The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-03 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT TEIGNBRIDGE.

The coroner's inquiry concerning the death of
John Meers, aged 31, whose body was found in the
water under one of the arches at Teignbridge on
Friday, the 22d of August, was resumed on Tues-
day, at the Union Inn, Teignrace.
William Handyn, a labourer, of Leverton, de-
posed that the last time he saw deceased alive was
on Thursday, the 13th of August, at the Newton
Races, in company with a fellow workman, called
Coleman. He saw him several times during the
evening. He appeared to have been drinking.
Between nine and ten be saw deceased near the
grand stand, and heard him say to Heath, "Heath,
you are quite a different man from what I took
you to be." Heath did not reply.
Witness was cross-examined at considerable
length by Police. constable M'Ternan, in reference
to what he had told him concerning the affair.
Witness professed that he did not remember what
he had told the constable, and gave his evidence in
such a way as to call forth a severe rebuke from
the coroner.
Thomas Harris, a bargeman, of Newton, said that
on the night of the first day of the races, about
half-past ten o'clock, he was returning from the
races, and when near the Kingsteignton Bridge, a
man came up and caught him by the legs, and
attempted to throw him over the bridge. A man
called Bully came to his assistance. He followed
the man, who was a stranger to him, to the Dart-
mouth Inn, Newton, where he was told his name
was Bunker. Witness also said that he saw the
deceased on the second day of the races, cn the
racecourse.
John Heath, a potter, of Bovey Tracey, was next
called, and, after being cautioned by the coroner,
in the usual way, deposed to having seen the de-
ceased at the Newton Races on Thursday, the 13th
of August. The last time he saw him alive was
between eleven and twelve in the evening. De-
ceased was then sitting on a form in the last booth
towards Newton. He appeared to have been drink-
ing. Witness shortly afterwards left to go home,
in company with a man called James Lethbridge.
When witness left the course there was fighting
going on in one of the booths, between some
sparring men and a number of Kingsteignton men.
Witness got home between two and three o'clock
in the morning. On his way home he passed over
the bridge where the deceased's body was found.
On passing the booth the deceased spoke to him
and said, " Heath, you have assaulted me." Wit-
ness, in fighting, hit the deceased twice in the face,
knocking him down each time. He never quarrelled
with the deceased before, as there was no one in the
pottery he respected more.
At this stage of the proceedings the Coroner re-
marked that he saw but very little at present that
would assist the jury in coming to a satisfactory
conclusion. The whole of the evidence having been
read over, the Coroner observed that, as the evi-
dence was now before the jury, it was for them to
form their own opinion upon the matter. He did
not think it was probable the deceased had come
into the water by his own act, but that he must
have been violently ill-used, and afterwards, by
some parties unknown, thrown into the water. He
considered that if the jury were to return an open
verdict, the police would then be able to bring the
parties before the magistrates, as he was clearly of
the opinion that the deceased had been murdered.
The room was then cleared, and the jury, after
the lapse of about forty minutes, returned the fol-
lowing verdict :—" That the deceased was mur-
deredby blows inflicted upon him, and afterwards
thrown into the water, by some person or persons
unknown."
The Coroner said that he perfectly agreed with
the verdict, and intimated his intention of commu-
nicating with the Secretary of State, with a view
of having a reward offered for the discovery of the
perpetrator.

LORD CUTDE.—A correspondent of a Scotch
paper furnishes the following :—" Having been pro-
fessionally occupied recently in making a search in the old
register of births and baptisms for the City of Glasgow,
now deposited in the Register House, Edinburgh, I acciden-
tally
came upon that of our illustrious and gallant towns-
man, the late Lord Clyde, and having copied it from the
register, I send it to you. The entry in the register esta-
blishes not only the name of his father, but is very strong
evidence of his having been a citizen of Glasgow, if any
further proof of these points were wanting. The entry is
as follows Glasgow, October, 1792,—M1 Liver,—John
M‘Liver, wright, and Agnes Campbell: a L. Son, Colin,
bo. 20th. Witn., Kenneth M`Callum and Duncan Mun*.u.' "
NARROW ESCAPE OF AN EXPRESS TRAlN.—Yes-
terday John Albuary, a butcher, residing at Agnes-
place, Plumpstead, appeared before Mr. Maude, sitting in
the Woolwich police-court, to answer an adjourned sum-
MOllB, charging the defendant with endangering the lives
of passengers en the North lient Railway; by leaving a
horse and cart on the line, near the Abbey-wood station.
From the evidence previously taken it appeared that on the
12th of August the defendant, with a horse and cart, was
passing slowly over a level crossing of the railway at the
moment that an express train to London was in sight. The
danger signal was fortunately given to the driver of the
train, who instant speed, and a collision was
avoided. The defendant pleaded that his eyesight was bad,
and that he was also deaf. Ile did not see or hear the
train until it was near, and he then got off the line as soon
as possible. It was stated that the South-Eastern Com-
pany did not intend to prosecute, as the offence did not ap-
pear to have been wilfully committed. The defendant was
then discharged.

