The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-15 00:00:00

7HE CONDEMNED MURDERESS.

The wretched woman, Constance Taylor, alias
Catherine Wilson, who was convicted at the last
session of the Central Criminal Court of the crime of
murder by poison, at length appears to be somewhat
impressed with her awful position, and preparing to
meet her fate in a becoming manner. After her
conviction she continued to assert that she was en-

rely innocent of the crime alleged against her, and
she professed not to have heard or to have under-
stood any of the observations that were made to her
by Mr. Justice Byles, who tried her, in passing sen-
tence, when, it will be remembered, he stated dis-
tinctly that there were good grounds for believing
that she had committed several other crimes of the
same description. It has been observed by all pri-
son officials that prisoners who are alleged to have
committed murder by means of poison present a
different conduct and demeanour to other classes of
criminals, and that all their proceedings appear to
be based upon the most deliberate consideration,
and in the present case it was evident that the pri-
soner persisted in the declaration of her innocence
as the only chance by which she might evade the
sentence of the law. Now, however, that the time
approaches, and the prison authorities have felt it
their duty to caution her against entertaining any
hope that mercy will be extended to her, a consider-
able difference has been observed in her demeanour,
and she no longer asseverates her innocence in the
positive manner she previously had done, and it is
considered as not at all improbable that she will
make an admission of her guilt. It has been already
stated that Mr. Neale, the attorney who conducted
the defence of the prisoner, has transmitted a memo- I
rial to the Home Secretary on ber behalf, urging the
absence of any conclusive or positive evidence in sup-
port of the charge ; and it appears that in addition to
this, the prisoner has herself also drawn up a state-
ment, which was transmitted to the Home-office by
Mr. Jonas, the governor of Newgate, on Saturday
last, in which she prays that the mercy of the Crown
may be extended to her, and asserts her innocence
of the crime of which she was convicted. It is
understood that in the memorial made by the pri-
soner she asserts that all the symptoms that were
exhibited by the unfortunate deceased were the re-
sult of natural disease, and she declares most
earnestly that she never administered any poison to
her. The evidence, however, was so conclusive,
that it is not in the slightest degree probable that
the mere assertion of innocence by the prisoner will
have any effect upon the decision of the advisers of
the Crown, and although no formal answer has yet
been received to either of the memorials, there does
not appear to be the least reason for supposing that
the law will not be allowed to take its course.
The public is aware that the prisoner was tried at
a previous session of the Central Criminal Court for
the offence of attempting to commit murder by
poisoning, which by a very recent alteration of the
law is no longer a capital crime, but merely renders
the persons convicted of it liable to penal servitude.
The evidence in this case was so strong that Baron
Bramwell, who tried her, summed up the case as
one in which he evidently thought that a convic-
tion ought to have taken place ; but the jury, after
a very long deliberation, found the prisoner not
guilty. Although this was considered a lucky
escape for her at the time, the result has been far
from being so; for it was perfectly well understood,
that although a good deal of suspicion attached to
the prisoner in reference to other transactions, still,
if she had been convicted and sentenced, as she pro-
bably would have been, to a long period of penal
servitude, no further proceedings would have been
taken against her. Atter the acquittal of the pri-
soner, such strong representations were made to the
Home Secretary in reference to the prisoner that he
felt it his duty to institute inquiries, and the result
has been the conviction of the prisoner of the crime
for which her life will be forfeited. Fourteen
years have now elapsed since the capital sentence
has been carried out upon a female at Newgate.
The last woman who was executed was Harriet
Parker, for the murder of two children belonging
to a man with whom she cohabited in the Goswell-
street-road, and who was executed in February,
1848.

A letter from Munich of the 9th says The
King and Queen of Bavaria have already returned from
Augsburg, whither they had gone to visit the ex-Queen of
Naples, for the purpose, but in vain, of endeavouring to
make her change her determination of shutting herself up
in a convent rather than return to her husband."

D READFUL ACCIDENI ON 711 E EDIN-
BURGH AND GLASGOW RAILWAY.

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contains the following full account of the melan-
choly circumstance :
Last night (Monday) one of the most disastrous
railway accidents that has ever occurred in Scot-
land took place near Winchburgh, on the Edinburgh
and Glasgow Railway, involving great loss of life
and serious injury to a largo number of passengers,
The accident occurred to the passenger train leav-
ing Edinburgh for the north on Monday evening at
six o'clock, which came into collision with the ordi-
nary passenger train which left Glasgow at five
o'clock, at a short distance west of Winchburgh. It
appears that for some time past repairs have been
making on a portion of the line between Winch-
burgh and Linlithgow, and during the repairs the
trains have been running there on a single line for
a short distance. The train which left Edinburgh
for Perth at six o'clock was a small train, consisting
of two third-class and two first-class carriages, with
one van and a horse-box. It reached Ratho, the first
stopping station, all right about a quarter past six
o'clock, and proceeded to Linlithgow, its next stop-
ping station, where it was at 35 minutes past six
o'clock. Shortly after passing Winchburgh, about
half-past six o'clock, and while it was on the single
line of rails, the train came into collision with the
passenger train from Glasgow, which was an un-
usually heavy one, on account of the Falkirk Tryst.
The scene which followed the collision is described
by the passengers who have escaped as one of the
most distressing and heartrending that could possibly
be conceived. The engines and tenders of both trains
were smashed to pieces and tilted up on their ends;
the first carriage of the Scottish Central train from
Edinburgh, a third elass, was completely destroyed,
as was also a third class carriage in front of the
Glasgow train. Piled above the debris of these car-
riages and the engines and tender were a large
number of carriages of the Glasgow train, chiefly
third class, with their numerous passengers. The
erica and groans of the wounded and the dying,
and the shrieks of those terrified passengers who
had escaped with comparatively slight injuries
arising from the concussion, are described as most
agonising, and, the horrors of the scene were greatly
aggravated by the darkness of the night and the
nature of the ground, the line running through a
deep cutting of rock at the spot where the accident
occurred.

