The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-10 00:00:00

195
2,024

BOR.RIBLE AIU.RDBB BY A _FATHER.

A horrible murder has been committed at Bris-
tol, the perpetrator being a married man, of about
25 years of age, named James Roberts, and the
victim his own daughter, Clara Roberts. What
adds to the enormity of the crime is, that Roberts
attempted the life of another child, a girl of about
five years old, Alice Elizabeth, who lies in the
Infirmary in a very precarious state, and also of
his wife. Roberts was formerly a soldier in the
Welsh Fusiliers, but served only for little more
than a year, as, whilst engaged in one of the battles
during the Crimean war he had the misfortune to
lose one of his legs. Ho returned home on a pen-
sion of 10d. a day, and about Christmas, 1856, he
got married to his present wife, by whom he has
had three children,one of whom died in its infancy.
For a time he supported his family comfortably by
means of his pension, and his earnings with a horse
and cart, but about a year and a half ago he took to
drinking, and, in order to indulge in his intempe-
rate habits, he sold his horse and cart, and after-
wards (taking advantage of his wife's absence in
the Infirmary), his furniture also. In consequence
of his habits, his wife has been herself compelled to
go to work to support herself and children, he
squandering what he could get in drink. On Wed-
nesday night the wife put the children to bed as
usual, and she and her husband went to the house
of her sister, where they remained till near ten
o'clock, when they went home, he being at the time
quite sober. After they were in the rooms he asked
what there was for supper, and on finding only
dry bread and a bit of herring, she said it was very
hard that she should have to live on that, after 9s.
of her money had gone in the housekeeping that
week. She also interrogated him as to what had
become of a new basket he had bought to take out
as a hawker of oysters. The husband said it was
no difference to her about the basket, and said the
money had been of no benefit to him as it had gone
to pay debts. The wife again complained about
eating dry bread, upon which he gave her a penny
to go and buy something. She said she would
keep that to get some butter for the children's
breakfast, and was again complaining, when he
got up in a deliberate manner, and saying, ";I
will - soon get out of it," took up the poker
and began to beat his sleeping children with it in
the most violent and merciless manner. He
then turned round, saying, " I have done for
they, now for your turn, raised the poker to strike
her, but she avoided the blow, rushed in upon and
seized him, and a violent struggle ensued between
them, in the course of which she wrested the poker
from his grasp, and it fell on the floor. She then
screamed" Murder," and seeing her children bathed
in blood, snatched them up and ran into the street,,
followed by her husband. Her shrieks and cries of
" Murder" brought her sister and others to her aid,
upon which he made off. The children were carried
to the police station, and thence to the Infirmary,
where it was found that their skulls were fractured,
and that they had received other injuries of so severe
a character that their recovery was in the highest
degree doubtful, and one, the girl, soon after died.
The prisoner was taken at the residence of his father
and mother, Baptist Mills. He made no resistance,
but said, "It's all owing to drink and bad temper."
Wheu on his way to the station-house he said, "I
I struck the children on the head with the poker, and
one of them is dead at the station and the other is

took to the Infirmary."
Yesterday (Friday) afternoon the city coroner, J.
B. Grindon, Esq., held an inquest on the body at
the Infirmary, and the jury returned a verdict of
"Wilful murder" against James Roberts, the father,
who was forthwith committed to take his trial on
the coroner's warrant.

LAMENTABLE ACCIDENT ON T 11.2
fLO.NDON, urATEAM,AN_D DOVER RAILWAY.

