The Express.
London, England, 1860-08-06 00:00:00

RAILWAY ACCIDENT AND REMARKABLE
ESCAPE.

On Saturday an accident occurred on the line
from Southport to Manchester, at • crossing near
Beam Lane, about four or five miles from the former
place. The train which left Southport for Manchester
at half-past 4 o'clock in the afternoon, conveying
• large number of passengent, proceeded at its
usual speed, until it arrived about iIOO yards past Bee-
car-lane Station, where there is a level ensuing for vehicles
and pedestrians. At this point there are gates on each side
of the railway, on which a caution is inscribed that they
must be kept closed. When the train arrived within a
short distance of the crossing, a farm servant, with a hone
and cart, was endeavouring to pass over the line; but,
through negligence of the driver. the animal and vehicle
could not be got to the opposite side in time clear the train,
which was close upon the spot. The consequence was, the
engine struck the off-aide wheel of the vehicle, which was
dashed forward for • abort distance, but did not get clear
of the line. The engine again struck the cart, which
was shattered to pieces, the horse killed on the spot, and
the locomotive was forced off the line by the collision,
tearing up the rails for about 110 yards, and plunging, as it
were, into a deep bed of sand, carrying with tt one or two
carriages. As may be supposed, the
em ni enge we_ re greatly
alarmed, and at first it was en r that human life had
been sacrificed. Indeed, from t e nature of the occurrence
such a conclusion was only reasonable, but we are glad to
state that no one experienced more than a severe shaking,
with the exception of the engine driver, who was slightly
hurt on the breast.—Mknotester Erarsimr.

THE ROAD CHILD )(ORDER. —Advantage wan
taken of a private visit of Mr. Win, barrister, to the
family of Mr. Kent, on Friday last, to hold a conference
with him and Mr. Drum, solicitor, and Mr. Parsons, sur-
ger the latter of whom, it will be remembered, was called
in within an hour after the discovery of the murdered body
of Francis Saville Kent. Superintendents Foley, of Trow-
bridge, Woolf, of Devises, and Summers, of Frome, were in
attendance, and were present during part of the interview
of the professional gentlemen. Some inquiries were pursued
and suggestions made which it is thought may possibly lead
to the discovery of further and important information.
It has not yet been publicly stated that on the morning the
murder was discovered Mr. Parsons, surgeon, made a casual
examination of all the knives in the house (none of which
were missing), sad subsequently submitted them to a micro-
scopic inspection, but could discover no traces of blood on
any of them. Mr. Parsons is also stated to have expressed
an opinion that the severe wounds found on the body of the
deceased child, and which were inflicted both before and
after death, could not have been caused by any
of the knives found in the house. The absence
of the weapon with which the murder was committed
and the mysterious disappearance of the nightdress of Miss
Constance Kent have hitherto baffled the researches of the
police. Mr Inspector Whicher and Sergeant Williamson
have returned to London to await further instructions
from the Home Secretary, who, it is hoped, will take
some immediate action in this painful matter. It has
been suggested that the investigation should be coin-
raenced de torn, and that, in addition to the employ- I
meat of metropolitan detectives and the county constabu-
lary, a London solicitor of experience in the conduct of
criminal investigations, with a stipendiary magistrate to
assist the local justices as their assessor, should be em-
ployed in the endeavour to fathom this mystery of
iniquity. It may be added that the two pieces of newspaper
which were found stained with blood, and in which it is
supposed that the knife or weapon with which the murder
was perpetrated was wiped after the crime had been com-
pleted, have been proved to be portior of the Tree of the
9th of June. They were stated at the inquest to be parte
of a paper which was not taken in by Mr. Kent or any other
person resident in the house, and from that circumstance
the possibility of somepemon having secreted himself on the
premises was suggested. As these fragments., however, are
proved to be portions of the journal which was regularly
supplied to Mr. Kent, the theory, which amounts to almost
absolute certainty, that the murder was committed by some
lanais of the house is ea far additionally confirmed..