The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-19 00:00:00

a Royal commission to inquire into the origin, the nature,
and the remedies of the disease, and he thought that before
long they would be able to complete the commission, and
that it would enter on its labours as soon as possible.
With that assurance the deputation took their leave.

The Charge of Murder against a Surgeon.

SALISBURY, Sept. 18.
This morning, at eleven o'clock, John William Storer
was brought up on remand, charged with having murdered
Emily Sophia Blake under circumstances that have been
already reported.

The magistrates present were Messrs. J. H. Rigden, the
mayor (chairman), Tames Hussey, and J. O. Wheeler.

The accused was brought up in custody of Sergeant
White, and walked through the streets handcuffed, fol-
lowed by a great crowd of people, who thronged the court
on the door being opened.

On the accused being brought up, the Mayor said—
John William Storer, are you expecting any professional
gentleman to appear on your behalf ?

The Accused—l understood that I should only be asked
a few questions, and that it would not be necessary for me
to have aßy legal adviser here ; but I can send for Mr.
Kelsey at once if the case is to be further gone into.
_ _

Mr. Hussey—This is to be merely a formal remand.

Superintendent Caldon—ln tho absence, your worships,
of Mr. Whatman, who has been employed by Mr. Blake to
conduct this case, and who is not able to attend, I have to
apply for a further remand. I may say that I have now
sufficient evidence for a further remand, but I should de-
sire not to bring it forward to-day ; but I shallbe prepared
to go into it fully this day week.
The accused was then formally remanded.

A paragraph having appeared in one of the local papers
that since the inquest Dr. Alfred Taylor has written
" letters," stating that he has found strychnine in the in-
testines, and in " all" the pills, and that throe of the pills
would destroy life—the strictest inquiry fails to discover to
whom such communication has been made. Even if the
analysis was complete, which it is not, the absurdity of
supposing that a man of Professor Taylor's professional
standing would make the result prematurely known is
apparent.

Fatal Accident to a Late Senior Wrangler
at Cambridge.

CAMBRIDGE, Sept. 18.

This afternoon an inquest was held at a public-house
known as the Red Bull, in the parish of Grantchester, on
view of the body of Mr. Henry John Purkiss, 8.A.,
scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge, and senior wrangler
for that university in 1864, who met his death under the
melancholy circumstances detailed below. Francis Barlow,
Esq., coroner for the county, presided ; and the Rev. J. C.
Ellis, fellow and tutor of Sidney Sussex College, appeared
to watch the case on behalf of the university authorities
and the friends of the deceased. The deceased was the
son of the late Mr. John Purkiss, of Distaff-lane, City. In
1850, when little more than seven years of age, he was en-
tered at the City of London School, and in his passage
through the various classes he carried off a number of
prizes, including the gold medal for proficiency, and two
silver medals. He was elected a scholar on the Carpenter
foundation in 1857, and five years afterwards succeeded in
gaining a minor scholarthip at Trinity College, Cambridge,
whither he proceeded in 1861, with the Beaufort Scholar-
ship of the City of London School, being one of the first
batch of minor scholars elected at Trinity, and he was
elected a foundation scholar at the first examination after
he became eligible. He had previously matriculated at the
University of London, where he attained the first place in
Mathematical honours, and gained the University Exhibi-
tion ; having also gained the exhibition in the first and
second examination for the degree of 8.A., ho was at
length enrolled a permanent scholar of the University of
London. He likewise won the Queen's prize for proficiency
in the natural sciences at the South Kensington examina-
tion. Pursuing his career at Trinity College, he maintained
his supremacy until his name was greeted. with roars of
cheering when announced in the senate-house on Jan. 29,
1864, as the senior wrangler of his year—the head of a list
of wranglers for numbers almost if not quite unprecedented.
Such is an epitome of the brilliant career so prematurely
brought to an end. Mr. Purkiss's presence at Cambridge
at this particular juncture was owing to his intention to
proceed to further honourable strife in the intellectual arena
by sitting for a fellowship at Trinity College.
The first witness called was

