The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-10 00:00:00

ANOTHER ACCOUNT

A sensation, which it would be difficult to accurately
describe, prevailed yesterday throughout the whole of the
neighbourhood of Red Lion-square, Ilolborn, in conse-
quence of the following dreadful affair :
From the particulars already obtained it appears that
a man, named Ernest Southey, by profession a billiard-
marker, between 35 and 40 years of ago, had been liv-
ing with a married woman named White. This female
was the same person who some time ago prosecuted the
Earl Dudley for an assault upon her, full particulars of
which appeared in this journal at the time. It seems that
Mr. White had been separated from his wife for some time,
and had become greatly reduced in his circumstances, and
Southey undertook to take care of and provide for three of
the children, all boys. He therefore took apartments at the
Star Coffee-house, in Red Lion-street, and the boys, of the
respective ages of six, eight, and ten years, were on Mon-
day taken to the above house. One was to sleep in No. 8
room and other two in No. 6. The unfortunate children
slept in those rooms on Monday night, and on Tuesday
Southey took them ont, as he said, for a walk in the park.
He was away with them for the space of three or four hours
when he brought them back to the before-named coffee-
house. That was about 9 o'clock at night. After seeing
them into their beds ho locked the doors of their rooms,
handed the keys to the servant, and said he should be back
about 9 o'clock the following morning.

From this time the children were not heard to make the
least noise, such as screaming or even crying for assistance,
but 9 o'clock having expired, and some hours having rolled
away, the proprietor began to think that something wrong
had taken place, and the police were called in, and under
the direction of Mr. Superintendent Searle, the door of No.
8 was opened, when the elder boy was found lying in bed
quite dead. Upon opening the door of No. 6, in which the
two younger boys had been put to bed by Southey, they
were also found dead. The appearances of the bodies clearly
showed that they had died without much struggling, if any.
That hypothesis is borne out to a great extent from the fact
that the youngest child had firmly clenched in his hand a
halfpenny. Medical assistance was at once sent for, and the
three children were pronounced to have been dead some
hours, and in the absence of an autopsy of the bodies, the
prevailing opinion of the medical gentlemen is that the
death of each was caused from the administration of prussic
acid. Whether such was the case or not, will be fully in-
quired into and settled when the coroner's inquest is
holden. Of course post mortem examinations will be made
of each body.

At 12 o'clock last night a reward of £lOO was offered for
the apprehension of Southey by the Secretary of State for
the Home Department. The supposed murderer is thus
described :—Age between 35 and 40 years; by profession
a billiard marker ; height, 5 feet 7 inches ; dark hair; eyes
dark grey ; no whiskers, but a beard of several days'
growth ; dressed in dark clothes, and a vest buttoned up to
the chin ; a black shabby-looking scarf.

The moment the fearful news was communicated to Mr.
Superintendent Searle he at once gave the necessary intel-
ligence to Six Richard Mayne and also to Sir George Grey,
and the former at once despatched Inspectors Williamson
and Tanner, of the detective department, of Scotland-yard,
in search of Southey. These officers had men placed on
duty in plain clothes at nearly all the railway stations load-
ing out of the great metropolis to apprehend Southey if he
could be seen, and it appears, no doubt, if he should make
his appearance at any of the stations,
especially on the
Surrey aide of the water, ho will be easily captured, as he
was well known in the neighbourhood of Putney and
Wandsworth, where he held situations for several years,
being in the constant practice of betting on all great row-
ing matches and horse races. Ile is well known in betting
circles, and therefore there is strong grounds for supposing—
especially after the handsome reward offered so soon by the
Government, that the man suspected of committing such a
heinous offence will be quickly in the hands of the police.
Several of the betting men who attended the great row-
ing race on Tuesday, at Putney, state that they saw
Southey on the towing path watching with the greatest
anxiety the skill of Kelly and Chambers ; if such be correct
it is not improbable that he is at present located in that
district, and unless he should so disguise himself as to de-
ceive the police, he will be unable to leave London for any
foreign place.
If the suspected:murderer really did the deed of poisoning
three innocent children, what could be his motive for so
doing, unless it was to get rid of the expense of their
keep ? Mrs. White, it seems, was not aware of anything
that had taken place, and although a deal of secrecy *held
by the police, it is stated that she was remarkably fond of
the deceased, and probably at a future day may be able to
throw some light upon what at present appears a most un-
accountable tragedy.

HALT-PAST TWELVE AT NIGHT.—The detectives of the
A, the E, the P, and L divisions of police are watching each
terminus of the different railways, watching every stranger
who applies for conveyance, but up to this time no one has
been apprehended. The scene when the Government reward
was made public can hardly be described.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.-(THIS DAY.)

