The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-02 00:00:00

ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP A MiiNUFACTOEY AT

CONISBROUGH.

On Thursday =riling, at the early hour of one o'clock,
an attempt was made to blow up the sickle manufactory
of Messrs. Booth and Son, formerly the " boring mills,"
adjoining the river Weir ; a quantity of gunpowder having
been placed by some miscreants in the drum of a machine
in the interior of the building, for the purpose of blowing
up the place. The powder was contained in a canvas bag,
and with it was connected a long fuse, passing through
the adjoining premises (lately occupied by Mr. Lindley)
a distance of at least ten yards. The fuse passed under
the door of Mr. Lindley's place, and it seems the train
was fired at or near this spot. The intended purpose was,
however, a complete failure, and the damage, beyond the
injury to the straps passing over the drum, was confined
to the roof, the tiles of which were all displaced, and many
fell into the workshop below. Immediate alarm was given
and Mr. Superintendent A stwood proceeded to the spot,
and made a minute examination of the place. Policeman
Kershaw, of Conisbrough, followed soon after, and during
the forenoon he apprehended Messrs. Booth's watchman,
a man named Richard Swallow, on suspicion of being
concerned in the affair. The damage is supposed to be
from £3O to £4O, but in consequence of the debris in the
machinery, it is impossible at present to correctly ascer-
tain the exact sum. This is the second attempt that has
been made to injure Messrs. Booth. In November, 1855,
a bottle, containing gunpowder, with a lighted fuse at the
end, was thrown into the bedchamber in ivhich Mr. and
Mrs. Booth slept ; and, although the house was shaken to
its foundation, no one was killed. Swallow was, or ought
to have been, watching at the time of the explosion, which
could not have taken place, it is supposed, had he been
near the manufactory.—Doncaster Gazette.