SEVERAL PERSONS KILLED AND INJURED
FAVERSHAM, FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

A very lamentable accident, unfortunately at-
tended with the loss of two lives, and serious bodily
injuries to several other persons, occurred this morn-
ing to the 7.10 down train, at a spot situated about
a mile from Faversham, on the London, Chatham,
and Dover Company's line.
From inqUiries made upon the spot, and from in-
formation afforded by the officials of the London,
Chatham, and Dover Company, it appears that
the regular morning mail train left the Victoria
station at its appointed time-7.lo—and that
it consisted of an engine and tender. There
were attached two second-class carriages, followed
by two first.class carriages, and terminating with a
break van. The train, which was in charge of two
guards and an experienced driver and fireman, pro-
ceeded safely on its course, and arrived at and de-
parted from Sittingbourne station at the exact times,
leaving the station for its downward progress to
Dover at 8.26, which was correct time, and having
no other stoppage to make until its arrival at Fa-
versham junction at 9.10. The train then went on
its journey until it reached a spot situated about
halt' a mile from the Preston junction, which por-
tion of the tine is on an embankment known as the
Ospringeplace-bank, and is a little over 12 feet high
with a very mild curve and level. On reaching this
spot, the train travelling at a moderate speed, the
engine-driver felt a slight bumping movement, and
in less then a second, on turning round, he saw that
the back portion of the train was being hurled down
the embankment. The first second-class carriage
next to the engine and tender, and the engine and
tender themselves, kept the metals, but the whole
of the remainder of the train had become detached,
and, leaving the permanent way, went over the em-
bankment with great violence, coming in contest
with a massive garden wall at the bottom, and crush-
ing it. The driver and fireman immediately returned
to the spot, and on descending the embankment
found they were altogether broken up and smashed
into small fragments. Of course their first efforts
were directed towards the unfortunate persons who
had occupied the various carriages, and messengers
were despatched for medical and other assistance
from Faversham and adjacent districts. Telegrams
were also sent to Canterbury and the chief offices in
London, and upon the arrival of the first assistance
every effort was made to remove the injured per-
sons from the broken carriages. It was then found
that several of the unfortunate passengers were se-
verely injured, and the first one to be removed was
quite dead. This was a gentleman upon whom was
found a letter from which it is believed his name is
Plumb, and that he was a commercial traveller. Ile
was a passenger in the first second-class carriage,
which was the first to go over the embankment; his
injuries were very severe, and there is no doubt that
his death must have been instantaneous. The next
person found was Mr. H. Crockford, a merchant at
Chatham, at which station he joined the train. He
was insensible, and very much injured, and it was
feared that it would be found necessary to ampu-
tate the left leg, which was much shattered. A
gentleman was next found in the first of the two
first-class carriages; he was also insensible, and his
injuries were chiefly confined to the head and face.
From a letter discovered upon him there is no
doubt that he is a Mr. H. Thompson, that he is a
barrister, and was going to see a sick son at Dover.
The next person found was William Harris, an in-
spector on the company's line. He was riding 'in
of
fnunly one
a second-class carriage, and was very much hurt.
a-dicini.nq inn,
He was about to be removed to an
hut P epirpcl from the severe nature of the injuries
he had received almost
other person appears to ha.vetmheetdewb
firstury
immediateirlytih.s.
and that is Mr. D. Mapleston, the audit clerk of the
ythij
company. He was found in
first-class carriage, and removed
in a state of iusen-
sibilit from which, however, he recovered, and
rallied to such an extent as to enable the medical
gentlemen to report that he was much improved.
'
The two guards _ in the break van- received very
little, if any, injury, although though that vehicle was
thrown over the embanment.
The various sufferers were removed to the adja-
cent house in Ospringe, under the supervision of
Garroway, Mr. Garrard, and other medical
gentlemen, from PaNer. h
am and the surrounding
districts; and the remains of Mr. Plumb and In-
spector Harris were conveyed to the Crown Inn,
where they Were placed in an out-house until the
inquest should be held.
the
In meantime telegrams were received at the
Victoria Station in London and at the company's

atlon at Canterbury, and Mr. Forbes, the generat
manage', at once proceeded by special train to the
spot, and amongst the other officials on the ground
were Mr. Willis, the engineer, from Canterbury;
Mr. Breeze, from Faversham; and Mr. Bishop, the
supoiintendent.
Every effort which human possibility could
suggest was resorted to to alleviate the sufferings
of the wounded persons, and to clear the line of the
debris, and place it in a proper state of efficiency to
enable the traffic to be resumed.

This having been done, an official communication
was at once made by the general manager of the
company to the railway department of the Board of
Trade, to enable that department to send a gentle-
man to inspect the line, and give his opinion to the
coroner's jury, by whom the cause of this lamentable
catastrophe will have to be investigated. In the
meantime the circumstances surrounding the case
are of so peculiar a nature that it is impossible to
arrive at any conclusion as to the origin of the
accident.