The Express.
London, England, 1868-08-13 00:00:00

WEAIIIER REPORT.--(TIM3 DAY.)

TItrIRDAT, AVM:IIT 13, 8 A.S.
I. rcilltind the increase in barometrical premium 0,12),,e verger-
Imc been ...awderable, amounting to nearly half an inch at
• :.1., n ; whiL4 u deereaar of two-tenths hair taken place on
hauuel coact. The k,w,..t reading is at Reetwe Point, and
rwlierd at Aberdeen, the difference being 0.41 Mehra. Tem-
rctirre ..antwiluat le.a than yesterday. A strong wind from
.ili-ertt to mouth-east blew on the smith-wog reacts yecter-
. but it. direction was emit at Weymouth, where it continua.

Th. wind ie fresh front the northward on
• /fish most, but atothtt• Nations it is of moderate form end

jai; ;;;Tt. and on the
• g coast of France. The weather is irentstilly overcast, and
• is falling at several Mations in southern district..

I.II“s.ECUTION OF AN UNQUALIFIED MEDIC-IL
.•.1111,.'NVIL— At the Hales Owen Petty Sessions, on
.!:q. Thomas Holland, of Oldbury, was charged,
••• 27th, 36th, and 40th sections of the Medical Act
I s. with baying wilfully and falsely pretended to be,
with having taken and used the name and title of a
n. implying that he was registered under the act; and
• a ail' laming acted as surgeon to a friendly society for
"Im2 mutual relief in sickness, contrary to the mid act.
11..• claming statement it appeared that Holland
a... a is. al in Oldbury for many years without any
'• from the medical men of the place, but having
himself in an antagonistic position to them in
.1....ati0n they felt it their duty to take the present
I'n 1.. protect their professional interests. Fanny
called, and deposed that Mr. Holland
•a • Mk) of hers in June last, who died of convul-
aaa !hat he gave her a certificate of death, signed
11,' 11..11nud, surgeon," which she trans-
"'•l t. the registrar of births and deaths. This
&as produied by the deputy regis-
Jakhson fur the defence, raised a technical

to theWhitencecii 1111;:roilaaTITn;TaeTom
•h I register being proof of his not being qualified.
"v.-trilled the objection, and after a shod con-
iiiinotinced that they considered the charge
‘• .1 imposed a tine of M. The nest charge was
•.. -isigeott to the " Miner's Refuge Friendly
141 :it the house of Mrs. Clifton. Joseph
‘e. roars to the society, deposed that Mr.
". " ,•I tisi ,t 4 surgeon for many years. awl that
I, ,1 every nix months. He produced the
—Discoing the last entry of such re-election.
ti,i- n eorr.iilered proved, and a fine of 5/.
• ' 'there were nine other eases against the
• 1. •t the-e were withdrawn, an the object
• was attained by the judgment iu the

v who have been inquiring into the
.1. %, Lecton, at Kimbolton, have re-
t of wilful murder agninst her son, who is
...11... 'huge.

EXECUTION AT MAIDSTONE.
(THIS DAT)

The extreme sentence of the law was carried
into effect this morning at half-past 10 o'clock upan
Thomas Wells, a culprit, who only attained his eighteenth
year in March last, and the occasion wan rendered more
remarkable from the fact that it was the first execution
that had taksit place in private, or, in accordance with
the terms of the act of parliament, " within the prison
wa11,,," and in the presence of such functionaries of the
law as are referred to in the statute.
The crime for which the prisoner suffered was murder of
a very aggravated character. lie was employed as a por-
ter at the Priory Station of the London, Chatham, cud
Dover Railway Company at Dover, and, in consequenoeof
Mr. Walsh, the unfortunate gentleman who lost his life
by his hands, and who occupied the position of station-
master at the Priory, reprimanding him for some ait of
misconduct, the prisoner deliberately took a gun from
his father's house, carried it a considerable distance to
the station, and, without any provocation, shot him dead.
There was also the additional aggravation in the case
that the prisoner threatened, several days before the oc-
currence, that he would kill the deceased if he interfered
with him.