MURDER OP A CHILD BY ITS MOTHER, AT OLDHAM.—
An inquest was held at the King's Arms Inn, on Satur-
day, before Mr. T. F. Dearden, coroner, on the body of a
child, named Jane Ann Smith, only six months old, who
was drowned in a mug of water by her mother on the
previous morning. It appeared that the woman, who is
unmarried, is named Hannah Smith, is forty-four years of
age, and le:sided, at Sett, near Oldtren. She resided with
two illegitimate children, one fifteen years of age, and the
deceased ; and on Friday morning she went into a neigh-
bour's house,in a state of great excitement, and said she had
put her little child into a mug of water, and that she had
been in it herself three times for the purpose of being
drowned, but the Lord had pulled her out. The screams of
the women in the house where she told this tale collected a
crowd at the door, the factory p ogle being passing to
their work, and on going into Smith's house, they found
that what she stated was correct, the child being in the
water. It was at once taken out, and attempts made to
restore animation. but without effect ; and in the mean-
time, a message was despatched for Mr. Quarmby, surgeon,
of Lees, who was shortly after in attendance, and pro.
nounced the child to be past all human aid. The woman
was then taken into custody by police-constable Hinch-
cliffe, and when charged with drowning her child she
admitted it, and said she intended to do the same by
herself. The woman has been in distressed circumstances
for some time, and this has preyed up ea her to such an
extent as to have affected her mind. The jury returned a
verdict of " Wilful murder" against her.
A WO3IAN AND TWO CHILDREN BURNED TO DEATII.—On
Friday morning, about two o'clock, a family residing on
the second floor of a tenement situated at 550, Dobbie's
Loan, Port Dundas, Glasgow, were awoke from their
slumbers by the smell of smoke. They rose, but not per-
ceiving any appearance of fire, retired to rest. Shortly
after five o'clock, however, the inhabitants of a house on
the ground floor of the tenement in question, were
awakened by a portion of the ceiling, which was on fire
above their bed, falling in. The alarm was immediately
communicated to the Coweaddens Police station, and the
fire brigade turned out with all haste, and in a short time
extinguished the fire, which had broken out in the house
of a boatman on the Firth and Clyde Canal, named David
Forrester, adjoining the dwelling of the people who were
first disturbed by the smoke. On the firemen entering
the room, a sad spectacle met their view. The
wife of the boatman lay on the floor, and
near to her a boy about three years of age, both of
whom were burned almost to cinders. On proceeding to
the house below, into which a portion of the burning floor
had fallen, the firemen found the charred remains of an
infant about fifteen months old, which had fallen through
the floor along with the burning timber. Forrester's
family had only removed into the house the previous day,
and it is said they had not built in their grate, but had
lighted a fire on the hearthstone. From the fact of a fire
having broken out in a concealed bed, it is supposed that
some light mast have communicated with the bed clothing
and ignited it. The unfortunate woman, who is said to
have been the worse for liquour the previous evening, must
have been suffocated, as no cries of distress were heard by
any of the neighbours. The remains of the three bodies
were placed in one coffin, and interred in the New Ne-
crojoolts.
THE COMMERCIAL BANK EMBEZZLEMENT.—Notwith-
standing the efforts made during the past week to secure
Mr. Salmon, he is still free so far as is known. The
criminal officer followed him to Liverpool, but there all
traces of the delinquent disappeared. t has been
rumoured that he was captured in the French capital ;
another rumour prevailed that he had been secured in
Calais; and a third statement was made, although not for
a moment credited, to the effect that he had returned to
Edinburgh, and was concealed in that city. The proba-
bility is that he has succeeded in affecting his escape out
of the country, and that he had sailed some day in the
beginning of last week either for America or Australia.
The personal debts of Mr. Salmon are, according to report,
even more serious than had at first been supposed. For
some years past, it has been the impression of the town,
that the style in which the family lived, indicated the
possession of an income of much larger dimensions than Mr.
Salmon's was generally supposed to be ; but his connection
with the Commercial Bank, and the position he held in the
community, unfortunately inspired a degree of confidence
both in his ability and willingness to meet all pecuniary
liabilities which enabled him to get credit to any extent.
Without entering into detai!s with reference to his obliga-
tions, we may state, generally, that they amount to a very
large sum in this town, and that in Edinburgh their
aggregate is still greater. Wher, the painful facts which
we have recorded were first known here, we believe it
was the universal wish that Mr. Salmon should succeed in
pain the spectacle of a man they had known so long, and
effecting his escape. No one could have witnessed without
who bad held such a high place in the town, being dragged
to the bar of a court charged with such grave crimes. The
capture and punishment of the culprit could not have
restored the money which he had illegally appropriated
and squandered away, and the general hope was that he
should be left to the punishment of his own eor:science.
Now, however, when the extent of the injury he has
inflicted upon others is better known, and more correctly
estimates', the public sympathy with the victims of Mr.
Salmon's extravagance is so strong that his capture would
be regarded with far different feelings than those with
which such an event would have been hailed on this day
week.—Faikirk Herald;

ADULTERY BY A WIFE.

IRVINE V. the second division of the Court
of Session, Edinburgh, on Friday, the pursuer sued his
wife for divorce. He alleged that, after living with her
for two years, " he was compelled to separate from her, in
consequence of her drunken, violent, and quarrelsome
habits and disposition, and her irregular and loose habits
and behaviour generally.;" and while she was so living
separate she had been guilty of adultery with two indivi-
duals. On the other hand, while denying that she had
committed any breach of the laws of matrimony, the
defender averred that the pursuer, who is an artist. obtained
her consent to marry solely for the purpose of gaining
possession of her means, and that, after these were
exhausted, and having improved his position
in his profes-
sion, he rendered her sate miserable by neglect and ill.
treatment. A lengthened proof was led ; and the case
was debated before the Lord Ordinary (Handyside), who
pronounced an interlocutor, finding that one of the charges
of adultery had been proved, and, that the defender
having forfeited all the rights and privileges of a lawful
wife, divorced and separated them accordingly. The
defender reclaimed. Mr. F. W. Clark (with whom was the
Dean of Faculty) appeared, and argued that the proof,
upon which the charge was supported, was not worthy of
credit. The court, without calling on the pursuer's counsel,
adhered to the interlocutor.

