The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-29 00:00:00

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ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE ,R,411.
TECTION OF LIFEV ONI FIRE.--,
On Tuesday a general meeting o 'subs(' rs and
friends of this institution was held at the anover-square
Rooms, to witness the presentation of the rewards and
medals awarded by the committee, and to receive the
annual report. H. Pownall, Esq., presided.
The SECRETARY proceeded to read the report, which
stated that the society was established in 1836, and that
in 1843 it was adopted, and remodelled by the present
society, for the purpose of maintaining an organized
body of men provided with, and instructed in the use
of public fire escapes, which are kept in readiness
at various convenient stations throughout the metro-
polis ; and for the purpose of rewarding all persons
instrumental in saving life from fire. During the
past year 11 lives had been saved, and the society's
silver medal would be awarded to those only who had
saved life at the hazard of their own. The number of
fire-escapel stations now amounted to 2q, being three
times the number of those existing in 1843,
of fitting up each station was 651., and the annual c.x-
the expense
penditure for each 75/. A large body of men was em-
ployed in working them, and tu ensure their doing co
faithfully, two inspectors were employed, who in the
course of the year visited the stations 2,3.57 times, at
uncertain intervals. 139 fires had been attended by
the fire-escapes, being within four of the total number
of fires occurring throughout the year, during the hours
of duty of the corps, i. e. between 8 P.m. and 7 A.M.
The report further stated, that besides the number
actually saved, in many cases persons had been extricated
from most dangerous positions. The receipts for the
past year were 1,719/., the expenditure being 1,7054; -
balance in hand 14/.

The CHAIRMAN awarded the prizes with appropriate
and eloquent addresses to the following individuals:—
To John Fisher, 48 C, the first silver medal, fGr
resetfng Mrs. Devonshire at Raggett's Hotel ;
silver medal to W. Casey, No. 10, for rescu-
ing two persons from the fire in Newgate-street, July,
1846; silver medal to Shelford, City police 58, for mo-N'
courageously rescuing six persons from the flames a: a
fire in Smithfield- bars; a silver medal and one pound
wore also awarded to a young man named Best, who
most heroically rescued a whole family named
Grover, at Brentford, rushing three consecutive times
into the house, and every time bearing members of the
family in his arms, and finally falling exhausted and
bleeding at the threshliold. Best after receiving the
medal was loudly cheered. John Daly received the
society's silver medal for the presence of mind, courage,
and strength that he so nobly displayed in rescuing a
female under simPar circumstances 'at a fire in Drury-
lane; and, after other testimonials had been bestowed
on persons for their praiseworthy exertions for the pre-
servation of life and property from fire, several gentle-
men addressed the meeting, and thanks having been
voted to the chairman, the meeting separated.

ROBBERY AND CAPTURE. BY
MEANS OF THE RAILWAY TELEGRAPH.
In the latter period of last week, a young man named
John Bourne, respectably attired, took up his residence
at Mr. John Cox's, the Ord Arms Inn, Scotswood-road,
Newcastle, for the ostensible purpose of being trained
by Henry Clasper to row a skiff match at Manchester,
and Mr. Cox, in order to make him comfortable, gave
up his own sleeping apartment, in whieh was a chest of
drawers, containing a sum of money amounting to above
900/. Bourne's deportment, altogether, was such, that
not the slightest suspicion was attached to his proceed-
ings until Tuesday afternoon. between five and six
o'clock, when the drawer containing the money, together
with a cash-box in which it was deposited, was
found to have been broken open, and the entire contents
of the box taken away. The alarm was immediately
given, when it was ascertained that Bourne had left the
house about two o'clock, and from various circum-
, stances no doubt was felt that Bourne was the guilty
party, and it was concluded that he would make down to
Gateshead and take the train southward. Mr. Taylor,
of Swalwell, accordingly mounted his horse, and rode
direct to the Westgate station, where he gave informa-
tion of the robbery, and a description of the dress Bourne
had on, to Mr. Inspector Little, who, with Sub-Inspector
Drummond, proceeded at once to the telegraph office at
the Gateshead station. Almost simultaneously Mr. Cox
himself called at Mr. Stephens's, the superintendent of
police, and gave information there, with a full description
of Bourne's person and dress, with the amount and de-
scription of the notes stolen. This was sent over imme-
diately to Mr. Johnson, the station-master at Gateshead,
who felt the importance of this additional information, and
instantly set the telegraph to work ; and these particulars
were so full and accurate that the station-master at Nor-
mutton felt no hesitation in acting upon them. This
would be about six oclock, and as the mail train left at
a quarter past three o'clock it was conjectured that if he
had left with it he might be intercepted. When the ac-
count of the robbery and a description of the person
reached York, the train had passed, and the information
was forwarded to Normington, in advance of the train.
The station-master at Normington sent instantly for a
police officer, and in the meantime the train had arrived;
on the officer hearing the description read over he at once
remarked that a man answering the description was
standing on the platform, where he had just passed him.
The station-master gave orders to apprehend him, and
when the officer walked up and seizsd him by the arm, and. --
asked him to walk into the stattnn;' he refused, and
considerable force was necessary to get him there.
He then refused to be searched, but that was at
length effected in spite of the resistance he offered,
and the sum of 2031. Bs. found upon him, which con-
sisted of two 51. notes, 1921. in gold, and 28s. in silver.
He was then brought back to York by the next train,
and information was transmitted by telegraph to Gates-
head that he had been apprehended. The telegraph was
put to work about seven o'clock, and at nine, two hours
afterwards, intelligence was received that the man had
been apprehended a hundred and ten miles distant. On
the intelligence of Bourne having been apprehended
reaching Gateshead, Mr. Inspector Little proceeded by
the next train to York, and returned with his prisoner
at half-past ore o'clock the 'following day. He was
taken before Mr. Alderman Dunn, and transferred to the
county, when the particulars were laid before Dixon
Dixon, Esq., and the prisoner was remanded. Bourne,
it seems, is twenty-two years of age, and belongs to Man-
chester, where his wife and family are residing.—New-
castle Journal.

