The Express.
London, England, 1847-10-26 00:00:00

THE MURDER IN

IQUEST.

¶ inquest on the bodies of the four children
weaved -by their sastber, An Wilkes as already
deist in paper t sew bbdat Birmingham yes
tiflarfn The lila witness examined was
of rembereeftent, who stated that
iimilbs77—th7 murdered diadem wee the brother of
his irk rhea a short time dem, to seneelesese of a dined
has la* to is. &bent seem preesen, imbsequently to
the dada of Wank he eels& wpm the mem, sad that
she Waned him abe yea war smnied to bre regaled hi
I baled. Wilbse, sad tint eswisqueidy tbe dada's weed& be
maws' Gress.—ldwiedi 1 Maks, a tailor, raiding to
that the woman Wilke was his
el=salutertandtirieldldren, of whom there wen thine
boys and one girl, wen of the several ages d 10, 7,6, end 4
years. Further he declared his belief that the weskit bad
bean married to the father of the murdered children.—
Haniet Fisher deposed that she was at the hones of the
prisoner on Frida evening last, about half-past en o'clock.
At that ti the were all in the hoese, and appeared
to be in good health. The mother appeared to be in the
same state as nand. She went up stain and put the chil.
dres to bed, whilst witness remained in the house. She did
plain to witness of Elizabeth Hem-
' Wag, the Iss:sad of the White Hare publie-house, in
Ch , tint on the night of the murder the
uossalaft askes galled at her house for a quart of ale, and at
that time apposed the seas as usual. She said she was
very tired, for did the bad washed all her children.—Wm.
Edwards, • gt ridding within a few doors of
Ann Wilkes, that oa Saturday morning he observed
a good deal of mellerestion amongst tin neighbours, bec•use
the shutters of the been whore she lived were not opened ; in
coniegeense d thie he went to the door and saw that the
key was bide, es Mei 'potable being elso down. On
partially reserves nester hi saw that the articles inside
were in the am stale as usual ; this tamed him more
ohm ; le thwelbre pressed a ladder, end opened the win-
dow as the first-door. Oa ellielleg When au to be seen
le lee Est roots, bit on yeeseple die attic he saw the
Vallee Wass Wen es Mls a peel of bleed, with
the peewit did is last et Rain glees as alarm
to the mese' enable sews Odra esismil, sad is a fur-
Wier examination it the apartmest they hued toe other
ddldren in bed, Ad the died with by bead upon a
*hair. All the dMiken were awl, bet the wenn (who
AM lived), at Wei 'weaved, sampled to lacerate
father the wooed is her 'threat ; but assistance
having berewmeared, des was reseend to the Queen's
Hospital. to the apartment witness raw two
rands rgazt the leer, one wee between the
bead a eel the eight laid of Wilkes. (These
mem, etehmed by tbe wheels, were apparently nearly
maw add were cestpleeely seemed witb blood.)—Rdward
Wonky."' poliomtan, dateribed the state of the room upon
its being earered.—Ta. iaq
_midden was proceeding at the
thee es ping was delpeteheill • it had then oocupisd narb
hie big, bet the_
_MN wtej cult..l.l.ll.kosping with
ewe already &had by ie. woman dill
=both it usisniesi that she iTs-troias a full con-
1111M Rev. J. C. Nike that she was the perpetrator
of the murders.

