The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-12 00:00:00

S•

.441 the
,table
bridgeconsideringat tthe
witness :
bridgefound signal,
that the
some
eaperson
and York mailoughtwalked
hut ap)
tashreernivtiient,,
elo
the rear, to prevent approaching trains, he left one con-
.
About eighty yards in the rear of the train he found
Fossey. His signal lamp showed a white light
.t this time. Witness said to him " Good God,
Fossey, what could have induced you to turn the
rain into the siding ?" He did not reply for an
instant. Witness turned the light on his face, and he then
said," I don't know ;my watch deceived me." Witness
said, " What do you mean?" He replied, "She is twelve
minutes before the mail" (alluding to his watch, as wit-
ness believed). Witness said, " Where is your watch ?"
[-le said, "In my pocket." Witness desired him to de-
liver it up to him, which he did. Witness then said,
" Now, Fossey, you must consider yourself in my cus-
tody." He said, "Very well," and added, "Ate there
any lives lost?" Witness said, "I don't know. I hope
not." He said, " Well, if no lives are lost, you may
transport me as soon as you like ; send me out of the
country at once, for that is just what I want." Witness
said, '6 Whatever your feelings are, Fossey, keep them
to yourselt." Witness asked him whether, after the
train had passed on to the siding, he had shown any
signal to the guard? He said, " No, it would have been
of no use." Witness then walked down the cutting with
him towards the station, and just after passing the scene
of the accident, he said, " I thought it was a goods train,
.or the lights deceived me." Witness knew that could
not be the case, and said, " That is second thoughts."
Fossey made no reply. Witness then gave him into
custody of police-constable Malabar. Witness then
went to the station clock with which he compared
Fossey's watch, and found a variation of about four
minutes from the station time. It was then a quarter
past eleven .o'clock by the station clock, and
eleven minutes past by the watch. Witness subse-
quently assisted to bring the mail train into the station
and render, assistance to the injured parties. Fossey
had turned on the red signal before leaving his post
atter the accident. Witness considered he well under-
stood his duty generally. On the Monday previous he
had committed a mistake while op duty at the same post
by turning a Liverpool excursion train into the siding.
The siding was then clear of waggons, and the mistake
having been observed by the man on duty at the second
points, he turned the train out on the main line again.
It was then daylight. Mr. Bedford, one of our superin-
tendents, was in this train, and when it arrived at the
station, he desired witness to go back immediately, arid
learn what excuse Fossey had to make for turning the
train into the siding. On reaching the signal post, wit-
nets asked him how he came to turn the train into the
siding, and he replied that he had forgotten the excur-
sion train. Witness asked him whether he had not got
his written instructions on the subject? He said he had,
but had forgotten them. He then went to his hut, and
handed them to witness who remarked to him, " the
chances are you will be reported." He said he was very
sorry. Witness then left him, and subsequently in-
formed Mr. Bedford of what he had stated. Witness
subsequently, by Mr. Bedford's direction, reported him
for the neglect, and on an investigation he was ordered
to be fined a shilling and severely cautioned. Notwith-
standing this occurrence witness still considered that
Fossey knew his duty. On the night of the accident no
luggage train was expected. Witness never knew a
iuggage train to arrive within three-quarters of an hour
of the arrival of the mail train.
By a juror—Fossey was not aware that he had been
ordered to be fined and cautioned, as the result of the in-
vestigation into his first error.
CORONER—When did you receive this order ? Wit-
ness—Ott Friday.
CORONER— Do you consider you did your duty in with-
holding the caution and knowledge of the fine from Fos-
say? Witness—When a man is fined, we generally stop
it from his week's pay.
CORONER—What is this man's weekly pay? Witness
-;--Eiglate,n shillings per weeek. The men are paid on
Friday mid-day.
Mr. .1. M'Connell examined—l am superintendent of
the locomotive department 'of the southern division of
the London and North-Western Railway. My duty is
to superintend the general management of the locomotive
department, including the working of the engines. The
engine to which the accident occurred is constructed on
Mr. Stephenson's patent. The breaks are very easily
applied to this description of enema and tender, the
break being effected by two or three turns of the
handle. I have examined the breaks of the tender
since the accident, and find them in perfect order. We
have no greater command of the engine than to apply
the whole of the breaks on the tender and reverse the
engine. The mode of communication between the guards
and the engine-driver is by shutting off the steam and
opening the whistle. This is well understood. Various
inventions have been suggested to enable guards to com-
municate with the engine-driver, but some practical
difficulty has arisen in all. The application of the break
is the best mode of communication I know of at present.
In fine weather it is infallible, though, when the rails are
wet, it is not so secure. I do not think it would be sale
to stop a train travelling at a speed of twenty-five miles
an hour in a space of fifty yards, even if it were possible.
Mr. M•Connell was further examined at great
length.
but his evidence was chiefly confined to a detail of the
various means 'adopted to avoid accidents generally, and
did not bear particularly on the case before the jury. At
the close of his evidence Mr. Al•Connell begged per-
mission to call the attention of the jury to the reinaik-
able courage displayed by the engine-driver and stoker
of the train to which the accident occurred in retaining
their positions on the engine even after they must have
seen that a collision was inevitable.
The jury unanimously expressed their high sense of
the courage displayed by the individuals alluded to.
Mr. Bruyeres was here called, and in explanation of
the one shilling fine inflicted on Fossey, said that a few
days previous to the late accident Fossey had turned an
of which
very he
excursion train into the same siding. The circumetanee
badwas rbeepenorgteudil,tbyti, tatiitdbehiinsgptrheevifioursst o
characterffenceo
good, on the recommendation of Mr. Bedford, who was
in the train, it was determined to reprimand him. How
ever, as a record that he had been reported, in case of a
second report, a nominal fine was inflicted. Had the
train been a regular passenger train a different course
would have been pursued; but it was not unusual, when
regular trains were coming, if an excursion came in at a
walking pace, as this appeared to do, and signs were
made by the driver. to turn them on to the sidings. It
'was therefore considered that Fossey might have made
a mistake. lie was net aware until he heard it that day
that the reprimand had not been communicated
Fossey, and he should certainly report this fact to the
c9mmittee at their first meeting. Mr. Bru)eres here
gave a lengthened description of various modes of com-
munication between the guards and drivers of train.,
out nothing bearing on the present case came out. He
agreed with with Mr. M•Counell, that the application of
the break by the guard was the best method at present
known.
After some further proceedings of an unimportant
character the inquiry was, at half-past seven o'clock
adjourned until Tuesday nat.
The bodies of the unfortunate deceased parties have
all been removed by their respective friends for inter-
ment.
Mr. Turner remains under the care of Mrs. Hibbert,
and attended by his wife, at the Wolverton. station. He
is improving daily.