REVISING BARRISTERS.—Tho revision of the lists
of voters in England and Wales must bo completed within
the 15th inst. and the 31st October. The sum allowed for
the current year is £17,550, allowing 200 guineas to each
revising barrister. By the new Circuit Act (26th and 27th
Victoria, cap. 122) it is enacted that upon auy alteration
being made in any of the circuits of the judges by her Ma-
jesty in Council it shall be lawful to order and direct that
the number of revising barristers to be appointed for the
several counties, cities, boroughs, and places within any
circuit affected by the alteration shall be increased or
diminished as to her Majesty, by the advice of the Privy
Council, may seem meet, anything in the Act Gth and 7th
Victoria, cap. 18, notwithstanding, provided that the num-
ber of the revising barristers be not augmented otherwise
than in accordance with the 29th section of the Act men-
tioned.
A collection of ancient carriages has be-en added
to the South Kensington Museum attractions.
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT has been adapted for sur-
gical purposes. A great difficulty in many operations is the
want of light, and by means of a small vacuum tube, bent
into a helix or screw, a kind of luminous cylinder is formed,
which may be introduced into very narrow cavities. Car-
buretted hydrogen, carbonic, and a hydrochloric acid are
used in the vacuum tube to produce whiteness in, the light.
—Loadon

Ppm

The Accident on the West Cornwall
Railway.

About seven o'clock on Monday evening the
body of the deceased driver, Wm. Easthorne, was
removed from the Higher Town Inn, in a sh ell, in
charge of his mother and other relatives, to the
temporary terminus of the West Cornwall Railway,
at Penwithers-bridge, whence it was conveyed by
the 7.15 train to Penzance. The deceased lived in
that town, and has left a widow and five children.
The widow is a daughter of Mr. Richard Thomas,
an engine-driver on the line, and Mr Thomas, who
lives in Camborne, is desirous that the body should
be taken there for burial. As in all cases of death
by accident in Cornwall, the funeral will be at-
tended by large numbers of sympathisers. Another
death has resulted from the accident, Thomas Olds,
the assistant guard, having expired about one o'clock
on Tuesday morning, in the Royal Cornwall Infir-
mary, his mother being with him at the time. His
father, a small farmer, of Gwinear, was also in the
house, having, with tho young woman to whom the
deceased was engaged to be married next Saturday,
been constant in attendance upon him. Up to Sa-
turday last deceased was a potter at the Penzance
Station, but had just been appointed to a situation
as fireman, and which he would shortly have taken.
On Sunday the brother of one of the present guards
having to be buried nt Truro, the deceased was
selected to act as rise:latent-guard for that day.
Little more than eight hours afterwards he was in:
j ured. The passenger and general traffic of the line
is maintained, temporarily, by means of four-horse
omnibuses, running from and to the Truro Station
in connexion with the several trains. They pro-
ceed on the turnpike to and from Sealock, where the
road and railway are nearly on a level. The
restitution of the bridge at Penwithers is being
rapidly proceeded with by a large number of
workmen, under the supervision of Mr. Sheriff, the
resident engineer. It is probable that the line
will re-open to-morrow. With the exception of
some few stones at the top which came away
with the southern beam, the masonry of the bridge
is found to have sustained no damage from the late
accident. It was against the eastern end of the
south hand-rail that the engine struck on Sunday
evening. On this end the engine—cf about 30 tons
weight, and running probably at from 15 to 20
miles an hour—impinged with such force as to split
it through the greater part of its length, and,
rending the bolts by which it was fastened to the
truss, to send it flying on to the south slope of the
western embankment—a distance of some 40 feet.
At the same instant the engine, having but one set
of wheels on the permanent way between the rails,
smashed the southern truss ; and the suspended
beam and flooring, haring thus lost their chief sup-
port, gave way. The engine—the southern wheels
of which, after leaving the embankment, could have
had no support whatever—toppled over into the
road, together with the south truss and the greater
part of the bridge flooring. The stoker, John Jones,
in the Infirmary, is likely to recover. He was on
the south side of the engine when the collision
occurred, but as the engine came on the bridge he
got on the boiler, and leaped from it on the north
side, and was inmediately so self-possessed that his
first exclamation was, " %%Them's my mate ?" He
at once crossed the embankment and assisted in the
efforts that were being made to release the driver,
Easthorne, who at first complained about his legs,
and then repeatedly exclaimed, with all his remain-
ing strength, "Lord, have mercy on my soul," and
died in about ten minutes.-- Western Morning
News.