The Express.
London, England, 1847-07-22 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL.

DREADFUL OCCURRENCE IN A COTTON FACTORY.'—Very
greet excitement has been created in the neighbourhood of
Hyde, in consequence of the death of a girl named Mary
Ellor, at the Kingston Mill, belonging to J. Sidebothiun,
Esq., through the imprudence of the person with whom she
worked. The facts of the case will be best understood from
the „wanes, so givenat the inquest, on Monday.—J. Barb-
ley said: I am en overlooker in the card room at Kingston
Mill, Hyde, in the employ of Mr. J. Sidebotham. The de-
ceased, Mary Elbe, was • " breaker off" of the engine cans
in the card room. 6he was 13 years of age. I was not
present at the time she was killed, but I helped to take her
down from the shaft. She was then quite dead. It war
about seven o'clock on Friday morning lest. The cording
engine is turned by means of a strap pulsing over pulleys
fixed to the carding engine, and over another pulley fixed to
an horizontal shaft at the top of the room. There is a loose
pulley fixed to the carding engine; and when the carder or
stripper wants to put the engine out of gear, the strap Is put
round that loose pulley. When the carder Is grinding, the
engine is turned the other way, and the strap has to be taken
otf the engine entirely. When I first saw the deceased she
wan hanging down from the shaft, the strap being under her
chin. The other part of the strap was wrapped close round
the shaft and the drum or pulley. The strap was drawn quite
tight under her chin. I got her down by cutting the strap.
The deceased had only worked about 5 weeks. Wm. Bottomley
was the stripper to that engine, and it was his duty to manage
the strap. He was there when deceased was taken down.
This forenoon I uked him how it happened; he said that he
was pulling the strap off, when it caught her under the chin
and pulled her up. This was all he told me. It wan very
dangerous to attempt to play any trick with the strap while
the shaft was revolving.—Win. Turner lam in my 17th
year. lam a stripper in Mr. Sidebotham's mill. I work
at the tame engine aa Wm. Bottomley. About 7 o'clock oa
Friday morning I was engaged stripping out ; that is, taking
the cotton off the cards. Bottomley and I carried the madam
that we strip with from one engine to the other. I was
setting that engine on that we had left, and he went to stop
the other. I saw him pull the strap off the loose pulley as
the carding engine, and the strap then hung down from
the shalt. Bottomley laid hold of the strap uit hung
down, with both hands, and pitched it over the neck of the
diseased. The deceased stood between the engines, and
about a yard from where the strap hung down. Bottomley
said something to her at the time he threw the strap round
her neck, and the said something in reply ; but I could not
hear what it was. I turned round, and saw them laughing.
I then turned to mind my work. In half a minute, or leas,
I looked round again, and saw the deceased going up to-
wards the shaft, with the strap fart round her neck. Bot-
tomley was endeavouring to pull her down. I ran towards
him to help, but the shaft took her round before I got there.
He tried all he could to get her down. He stood upon the
engine, and I called to him to got down, or he would be
taken round himself. He then let her go, and the &haft took
her round until it was out of gear. The deceased had been
taken round about five times. I stood there till she was cut
down, which was immediately afterwards. The whole only
occupied a few minutes. The jury returned a verdict of
" Manslaughter" against William Bottomley, and he was
committed for trial.

THE TRUCK Brersu.—A ease arising out of the system
of paying labourers, so oommon in some pouts of this county,
has been heard at the Preston police-court. Mr. Miller,
sob-contractor fora portion of the works of the Fleetwood,
Preston, and West Riding Junction Railway, appeared in
answer to a summons from Thomas Townshend, charging
him with refusing to pay the plaintiff the sum of V. 10s.

Townahend stated that he had been employed by Mr. Miller
to work u a mason upon the railway, at ss. per day, and
having worked thirteen days and only received 15s. on ac-
count, he now claimed the sum of 21. 10.. Was not engaged
by the month. It was customary on public works to pa
once a forthight, and not ones a month. The men employed
under Mr. Miller had demanded a fortnight's wages on
Saturday sight hut, when they were told they would
only be paid once a month. Evidence was adduced
establishing the plaintiffs ease, EMI the order for payment of
du amount claimed granted, Mr. Paley observing that the
man must be paid in money, and not by "tommy" tickets.
The practice of paying the men employed on large works by
thirsts to the " tommy" shop was illegal, and highly repro-
beasible.—There was another ease; but on account of the
eat= in Townshend's' it was not proceeded with, the
nosey claimed being paid with the coat of the summons.
EMPLOYMENT OP FEMALES UNDEROILOUND.—SPEPTII
convictions have been obtained against owners and winners ,
of collieries, for illegally persisting in the employment of fe-
males. The colliery population in the neighf,ourhood of
Wigan and Chorley pertinaciously adhere to the practice,'
where they think they can evade the law; and in this dis-
trict they seem sadly behind the rest of the community in
civilised ideas and habits. This is also one of the few re-
maining where owners are found who are willing to connive
at the employment of females in their collieries i and this
unfairness to other proprietors, who obey the law, is cause of
well-founded complaint; constables are appointed to watch
the pin.—Report of Mr. TremenAeare, Mining Commis-
sioner.