IRELAND.
OCT. 24.
The decision of his Wiese respecting the colleges
has taken the catholic world by surprise, and none
more suddenly than male of the prelates themselves,
who form a principal adnority in favour of the act.
A separate copy of the rescript was addressed to the
primate and archbishops. For the following, which
was addressed to Archbishop H. Hale, I am indebted
to the et the Awes" The translation is
'sot by a esealar baba:
Iced Illnelder and red Benner or, pt/7
per assess ee rem* is tenet repeptlin r the Mir
etre errieint shield Ines ban le We debyed ; bet re
=ll=l"alretteftillislit
~.11•441 re der
trite=
=IS eigneetil."Wiae~serwriererly de.
Nor lest el elk se deem ft or dale le dein Het the
err anwpartlen woe lwealeel Or the pain re
append rbe la roar at rains be. sir dr-
=ll Ile de, wad Iseliead Wear me m; z.wer,
try weneary te that vim ins& re began air
log a 11,1 err panne the p=s hi Its.
had; lbe newel the miner
harge.l.4l=anet perree be porn red
finite erase ken the neetha steer Grew It nee dreads
that r. dated peer Teri Ye wield reereare; Per ward,
It deli tbet IneNese ere sr bekreleiniel r twit.
plon. Thorne I adnerie re ereldishopt W lie et in-
land to terse per anibri tree. Nay, ner Y the sire
mamas is It s
tns d ben
gas ind tbat tee Pew Wipe are
wen Void wir re pannweet to obi es es Pr.
wet ef kw i ores prir OA WO
ander Isn it sere min be OM hear bed net di
the dei et re see ; dee. a der net deer et peat br
Mr the rile its the psi et bind You freer peewee
lo dolma et Ibetehmilkedere ere bleheperl relnetweetner
they have already dor OM Is appose Ie astiesiela bit an this
aotwllhet•wllsk any sines b 4 who may halo err at me.
reentatel requiems fordo, wades be errenerile,err he et Iraq
to Min It to the rend arpeplem, ret radesseeters-
neat may be pees. The nerd repreelea le wit ern ble.
portant it is that periesidd be ride he re bilierin et de
logsf. Modell, a
treep h bi
errder iss It trio ter
MOO your eta year sips lir le re ever
Weidner riOnnek
nerehleperpewet enseni rear It TM be
yaws ran OM Orr teNe ire whir an e~n eine
sag inela mere sr nor by chef rive bat*eke
imp be min la re nen kris et 01=ina
aereper re esernedellas to It It ken se
es re aeryworzAdiedele en* IN lar%% the
inn It art integer re wasp
=4l.shek iris in eet ereeFlededi Wiwi a idler e.
rayon the model etthat lei the et Din beaded In
61111 er that arms ernrileesid=
Y arowity meowsal,the awed Crepapillee
re blare be ire ea hr ae poi Erne anion
W the greaten eereed.; rt to permit thimiskill to be
serried away by yearn weal on matters whisk hare
✓ain to do with the rend military while le entrusted
to them; Wl5l all AtotOaths: rip In view
but the wary et Gad. the pod of rel sr the eelenthe of
mumMyou will del we lir with gluier earnestneet„
that yen know In a these mire the same denim Y ghee by ow
Moat Holy Lord Hue IL when he MI accurately lereini Wart
respecting the entire eltaamatimme et the clew, be Moe& that the
dectrion at the congregation !Mould be made paha. amg bit be
added the supreme weight of Me authority.—lntle sassisdens we
pray to God that be may groat your Grace a keg int bald, life,—
Your Graces mat obedient lervaeta,
J. Pan, Cardinal Primeval. P.D.'S.
MAW .= Barran. Pro. Secretary.
College of the Sacred Congregation fur the Propagatka
of the Faith, Home, 9th October, It O.
The prelates, it is understood, are also engaged in
relation to the Lord Minto's mission and the perma-
nent appointment of • British envoy t..) the Roman
Court. This delicate question is conducted with
much secrecy. Nothing has transpired as to the
views of the bishops or the policy to be pursned in
the event of direct relations being established be-
tween the two courts. It is, however, probable that
the Roman agent of the Irish hierarchy will receive
supplementary instructions, and prove more than
usually watchful and wary.
In West Carbery memorable for its Skibbereeri
and Skull, the landlords have lately been encouraging
the growth of flax. But concurrently they have
been engaged in promoting the growth of a very dif-
ferent crop—pauperism and misery. The newspaper.
occasionally reveal glimpses of oppression, but the
gross accumulation remains in darkness through the
want and courage of a chronicler. An English lady
has lately been sojourning in that remote district, and
her impartial pen details, in a private letter, acts of
severity which represent the West Cerbery folks in
no amiable light. I will supply you with a few details.
Travelling with a male relative through the country,
they reached a village with the houses all in ruins.
They called to a poor wretch gathering sticks, and
asked whether there had been a fire? The following
dialogue then took place :
Pavesat—Oh, no, air. The agent 1114 down, and be pulled down
the boom, and burned the thatch, for fear we might shelter our-
mina. There were forty homes in the townland. H—, the di leer,
hue all the place now.
Gentleman.—How many were turned out.
Peacoat—l could sot tell you, ale. There is a great crowd of
them._

Oentleinsa.—iffhero aro they!
Pessant.--11wy ism all under the ditches there, sleeping these two
nights. Some of sham have come Into the town to beg.
Gentleman —lins so) of them died ?
Pe ..ML—Not yet, sir, until the ram comes on, when many of
them MIL . .

