate (adjourned on
Thursday last) with reference to the report of the Fleet
Valley Improvement Committee, on the memorial of
Charles Pearson. Esq.
A very long discussion look place upon the resolution and
amendment which we printed a few days ago ; on a division
there appeared—
For the amendment
For the original motion
Majority against the amendment —l
Mr. T. H. HALL and Mr. 11. L. TAYLOR amorally pro.
posed amendments, which were lost, and the original mo-
tion, favourable to the plan, was carried by 2.

EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF CRUELTY.

At the Belfast police-court, on Tuesday, a charge
of ill treatment to, and imprisonment of, his wife, was
brought against James M'Contieli, a ship broker. From
the statement of Mr. Seeds, the complainant's attorney, it
would appear that M•Connell, who had been married for
thirteen ars, had for the first ft re years treated his wife
with kindness, but that during the last seven or eight
years his conduct had totally changed. In September,
1860, Mrs. M'Cunnell had been compelled to se-
parate from her husband and reside with her own
family ; but an agreement having been entered into
between ker and her husband, she had been induced to
to his house, where for a short period she met with no ill
usage. In May last Mrs. M'Connell wasconfined of • child ;
and it was stated that in the room where she was confined
there was not • bed—she was obliged to lio on the door
of the apartment. The defendant did not send for
a doctor, or any other person. For an hour she
remained in that condition, without the slightest assist-
ance, helpless herself, and unable to call for aid ; and
it was not until the fortunate arrival of her sister-in-law that
she was relieved. The child died in the course of a fortnight.
The place had been infested with rate, and Mrs. M'Connell
procured some poison, for the purpose of destroying them ;
and after the death of the child, the defendant drgged
her on one occasion by the hair of the head,a and
by the heels, about the room, and told her that
if she would not confess that she had administered ,
poison to the child he would hand her over to the
authorities. In addition to this ill-treatment, she was fre-
quently hasten, and was ultimately confined to a small, dark
room of which her husband kept the key. During the pro-
gress of Mr. Seeds' statement, he was frequently inter-
rupted by Mr. O'Horke, who appeared for the defendant,
and contended that the case of the complainant could not be
substantiated ; that there was no evidence to be given in
support of the case, eloept that of Mrs. M'Connell, and
that her testimony could not be accepted.
Mr. Seeds then called Head-constable Henderson, who
stated that be went, on Monday last, to the house of M'Con-
cell, one warrant Issued by Mr. Tracy. He went up stairs,
and found Mrs. iCConnidl in a back room on the third
story; the room was quite dark ; the window was
nailed down in such a manner that the sash could not
be pulled up, and a screen was put up before it ; the
room was not a garret. The door was not locked, but
there was a door on the staircase which had been locked,
and this prevented access from Mrs. M'Connell's room to
the lower part of the house. Mr. M'Connell had the key of
the staircase door. The woman herself appeared in a very
dirty state; she was reading her Bible when witness en-
tered the room. Witness asked her, was she confined
there against her will, and she replied that she was.
Asked her did she know what day of the week it was, and
she replied it was Monday, because she knew the day
before to be Sunday, from hearing the church bells ring-
heir. She could not tell what day of the month it
was. The room was in a filthy sta.e. There was no table
in it. She said that her little daughter left her meat
for her every day at the room door. There was a chaff bed
in the room, upon which she lay ; there were bed clothes
upon it, of a very light description, and not at all clean ;
there was bat one sheet. The woman's own clothes were
very dirty. She was eo weak as to be scarcely able to walk.
At the conclusion of the head constable's evidence, Mr.
O'itorke submitted that bail should be taken for the de-
fendant, and the ease transferred to the MIMS. One of the
magistrates, however, expressed a wish to have the evidence'
of a medical gentleman, and, in aecerdanes with Shia desire,
Surgeon Browne, R.N., was called, and having corrobo-
rated the description given of the state of the apartment,
added:—The room contains under 1,000 cubic feet ; it is
eleven feet by nineteen, and nine feet high. A person,
whether in sound or in delicate health, would inevitably
be injured by confinement in it; there was no provision in
if for veatilaties, except by the door, 'apposing it was left
open. I examined Kn. M'Cunnell personally. She ap-
=Wrenn from ill health—the usual effects of Goa-
t, vin., indigestion, sleeplessness, nervousness, de.
Surgeon Browne also stated some perticulars as to the eon-
ditioa of the room, which are unfit for publication.
At the conclusion of Surgeon Browne's elimination, the
primer was remanded, in order to gave the magistrates an
opportunity of genie( the opinion of the Attorney-Oeueral
on the admissibility- of the wife's evidence against her
husband.

EXTRAORDINARY AND FATAL

Elijah Brice, a lad aged 15 years, in the emplaymeut of Mr.
John Price, farmer, of Rowlstone Court, Herefordshire,
met his death under the following extraordinary circum-
stances, as detailed at the inquest by a fellow servant, a boy
about the same age On &today evening, about six
o'clock, daring the absence of his master, deceased caught
one of the cart colts and put a halter on it. Both boys then
went into a meadow with the animal, and deceased having
tied a waggon rope to the halter, one end of which he at-
' taehed to his own waist, he directed his companion to whip
the colt reined. After a time • second colt came up and the
other ran away, dragging the unfortunate deceased along,
taking him the whole length of the meadow and through a
" brake." after which the rope came untied. On his com-
p:2=ring up to him, he found him dead.—Herefurdshies
DISCOYERY OP SUBTERRANEAN CAVERNS.—A sins
pular and valuable discovery has been made at Tcffood
Elias, near Chilmark, in this county. The locality has
been for many years proverbial for its stone quarries, but a
recent incident has led to the dise..very of various cham-
bers of stone, so nearly resembling the material of which
Salisbury Cathedral is built as to induce the supposition
that a portion of it at least was obtained from this very spot.
The discovery was effected in the following manner. In
various hunts the fox has betaken himself to a clump of ,
lushes, which, for no imaginable use or reason, have long
been sufferet to accumulate. These were at length
doomed, and on their bring grubbed ups subterranean pas-
sage was discovered, leading to the chambers in qui:Blinn.—
Wilts County Mirror.
MARIA ANTONIA RAILWAY. Traffic for the
week ending Feb. 26, 1862, 1711. ; 1850, 107/.