The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-04 00:00:00

FIRING AT AN ENGINE DRIVER IN IRELAND.
We regret to state that an outrage of a very grave
character was attempted this morning on the Midland
Great Western Railway. The train which conveyed the
Lord Lieutenant and Tidy Wadehoese to Oarriek-oe.
Shannon was "hauled" by an engine sot having the protec-
tion of a " hood" for the driver and 'taker. On the return
journey this engine brought the mail train as tar as
Athlone, but an accident having occurred on the
way by the bursting of a feed-pipe it became necessary
to exchange it for another locomotive. As the event
turned out this exchange was most fortunate. The engine
substituted had a hood, and when the train emerged from
the tunnel between Osetietewn and Mellinger, a shot was
fired at it, the missile striking the hood. Had the driver
been unprotected there is no doubt his life would
have been sacrificed. No clue has as yet been ob-
tained as to the perpetrator of the outrage, but it is
to be hoped that ke will not long remain undiscovered.
It is worthy of remark that the place from which the
shot was fired is contiguous to the spit when a rail was
removed during the past summer, causing the running-
off the line of a mail trade. By this act a Mr. Kelly, of
Athlone, was seriously injured, and at this moment the
Midland Great Western Railway Company have a claim on
account of it against the county of Westmeath for 2,0001,
for malicious outrage.—Dublin Seeming Mail.
DEATH FROM F♦LLING DOWN ♦ WILL 136 Farr
Due.—An Mcleod wee held on Monday afternoon at the
Windmill Inn, Dyke road, on the body of John "Worn, 32
years old, who was in the employ of Messrs. Easton end
Amos, contractors for the works in connexion with the
extension of the Brighton Water Works, being erected
at Goldatoce bottom. Deceased was foreman of the
well.siekers, and on Saturday afternoon be went down
the well to ascertain the depth of water in it, and
had been drawn to the top, when the rope of the
" horse" on which he bad descended broke, and he was pre-
cipitated to the bottom, a depth of 136 ft. 4 in. A man
named Hall went down the wall immediately, but could
see nothing of deceased, there being upwards of 14 feet of
water. Some grappling hooks were obtained, and deceased
was drawn to the surface and was then quits dead, death
having been caused by drowning, not a bone in his body having
bean broken. The " horse" was produced at the inquest,
and an examination of it showed that the rope had rotted
at the point where it passed through the wood. In answer
to the Coroner, Mr. Dawney, the contractor's resident en-
gineer, explained that it was the duty of the deceased to
examine the whole of the tackle. A verdict of " Accidental
death " was returned.—Wed Sussex Gazette.
CHASING A RAILWAY ENGINE FOR SIXTEEN
MILZI. —A remarkable circumstance took place yesterday
(Tuesday) afternoon on the North Eastern Railway, and it is
a natter for sincere thankfulness that it was not
attended with very serious consequences. Between 2
and 3 o'clock an engiee and tender were at Learnsids
Junction, standing on the main line of rails, both the
engineman and fireman being off them at the time. The
fireman observed a goods train approaching on the same
rads, and at once jumped on to the foot-board to r,move
his engine out of the way. Before he had succeeded in
doing more thin giving it a start, however, the goods
train had run into the engine, the collision knocking the
fireman off the board. The engine, thus set at liberty,
went off towards Newcastle at a fearful rate, some esti-
mating the pace at above sixty miles an hour. The greatest
alarm was in the first instance caused among the offioials
at Leamaide station, who saw that the occurrence might
prove most fatal and destructive. They immediately tele-
graphed what had taken place to all the stations along the
line, instructing the officials at Washington to despatch
an engine after the runaway. The greatest excitement
was caused at each station as it flew pest, with no one to
regulate its speed. Au engine was gut ready as soon as
possible and started in pursuit of the runaway. But the
latter having got the start of about a mile, few expected
that it would be overtaken before it rushed into Newcastle
Central Station or bad done great havoc elsewhere. Oo
reaching Fell Station, however, it fortunately slackened
its pace, the steam having blowo off faster then it was
generated, and it was come up with at Wash-house-lane.
near Gateshead, after a run of about 16 miles., and
one of the men jumped on to the engine and turned off
the steam. No one can say what damage it might not
have done bad it not been overtaken ; and, indeed, it
seems marvellous that it should have run so far and so fast
without outesioniog some casualty. It passed Pelaw
Maio Station only a few minutes before the arrival of a
passenger train from Sunderland and South Shields. Glad
or everyone must be that the event, unprecedented io
many respects, was not accompanied with fatal results, it
im a matter calliog for searching inveatigaticio, which it
will, no doubt, receive.--Northern Express.