Very little in addition to that which is already
known of the particulars of this horrible tragedy
has transpired. The Christian name of the eldest
boy, aged ten, was Henry, the second, aged six, was
Thomas, and the youngest, four years, was Alexan-
der, and their reputed father was a person named

White, who carried on an academy at No. 4,
Featherstone-buildings, Holborn. The medical
gentleman, sent for by Constable Knowles,
E 100, who was called in by the pro-
f; rietor of the coffee-house immediately on the
discovery of the deaths of the children, was Dr.
Anthony Roberts, of Lamb's Conduit-street, but
beyond sicertaining the fact that the children were
dead, nothing up to the present time has been done.
The report that a post nzortem examination of the
bodies was made last evening is without foundation
—nothing of the kind has yet taken place. Di.
Roberts found a small bottle containing apparently
chalk mixture, in one of the rooms, and this was
taken away for analysis, but nothing more has been
done. The Coroner, on receiving notice Of the
murder, will certainly issue his order for a post
inortern examination of the three bodies, in order
that no delay in the inquiry may take
place. Dr. Lancaster will hold his investigation
to-morrow, until which time all the information in
the possession of the police will remain private.
The Government reward of £lOO for the apprehen-
sion of Ernest Southey, the supposed murderer, was
extensively posted in the metropolis this morning. I

LATEST PARTICULARS-APPREHENSION

OF THE MURDERER.

A telegram was received in London by the police
authorities, shortly before two o'clock, announcing
the apprehension of the supposed murderer, Ernest
Southey, this morning, we believe, at Margate.
The bare account of the fact is all that can be re-
lied on, although it is said Southey has been taken
for murdering a woman and child with whom he
was acquainted, in addition to the four little chil-
dren found poisoned in Red Lion-street.
There can be no doubt as to the certainty of the
capture of Southey, as the police removed the bills
offering the £lOO reward on receipt of the above
intelligence.

Dreadful Death of a Lady through Crinoline,

An inquiry was held by Mr. William Payne, the coroner
for the City of London and the Borough of Southwark, at
Guy's Hospital, on Tuesday night, respecting the death by
fire of Miss Charlotte Hillier, aged 31 years.
Mr. Joseph Squirrel], Portland-road, South Norwood,
deposed—At 10 o'clock in the morning of Friday week I
was speaking to a gentleman in Portland-terrace, South
Norwood, when I heard loud screams proceeding from the
house No. 7. In a short time afterwards a child of about
four years of age came to the front door, and, holding up
both hands, screamed loUdly. I rushed to the house, and
upon running up the steps I saw a lady walking about the
hall in a mass of red and white fire. The child ran into
the house before me, and caught hold of the lady by the
left leg. I rushed forward and seized hold of the child
and drew it towards the street door, lest she should catch
firo. I then caught hold of the lady by the shoulders, and
attempted to throw her on the floor. Sho turned round
quickly and threw her arms about me, and in an instant
I was covered with flame. All I could see was her eyes
staring wildly at me. I at last got her down upon the
floor, and I held her on the ground, face downwards, for
the purpose of preventing the fire injuring her on the front
of her body. She was quite sensible, and kept calling out
to me to save her. I tried to tear the burning dress off,
but it only came away in fragments. While I was so en-
gaged the little girl came back and sat on her feet, crying.
I caught hold of the child and threw it into the room next
to me. Mr. Todd, the gentleman whom I had left outsido,
then entered along with several others, and assisted me in
extinguishing the fire. When I succeeded in tearing off
the burning clothes, tho poor lady was so dreadfully burnt
that her flesh was the colour of chocolate. She was at
once conveyed to the Croydon Infirmary, and thence (at
her own request) to Guy's Hospital. If I had not en-
tered the house at the time I did the little girl would
inevitably have been burned to death as well as the de-
ceased. The deceased informed me that she had only been
in the house a few days ; that she was an intimate friend of
the family, and had comedown in consequence of the death
of Mrs. Solly to look after the house and children. On the
morning she was burnt she had just put on her largo crino-
line, in order to go out for a walk, and while she was near
the fire-place, dressing the little child, a spark flew out of
the grate and set her in a blaze. She said that she was
afraid to throw herself on the ground, as only the children
were in the house, and she imagined that she might be
burnt to a cinder before they could bring assistance. She
ran out into the garden, but no ono being there to help her
she ran back again. The more fitlft enckavnuria_ _rub_
her dress the more it blazed up. When I saw her she was
in ono white flame. She afterwards thanked me for what
I had done, And said, "A thousand thanks—l am dying;
pray for me."

The witness was himself seriously burnt during his
struggle to throw deceased down and extinguish the flames.
Mr. J. Todd,Harrington-road, Norwood, said that when
he saw the deceased and last witness they were both nearly
hidden by the flames.

