The Express.
London, England, 1866-11-23 00:00:00

DEPLORABLE DEATH OF TWO LADIES.

A melancholy affair is reported by the Banffshire
Journal. Early on Friday morning, Miss Catherine Mac-
pherson, an old lady, living with her sister, bliss Jane
Macpherson, at the Falls of Truim, iu the Iladenoch
district, Inverness•shire, accidentally set tire to her bed-
room, and finding herself unable to overcome its progress,
she went upstairs to her sister's room, to warn her that
there was danger. Miss Jane Macpherson, who was in
weakly health, was not able to go down stain, and the
maid, who slept in her room, getting up, ran down to
obtained assistance—the two ladies remaining in the bed-
room till the maid should return. The meld went to the
lower apartineets and roused the other servants. By the
time this was accomplished, however, the tire had spread
so far. and crested so dense a smoke as to render return
to the room where the ladies ware impossible. Meanwhile,
one of the other servants ran to arouse the men at the
home farm, which was distant about a quarter of a mile.
Several men were soon on the spot, but the thanes by this
time were issuing from the second-floor windows under-
neath the room in which the ladies were. LidtiCid wt re
not at hand by which to enter the upper windows. No
other way of gaining admission being practicable, one of
the men had to go some distance fur a Loge stone, which
was driven through the front door, and an entrance
effected. The door of one of the rooms, on the second
door of the west wing, was no sooner opened, however,
than a cloud of smoke and flames burst out, tilled the
passages, and caused the inen to retreat. Three times
one of the servants at Falls of 'fruity attempted to forte
a passage to the bedroom, but found it impossible. No
cry was beard from the bedroom, and no indication
observed that would show whether the unfortunate
ladies had attempted to find a way of exit from the bed-
room after the maid left it. It is more than probable that
the fear of the moment had disabled them from making
any effort to save themselves till it would have been too
late for a person of ordinary quickness and power of endu-
rance to force a way through the smoke and flames. By
10 o'clock the whole of the roof of the house had fallen
in, and the who:o interior was ono vast mass of fire,
and blazed furiously for several hours. Men were en-
gaged dining the whole of Saturday turning over all
the dibris of the tire, bat they came upon co trace of
human remains. The bodies of the uefurtuuate huliis
must have been consumed to ashes, having been sub-
jected to a fresh fire as each floor became ignited by the
falling of firebrands from above. In digging in the ruins
the workmen found fragments of silver, rod one or two
particles of gold, which had been ruched by the fire.

THE TRADES REFORM Dtxp.N.-71.yrii)N.—The
chairman of the demonstration committee has waited on
the solicitors, and explained to them that the secretary
had, on the 10th of October, obtidued an agreement from
Mr. Adams, representing Mr. E. T. Smith, the present
lessee of the grounds, to the effect that Mr. Smith would
let the Ashburuham Orouods fur the purpose of the re-
form demonstration for 101., provided the i.dmission were
by ticket, and some other tumor stipulations were com-
plied with. The solicitors justified the chairman ant
semetary for Issuing the placards, hot denied the right of
Mr. Adams to let the pLice. The chaitimin explained.
that about MO/. had already been expended in printing
bills and tickets, and demanded that this money should be
repaid unless the meeting were allowed to take place as
announced. The solicitors wrote ycatenulay to the chair-
man, informing hini that they had seen Mr. E. T. Smith,
who expressed his ignorance of Mr. Adams's arrangement,
and denied that either directly or indirectly he had autho-
rieed it. He therefore repudiated it. Tile solicitors in-
formed the chairman and other gentlemen connected with
the contemplated meeting that they would be held indi-
vidually responsible for all or any damage that may occur
to Mr. Smith, or his supeilor landlord Mr. Simpson,
should the meeting be hell as announced. Upon this the
chairman wrote to Mr. liimpson's solicitors, calling upon
them to see Mr. Simpson, "that no furthir iuipediment
be offered to the hulling of the niteting," and stating
that the " committee are quite prepared to give your
client or Mr. E. T. Smith a gleirintse to make good any
damage that may arise to the property from the meeting
being held, though they do nut for ice momout anticipate
anything of the sort taking place." So the matter rests
for the present."
THREE 3i EN DROWNED. —A very and boat acci-
dent has just been reported from Fleetwood. On Tuesday
night, about 9 o'clock, four men, mimed Thomas Sum-
ner, Hugh Harrison, Richard Jammer, and John
Wright (captain), left Fleetwood fur Knot End in two
small boats, for the purpose of fetching sonic bal-
last for their large bawl host. They loaded both
boats very heavily, and proceeded on their roturu journey
about 11 o'clock. The tide in the Wyre was ebbing,
and the current, owing to the recent heavy mimic, was
very strong. When they reached a part known in the
neighbourhood by the name of the Kauteli, it was
found that a considerable quantity of water had been
run into the boats. They had not discovered this more
than a few moments, before the boats suddenly filled,
and the whole of the men were thrown into the rapid
stream. Wright, the captain, managed to seize au oar, and
by the aid of this kept himself on the surface of the water,
but the other three men were carried due in with the water
and drowned. Wright screamed for modstance, and a
watchman on board • dredge. named T11011)11 Riley,
jumped into a boat, went to his rescue, and succeeded in
bringing him safe to land. The holy of Sunwer was washed
ashore on Kirkskere Bank, off Fleetwood, en Wednesday
afternoon ; but nothii g has been Weller heard of the other
two. Sumner was a single man, :23 years of age, and was •
fisherman. The other two were also toihennun.
A LIEHTKEEPEK WASHED FROM rat'; LONOSEIIPS
LIGHTHOUSE—On Saturday mousing last a painful ex-
citement spread amongst the inhabitants of Sennen Cove
when they observed hoisted at the Longehips Lighthouse
the flag which denoted that something emious had hap-
pened. There was a Wrong northerly wind at the time,
accompanied by a heavy sea, which rendered communica-
tion from the shore difficult. However, the Trinity
and Coastguard boats succeeded in putting off, and,
after much toil and risk, reached near enuugh to the
Longships to discover that there were only two men visible
on the rock instead of three, ale usual number. For
the one party to make the other hear was out of the
question, and the lightkeepers were obliged to resort to
writing on a piece of paper, which paper was secured In •
bottle and thrown from the rock into the sea. This con-
veyed the rad intelligence that one of the party stationed
in the lighthouse was, by sonic nirsterious means, missing.
It appears that the whole of the three bad breakfasted
about half-peat Bin the morning. Shortly afterwards
George Bell, the missing man, went out for the purpose of
emptying the ashes, and was never seen afterwards. The
unfortunate man, who, we are informed. belonged to Lon-
don, leaves a widow and one chill—Cornish Televraph.