After his trial, the culprit seemed to have been fully
aware that there was no hope for him, anal he appeared
quite prepared for the inevitable result, but he ex-
pressed remorse for the act he had committed, and wrote
a very penitent letter to Mrs. Walsh, the widow of
the deceased, entreating her forgiveness. No efforts
appear to have been made in any quarter to obtain a
re17168'013 of the capital sentence.

•
Au interview that took place between the culprit and
his father, an aged man, who gains his livelihood
us a fiAerman at Deal, was of a very dis-
tresring character. When the time for parting
arrived, the poor old man fell down in a fit, and was
rallied away by the warders. His wretched son bore up
pretty well until this occurred, and he then fell into a
violent pamxybm of grief. An almost equally distressing
interview took place between the prisoner and a young
woman who occupied a very respectable position at Dover,
and to whom he was about to be married.

The scaffold was erected in a small yard adjoining the
debtors' portion of the gaol, which had at one time been
used as an exercising yard for the prisoners. It is en.
cloaca by four high walls. The apparatus is the same
that was formerly made nee of, with some slight
alterations. The drop is on • perfect level with
the stone paving of the yard, and the execu-
tioner has to descend several stone steps to remove the
bolt which supporta the platform, and the latter then drops
into a recess prepared for it. This apparatus is intended
to be a permanent fixture in this portion of the prison,
but when not required it is intended to screen it from eight
by having it closed in with moveable shutters.

It was, of course, generally known that the execution
was to take place to-day, but as it was also known that
it would be conducted in private, and that the only sign
of the dreadful proceeding would be the hoisting of a
black flag outside the prison wall, at the moment of the
falling of the drop, there were very few, if any,
strangers in the vicinity of the prison, and the town pre-
sented quite its ordinary appearance. Small parties of
the inhabitants were observed conversing together, ap-
parently upon the spectacle that was passing within the
walls of the prison ; but the town generally presented a
marked and extraordinary contrast to that which it has
exhibited upon previous occasions when executions have
taken place in public.
No one was present at the execution but the under-,
sheriff, governor, sergeant, chaplain, and tho representa-
tives of the press. The culprit prayed fervently with the
Rev. Mr. Frazer, the chaplain, for a few seconds, and as
the drop fell, he was singing, with a loud clear voice, the
486th hymn. He appeared to die after two or three
convulsive struggles.

SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST A MILITARY

OFFICER.

At tho Portsmouth Police-court on Pueeday,
Capt. William Henry Bell, of the 67th Regiment, sta-
tioned at Anglesea Barracks, Forbes, was charged with
having committed a rape upon the person of Elizabeth
Stanley, a girl eighteen years of age. The prisoner's wife
was present during the hearing of the case.
The proeecutrix said that she bad been general servant
to the prisoner, who resided at Aubrey-villas, Southsea.
About half-past 4 o'clock on the previous Friday after-
noon her mistress, the nursemaid, and the male servant
being out, the prisoner called her, and she went up to
answer his call. He was standing in the dining-
and he took hold of her round the waist and kissed
her. She tried to get away, but could not do 50,
and he led her towards the sofa, upon which he placed
Ler. She told him she would tell her mistress, and
to leave off. He said he was not hurting her; he was
only playing with hert and he would make her a handsome
present. She said, "I don't want your present." She
was so far exhausted with the heat that she could not re-
member what she was doing with her hands. She had
been struggling with him for about ten minutes up to this
time. The prosecutrix then gave evidence as to the
perpetration of the offence, which she said was against
her will. After the offence had been committed
there was a knock at the door, and the prisoner
got up. She said nothing to him, but ran to the door
and let her mistress in. She took no notice of her, but
walked straight in, and asked where the captain was.
Isreeecutrix said she did not know and went down into
the kitchen. About an hour afterwards her master and
mistress went out. She spoke to the nursemaid on the
subject as soon as she came in, and she also told the man-
servant when he came in, which was about hall an hour
after the nursemaid. She also sent for her sister and told
her, and the same evening she told her mistress. The
next morning she walked to Fareham, and told her
mother about it, and the latter returned with her to
Southsea, and saw her master and mistress.

