The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-25 00:00:00

fniE LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING. AUGUST 25, 1863

inquest), corroborated the statement of Conway. He saw
prisoner and Conway carrying Miss Goodwin, and he as-
sisted. Prisoner said he had done the deed, in answer to
questions asked by the witness. Witness lelt them at the
hall gates and went on to Withworth.

Anthony Seeds, brother of the last witness, gave similar
evidence.

James Conway—l live at Wigwell. I was milking some
cows about half-past 8 o'clock otiFriday evening last, when
I heard a shout down Wigwell-lane, and went down. I
met Reuben Conway, George Seeds, his brother Anthony,
and the prisoner. They were carrying Miss Goodwin, who
was covered with blood. I said, " What is the matter ? who
has done this ?" and the prisoner replied, " I know, and he
knows (meaning Reuben Conway) ; I have dune it, and I
must be hanged." 1 then helped to carry the body, and put
my smockfrock under Miss Goodwin's shoulders and at the
back of her head. I asked the prisoner to lay hold of one
side of the smock, and he did so. I said to the prisoner,
" Hold up, hold up," and he replied, " I am not likely to
carry like you men." We then carried the body into the

front kitchen of the hall. We met Captain Goodwin near
the hall, and he asked what was the matter, and who had
done it. Prisoner replied. "It is your granddaughter; I
have done it."

Joseph Bowmer corroborated Reuben Conway. He as-
sisted in carrying the body. He said " Where is the fellow
who has done it ?" and a man replied " I am the man who
did it ; there is no mistake about it." He could net say
that it was the prisoner who made the observation. They
met the captain, who said several times " Who has done it ?"
and witness replied "That man who is carrying at the
shoulder says he has done it:" The captain then said " Who
is he ?" and witness replied that he did not know. The cap-
tain told him to fetch Dr. Mant and two policemen.

Dr. ➢Sant and police-constable Farnham having given
evidence,

The prisoner was committed for trial at the next assizes,
remarking, in answer to the magistrates clerk, that he had
nothing to say.

Federal Repulse on the James River.