THE TRIPLE MURDER AT
MIRFIELD.
COMMITTAL OF THE ACCUSED.
FRlDA.Y.—Yesterday morning, at eleven
o'clock, the inquest on the bodies of Mr. James Wraith,
Mrs. Wraith, and Caroline Ellis, their servant, who were
so barbarously murdered on the 12th of May, was re-
sumed at the Wesleyan Methodist school-room, at
this vdtage. before Mr. G. D. Barker, deputy
coroner. The evidence adduced was in a great measure
the same as that given before the magistrates at the
Dewsbury court-house on Saturday. Michael M`Cabe
and Patrick Reid, the two men in custody charged with
the murders, were not present.
Mr. Richard Green, superintendent of the Dewsbury
police, produced the razor found on the body of Mr.
Wraith, a carving knife found in the same room, and a
kitchen fire poker, all of mhich were marked with blood.
He also produced the soldering iron found at the bottom
of Mr. Wraith's well. Both the poker and soldering
iron appeared to have been bend..d by force of blows
against tome hard substance. Mr. Green then stated
that on Friday morning last week he first saw Thomas
Kitty, of Daw-green, and asked him if he knew any-
thing about a soldering iron. He said he had been in
the habit of borrowing a soldering iron at the house of
the father of the prisoner, Patrick Raid, and that he
believed the iron he used to borrow was Reid's father's
property. Witness asked him to give a description of
the iron, and he gave a correct description of it before
he saw it. Witness then showed the it
no to him, and
he said he was very sorry to see it again, as it was
same. Mr. Howarth was present at the time.
Mr. John Howarth, constable of Mirfiol.l, corroborated
Mr. Green's testimony as to the conversation with Kitty
and his identification of the soldering iron.
Thomas Kitty, of Daw-green, hawker of spectacles,
identified the soldering iron produced as the instrument
he had frequently borrowed from the prisoner Reid's
father. Witneas wife generally fetched the iron. The
day before the murder the prisoner Reid took the iron
away from witness's house, and witness never saw it
again until it was shown to him by Mr. Green. In speak-
ing to various marks on the iron, the witness said he also
knew it from having filed the copper end, where there
wa,i a small hole, using a fine file, six days before the
prisoner Reid fetched it.
By the aid of a small magnifying lass marks of a file
g
could he seen on the end of the soldering iron.
By
.the Jury—l have frequently. been with Patrick
Reid in company, and have been with him at Mirfield.
On the day of the murder he came into my house and
asked me where I was going that day, and I said I
as
should not go out that day. I went hawking with him
the day after the murder, and we had conversation, but
nothing particular was said about the murder. I was
not with him-wre than half an hour in the morning of
that day, but I saw him at Bailey in the eve Ling. H.
and I have always been friendly., and no one ever beam
me give him a bad name before. Ido not know the pri-
soner M'Cabo.
stherine igty., wife of the last witness, corroborated
tutipotiy uto borrowitg rolderiDg