A CHAP FER or ACCIDENTS. —The Northern, _Ensign
notes under this head, a large number of accidents which
occurred in that neighbourhood during the week. There
are two vessels ashore, one of which was got off without
damage, the other the brig Favourite, of Aberdeen, became
a wreck; a boat upset, and a narrow escape of the crew ;
a gig accident, nearly resulting in the deaths of two lads;
narrow escape from drowning of a little girl; an accident
to the boat conveying the mails across Meikle Ferry ; a
man breaking his ribs, and a woman breaking her legs ; a
man drowned in the Pentland Firth ; and the fall of a
house, beside the following singular accident :—" On
Tuesday, a woman at Occurnater, named Flett, wife of one
of the Findochty fishermen presently fishing there, met
her death under very melancholy circumstances. The
temporary wooden hut which the party occupy is erected
under the brae at Occumster ; and on Tuesday, while the
woman was lying in bed, a large stone fell down from
the brae, breaking through the roof, and coming right
down on the unfortunate woman, who was instantly killed.
A little boy also suffered injury." The following ship-
wreck is also noted:—" During the fog on Monday, the
schooner Blue Bonnet, of Leith, from Lerwick to Serabster,
in ballast, went ashore on the Island of Strome, and
has since gone down in deep water. She is a total
wrt ck."