Intelligence of the accident having been sent to
Winchburgh the railway officials from that station
hastened to the scene of the accident with lamps, to
render assistance. Telegraphic messages were also
sent to Edinburgh for surgical aid, and in a very
short time a large number of those resident in the
neighbourhood were in attendance to assist in ex-
tricating the sufferers from the wreck of carriages,
and in bandaging their wounds and supplying them
with water. Among the earliest on the spot were
Sheriff Cay and Provost Dawson, from Linlithgow,
who were of great assistance in superintending the
arrangements for the extrication of the passengers
and their removal to the carriages which were not
broken by the collision. Owing to the speed at
which both trains were running at the time of the
collision the number of passengers injured from the
concussion was very large, and their injuries, both
external and internal, were generally of a very
severe character. Up to the time of our going to
press no reliable information could be obtained as
to the number of persons killed and wounded, as at
the time the last train left the scene of the accident,
shortly after midnight, the line continued blocked
up with the debris of the broken carriages piled up in
an immense heap, and all the wounded and killed
were not brought to Edinburgh. The fearful extent
of the catastrophe may be imagined, however, from
the fact that by the several trains which arrived
after the accident eleven dead bodies were brought
to Edinburgh, and 23 persons, all so severely
injured that they had to be conveyed to
the Royal Infirmary, in addition to a considerable
number injured, who immediately on their arrival
were at their own request conveyed in cabs to their
places of residence. Robert Morton, the engine-
driver of the Scottish Central train, and Cochrane,
the stoker, were both killed, and it is reported that
the driver of the Glasgow train was much hurt
about the head. The guard of the Scottish Central
train was at the time of the accident in the van at
the back of the train, and escaped with a slight
contusion on the head.
When the telegraphic message for surgical aid
reached Edinburgh a special train was immediately
prepared, and took cut to the scene of the accident
Drs. Gillespie, Young, Gibb, and Spence. There
were also on the spot Dr. Wallace, of Winchburgb,
and Drs. Gilmour, Baird, Spence, and Ferrier, of
Linlithgow. When the medical gentlemen from
Edinburgh arrived on the spot they first visited the
three carriages which formed the last of the Scot-
tish Central train, which had been removed to some
distance east from the scene of the accident ; they
there found that several of the passengers had been
severely scalded; that one young lady, about 19
years of age, had been seriously wounded in the
leg, so as to render amputation necessary, and that
one gentleman had been so much injured on both
legs that he was not expected to survive. They
immediately dispatched a telegraphic message to
the officials of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to
get beds prepared and send stretchers to the rail-
way station to be ready for the conveyance of the
sufferers to the infirmary. Proceeding next in the
special train to Craigtown Bridge, they found the
scene which we have already described—the engines
and tenders all smashed up and standing half on
end, with eight or nine carriages above them, look-
ing, it is said, as high as a three-storey house. Be-
neath the rubbish and close to the tender, some
four or five people were lying close together, most
of whom had been crushed or smothered to death.
Among them, however, was the wife and child of
the guard of the Glasgow train, both of whom
were alive when first discovered. It is reported as
having been a touching sight to see the guard, who
had been himself injured about the head, and whose
face was literally covered over with blood, exerting
himself to the danger of his life in endeavouring to
extricate his wife and child, and all the passengers
within sight and hearing were much affected by
hearing the child cry out, " Oh, faither, take me
out." The mother died before she could be taken
out, but the child, we are glad to learn, has been
saved. It is uncertain whether it is the guard's
child that was killed or not. As the dead bodies
were extricated they were placed in a horse-box
and guard's van, and the injured were placed in
first-class carriages and removed in special trains
to Edinburgh.
The scene at the Edinburgh station as the trains
arrived with the dead and wounded was most ex-
citing, the station being crowded with friends of
passengers full of anxiety as to their fate. Many
a touching scene occurred as friends were recognised
among the wounded, and taken away to their homesd
or to the infirmary, according as their wounds were
severe or otherwise.
many. nar-
As usual on such occasions there were
ntion the
row escapes. Among those we may
Hotel,who
case of Mr. Cranston, of the Glasgowwas in the front third-class carriae
second last seat.
g the
train, sitting next the side on the
When the collision occurred the side of the carriage
fell away, and he fell or rather slid to the ground
and other carriages
came down on the top of
on the line, just as the
Hevan
the carriage amongst all
r
escaped altogether unhurt,
the passengers. tch, and his escape is almost
without even sera

mirvculous.
Mrs. Paterson, of Lasswade, Was
A young ladY,
struck on tile breast, and a brooch which Flo Wore