DILATII AT A WEDDING-PARTY.—On Monday
eveniog, Mr. Leonard Dufour, of Alfred-terrace, Bromp-
ton, gave a party on the occasion of the marriage of his
daughter, and about 9 o'clock Mrs. Dufour was waltzing
with the bridegroom, when she was observed to laugh in an
hysterical manner, and made for an ante-room, the entrance
to which she had just gained when she fell lifeless into the
arms of her daughter. Her deaths attributed to disease
of the heart. _ _

AN Acritviss'a Rsronv.—An interchange of rather
sharp letters bag lately taken place between Mdlle. Colotn.
bier, the French actress, and some others of the female per-
formers in Paris. A correspondent of the Nord gives the
following version of the matter:—" Mdlle. Colombier, •
former pupil of the Conservatoire, who makes a large
income, apparently by playing the part of innocent young
girls, possesses two strong cerebral organs—that of soci-
ability and that of combativeness. The first induced her to
give • delicious ball, as all the guests called it, whilst the
second instigated her to make war against pretty women
like Madame Madeleine Brohan and Madlle. Schneider.
Some of the accounts given of the fete mentioned the presence
of those ladies, but they at once wrote to the journals to pro-
test against the imputation. Madlle. Columbier thus replies
to Madlle. Schneider:—` Several persons to whom I did
not send invitations announce in the journals that then
were not present at the ball which I lately gave to a few
Meads. Mdlle. Schneider, in particular, makes her protest
with the bitterness which so peculiarly belongs to her, and
of which all about her feel the streets. Although the eancan
of La Belle BelNe is io great favour with the public, it
may very well alarm the mistress of a house who lives in
• very limited circle ; besides which I made a point to have
only young people at my party.—Accept, &c., Mentz
COLONBIER.'—What do you think of this last bit ?"
Tag DRIMMAKING COMPANY.—About a year I
ago the ladies of London established • Dressmaking oast-
petty ; and, as ladies are not expected to know much of ,
the maxims of political economy, it is not to be wondered
at that this truly worshipful company was not based on the '
principle of buying in the cheapest and selling in the'
dearest market. It is, in fact, a company after Mr.
Ruskin's own heart (by the way, his name is on the com-
mittee, and we hope he is consulted in the cutting-out de-
partment, and that we may soon have the mode a la
Buskin). One is bound to acknowledge that the lovely
subjects of Queen Victoria who patronise the company,
whatever pries they pay for their garments. may say in one i
sense with plain masculine meaning, without the halo of
feminine creative pains with which they they usually in-
vest the phrase, that they cost " absolutely nothing." ,
The company, whose employfes number 50, undertook to
furnish the nicest of dresses and sweetest of bonnets with. I
out murdering a few milliners and dressmakers in their
manufacture, just in the crush of " the season," of nouns
The girls were to have airy rooms ani moderate hours, and
their evenings for study and recreation. These fine promisee
have been amply fulfilled. Perhaps in another year they
may go in for the competitive examinations now proceed.
ing briskly at the venous " centres" under the grave
'napkin of the University of Cambridge, and to which an
alarming number of young ladies have betaken themselves.
la the meantime they have been entertaining their friends
at • contort organised by their music-master, and assisted
by a few privileged ma. musicians. Very pretty the bevy
of angers looked in their costume of black and white (court
mourning for the Sing of the Belgian.). The singing testi-
! fled at ono, to the excellent condition of their hinge and
the good use of their leisure, and proved that the products
of their taste and industry wet " absolutely nothing" is the
I shape of Mumma suffering.—The Argosy for January.