The Express.
London, England, 1862-12-11 00:00:00

TWO FRIGHTFUL DEATHS FROM FILE.

An inquiry was held by Mr. H. Raffles Walthew.
the deputy coroner, at the London Hospital, late last night,
respecting two deaths oy fire which occurred under the fol
lowing shocking circumstances.
The first cane was that of Mrs. Mary Burt, who raided
et Poplar. She wu sitting up lost Sunday night u,
get everything ready for the departure by the first train
of a lodger for Birmingham. V. hilis settling the tire lier
handkerchid blared up, and she placed it unfortunately
next her dress while she crumpled it up in her buds. Wr
clothes were instantly set on fire, and her screams were
dreadful. Her husband and the lodger rushed downstairs
to her usistance and cut her clothes off and threw
them into a ditch outside the house, but the is.
juries received were dreadful, the poor aottim.,,
chest and neck in particular being so burned that
the flesh peeled away. She was removed to the hospital,
where she died. The other ease was that of a girl named
Rhoda TiVlCae, aged 7 years. She was left in a room with
• sister and • little brother. The latter lighted a awe in
the fire, sad est his sister's Fronk in • blase. Her screams
brought assistance, but she was most shockingly buret over
the whole body before the flames could be extingui.htd.
The coroner, in summing up, said that at the present time
it was quite • remarkable circumstance that neither of the
deceased wore crinoline. Verdict, of " Accidental death'
were returned.

THE MURDER OP AN OLD WOMAN NEAR
DURHAM.

At the Durham Wiuter Asmizem, held at but.
ham on Monday, before Mr. Justice Keating, John flu,
25, pitman, and Mary Cox, 27, his wife, were charged
with the wilful murder of Ann Halliday, an old woman,
82 years of age at Broadmires, near Chester•la-street,
Durham, on Sandy morning, the 10th August. Mr.
view and Mr. Meynell appeared for the prosecution, and
Mr. Meals for the defence. It appeared from the evidence
that the old woman resided by herself in • small cottage,
separated from that occupied by the prisoners by a thin
partywall, which enabled) the tenants of either house to
hoar distinctly the slightest noise made by each other. The
cottages were situated at • little distance from wiry other
house. The old woman had • small weekly allowance to
live upon. The prisoners are Irish, the male prisoner work.
ing at the time of the murder M • neighbouring colliery. A
little before four o'rlock on Sunday morning, the 10th An.
gust, the female prisoner knocked up the inmates of the
neatest house and told them that "Old Nancy" was dying.
Two women in the house at once hurried off to the old
woman's cottage. They found her lying on the floor, the
male prisoner supporting her head. Her appearance was
shocking, her body being drenched in blood from numerous
wounds about her head and person. The blood wan then
much coagulated, showing that the injuries must have been
indicted sometime previously. The female prisoner said the
old woman had had a "dizzy" fit, and had fallen out of bed
and injured herself in the way the witnesses saw. She wan
not, however, subject to such fire, and the medical evidence
showed that she could not have injured herself in that way
by • fall out of bed. The old woman, however, was
sensible when found, and told those abut her
that she had been " barbarously murdered," ex-
claiming shortly afterwards, and giving her head
an inclination towards the house of the pruners,
"Oh, them Irish!" She further said they dragged
her out of bed, and that she had first seen a 011111
in • white sheet standing et the foot of her bed. A police.
officer came into the house about twenty minutes After.
wards, and the unfortunate old woman expired shortly after
he came. He took the prisoners into custody. The male
pr ;loner nil, " Had we been in bed all night this would not
have happened." The officer asked him if he had been out
drinking, and he replied, "No ; I was never away from
the house, but I wea not in bed." The clothes wore
by the pi ;loner exhibited spots and stains of blood, ad the
sleeves of his coat and the legs of his trowsera were wet, u
if reoently washed. He said he had got the stains on hie
shirt sleeves while assisting to lift the old woman into bed.
A poker belonging to the prisoner was totted with a dash of
blood upon it ; and the ooal-rake Rod tongs of the murdered
woman were also marked with blood. The prisoner
teered a statement to the effect that his wife and he were
aroused from their sleep about half.past three o'clock by
hearing the old woman moaning sod shouting. He got
up, sod finding the old woman's door fast he opened
it by lifting it off its hinges from the bottom by • poker.
He said the old woman told him that • man in white came
in and beat her. An examination of the bottom of the door
showed that it had been twice forced open, and apparently
by the same implement. The key of the old woman s door
was afterwards found in the field in front of the house, u if
it had been thrown there by sonic one. The old woman's
head and person were found to be very much wounded and
bruised. The skull was fractured, the left arm broken, and
four ribs on the lett side fractured and driven into the lungs,
as if by • boot•heeL The point of the coal-rake fitted exactly
into some of the more deadly wounds. The stains on the
prisoner's clothes were shown by the usual testa to have been
caused by human blood. The fire io prisoner's house was •
very large one, and had evidently been burning all night.
The object of the murder appeared to have been plunder,
but it has not been ascertained whether anything had been
taken away. The court adjourned at the close of the cue
for the prosecution, which occupied eight hours. On Tuts.
day Mr. Mauls made • very able defence for the prisoners,
in which be gave a different, and what he contended • more
natural interpretation of the various minute circumstances
relied upon by the prosecution.