A reconnaissance of Fort Darling, on the James
River, was made on Tuesday, Aug. 4, by the gun-
boats Commodore Barney, Capt. Huse ; Sangamon
(Monitor), Capt. Nicholson ; and the armed steam-
tug Cohasset, Capt. Cox. Major-Gen. Foster, with
a party consisting of the following named officers,
accompanied the expedition, and was present
throughout the subsequent engagement. On board
the John Faron, the General's special boat, were
Brigadier-General H. M. Naglee, commanding 7th
Army Corp; Brigadier-General Edward E. Potter,
Chief of the Staff; Major C. S. Stewart, Engineer
of Fort Wool; Major Edward N. Strong, Aide-de-
Gimp ; Capt. Louis Fitzgerald, Aide-de-Camp; and
Lieut. F. W. Farquhar, Chief Engineer of Depart-
ment. The gunboats got under way from Newport's
News at about 12 o'clock noon, and proceeded
leisurely up the river. Capt. Gansevoort, •of the
Roanoke, was on board the Barney as acting flag
officer of the little fleet. The trip was quite
pleasant, and there seemed no probability of any
attempt being made to bar the progress of our
vessels. But as the boats were passing Aiken s
Landing, about 16 miles above City Point, the Com-
modore Barney, being in advance and having the
Monitor in tow, was fired into by riflemen on shore.
The volleys of musketry which accompanied the
continuous rattle of the sharpshooters' pieces were
very severe, and lasted 20 minutes. The rebels,
however, met with a vigorous reply from our gun
boats, the brave commanders of wrich, nothing
daunted, baldly kept on up the river. No other in-
cident of an exciting nature transpired until the
fleet had reached a point on the river within six
miles of Fort Darling. Here, as usual, the Barney
bore the brunt of the misfortune. A tor-
pedo was exploded under her starboard bow.
The effect of this explosion was terrific
in appearance, but, luckily, did not turn out
so bad after all. The vessel was lifted by the
shock upwards of loft. out of water, and an im-
mense jet of water was hurled from her bow 50ft.
in the air at least, falling over and completely de•
luging her, and washing overboard 30 men. Not-
withstanding the desperate condition of affairs
boats were immediately manned, and the unfortu-
nates were rescued by their faithful brethren from
a watery grave. Two of these men wily, named
Martin Krout, seaman, and L. Gamble (coloured),
were drowned. The rest were all picked up, with
the exception of two or three, who swam ashore.
It was now discovered that the Barney was badly
injured, so much so that it was found necessary to
point her head for the shore. The Cohasset, how-
ever, took her in tow shortly, it being found that
her engines were completely disabled. A further
advance was now considered useless, inasmuch as
the men seen on shore were there doubtless for the
purpose of exploding the torpedoes beneath our ves-
sels as they attempted to pass. So the expedition
returned to Dutch Gap, where anchors were
dropped for the night. The Commodore Barney
was here repaired slightly, and the next morning
was taken in tow. The Monitor and the fleet moved
down the river again. A mile below their anchorage
the enemy opened on them with artillery and
musketry, the latter fire being unremitting and
terribly severe. The Barney, with her usual luck,
was among the first to fall under the terrible
severity of the engagement. Notwithstanding her
disabled condition she gallantly replied to every
shot. Her armament consisted of five 9 inch guns
and one 100-pounder Parrot rifled. A running
fight was now begun and kept up along the bluffs
for some distance. The banks on either side were
found to be so high that it was simply impossible
to elevate the guns so as to reply to the rebels with
any degree of precision or effectiveness. The Nor-
folk ladies' gunboat, the General Jessup, Lieutenant
Colonel Charles Whipple commanding, which had
started from Fortress Monroe on Wednesday the sth
inst., with despatches for General Foster, met the
fleet at Turkey Island. She was immediately,
hitched to the starboard side of the Monitor to ac-
celerate her speed, the Cohasset being already
hitched to the port side, the Barney being in tow
behind the Monitor. Abreast of Turkey Island the
enemy opened on us again in the most determined
manner with four pieces of artillery and any quan-
tity of sharpshooters. The unfortunate gunboat, the
Commodore Barney, here met with the first mishap,
as usual. A solid shot struck her under the guards,
abaft the wheelhouse and 15 inches below the water
line, penetrating her hull and passing through the
coal bunker and boiler, thus finally disabling the
vessel effectually. The havoc that was worked on
her by the enemy's shot, shell, and bullets is almost
incredible. There is scarcely a portion of the boat
but has been penetrated by the missiles of the enemy
—either shells, bullets, or solid shot. Shells passed
through the officers' rooms, shattering everything,
and scattering furniture, beds, and woodwork to the
four winds. The sharpshooters were so think upon
the banks that it would have been useless slaughter
to have manned the guns. But it is a wonderful
fact that, notwithstanding bullets were continually
piercing the vessel on every side, and erratic shells,
with their peculiar scream and splurge, went howl-
ing through the craft in every direction in search of
prey, our loss sums up a good round nought. The
rebel artillery, composed of 12 pounders, was served
with spirit. The General Jessup received the first
shot in her steam drum, while the second that was
fired struck the port side of the Cohesset, passed
through the engire-room struck the Monitor's deck
end exploded, and lod the pieces in the side of the
Jessup. Another shell passed through the yard and
under the counter of the latter vessel, glancing and
tearing the timber, thus just failing to penetrate to
the magazine. The iron shield astern was pierced,
and bullets were imbedded in almost every timber.
The Monitor, Capt. Nicholson, throughout the fight,
moved frowningly on in contemptuous silence, and
did not often deign to reply to the puny foe. She
was struck several times, but a slight indentation
of her armour was the only result, Capt. Huse, of
the Commodore Barney, displayed throughout the
trying emergencies to which he was submitted the
greatest, coolness, nerve, and intrepidity. He was
on the hurricane dick almost the whole time, ex-
posed to the enemy's terrible tire, and by his gal-
lant conduct has done himself and the navy the
highest honour. The bullets of the sharpshooters