The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-18 00:00:00

EXECUTION AT ABERDEEN.

On Thureasy morning George Christie, who wee
malisted before the High Court of Justiciary here
of tie &ebb litutiot of a woman named Roes, and
it; gemelem. at Ismaybank, near Aberdeen, underwent
tY ilateriene malty of the law at Aberdeen. The ticfor-
MOM ma el not go to bed at all during the previous
al/16malL4 als=arself mainly with wading the Bible.
was in atteadrem ea him at four
efielkiii he lielesed with nspectlal elleatiest to the in-
araetleers Mimed to him. About wee o'clock he tete
a slight legelchet, gad shortly after eight the exemehmer,
Caleraft, wee introdared late the eambesesed eall. The
prisoner wee quite mamma 11 het atemeste.
Ile was pale, and greatly eigall.tee musk se.
indeed, Mg be could scarcely he regaVoioe the sere
powerful, mismadar man he wag at a few dope
ago. lie wen conducted threw& the Prima urt to OM
Court•house by the governor el the gni (Yr. Chasm's)
and one of the turnkeys, aad Mewledkeys, by the Bev. Memo.
Batter and M'Taggart. In the ball of the Court-home
be was met by the Lord Provost and megiamtes. His
lordship asked him whether he wished to say anything
before going on the scaffold ? He replied, " No—nothing."
He was then asked whether he was ready to proceed, and
answered, " Yes ; lam quite ready." He was then con-
ducted through the Bailie Court-room to the scaffold. A
murmur arose from the crowd as he made his appearance,
bet it did not in the least discomppoosse him, and he walked
to the drop with a steady, unWtering step. Calcnft,
having arranged his apparatus, Christie wee requested
to give the signal when he was ready, on which he turned
round to the executioner, and said, " Are you ready ?"
Oa receiving a reply in the affirmative, be said in a respect-
ful tone, " I em quite ready now, gentlemen," and threw
the napkin from him. His lips then moved as if in prayer.
As the drop fell a shriek from a female voice in the crowd
vat heard. The body was cut down in an hour, and the
surgeon certified in the usual way that life was extinct
Christie was a tall, well-mode, muscular man, about (thy-
me years of age. He had good natural abilities, but was
entirely destitute of education. He led a military life for
twenty-seven years, twenty of which he spent in India;
and, notwithstanding his want of reading or writing, he
rose to the rank of sergeant. A rumour having been raised
that he had been concerned in the mysterious death of the
late Mr. Shanks, railway contractor, lie was asked whether
he had ever been connected, directly or indirectly, with any
other murder, and his reply was, "No, I have been guilty
clever, crime but that.' —&nsseisse.

FATAL 'MISADVENTURE AT MANCRESTER.—Yen-
today morning • bricklayer's labourer, named Thomas
Greenwood, was charged before Mr. Maude and other ma
&rates, at Blanchester, with killing Michael Kerr, • boat-
mu, on Saturday night. The cue was ono to create deep
nmeem amongst all who are acquainted with the brutal
u 4 degraded position of the clue to which these men be-
ing. For no better reason than that both being
partly iutozicated, they could not pus in the street
without accidentally elbowing each other ; they
same to blow, and went down upon the pavement.
Kerr regained his feet tint, when the other kicked
him in the pit of his stomach, and the blow proved fatal
al=o{l immediately. This took place at about a quarter to
twelve t; clock on Saturday night, in Great Ancoats-street.
Kerr leul accompanied a woman to • grocer's shop near the
plea, hp I was lounging about when the prisoner came up.
eccounter between the two scarcely lasted • minute.
The ;die .11tf told the magistrates in defence that the other
men attacked him first, an.l, basing knocked him down,
got bold of his smock, in consequence of wLich he kicked
him, but had no idea it would be latal. Ile was nit appre-
hended till yesterday morning, when Police Sergeant Cam-
plea took hem in Brewery-street. The prisoner was corn-
nutted for trial at the spring assizes at Liverpool.
SINGULAR EFFECTS OP TIJE STORMS.—About a
Artnight back a young turtle was driven in on the strand
et Trenton, in full health and vigour. The fish is in the
peseesion of a young lady, who takes the greatest interest
in ite preservation, and it appears to improve by the care of
Me &wresting protect/es.— Waier ford

THE FATAL COLLISION ON THE LONDON
AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.

THE VERDICT.
OXFORD, MONDAY.
The inquest, which had been adjourned from
Wednesday last to this morning, was again resumed at the
Star Hotel, before Mr. Coroner Brunner.
Mr. Hester appeared on behalf of the company ; Mr.
Mallam for Mr. Blott, the station-master ; Mr. Thompson,
for Joseph Xinch, the guard of the 5.30 p.m. passenger train
from Oxford, by the premature starting of which the cala-
mity had been occasioned.
The following additioaal evidence was given :
William Henry Johnson, station-master at Blctchley.—l
was at the station on Monday, the 3rd instant. The coal
train arriviii Rugby
.at 2.30 p.m. It was due at 2.5.
The delay was accounten 4. slow travelling. It started
again for Oxford at 310. It ought to hair.; 2:Brtgd et 2.45-25
minut, s after time. This delay was occasioned by the
Liverpool up (passenger) train being late. The train con-
sisted of three engines, 52 coal waggons, a goods waggon,
and a brake van. I am aware of the 18th regulation, which
says that, as a general rule, no train can be allowed to
exceed 40 waggons. It was not obeyed benne' the night
coal train had been discontinued in consequence of the
failure of the Wolvercvtt Tunnel. It was necessary to put
more waggons in the train, or the station would have been
blocked up. It would have been very unsafe on a single
line to have divided the coal train, insamuch as it would
have created an extra train, and would have delayed the
train at Oxford. I have had no wrtten instructions to Sc-

part from rule 18 ; but we an allowed a discretionary
power. The brakeman reports the number of waggons of
every train. The tail lamp of the coal train would be
lighted. The engine men can light their lamps as they go
along, but they usually do it while they arc standing at
a station. Ido not know that the tail lamp was lighted at
Bletchley. There had been no irregular stoppages at
Bletchley that day. The Midland express train stopped to
take up parsengers ; but it frequently does that under its
written instructions. I did not see Kinch that night. I
was much engaged, and when I asked after him he had
glue home. I saw him about nine the next morning. I
merely asked him how he was. lie seemed ill, but he did
cot appear to be delirious then. I asked him if he bad bad
the doctor ; and when I founi that he had not I sent one
of tha porters for him. They usually light the lamps at
dusk.

Bye Juror—l eked Much how he had come to start ;
and he ',plied that he did cot know : he thought the
tugine-man bad mistaken the ballast-engine for the coal-
train. He said that he had himself mistaken it for a few

moments ; but that after the train hadPrOceedelast;Ort
tlistanoe he discovered the error. lam not certain whether