EX.TRAORDLYARY eCENE.
When the jury retired to consider their verdict, the pri-
soners were removed from the duck during the interval of
their absence ; and the stillness which bad reigned in the
court for so many hours was immediately dispelled by the
murmuring sounds of animated discussions which ewe
amongst the spectators, who seemed to find relief from the
feeling of absorbed attention imposed upon them by the in-
tense interest of the proceedings, by indulging in speculations
as to the decision the jury were likely to come to. We have
I been informed of • shocking piece of bravado in which the
male prisoner is said to have indulged while awaiting the
finding of the verdict. He made a miserable attempt to
disguise the anxiety he must have felt as to the result by
singing a portion of " Wait for the Waggon." On being
reproved by one of the officials for the unseemly exhibi-
tion, be replied, in • tone of affected confidence and are-
lessness, I've • chance yet." This simulated ease of
mind, however, was not at all apparent when he arid his
wife were again placed in the dock on the return of the
jury. He then appeared to be keenly alive to the vital
importance of the impeding verdict ; but whatever hopes
he might have entertained throughout the trial must have
been almost entirely dissipated by an examination of the
pave and serious couuteftances of the jurymen. When the
foreman communicated the result of their lengthened de-
liberation, the male prisoner did not evince, either by change
of position or outward emotion, the impression the words
had made on his mind. He appeared to have his
feelings completely under control. Not so his wife.
She had been giving utterance, while his lordship was
summing up, to low, wailing mutterings. When, how-
ever, the sentence was pronounced, she gave utterance
to • loud, hysterical cry, which echoed through the court,
and was taken up by 80050 of the female friends of the
prisoners in the body of the court. The *mods broke
in upon the painful feeling caused by the unnatural still-
ness of the court. From the return of she verdict till the
sentence was pronounced the wretched woman continued
moaning and rocking her body to and fro, under the in-
fluence of her overcharged feelings. When sentence was
passed she cried out hystericelly. The scene that ensued
baffles description, and only a faint idea of it can be given
by the pea. Her husband raised his hand in an appealing
manner, and then turning round, faced the body of the court,
which appeared to be filled entirely with his fellow-oountry-
men. Directly be did so, • rush was made by the latter
towards the dock, most probably for the purposed bidding
the condemned farewell ; but, whatever the real object
was, the authorities evidently feared that a rescue was
about to be attempted, soda cry of "Shut the doors !
wan accordingly raised, while • strong body of officers
formed round the dock. At the 86030 moment the male
prisoner was forced, although violently resisting, down the
steps leading from the dock to the cells, and was then
taken out of eight. As he was taken down, he began
swearing in the most blasphemous manner. For some
minutes all was confusion is court everybody standing
up to see the wretched woman, whose cries were heart-
rending, and the officers being employed in keeping the
more demonstrative Irishmen present from approach-
ing too near to the dock. Some time elapsed before
order could be restored, but at last this was effected,
and his lordship then inquired: Is the prisoner Pregeutl
The Female Warder : She says the lordship: Im-
panel • jury to try her.—A jury, consisting of ter,!___,lve
matrons, was accordingly quickly obtained. They retired
to a room, to which the condemned woman was also re-
moved. After being absent for some time, they returned
into court, and the fore-matron stated that they found the
prisoner was pregnant. His lordship at once ordered trac-
tion to be respited, and the prisoner was then carried out of
court, apparently in • state of insenaibility. As moo ss
she bad been taken away, the greater number of spectotora
also left, and an end was thus put to the dreadful scene
which had followed the announcement of the verdict