—Fentreet. sa.--who le the landlord
Present.—Yr. It—, et Cork.
The second case is that of a barrister, who did not
contribute one penny last year, and whose wretched
tenants perished in numbers. He came down in
vacation—sent out drivers—forced them to thrash
out their corn and deliver it to a neighbouring mill-
owner with whom he had contracted for the price.
The produce is to be set off against old arrears. The
third case illustrates the beauty of petty-sessions law.
A very extensive proprietor had arrested a shoal of
his tenantry and taken the land into his own posses-
sion. They were summoned for the poor-rate, and
pleaded the eviction. They were committed to prison
in default of payment ! The last illustration of West
Carbery magisterial humanity savours strongly of
a " rigour beyond the law." A crowd of paupers
hungered for hours at the poor-house door
waiting for admission or rejection. One was found
eating a turnip. The guardians were sitting, and
the luxurious rogue was brought into the board-room.
One, more choleric than humane or intelligent, moved
that " three magistrates being present they resolve
themselves into a court of criminal jarisdiction." No
sooner said than done ; and the turnip felon was con-
demned to two months' imprisonment. This was
afterwards commuted to one. You can now under-
stand the horrors of Skibbereen and SkulL When
suck things are done in the green tree, what are not
done in the dry ? When the gentry are so cruel now,
what must they not have been before ? These facts
are authentic.
The duties of relieving officers, and the means of
controlling them in the exercise of their duties, are a
gametic) rexata with the boards of guardians. The
boards conceive, a priori, that their labours are suffi-
ciently onerous, and that a check should be imposed
upon the relieving officers, by a more localised power
than the distant instrumentality of the board. Upon
that view some of the boards are in favour of a sub-
committee in each electoral division, to aid the officers
in the selection of proper objects of relief, as well as
to insure the efficient discharge of their duties. To
accomplish this arrangement, the South Union guar-
dians have communicated with the poor-law commis-
sioners, and the reply has not been satisfactory, al-
though the reasoning on which it is founded is
decisive. "The system of out-door relief," observe
the oommiesioners, "is to be carried on by guardians
acting as a board, with paid officers under them.
When a poor person applies for relief, the undivided
responsibility of becoming acquainted with all the
circamstancee of the applicant rests with the relieving
officer. On the other hand, the undivided responsibi-
lity of deciding whether or not the applicant
shall be relieved at all rests solely with the guar-
dians." The conclusion to be drawn is, that the in-
terference of any local body to control the relieving
officers, or to make an order few relief, is both con-
trary to the spirit of the law, and by weakening the
authority u well as dividing the responsibility of the
boards leads to a pernicious laxity in its operations.
In reply to the plausible plea that the local commit-
tee are likely to know more of cues of relief than the
board, the commissioners detect a fallacy in the rea-
soning as to time. True it is that before an applica-
tion is brought formally before the board the local
directory may know more of it than the collective
board ; but when the guardians have assembled and
heard the statement of the relieving officer, backed by
the knowledge of the electoral guardian, then the
board will know quite as much as its informants, and
frequently much more ; while, on the other kand,
they will be enabled to give or withhold relief with a
cooler judgment and freedom from prejudice than
the individual guardian. This excellent reply ap-
pears to have settled the question, as no motion was
made to consider it.
The South Union committee have reported on the
beet means of employing the able-bodied poor, which,
however, leaves the question precisely where it was,
as a loose recommendation is all the report contains.
The proposed employment should be such as to con-
tribute to the maintenance of the pauper, and 'ca-
lady preparation of clothing, while the should
be empowered to lease a small tract of land for the
agricultural clam. For the female department flax
cultivation, with its various operations of pp
steeping, dressing, and spinning is recommended. To I
anticipate their own ace, the purchase of un-
dressed flax is , as well as the provision of
handrails, to grin for the nee of the workhouse. The