Mr. Cooley, the house surgeon, said that deceased died
on Saturday from her injuries. She said to him, "It was
all through my crinoline."
The Coroner having remarked upon the melancholy
nature of the case, the jury returned a verdict of "Acci-
dental death by fire through wearing crinoline."

BOILER EXPLOSlON.—Yesterday Mr. Humphrey,
Middlesex coroner, held an inquiry at the London
Hospital relative to the explosion of a boiler on the pre-
mises of the Iron Shipbuilding Company, at Millwall, by
which Thomas Hayes, 22, and John Wood, 53, were killed,
and some other men injured. Mr. Humphreys, of the firm
of Humphreys and Morgan, instructed by Messrs. Edwards,
solicitors for the Shipbuilding Company, appeared on be-
half of the company. Samuel Caler said that on the morn-
ing of the 31st of July, at six o'clock, the boiler suddenly
blew up. The two deceased men ware at some distance,
but the steam got at them and scalded them all over. Mr.
Hocking, superintendent engineer of the works, said that
the exploded boiler was made on the premises three years
and a half ago, 'and had been repaired at Easter, and ex-
amined and found sound at Whitsuntide. It was a Cornish
boiler. The plate that burst had been inserted new at
Easter. The pressure for working was 451 b., but it could
have been increased to 651 b. with safety. There was a
proper supply of water in the boiler at the time of the acci-
dent. Ile could only account for the explosion by suppos-
ing that there was some hidden defect in the iron plate.
After hearing a great deal of further evidence, which threw
no light upon the cause of the accident, the coroner ad-
journed the case to enable an independent scientific witness
to examine the exploded boiler.
ATTEMPT TO DROWN A DOCTOR.—On Monday
evening a diabolical act was perpetrated at West
Hartlepool. As Dr. Oldham a medical man, was being
open, that place to Old Hartlepool, the dock g
ates
open, ho had occasion to go by the dock ferry which crosses
tho edge of the
the Jackson dock. He was standing
dock waiting for the boat when ho was seized by two Irish
ruffians, named Bartholomew Roney and Owen Curran,
who threw him bodily into the water. The quay was seven
feet high, and the depth of water 19 feet. The unfortunate
gentleman,
being quite unable to swim, sank twice ; and
on rising for the third time he clutched some timber, and
was then dragged out. The miscreants escaped at the time,
but were soon after followed and taken into custody.
Dr. Oldham was carried home, where he remains in a very
feeble state. The fellows were brought before
,the magis-
trates, S. Robinson, Esq., and T. Richardson, Esq., and,
in consequence of the doctor being too ill to attend, they
were remanded till Saturday.
THE MOORS AND FORESTS Or PERTHSHIRE.—The
heather on the earlier hills is nearly in full bloom,
and has a magnificent appearance. Gamekeepers aro out'
daily, and they state that the grouse have not been Po well
grown oy so numerous as they are at present for years.
Large coveys have been risen. Great preparations are
making at some of the lodges for opening the season with
eclat. Wo understand that part of the shootings upon the
estate of Perth have been let. There are not better stocked
moors than' these in Perthshire ; and as they have been
preserved with the greatest care, and are now in the hands
of tenants for the first time within the memory of man,
splendid sport will be had. The tenants, so far as we have
heard, are Lord Ravensworth, Mr. C. Peel, of Manchester,
and Mr. Dewhurst, of Aberuchill. We do not know whe-
ther the forest of Glenartney has yet been let. The shoot-
ings extend over numerous parishes, and are about 70,000
acres in extent. A good portion of moor land is still in the
market, but will no doubt bo picked up within the next
few days.—Perthshire Courier.

THE MOORS AND FORESTS IN THE WEST HIGH-
LANDS.—A correspondent of the Perthshire Courier
writes Having had an opportunity during the last
seven days of coming into contact with numbers of game-
keepers and shepherds on various shooting ranges in the
western districts of Perthshire, Dumbartonshire, and on
the most important game districts in Argyllshire, we find
that they are almost unanimous in declaring that the game
in these extensive districts were never more plentiful, or
the sportsman's prospects more cheering. The coveys of
grouse are both numerous and large, and several of the
keepers allege that in (their districts the birds were as
strong on the wing a fortnight ago as they have been for
some seasons on the 12th of August. Black game is plen•
tiful in some districts, while in other places a scarcity
exists."
TRIPLE BIRTH.—The wife of John Dayes, a jour-
neyman cooper, residing at 14, Nelson-street, Stepney, was
on the 26th ult. safely delivered of three children—one boy
and two girls. s The circumstance having been communi-
cated to her Majesty the usual royal bounty of .£.3 has been
received for the benefit of the poor woman by tho clergy-
man 91 St, nap's, Stepney. The children are all liviPg.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.