The Express.
London, England, 1859-10-21 00:00:00

A RAILWAY TRAIN IN DANGER.

At the Surrey Quarter Sessions at Kingston yes-
terdoy a young lad, yarned Thomas Jennings, stated in the
eslessar to be 13 years of ow, wen indicted for misdemeanour
in having unlawfully pieced two iron railway chairs upon the
rails of the South Western Railway, with latest to obstruct
the pueegeof the engines end trains upon the line, and also
to endanger the wifely of passengers travelling by the trains.
Mr. Robinren prosecuted on behalf of the South Western
Railway Company. This indictment, it appeared. was pre-
ferred under the follewtng circumstance+ —The primmer and
route other lads wren at play near the railway at Byfieet, and
it appeared that be deliberately took two WO chairs, which
e eet uer iunpg
sadthe
theniteottobertheusnle.trar downandliPinsi,cedandonehe
oar thu.:luponor h f
then sat down and watched the result. A train came up
shortly afterwards, but, happily, the engine-driver saw
the obstroctioc, and be eigeallet the guard, and
by
chair+ removed without any Injury tying done;
but if the obstruction had not been dierovered, it was
the °puska of the enging driver and all the railway officials,
that rim train would have been driven t A the rails down the
embaukutent, and a fearful lima of life would have been the
result. The company would have been justified, under the
statute, in indicting the prisoner foe felony, and be might
have been ventented to penal eervitwle tor life for this
derperstelv wanton act, but on Mc amt if the age of the
primmer, they adopted the wore lenient colon of preferring
an iedietuatut for inistlemerueur only. When the prisoner
was placed at tbe by be begun to vi y. and after the indict-
ment bad been reel to biro he pleded guilty. The chairman
(Mr. Pealtrye) inquired if auyiLiwe au known of the pri-
sonerF Mr. IL st, ao inepreow thu tnetetpotitan police
attached to the South Weetett It tilway, said that after the
prisoner was taken into cuotody Le mede some inquiries re-
specting hint, end secertained that he met a very Lad boy, end
that his father had forlorn* time tarn endeavouring to get him
into a reformatory, but was unable to do so. It also appeared
that at the Uwe the prisoner committed the °fleece, hie emu-
pentane urged hint not to do ro, maul warned him of the
serioneemeequences that ware Litt ly to mem, owl the reply
he made to them woo, " that It moon be agt od leak to ate
the train go over the ernbaukmeet.-
The Chairman then asked the prisoner whether he bad any
explanation to give to the court for Lis conduct, and bu made
no reply.
Upon his being called up for judgment, Mr. Petihryn said
[buns wee Do doubt that be was a very wicked b ty, and he
might have caused most dreadful mischief by the act he had
committed, and he should pee. euttit a reigenCe 118 would
give him an opportunity of refireting upon hie past course of
hie, and of entleavourieg to amend it in future. He then
ordered the prisoner to be kept to bard labour foe one month,
awl at the ezpinition of that period to be sent to • reforms.
tory school fur four yaw.

TnE ATLANTIC CABLE.—Memms. Beardmore and
Robinsn, eh:osmium bars visited Valenti► tbie seek, and
set on foot • series of experiments tat the Atlantic cable.
Encouragement as to the maw of the undertaking. both as
regards the feature-Hatton of the old and the laying of a nett
cable, fa in the ascendant. These gentlemen and room, in
the state of the cable, to disseminate new courage among its
frienda.—Traka Chrosielf.