The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-20 00:00:00

iSUICIDE BY A HUSBAND, AND
ATTEMPT TO MURDER HIS WIFE.
Saturday Mr. H. M. Wakley held an inquest in
the U. rnvecsity College Ho,pital, on George Morten,
a painter and glazier, late of 29, Melton crescent,
aged 52. The jury having been sworn, proceeded to
view the body, and upon their return, a juror said it
was disgraceful to allow them to witness the hideously
disgusting spectacle which the body presented, and
which was one gore of blood.—Another juror: The
dissecting -room was like a house,slaughter nothing
but the trunk lay on the table ; the bowels and blood
were scattered about.--A third juror : The spectacle
has quite sickened me.—Several jurors: We never
before witnessed so revolting a spectacle. Nothing
would induce us to view it again.--Coroner : Gentle-
men, I deeply regret that your feelings should have
been outraged. I assure you that had I been aware
of the condition of the body, I should not have allowed
you to see it in that state. The conversation here
dropped, and the following witnesses were examined
Mrs. Anne Brooke, landlady of 29, Melton crescent,
deposed that deceased had lodged with her two months.
He came to her house as a single man. Shortly
afterwards he brought home his daughter, aged ten.
Thursday night his wife, for the first time, visited
him. That evening witness, hearing them quarrel,
went up and knocked at the door. He said he would
not admit her. She listened at the door, and hearing
him say to his wife that he would destroy both her
and himself, she exclaimed, " What are you about ?"
He replied, " Go down, and you will hear no more
about it." Witness went down, and during the
night she heard no more noise. About ten o'clock
the following morning she heard the report
of a
pistol, but took no notice of it, as she did not think it
was in the house. Soon afterwards she heard a
scream, the report of another pistol, and on looking
toward the hall door saw deceased firing at his wife
as she rushed into the street, he following her. After
pursuing her a hundred yards li e returned, saying,
" Where is she ?" and asked permission to go up
to his room. Witness held him, and would
not let him go. A Mr. Rose then searched his
pocket and took from it a pistol. After which de-
ceased darted up stairs, and, putting his head inside
a cupboard, drank a tumbler of poison, gathering the
particles at the bottom with his finger, and putting
them into his mouth. lie almost instantly fell to the
ground insensible.

Mrs. Morton, the widow, a pretty-looking and
rather fashionably-dressed woman, aged 27, stated,
unsworn, that she married deceased on the 7th of May,
and left him on the 11th of June, in consequence of
his violent temper, which put her in bodily fear. She
visited him on Thursday, in consequence of a letter
he wrote her. (The letter w-as produced ;it was well
written, covered four sides, and expressed the strongest
desire for a reconciliation.) The shot struck her
shoulder, passing thus (exhibiting her gown) through
her dress, and slightly touched her left ear. The
slugs did not enter her arm.

Mr. Plover, house physician, opened the body, and
found sufficient oxalic acid in the stomach to cause
death. All the organs except the brain, which was a
little softened, were healthy. On deceased's person
he found the powder and large swan shots produced,
together with some documents.
The jury, after a brief deliberation, returned a
verdict of " Insanity."

THE RECENT EXPLOSION AT
LETTLY SHENKIN COLLIERY.
ABERDARE, GLAMORGAN, SATURDAY ETENING.—
Yesterday Mr. G. Overton, one of the coroners for the
county, proceeded with an inquiry into the recent me-
lancholy catastrophe at the Lettly Shenki❑ colliery,
which resulted in the loss of no fewer than fifty-two lives
It was held in the Town Hall.
Mr. Blackwell, the mining commissioner, attended to
watch the evidence, and Mr. James, an attorney of
Merthyr, to watch the interest of Mr. Thomas connected
with the colliery.
The CORONER having briefly opened the ineuiry, the
bodies of the sufferers were described and identified.
Mr. Daniel Thomas, the manager of the underground
works, described the topography of the pit, the state in
which he found it on descending immediately alter the
explosion, and the situation in which the bodies of the
deceased were discovered. The men were found lying
on the ground as if they were asleep. They had done
their best to go away, but were overcome by the after-
damp.
William Williams said, I have worked i❑ the pit for
four years, and at the time of the explosion Ns as clearing
the road. It was my duty to follow the air course. I
only go through the headings and air-ways where the
men work. I generally go down the pit at half-past
four, and it takes me from two hours to two hours and
a halt to examine it. It is sufficient time for me to go
through all the workings. If gas accumulated in one of
the old stalls or workings, it would be ray duty to com-
plain of it. Ido not know that any of the old stalls be-
tween the two levels are of a great height. A fall from
the roof would certainly drive out any gas that had ac-
cumulated in them into the mains air-ways.
CORONER—Havo you any opinion as to the cause?
Witness—No, I cannot form au opinion; I have not had
experience enough to judge.
CORONER—How did you escape? Witness—l first
tried to find my way out of the lower level, it was too
hot for me, and I went up to the upper level; went along
it for some distance, about sixty or seventy yards; found
I could not proceed; I returned to the same crossing and
sat down. There were many men with me, eight or
nine, however, went down to the lower level to escape,
but were killed. I told five who remained with me to
be quiet and sit still, for as soon as the explosion was
known at the top of the pit, the men would come down
and save them. They did so, and they were saved.
At this period of the inquiry, the evening having far
advanced, the inquest was adjourned.
This morning, at ten o'clock, it was resumed at the
Town Hall.
William Williams was again called, and the Coroner
having read the previous depositions over, the witness
said, I am authorised by Mr. Thomas, when I see any-
thing of falls or obstructions in the air-ways to set
labourers about to remove them. Knew that the stalls
were larger and higher than the mouth of the crossing.
In my opinion, if there had been a large accumulation
of gas, or a strong blower in the old works to which
that crossing leads, it would have showed itself on the
lamp.
The witness gave his testimony in such a disjointed and
apparently uncollected manner, that it was difficult even
for the Coroner to make up his depositions in an intel-
ligent form.
The inquiry was proceeding NI hen the mail left, but it
was understood that it would last till Monday, it not
Tuesday.

FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT AT THE

BRITANNIA BRIDGE.
(From the Liverpool Journal.)
We have just received the following melancholy in-
telligence from a trustworthy correspondent:—
" Bangor, Friday Evening, Aug. 17, 1849.

" All the fond and desired hopes ola successful reali-
sation of raising the monster tube of this stupendous
bridge to its final resting place are for the next two
mouths, at least, suspended.
"A few minutes before noon of this day the lower
part of the cylinder of the huge hydraulic press on the
Anglesea side burst with a tremendous explosion, and in
its descent o❑ to the tube, a height of about 84 feet, fell
with a terrific crash. The press was at work at tho time,
and had raised the tube about three feet during the lift
this day; and had it not been for the very urgent and
precautionary means adopted, by packing and bricking
under with cement as the tube was being raised, the most
dreadful consequences were inevitable.

"One of the-workmen was precipitated from a rope
ladder running from the top of the tube to the recess in
which the hydraulic machine was fixed; he was struck by
the huge mass of iron in its descent, weighing nearly
three tons, and now lies in a dreadfully crushed state.
I greatly fear that he cannot survive many hours, as the
medical attendant on the works considers that, on a close
examination of his body, most of his limbs must be frac-
tured, as well as suffering from droadful internal con-
tusions.

" Mr. Frank Forster, the resident engineer, with his
staff, were quickly on the spot, and I am happy to add
that no other accident has happened.
"This most disastrous affair is to be attributed entirely
to a defective coating of the cylinder, and the raising of
the tube will, consequently, be delayed some time until
the completion and fixing of the new one in its place.
The tube is now raised about 21 feet from the base."

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE NORTH KENT RAIL-
WAY.—The half-past eight o'clock train from London
arrived last evening safely at Woolwich, the station of
which place was much crowded on both sides, owing to
the London trains being insufficient to convey the pas-
sengers. The entrance to the platform debouches on the
down-train; this train had just begun to start for Grave-
send when a frightful scream was heard—a woman had
fallen from the platform between the carriages. The
last two carriages passed over her chest. Fora moment
seen toandherthecarriageswereCONVlCTdistinctly
rise
fall.i
THE c—
,
Devizes, in reply to the memorial forwarded frd at
om that
place to Sir G. Grey, the Home Seer
glet of the Right Hon. Baron thatexpressing the re-
no grounds which would et "he can discover
the due course of law." justify him in interterieg with
NORTH AMERICAN MAILS.—LIVERPOOL, SAME-
DAY.—This
morning, shortly aftt r eleven '.l .Ithe
steam-ship Caledonia, Captain Leitch, departedo' o",
Mersey for Halifax und Boston, wick, the usnii
lo
IT,
ai theis
She also carried out 70 passengers, amongst whom was
bliss Cushman, the American actress. By means of the
new floating post-office receiving-house, on the Landing.•
stage, letters for this steamer were posted es late as 10
50 A.m.; one hour and twenty minutes being giv,'n to
the public by the arrangement, as the letter-box at the
chief office closed finally at 930 A.m. The public is in-
debted to Mr. Brownless, of the s.hip-letter department
in the Liverpool Post-office, for this great convenience,
of which he was the original suggester, though the ar-
rangement was at once warmly taken up by Colonel
Maberly and the other authorities of the Post-office.
The homeward mails, &c., by the stew.m.ship Europa,
Capt. Lott, that would leave New York en the Bth and
Halifax on the 11th inst., are expected to arrive at this
. port to-morrow night.