STEALING A BALE OF COTTON.—At the Manchester
city police court, on Friday, William Fellows and Adam
M'Lean were charged with stealing, and a yarn dealer
named Wilde, with receiving a bale of cotton worth £l5,
the property of Mr. Wood, of Glossop, which had bees
stored in a lock-up warehouse, at Knott Mill. The cotton
was removed from the warehouse on Tuesday morning, by a
carter employed by the prisoner M'Lean, and taken to a
warehouse in Spear-street. The prisonor Fellows lowered
the bale into the cart. Shortly after another carter, also
employed by M'Lean, removed the bale to Wilde's, where
there were only two boys to receive it. They knew nothing
about the bale, but assisted the carter to take it into his
warehouse. One of the boys said that M'Lean came to the
warehouse after the cotton had been delivered, but the
master was not then in. On Wednesday, M'Lean was
again at the warehouse, and saw his master's son ; and on
Tulin,lay be came again, and saw Mr. Wilde ; but witness
knew nothing of what passed at these interviews. The
boy added that the base remained all the time it was in
the warehouse in the middle of the room, on the spot
where it had been laid when it was brought in. He also
said he had seen M'Lean two or three times before Tuesday.
He was a man who went with a h and-cart, and delivered goods
for Mr. Wilde ; but he never sold any goods to Mr.
Wilde. The magistrates discharged Wilde , and ordered
the examinations to be taken with respect to the other two.
Love AND MURDEIL—The Court of Assize of the
Herault, tried a man named Bruno for murder. In 1855,
being in the service of a lady named Tisson, he conceived
a violent passion for a fellow-servant namedßosalie. She,
however, being much his junior, repelled his advances, and
even refused his hand. Nevertheless, his passion for her
increased, but as she persisted in refusing to have anything
to do with him he uttered dreadful threats against her.
In December last, as Madame Tisson was about to leave
Montpelier, they both left her service, and Rosalie went to
live with her parents in the village of Aumassas' while the
man took service in a family at Montpelier. In February,
Bruno learned that Rosalie was about to return toMontpe-
Her, and he went several consecutive days to the diligence
office, to await her arrival. On the 24th she
arrived, and he wanted to embrace her, but she
repelled him. He, however, persisted in accompanying
her to the house of her sister, a married woman, where
she was going to spend a few days. Arrived there, he
asked her to shake him by the hand, but she refused, and
he seemed deeply offended. He asked her sister what she
could mean by treating him so, and was answered, " She
is going to marry one of her fellow villagers." He seemed
greatly surprised, and muttered, "I do not think she
will," and went away. The next day he returned, and
insisted so strongly on having an interview with Rosalie,
that the sister vas obliged to promise that the young
woman should meet him at her uncle's residence at one
o'clock. Before that hour arrived, Bruno was seen
hanging about the uncle's house, and when Rosalie came,
he demanded that she should accompany him into the
back kitchen, in order that her uncle might not hear what
he had to say to her. A few seconds after they had
entered the kitchen, Rosalie was heard to utter piercing
cries, and when her uncle rushed in he saw her lying on the
floor in a pool of blood, and Bruno stabbing at her with
a knife. The man dragged away the assassin and pro-
cured medical assistance for the victim, but she had
received no fewer than twenty-four wounds, some of them
mortal. She, however, was able to state that Bruno had
attacked her on account of her again refusing to marry
him. She afterwards received the last sacraments of the
church and expired. When before the court, the prisoner
alleged that Rosalie had attacked him first, and that he
had only stabbed her in self-defence ; but he afterwards
admitted that he had murdered her because he was dis-
tracted at her refusal to marry him. He added that he
had, on being seized, attempted to commit suicide by stab-
bing himself in the abdomen, but the wound turned out a
very slight one. Being declared guilty, but with extenuat-
ing circumstances, he was sentenced to hard labour for
life.
A HEROINE. —A young female servant, lately in the
employ of Captain Schneider, of :he British German Legion,
appeared at the police court to answer a chage brought
against her of having deserted her service. The circum-
stances of her desertion are of a very distressing character.
It appears that at the time of the formation of the Legion,
she was urged by her parents in Belgium to accompany the
lady of Captain Schneider as a female servaut. She
acceded to their desire, it being an understood agreement
that she was only to accompany the Legion to England.
When it was proposed that the Legion should immigrate
to this colony, she said she would not consent, for various
reasons, to accompany her mistress, but by a deal of per-
suasion her objections were overcome, and she embarked
with that lady on board the Mersey. It was with feelings
of deep regret, however, that she left her " Vaderland"
behind, for there were aged parents and loved brothers
whom she yearned to see ; and there was " A nearer
one still, and a dearer one vet, than all other," to
whom she had a year or two before promised to return
early, and vowed never to forget—at least so _ ran the
current rumour among these who observed her anxious
care-worn look on board the Mersey. Her mistress, how-
ever, did not see why her feelings should prevent her doing
her usual duties, and therefore she was displeased with
the continual carelessness and misanthropy of our young
heroine—and even, it is said, harshly treated her. This
did not tend to reform; it only increased the mental
sufferings which she had already been labouring under.
On two occasions, during the voyage out, she threw
herself oyerboard, and was only miraculously saved
—once by the mate of the Mersey. She also tried to
put an end to her burdened life by an attempt at strangu-
lation; but while in the act, she was fortunately preserved.
On the ship arriving in Table Bay, a request to go on
shore, to make a complaint, was refused her ; and all
attempts to elude the vigilance of the troops on duty, under
whose surveillance she was, failed. One resource was left
to her, however, and, however repugnant to her feminine
feelings, she resolved to adopt it to obtain her free-
dom. She abstracted a suit of men's clothes, and, attired
in these, found her way on shore in a boat which had
been alongside the Mersey. Unfortunately, by the advice
of some of the depraved people who occasionally prep
about the central wharf, she—or he (which is the
gender ?)—was directed, upon inquiring for a lodging-
house, to a house of equivocal fame. The following
morning, however, she succeeded, in obtaining 'a
more respectable domicile, and confessed to the lady, from
whom she had obtained shelter, that her sex was not such as
her attire denoted. This revelation created astonishment ;
but when she told her simple tale every kindness was shown
to her, a more appropriate drees was substituted for
her masculine habiliments, and protection from any
injustice guaranteed. On Monday she appeared at the
police court, in answer to a charge of desertion made
against her by Captain Schneider, bat that gentleman not
being present to support it, and the agents of the vessel
not having been instructed as to the case, she was dismissed,
and proceeded to her new formed home, where, we under-
stand, she is now engaged as a female servant. Exertions
are being made to obtain for ber a free passage to her
native land.— Cape Afrgus•

