The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-12 00:00:00

TWO YOUNG WOMEN BURNT TO DEATH.

Mr. Payne, the City coroner, investigated last
evening, at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, the circumstances
attending the deaths of Sarah S. Thorne, aged 19 years,
and Mary Douai, aged 15 years.
In the case of the young woman Thorne it appeared
that she was the wife of a printer, employed on one of the
morning newspapers, living in New•streetaquare, Fetter-
lane. On Tuesday morning he left his home at one o'clock
to go to his employment. In about half an hour the
neighbours beard cries of "Murder" from the deceased's
room. Upon forcing the door open they found her
surrounded by a mass of flame. She wise in a very frightened
state, and she rushed out of the room and into the street.
A City policeman took off his coat and threw it over her.
The fire was put out and she was carried to the hospital
where it waa ascertained that she was burnt all over the
body. She expired in a short time afterwards. Itis supposed
that the unfortunate deceased fell asleep opposite the fire,
while sitting in front of it after she had put her little
baby to bed. In her agony, when she found herself on
fire, she had torn her burning clothes off, and shred' of
them were thrown about the room.

The second case was that of Mary Doubt. She was a
servant in the employ of a licensed victualler, carry-
ing on business in Sutton-street, Clerkenwell. She
wore a large crinoline, and on the 25th of last
month she was dueling the glass over the mantelshelf.
Her dress was suddenly pushed by the crino-
line against the bars of the grate, and blazed
up. Her screams attracted the attention of some
gentlemen, who ten to her assistance and extinguished the
fire. She was carried to the hospital, where she lingered
in agony until Tuesday last, when death put an end to
her sufferings.
In each case the jury returned a verdict of " Acci-
dental death by fire.

The commissioner to the Duke of Hamilton
denies the truth of the statement of the issperial Aerie's
that Kr. Naylor has purchased Hamilton House—" nor,"
adds Mr. Padwick, " has hie grace sustaineal a loss on the
turf to render a sale of any portion of his property neces-
sary"

It is reported that the Lord Chief Justice of Ire-
land has been dogged by Fenian' in the streets of Dublin,
and that be was recently obliged to take refuge in a shop
in Ileckeille•street on his way home.

INTIMPRETZILS or PILOPHICY. —Commentators
have much to answer for ; and all charitable people will
hope that their sins will not be laid to their charge. They
have inflicted wanton injuries upon every book in the
Bible ; but against none have they offended so grievously
or with such reckless pertinacity as the prophecies. We
are not speaking of the illustrious scholars in England,
Germany, and Fiance, who have brought great natural
powers and immense learning to the teak of clearing up the
obscurities of these writings ; but of that vast host of
ephemeral scribblers, whose so-called interpretations of
prophecy, in every shape and form, from the portly quarto
down to the fourpenny pamphlet, are rained in a oontinual
deluge upon all orthodox church-going people. These
people have succeeded in shrouding both the prophet and
his message in impenetrable darkness. By • variety of
devices—by severing a few words from the context, and
proclaiming them to contain a special prediction—by
bringing passages from remote portions of the Bible into
violent juxtaposition—by mixing up in a haphazard
fashion verses from the Old and New Testaments—by
finding Napoleon Bonaparte, the Pope, the Turkish em.
pire, and the present Emperor of the French lurking about
the Bible in all kinds of disguises, and under every variety
of cognomen—they have converted the prophetic writings
into a hopeless puzzle. The works of all the sceptics in
Europe are not so destructive of true religious faith as
these pernicious writings. It is not only that they have
so darkened the prophetic portions of the Scripture that
the laity have almost ceased to read them, but, from their
habit of regarding the whole Bible (apparently) as a piece
of sacred mosaic work, and detaching little particles here
and there, as best suited to the purpose of the moment,
they have involved the scriptural writings in so much
mist and obscurity that very few people study them at aIL
They, as it were, only take the Bible in small doses, at
stated times, and trust that it may do them good, like
medicine, in some occult manner.—'s Yawing fur
June.

-
CILAB-DIRBY.—" Who wrote that article last
week about the English love for racing!" said Dormer. "It
was • very good article, waan't it ?" said Froth. "My
dear fellow, don't I know better than to find fault with
any article in•• paper you conduct! Everything is per-
fect, or at least you swear it is, and quite right
too. I only wanted to know whether that was by
Mark Derwent." " But what was the matter with the
article!" persisted Hr. Pruth. " Again I tell you,
nothing. Only if it was Derwent's I wonder he
did not bring in a story I told him about
crabs." " Tell me. I am very fond of crabs."
" Not as instruments of gambling, I hope." " Gambling!
0, throwing orabs you mean." " A good shot, and yet a
miss, Pro*. What burinees have you to know anything
about dice ? No, sir, the story was this. A friend of
mine, • great contractor, who was making a harbour
somewhere, fancied that he did not get work enough
out of the men who went down in the diving-
bell- He felt that they wasted time, but be
could not imagine bow. So, one day, when they were
at dinner, he went into the bell. And there he found
seven large crabs, and on the back of each was chalked
the name of a favourite for the Derby. The men had crab-
races at the bottom of the sea."—" Sooner or Later," by
Shirley Brooks.