The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-14 00:00:00

THE CONDEMNED CRIMINAL BARBOUR.

The Sheffield magistrates concluded, on Wednesday
evening, the investigation ordered by the Home Secretary
into the " Confession" made by the convict Barbour, now
under sentence of death at York Castle for the murder of
Alezander Robison, at Sheffield, on the 2d September last,
whose execution had been respited for that purpose till
Saturday next. The police have been unable to discover;
any evidence confirmatory of Barbour's " confession," in-
culpating George M'Cormack as the murderer ; but on the
other hand, have discovered additional evidence as to Bar-
bour's guilt.
The investigation, while it has disposed in the fullest ,
passible manner of Barbour's statement criminatory of
liTorosack, proves by his own statement, confirmed by
two witnesses, that for two hours before and two hours
after the time that the murder was committed, and when
Barbour states that he gave him the murdered man's pack
to take to the Royal Standard, he (WCormaek) was at the
Rein Deer public-house, two miles off. He also disproves
the statement of Barbour, that when he called at the Rein
Deer that afternoon, M'Cormack gave him the murdered
man's watch to take care of. M'Cormack's attorney
stated that he was prepared to call Mrs. Swann, the landlady
of the public-house, and two et three other witnesses, if
necessary, to speak also to the same facts. The disclosure
by Barbour of the pima where the pistol was hid, has
brought to light additional evidence against himself. Bar-
bour, in his confession, alleges that on the Monday morning
after the murder, M'Cormack, after producing a pistol, and
saying, " This is the pistol that cooked Robison's geese,"
swore him to secresy, and afterwards they walked together
to a field adjoining the Botanical Gardens ; that M'Cor-
mack there secreted hie pistol in • fence wall,
and they returned into the town together, each
smoking a cigar. M'Cormack states, and is confirmed
by other evidence, that during the whole of this
day he was engaged in waiting upon customers, two miles
from the Botanical Gardens. But on the other hand Bar-
bour is proved to have been seen, at halt-past ten that
morning, within five minutes' walk of the place where
the pistol was hid, and walking in the direction of the
very place. Two hours afterwards he is also found at
the Ball-in-the-Tree public-house, within 100 yards of the
Botanical Gardens wall. Apart from this evidence, Bar-
bour's owe account bore the stamp of improbability on its
face. It could scarcely be credited that M'Cormack having
—as the "confession" states—confessed himself to Barbour
as the murderer of Robison, should, when Barbour, whom
he knew to be innocent, was to be tried for the offence,
and he aubponaed to give evidence against him, allow the
pistol to remain for four months in its hiding-place, ready
tabs produced as damning evidence against himself at any
moment that Barbour might make the disclosure. An-
other important piece of evidence, in disproof of Barbour's
implication of M'Cormack, is the production of two letters
written by ➢arbour, while at York Castle, to Mr. Pigott,
with whom he had lodged. In ►oth of these letters Barbour
writes, " Give my best respects to Mr. M'Cormack." This
to a man whom he knew all the time to be guilty of the foul
murder for which he, an innocent man, was then awaiting
his trial, with the knowledge also that this man, the real
murderer, was one of the witnesses subpeenaed to give evi-
ls's°. against him !

COLLIERY _ EXPLOSION.-

BISHOP AUCKLAND, J•le. 12.—The adjourned inquest
upon four persons killed at the explosion of the Leasing-
thorn Colliery, in South Durham, took place on the 11th
instant, before Mr. Trotter, coroner. Mr. Dunn, the
government inspector who had examined the colliery,
attended. The ventilating current in that part was B,MO
cubic feet per minute. He said the colliery, generally
speaking, was very free from gas, but a blower existed in
the innermost board, though it was harmless whilst the
ventilating current was preserved. The accident had
arises thus :—Two of the deputy overman were charged
to sorry on some work in the neighbouring air-course, and
also to extend some railway from the back pillar, for which
purpose they had a safety lamp. In order more conve-
niently to accomplish title purpose, they seem to have
opened the adjoining boardend-stopping, and also to have
examined with their lamps the condition of the place, whilst
they bad unguardedly allowed a candle to be taken into
the part thus defrauded of air. The consequence was, the
fouling of the said board by means of the blower, of which
they were aware, and an explosion took place. which cost
fear lives. This was one of many instances, he said, in
which persons even of experience are guilty of an over-
sight, which proves fatal; for, although no positive
evidence weld be procured of the fact?, the circumstances
were conclusive. Had they either replaced the stopping or
employed their safety lamp, the mischief might not have
happened. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental
Death."
LICENSED VICTUALLERS' ASSOCIATION. The
Licensed Victuallers' Association of Liverpool gave their an-
nual ball on Wednesday night, in the Town Hall, Liverpool.
The large ball-room was thronged with a brilliant array of
company, upwards of nine hundred persons being present,
amongst whom we noticed the Mayor (Samuel Hulme,
Esq.), and a considerable number of the municipal body.
Dancing was kept up till three o'clock the following morn-
ing. The band from the Wellington Rooms, under the
direction of Mr. Gribbin, discoursed the most enlivening
music from the orchestra ; and the Pensioners' band, in the
vestibule, performed a variety of musical selections at ia-
renals during the evening. The profits arising from the
ball are to be devoted to the fund for the building of the
new asylum and schools is West Derby-road, Liverpool,
now in course of erection.
TWO MEN BURIED ALIVE.—A terrible and fatal
latest:ophi has just occurred in the town of Bran=
'Cumberland. Two men were buried alive ; one
,George Pringle, from Carlisle, and the other George Tay-
lor, a Brampton man. They were engaged on Monday
afternoon in re-sinking an old well at Brampton workhonee,
and when at the depth of about five and twenty feet below
the surface the whole of the earth rushed in from the sides
and top upon the two poor fellows who were working at the
batten. This was about a quarter to three on Monday
mammon. The alarm was immediately given • crowds
rushed to the spot, and, hopeless as the case looked, prepa-
rations were immediately commenced to dig the men out.
About midnight, and long after all hope had been given up
of getting either of the men out alive, the most intense ex-
citement was produced by the workmen, who were digging
their way though what appeared a bank of solid earth, de-
claring that they could hear a voice some depth
below. The men, many of whom were Taylor's
fellow-workmen and companions, gave a loud cheer,
which was caught up and repeated by the crowd outside.
They reached a depth of about twenty feet by four o'clock
on Tuesday morning, and came upon Pringle, who walked
out almost without assistance, and came up the ladder to
the top, looking very vale apd frightened, but declaring
that he was unhurt. He could give no account of Taylor,
except that when the rash of earth came he (Taylor) was
higher up the shaft and oearer the top than Pringle, who
heard nothing afterwards except a kind of groaning for
about five minutes. Pringle was consigned to the medial
men and put to bed, having been upwards of thirteen hours
embedded in the damp earth. Cold was the only thing he
complained of. He had experienced no difficulty, he said,
in " getting breathed," which was most strange, and he had
beard all the proceedings from the first of the men em-
ployed in extricating him. The workmen again get to, and
laboured away with the most resolute will, in the hope of
rescuing Taylor, who, as compared with Pringle, was a very
strong man. It was not till two o'clock on Tuesday after-
noon that they came upon his body, stark and stiff and head
downwards, almost at the bottom of the well, and embedded
in wet sand. Ile had been long dead. An intinest was
held on Tuesday evening before Mr. Carrick, coroner, and
a verdict of " Accidental death " returned.
LONDON AND NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—We
understand the directors of the London and North Western
Railway are taking mea'urre to apply to their trains the
best practical communication between the guard and
driver