THE REPORTERS AT THE PIKE.

•.••••maggn.
TO THS EDITOR OFTHZ NORTHERN TIMES.

Slft,—Along with many of my fellow councilors,
I visited the Pike on Wednesday week last. I
looked at the water, I tasted it, (which is more
than most of my friends did), and I smelled at it ;
but I am not now going to tell you what I thought
of it. We breakfasted at the station, lunched at
Heapy, dined and drank wine to our hearts
content at the Black Boy, proposed and responded
to all the great and little toasts essential to such
a spree, &e., &c ; when it was proposed by one of
our number, that those who might feel disposed to
accompany Mr. M'Donald to witness certain mat-
ters he was prepared to show the Council, could
command his services outside. I went myself to
the Pike, not for the sake of a jolly blow-out at the
4
expense of the town, but to gleaninformation, S 1 L 5
knowing well what Mr. M'Donald's antecedents
were, I was amongst the first to volunteer to ac-
company him, and a number of others did the same.
There were two representatives (?) of the press
who accompanied us all the way from Tithbarn-
street ; one I knew—the other at the time I did
not know, but have since learned that he is em-
ployed on the staff of the Mercury. Those two
gentlemen had, doubtless, been invited to accom-
pany the Council for the purpose of furnishing a
faithful narration of all that took place—at least I
thought so. Well, M'Donald led the way up
lane through the village of Rivington, until he
came to a bridge, where, making a stop in order
that the short-winded Aldermen and Councillors
might have time to come up, he informed us that
the stream was designated the " Great Rivington
River," the principal feeder of the reservoir of that
name. On looking over the bridge, I perceived a
small quantity of curious looking stuff, I do not
exactly know how to describe it. I could compare
it to nothing save one of our channels with some
milk shed on it, and mixed with the ordinary dirt.
Mr. M'Donald then led us up a gateway a ltttle to
the left where I saw a sight which I shall never
forget—and I believe I may say the same for all
who saw it—but you have already described it
much better than I possibly can, suffice it to say,
had I not seen, felt, and smelt it; I would not have
credited the existence of such a place at all.
When our first astonishment had a little subsided,
and when we could venture to open our mouths, for
I may tell you, at first sight every one of us
was fairly struck dumb. I began to look around
for our two friends the reporters, thinking, no
doubt, they would be faithfully chronicling the
state of Mr. Andrew's pond; but I looked in vain;
there were no reporters there. I could not account
for their absence until, on returning, after having
seen and heard all which was to be seen or heard,
I found these worthy representatives of the fourth
estate lolling on the bridge, each with a cigar in
his mouth, and his note-book in his pocket, carefully
shut up, chatting quite to their own satisfaction,
no doubt, with the water engineer. In fact, they
had never been to see this sink of abomination
at all. So much for the integrity of our reports.
These gentlemen eat and drank at the cost of
the Corporation, and they were in addition,
doubtless paid by the papers they pretended to
represent ; but surely duty ought to take prece-
dence of mere indulgence. I may some day put
the question to the chairman of the Water Com-
mittee how it happened, that the two papers
named had the favour extended them of having
reporters present, while all the others, your own
amongst the number, were excluded. I can
hardly call this fair dealing.—Yours, &c.,
TOWN COUNCILLOR.