MORE POISONINGS IN ESSEX.
On Tuesday, at the Witham petty sessions, Essex,
held at the White Hart, before a full bench of magis-
trates, Emma Elizabeth Hume was brought up for final
examination, charged with having attempted to admi-
nister a certain poison to her husband, Thomas Hume,
with the view of causing his death. As some of the
features of this case resembled that for which Catherine
Foster kuffered at Bury, the greatest anxiety was
evinced to hear the proceedings, the room in which they
took place being crowded by the inhabitants. On the
accused being placed at the bar, tied the husband called
to give evidence, their appearance and the great dispa-
rity between their ages created much astonishment ; she
being in her 24th year, while her husband, who was
dressed in the garb of a labourer and seemed ex-
cessively weak, is old enough to be her grandfather,
being fast verging upon his 70th year. From the evi-
dence of the old man and several witnesses, it appeared
that they lived in the village of Tollesbury, a married
son of the prosecutor and his wife and family residing in
the same house with them. For some time past the
husband had been suffering severely from a liver come
plaint, and it would appear, from his constant ill health,
that the accused seemed to flag attending on him. They
frequently had words, and twice or thrice she was
heard to tell him, " Mind you are not found dead before
long." In the course of Monday, the sth inst., she of-
fered him some broth which she had made in a basin.
He tasted it, and finding the flavour rather strange re-
fustd to take it. She took it down stairs, and the
wife of his son, Sarah Hume, saw her emptr the
br4oth out of the basin, and on wiping it rouad-,per-
ceived a white sediment at the bottom. Previous to
this, however, it should be observed, that the accused
had remarked to her husband that she had been per-
suaded to poison him, but had not done it as yet. On
Wednesday, the 7th inst., the wife of the son, saw the
prisoner making two pills of flour and water, which she
said she was going to take that night. She was seen to
put them in a small box. On the following' night she
wished to give her husband two large pills, which she
said were good for the liver complaint, as Tom Warner
had told her so. The husband declined to take them,
and she observed that it was no use buying
medicine for him, as he would not take it.
She replaced the pills in the box, and the next morning
she again presented them to him and begged that
he would swallow them. He still refused, and she used
angry words in trying to persuade him. The pills were
subsequently delivered by her to the son, who gave them
into the hands of the police on the prisoner being taken
into custody. The man Warner, previously alluded to,
deposed that he never recommended any pills to the
accused as being good for the liver complaint. Mr. R.
Phillips, an operative and analytical chemist in the ser-
vice of Mr. Dawson, a surgeon in the neighbourhood.
said that, in connexion with Mr. Cooper, a professor of
chemistry in the Blackfriars road, he hnd subjected the
pills to an analysis. He had found them to contain sugar
of lead to the extent cf 26 grains. Sugar of lead was a
p omi s orn. ,Daanndsaoßdoussee
do f
t 206
prescribe
bmeitg,ohrt t
he prosecutor. produce deatb.
He
had heard her say when she came to the surgery, that
she hoped that would be the last medicine she would
have to fetch for her husband, forT that if he were dead
dshuelywcoauul
cautioning
obnei n
ga
hhearp,payskey'd'ornan,
that hershe ifw
as e hadja th eal,n trbkihnogu to
The chairman, after
say?wih answered,heSrhheusban w
en the pills were sent home; that a
postman brought them, and left them at some public
house, where they were taken away. The chairman told
her that it was the duty of the bench to commit her for
trial at the ensuing assizes. She seemed little affected
by the announceme. On leavincs she wi t o her husband, butnt the police intt?riered and preventedher.
In the course of the evening she was con ruedte
to
Chelmsford.

THE TALLOW CHANDLERS' BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.
—The anniversary festival of this charity took place on
Tuesday at the London Tavern, and was well attended by the
members of the trade. Lord R. Grosvenor presided, and
Alderman Challis, Sir G. Larpent, Alderman Farncomb, and
Mr. W. Hawes, were among the guests present. The bene-
volent objects of the charity are the relief of indigent and
incapacitated tallow chandlers, their widows, and others
connected with the trade. From the report it appears that
the society, although only in its infancy, has already been
the me,as cf much usefulness; and the increasing amount
of donations, exceeding this year the sum of 300/., gives
every reason to believe that it will be enabled materially to
extend the sphere of its operations. The dinner and its ac-
companying arrangements were all that could be desired.
GRAY'S INN, APRIL 28.—The under-named gen-
tlemen were this day called to the degree of Barrister-at-
Law, by the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn—viz., Ed-
ward Joseph Powell, Esq., Peter Borthwlck, Ls+, and
Wil-
liam Frederick Higgins, Esq.