The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-05 00:00:00

RAILWAY STATION-MASTER KILLED.

John Lee, a wheelwright at Manchester, was
charged before the magistrates of that city yesterday
morning with a breach of the Railway Act, in attempt.
ing to enter a railway train at the Victoria station while
it was in motion, and without having procured a ticket.
The case attracted the more attention from the fact that
his offence had been the means of bringing to an un-
timely end Mr. Thomas Reid, station-master, whose
duty it had been to remove him from the train.
Mr. Blackmore, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Com-
pany's traffic superintendent, was present on behalf of
the company to prosecute, and called witnesses.
The first witness was the doorkeeper at the first-class
booking office, Victoria station. He said, on Saturday
evening the prisoner and two other men came to the door
of the first-class office, and asked how soon there would
be a train to Rochdale. It was then S minutes past 5
o'clock, and he told them the train had gone. The
Oldham train had to start at 5.10, and immediately the
time had expired, he asked if any one was going to Old-
ham, and closed the doors. The prisoner said, " I'll go
to Oldham." Witness said, " Ifyou are going to Old-
ham you will have to make haste, and get a ticket at
the third-class office."
William Wilkinson, booking clerk, said the prisoner
applied to him for a ticket, when the train was three
minutes overdue, to start for Oldham, and he refused to
give him a ticket, on the ground that it was too late.
The prisoner hurried away towards the platform the
train would have to leave.
The next witness was a railway porter, who said the
Oldham train was ready to leave the station at 10 mi-
nutes past 5, or nearly so, and soon afterwards Mr.
Reid, the station-master, raised his hand as a signal to
the driver to start. 'Witness turned round as the train
began to move, and saw the prisoner on the footboard
of one of the carriages; but all the doors on that side
the train were then locked, and the prisoner would not
be able to get in. [lt should be stated that the train
had to move upon the other line of rails when clear of
the station, and the doors only on the other, Which was
the getting-out side, remained unlocked.] Mr. Reid
told the prisoner to get off, and tendered assistance,
but he refused, and Mr. Reid then got upon the foot-
board of the moving train to remove him, but appeared
unable to effect his object. Mr. Eckersley, the second
inspector, jumped upon the footboard to assist Mr. Reid,
and the prisoner, after resisting their united efforts for
a moment, suddenly loosed his hold on the carriage, and
he and the two officers fell from the footboard and
rolled down between the moving train and the platform.
The prisoner escaped, with his clothes only torn, but,
unfortunately, Mr. Reid rolled under the wheels of the
train.

Mr. C. J. S. Walker (magistrate) asked if the station
master was killed.

Mr. Blackmore regretted to say he was. Two-thirds
of the train passed over him, crushing his skull so that
his brains wore left on the rail, and otherwise frightfully
mutilated his body. He was taken up dead, and Mr.
Eckersley had a narrow escape, lying with his head
within an inch of the rail while the train passed, and
with his face upwards, so that the axle-boxes of the
various carriages slightly scratched and tore his face as
they passed over it, and cut one of his lips. He was
now unable to attend to his duties. Mr. Bent, attorney,
elicited from the prisoner that he had been drinking and
was not quite sober at the time.
Mr. Walker regretted that the act of Parliament
under which the prisoner was brought up only empow-
ered them to levy a fine of 40s. The magistrates would
inflict that penalty, and in default he was committed to
prison.

Mr. Bent said the money would be paid, and the pri-
soner was removed.

It is said Mr. Reid has left a widow and three chil-
dren unprovided for. He was 37 years of age, and had
been in the service of the company for 15 years. An in-
quest was held on the body yesterday.

MELANCHOLY DEATH OF A FELLOW OF
KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.