In cross-examination the prosecutrix said that, with the
exception that her petticoat was tom out of the gathers,
her clothes were not injured. She had no bruises about
her. She was in the parlour with the prisoner altogether
about a quarter of an hour, and was struggling with all
her force during that time.
• . .

The prosecutax's mother deposed to the nature of the
interview with the prisoner. She said to him, Oh, sir,
what have you done to my child Y " and ho made no
answer. She said, " Did she ever give you any liberties
to reuse you to use her in the way you have " He said,
" No, far from it. She suits our house very well, and
mwife is very much pleased with her. She said,
"'What did you think you had in your house F. Did you
think you had a prostitute r' He said, " No, far from
that. Pray don't say anything more about it ; I'll be a
friend to her. Pray let her remain ; it will be such a dis-
grace " but she refused to do so, and took her away.
Mr. J. Slight, surgeon, deposed to haying examined the
prosecutrix, and found indications of connection having
taken place, but there were no marks of violence. In
cross-examination, the witness said he found no indica-
tions such as would arise from a young girl wrestling with
the prisoner. If she had done so he should have expected
to find external marks of violence.

Other evidence having been given,
Mr. basin., solicitor, of ortsea, said the prisoner
utterly and entirely repudiated the charge, but admitting,
for the sake of argument, that the girl's evidence was
true, he urged that the girl had not offered sufficient re-
sistance to constitute the offence, and that, at most, it was
not more than a case of seduction.

For the defence, Elizabeth Ryan, the prvw s nurse.
maid, was called. She said—Prosecutrix had tea as usual
with her on the afternoon in question, and appeared in
good spirits. Her cheek was just little red, and she
asked her if anything ailed her, and she told her
" Nothing." She said to her, " You are very hot," and
the prosecutrix replied, "It's the heat of the weather."
She did not tell her of this matter until after her sister
had first told her.

The magistrates committed the prisoner for trial at the
assizes, but accepted bail, himself in 500/. an. two sureties
in 24.50/. each.

A shocking accident occurred at Llandudno on
Sunday afternoon. Mr. Robert Stratton, of Manchester,
in company with a friend from Newcastle, was walking
round the Great Orme's Head, just below the church of
St. Tudno, when, in looking over the edge, he over-
balanced himself and fell upon the rocks beneath. Some
time elapsed before he could be reached. A boat was
sent from Llandudno, and the unfortunate MAIL was
found dead.

---- -----
Another horrible ease of wife murder is reported
from Liverpool. Some angry words passed between a
coal heaver named Howard and his wife, when, seizing a
table knife, he thrust it into her mouth, severing the
carotid artery, and occasioning instantaneous death. He
has been sent trial for wilful murder. . _

A most destructive fire has been raging for
some days on the Hollow Meadows, near Redmire, border-
ing the Yorkshire and Derbyshire moors, the property of
the Dukes of Norfolk and Rutland, and the moors of the
Bradfield Game Association. The moors in the Hebden
Bridge district have also been on fire. Shooting prospects
are thus much damaged, hundreds of heads of game
having been burnt to death. _ .

011 Friday an old wan in Devonshire was m-
aned in clearing furze, and had set fire to some to hasten
his work. The smoke overpowered him and renderei him
senseless, and while in this state the flames reached him,
rind he was burned to death.

CRYSTAL PALACE. - ONE SHILLING DAY.-
Wm; ESSAY, Atm. 12. —Admiadons by mason tickets, 3,.194 ;
ditto on payment, 12,239 ; total !ABA yes, 16;233.

THE LATE NH THADDEUS STEVENS.

A telegram received this morning from Now
York announces the death of Kr. Thaddeus Stevens, as
active and influential politician of the United States.
Ho was born in Caledonia, county Vermont. on the 4th
April, 1793, and graduated at Dartmouth College in 1814,
whence be removed to I'onnsylvania, where he
studied law, and was called to the bar in
1816. He was first elected to the State Legislature
in 1833, was returned as a member of the convention to
revise the state oonstitut,on in 1836, and was elected as a
representative from Pennsylvania to the 31st Congress in
1448. Kr. Stevens had served as chairman of the Ways
and Moans, and was a delegate to the Baltimore Con-
vention in 1864. The University of Vermont conferred
the degree of LL.D. upon him in August, 1867.