Arthur Cockshott, member of Trinity College, and BA.,
who said—l was acquainted with the deceased, who was
also of Trinity and B.A. Deceased was senior wrangler in
1864. He came up on Friday or Saturday night to read for
the fellowships at Trinity. On Sunday ho and I walked
out with Mr. Gillespie towards " the Gogs" (Gog-magog
Hills), and then returned by Grantchester to the bathing
sheds in the fields there. We all bathed there. The depth
there is mostly out of our depth, but not in all. He (de-
ceased) never complained of any pain or ill health whilst
walking, and appeared in perfect health. We reached tho
bathing-sheds about a quarter past one. Mr. Gillespie and
I wont in first, and immediately swam clown the river
towards " Paradise" according to previous arrangement.
We left Mr. Purkiss in the shed undressed, and I believe I
heard the splash as he dived in. We asked him to come
with us, and he had not made up his mind whether he
would do so or not. I and Mr. tlillespie had swam down to
the (osier) island, and then got out on to the bank ; that
would be about 150 yards from the shed. Had noticed be-
fore that deceased was not following, and thought he was
staying at the shed on purpose. Were about two minutes
on the bank, and then plunged in again and continued a
downward course towards "Paradise ;" turned, about the
middle of the wood, and again got out at the same place
as before. We both knew the deceased could swim, but
he was not a very good swimmer. He learned to swim
about two years ago. I and Gillespie were on the bank
on the second occasion about four or five minutes. I
and Gillespie returned to the shed, which I reached a
little the first, and noticed that deceased was not about
the place. It was, as near as I can calculate, twenty
minutes from our departure to our return to the shed.
I and Gillespie had probably got about 30 yards on our
start when I heard the splash of what I took to be the
deceased diving in. When we returned we found de-
ceased's clothes in the shed. and some other gentlemen,
who had arrived after us, were in the water. We asked
them if they had seen deceased, and they said, "No." I im-
mediately , dived into the river, and swam down again,
thinking ho must have followed us. I thought there was
something wrong then, or we must have met him as we
came up. I got out and walked along the bank part of the
way, thinking I could see into the river better. I sent for
drags, and Gillespie went to Sheep's-green for a boat. An
alarm was raised, and parties went up and down the river
on search. After a little I got dressed, and kept looking
about, and about 40 minutes afterwards I saw some weeds
in the immediate neighbourhood of the shed moving about
in an extraordinary manner, and I threw in a drag, and
pulled them on one side; den saw something white; called
others, and the "something White" was identified as the
arm of the deceased. Two or three men came, and deceased
was pulled out. The place where his arm was is only about
four feet deep, and about a yard from the bank. It was about
50 yards from tho shed, Dituctlylhe was pulled out a sur-
geon arrived. Should suppose that if deceased dived in
when I heard the splash and swam after us he must have
been in the water an hour. The weeds wore so thick there
as to impede a man's motion through the water ; there was
a peculiar description of tango-weed there. Witness swam
over them. Has known deceased and been intimate with
him since they were "freshmen" in 1860. Never heard he
was subject to heart disease, or apoplectic or any other kind
of fits. Deceased was a strong muscular man, about 23
years of age. Have frequently bathed with deceased before.
Never knew him complain of cramp. It was a shelving bank
where deceased was found, and probably would be about
six ket in the middle.

A member of the jury suggested that the weeds should
be more regularly cut, a suggestion that met general ap-
proval ; but it appeared that the ownership of the river in
the place where the body was found was not in the Uni-
versity Bathing Club, of which deceased and his companions
were members, but was private property—the property, in
fact, of the Society of King's College.
Mr. David Gillespie, 8.A., of Trinity College, who
accompanied -deceased, and Mr. Cockshott, confirmed the
latter's evidence in every particular, but differed as to the
depth of water where the body was found, which he gave
as five feet. Tho parties they found at the bathing shed
on their return said they had been there some time, and
had not seen deceased while they were there.

Mr. James Hough, surgeon, of Cambridge, deposed That
he had not previously known deceased. Was cAlled about
a quarter past two on Sunday, and deceased was taken out
of the water just as he arrived. Mr. Hough proceeded to
give technical evidence to the effect that every means were
taken to achieve resuscitation but without effect, every
assistance being freely rendered by those present, though
Dr. Marshall Hall's "Ready Method" was pursued. Once
there was slight encouragement to proceed, and artificial
inhalation was attempted. Galvanic apparatus was sent
for, but could not be procured, and at last witness opened
the windpipe and inserted a quill. Attempted by that
means to inflate the lungs, with partial success, but all to
no purpose, and witness was obliged to give up the case as
hopeless, though every appliance except the galvanic
apparatus was at hand. Mr. Hough finally gave his opinion
(no post mortem examination having been made), taking
into consideration the evidence and the appearance of the
body, that death resulted from actual drowning, and apart
from any other cause.
The jury at once found a verdict of "Accidental Death"
whilst bathing.
It need hardly be added that the melancholy occurrence
has cast a gloom over the whole University.

THE SUNDAY TRAINS ON THE EDINBURGH AND
GLASGOW RAILWAY.—Sunday being the third Sun-
day on which passenger trains have been run on the Edin-
burgh and Glasgow railway, the trains were again used by
a large number of travellers. The morning and evening
trains leaving Edinburgh carried about 150 and 200 pas-
sengers respectively ; the mail train in the morning car-
ried 15 or 18 passengers. The numbers arriving at the
Edinburgh station were nearly the same.