On Sunday morning last the death of a Fellow of
King's College, Cambridge, took place in a house of ill-
fame, under the distressing circumstances detailed be-
low. The deceased was Mr. Edward Brenton Vance,
and he and his companion left the :college but a short
time before the melancholy event occurred. An inquest
on his remains (which had been removed to his rooms in
King's College) was held on Tuesday, at the Bull Hotel,
before Mr. King, the coroner for the borough. A num-
ber of the members of the society were present during
the inquiry. The first witness called was
Francis Edmund Stacey, Fellow of King's College,
who said—l was acquainted with the deceased, whom I
last saw alive on Sunday morning, between 1 and 2
o'clock. He then seemed to be in pretty good health.
He left me, and in a few moments afterwards my atten-
tion was called to him by a person who came out of the
house. It was a woman, but I am not certain who, as
two or three called me at the same time. The house was in
Victoria-road, Chesterton. I went in, and found him on
the bed partly undressed. He did not speak, and showed
no sign of consciousness. I continued with him a few
moments, and then left him and procured medical aid.
A girl named Chamberlain was with him. I left him in
another woman's charge—a neighbour. I found Mr.
Bumpsted, surgeon, of Cambridge, and returned with
him, but deceased was then dead.

Sarah Chamberlain, who was much affected, and
swoomed on entering the inquest room on being restored
to consciousness, deposed with much difficulty and amid
the deepest manifestations of grief—l last saw Mr.
Vance between one and two o'clock on Sunday morning.
He had come to my house in the Victoria-road unexpect-
edly. lam a single woman. Mr. Vance had nothing
to drink at my house. He came up into my bedroom,
and laid himself on my bed. He did not complain of
ill health at all. He had lain about five minutes, when
be appeared to be speechless, but moaned very slightly,
and lay quite still. I said, " Will you speak to me ?
What is the matter ?" He made no reply, and I ran
down stairs and called "Jane !" who lived next door.
Jane and Mr. Stacey then came to my assistance.
Mr. Bumpsted, surgeon, of Cambridge, said, I knew
the deceased in his lifetime ; he had been constantly
and was at the time of his death under my treatment.
He consulted me about a fortnight since for disease in
his heart, symptoms of which he exhibited. On Sunday
morning, a little before two o'clock, I was fetched to
see deceased by Mr. Stacey. He was dead when I ar-
rived. I have since made a post-mortem examination.
I did not examine the stomach, au I discovered sufficient
disease in his heart to account for immediate death.
The actual disease was the bursting of an aneurism of
the aorta or large vessel which carries the blood from
the heart. There were no outward marks of violence.
The deceased most undoubtedly died from natural causes.
Mr. Deck and Mr. Ficklin were at the examination, and
perfectly concurred in my conclusion.
The Coroner said the cause of death was the only
matter for inquiry by the jury, so he forbore from mak-
ing any further remarks. The jury returned a verdict
that " Deceased died by the visitation of God."
It is singular that the father of the deceased (a sur-
geon) met his death at the hands of an insane patient
whom he was attending professionally, his patient hav-
ing thrown him with violence from a window in a par-
oxysm ; a brother of the deceased died from the effects
of a fall, while at college at Oxford a second brother
was drowned ; and a sieter now surviving was
_nearly
burnt to death.

TILE GOVERNMENT AND THE METROPOLITAN
COMMISSION OP SEWERS.

Yesterday the Metropolitan Commission of Sewers
met at Greek-street Mr. Jebb in the chair. Lieut.-
Colonel Dawson and Mr. Gibson inquired of the chair-
man if he had any communication to make respecting
the relations of the commission to the Government, and
whether, after the want of confidence which they had
experienced from the Government, they were likely soon
to be relieved of their responsibilities. Mr. Jebb said
he had no communication to make further than that the
Government intended this session to bring in a bill for
reconstructing the commission and for making certain
alterations in the law. He (the chairman) regretted
extremely the sentiments expressed by his col-
leagues and their impatience to be relieved from
that work they had undertaken for the benefit of the
public. He had no authority from Government to make
any statement, but he would say thus much, that there
was no wish to get rid of the commissioners, to protract
unnecessarily their services, or control them in the exer-
cise of those powers that the law gave them, which, as
long as they were constituted commissioners, they had a
right to exercise. For his own part he could not alto-
gether acquiesce in the view taken by his colleagues in
attributing any expression in the letter from the Home.
office as a waist of confidence in the commissioners. llis
own interpretation was that Lord Palmerston merely
meant to elicit an answer to the communication of the
Board of Health as to the best mode of drainage, After
a few words from Colonel Dawson, the rates were or-
dered to be made. The court t
he some
routine proceeded tO 300
routine business devoid of public interest.