The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-07 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

Yesterday morning a disastrous fire occurred at the camp
at Aldershot in the stables of the Military Train, adjacent
to the barrack sbres. The building in which the fire origi.
nated formed nearly two sides of a square, the angles being
respectively about 100 yards and 75 yards in length. It was
built entirely of timber and straw, and formed one of a
number of temporary stables allotted to the horses of the
Royal Artillery and Military Train stationed in the south

camp. The fire was discovered about five minutes past five
o'clock by a sentry on duty near the spot, and by whom an
alarm was promptly given. In a very few minutes a large
body of men were in attendance. and the most strenuous
exertions were used to remove the horses. Unfortunately,
however, from the nature of the building, this was found to
be impossible. The flames spread with the greatest rapidity
and in 10 minutes the entire building was one mass of flame.
The screams of the horses, which were tethered to their
stalls by chains, were terrible, and only 11 were saved. The
means of ingress and egress were few, and from this circum •
stance, together with the quantity of forage ablaze inside, it
was dangerous to attempt to enter the building. The camp
fire-brigade, under Mr. Superintendent Burke, was promptly
in attendance, with three engines and a large number of
fire-screens, but owing to a scarcity of water, only one en••
gine could be brought into play. The horses in the adjoin-
ing stables ware turned loose, and driven away from the
scene of the fire, some of them roaming into the country
for many miles round, A strong south-west wind was
blowing, which had the effect of carrying the flames directly
away from the adjoining stables, which being of the same
material as the blazing building must otherwise have
shared the same fate. In less than an hour the stable was
burnt to the ground with 75 of the horses. The origin of the
fire is not known, but it is supposed to have been occasioned
by a suspended stable lamp setting fire to the thatch of the
building. Fifty-two of the horses burnt belonged to the sth
battalion Military Train, and 26 to the 2d battalion. Their
value is roughly estimated at £2,500. This, however, does
not represent the total loss, as the harness and accoutre-
ments within the building were worth at least another £5OO.
Sad as is the occurrence, it is only the fu,filment of a pre •
diction long since made by many persons who have noticsd
the construction of these temporary stables at Aldershot
Camp. A court of inquiry assembled in the Orderly Room,
It Lines, at 11 o'clock, Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchel, Royal
Artillery, president; Captain Burden, 13th Hussars, Cap-
tain Akers, Royal Engineers, members.
The following is an extract from a letter from a Cadet in
the Royal Mill ary Academy at 'Woolwich :—" The 23d of
October was the anniversary of the great mutiny here of
1861, when the guns were loaded with bread and fired at
the Lieutenant. Governor's windows. To commemorate the
occasion two fellows in the A division loaded the 4-pounders
at the end of the parade and fired them off as the clock struck
10 p.m. Immediately soldiers and officers were seen running
about to know the reason of this alarm. The soldiers on
guard at the barracks, the arsenal, and the dockyard, turned
out under arms ; orderlies came riding over the common, and
there was a regular bustle everywhere. It was soon found
out that the cadets had been up to some of their old pranks,
and accordingly the usual Saturday and Sunday leave was
stopped. This created great discontent, and on Saturday, the
24th, the Heater swords were all thrown into the reservoir
excepting 9, which could not be carried off. One fellow was
stopped by a corporal going into the place where the swords
are kept with one sword under his arm, which he said he had
found lying about. As his character was by no means good,
he was told that if he did not resign he would be expelled.
So accordingly he resigned. The two fellows who fired off
the guns were found out and expelled ; but, not satisfied
with this, they called us in and asked us each individually
whether we had taken any part in the disturbance on Satur-
day night. The invariable answer was No, Sir.' Then they
asked whether we knew of anybody who had had any part
in the disturbance, and the ' No, Sir,' invariably followed
it. Three fellows declined answering at all, and they were
put under arrest immediately, leave was stopped till further
orders, and the whole cadet company got a double allowance
of drill. The authorities, finding it impossible to take (
stronger measures without exasperating us, gave in, and
having given the three fellows plenty of arrest, followed up
by plenty of confinement to the enclosure, and, ofacs°:7
stoppage of leave to the end of
and we are now no longer fearing that
the term—th° rdewcireated,
as it was at first given us to understanwde. Bhalir
one thing or
Id
seven fellows
another three fellows have been ex')
have been rusticated this term,
been known for a very long time."
laerlgleedr and
than has

MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUlClDE.—Yesterday
morning a report was circulated in Guildford that a
soldier stationed in the town had murdered his wife and
i
committed suicide. On inquiry it turned out that a sergeant
of the 3d Buffs, who,with a woman supposed to be his wife,
had been staying at the Coachmakers' Arms, Norel-street,
since Sunday evening, had murdered his companion, and
afterwards attempted self-destruction. They occupied a room
on the second floor, and are stated to have been remarkably
quiet and civil persons. On Wednesday last they had break-
fast and tea, but they had no food yesterday, although the
man in the course of the day ordered some potatoes to be
boiled, and stated that the woman's mother was coming to
visit them.
Nothing was seen or heard of either the ser-
geant or his wife during yesterday evening or this mornin
In consequence of this the inmates of the house became
rather uneasy. A sergeant of the 37th, who was billeted
In the house, asked to be allowed to break open the door of
the room, but the landlady refused to allow him, and after
knocking at the door for some time without eliciting
they sent to the police. Superintendent any
reply Vickers, ac-
companied by Sergeant Steads and Police• Constable Davis,
at once proceeded to the spot, and forced open the door.
The man and woman were then found lying in the bed ap-
parently dead. The woman had evidently been strangled,
and her bead was frightfully swollen,
gash on the woman's throat, and la There was a large
the side of the bed
there were two vessels filled with blood, and an ordinary
table-knife which was stained with blood. Mr. F, D. Ross,
surgeon, of Dudley-house, Was promptly in attendance,
together with Dr. Chapman, of the 37th Foot, who examined
man, upon
odi bodies, A small quantity of brandy was given to the
which ua
he
sightly is the opinion of th rallied, and spoke a few words.
been dead for t e medical men that the woman had
which we or three days,
On examining a medal
the man wore it
appeared that his name was Joseph
Mahaig, and that h
war. It is not .e had served in China during the last
sitively known whether the murdered
woman was his
wife or not ; but she is stated to have been
tall, good-looking, and, apparently, about 28 years of age.
Mahaig's wounds were dressed and he was removed to a
separate room, where he is in the keeping of the police.
The body of the unfortunate woman was also removed, and
it now awaits the coroner's inquest. No motive has been
assigned for the commission of the horrible act, and the
parties were both strangers in Guildford.
REPORTED DEATH OF MR.PRITCTIARD.—A letter
from Papeiti, in the Courrier des Etats Dais, announces the
tragical fate of the once famous Mr. Pritchard. A schooner,
while proceeding from one island; to another, having on
board the American Consul at the Fejee Islands, and Mr.
Pritchard, the English Consul, and his family, was lost,
and all on board perished.
As You WERE.—The borough of Tenby makes a
curious figure in the population returns. The population
at the census of 1851 was 2,982, and again the census of
1861 found exactly 2,982 inhabitants. There was one more
male in the place in 1361 than in 1551, but there was ono
female less.