The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-12 00:00:00

SUPPOSED MURDER, AN D SUICIDE OF TH 1.
ALLEGED MURDERER.
On Thursday Mr. Payne held an investigation, at the
St. John's Vestry Hall, Horsleydown, repecting the death
of Mrs. Mary Ann Williams, aged 50, who was
found drowned in the Thames under circumstances
of a very suspicious character. The proceedings
created great interest in consequence of a lodger
of the deceased, named James Budge, having, after
he had been charged with the murder of his landlady
written letters declaring that he would commit suicide, and
the police now state that they believe the wretched man
has carried out his intention.--John Bowles, a waterman,
living at 20, St. Mary's Buildings, Church-street, Rother-
hithe, proved that at two o'clock last Monday afternoon
he found the body of the deceased in the Thames, near a
steamboat, off Horselydown. The body was fully dressed.
Mr. W. C. Chamberlain, a draper, carrying on business at
Croydon, identified the body as being that of his mother, a
widow. Witness was her son by her first husband. He
last saw her alive on Sunday, the 30th of October, at
her house in Ellis- street, Chelsea, where she
carried on business as a tobacconist. She had
three lodgers in the house, and one of them was Mr.
James Budge, a man who was separated from
his wife. The neighbours of the deceased stated that on
Monday, the 31st of October, the deceased left her home
after shutting up her shop, and she was never after seen
alive. On the Wednesday following witness called at the
house, and to his surprise he saw Mr. James Budge
coming out of the apartments of the deceased, and
he asked him what brought him there, and he
in reply made a very rambling statement. He said
that on the previous Monday afternoon he was
sitting at toa with the deceased and she said to him,
" Well, Jim, what do you say to going to the play
to-night?" and he replied that he did not care much
for the play on Mondays or Tuesdays, for theatres
were on those nights generally crowded, but if she wished
to go to the play he would meet ber at the Westminster-
bridge Station of the Metropolitan Railway. She then
left home and he followed her, and met her at the rail-
way. They then agreed to walk over the bridge to the
Victoria Theatre, and while they were going over she said
to him, " What do you say to a jump in ?" and he made
no reply, and they went on to the Victoria Theatre,
where they saw the performance. Witness, sus-
pecting that Mr. Rudge had never been at the theatre,
cross-questioned him, and asked him the name of
the play, the dress of the performers, and for a descrip-
tion of the scenery. Mr. Budge was unable to give the
required information, and be said, "The real fact is, I
took no interest in the play, I only went there to please
her." Witness then asked him what had become of the
deeeased after she went into the theatre, and he replied
" I left the theatre, and upon attempting to return, found
that I had forgotten to take a check, and I did
not think the play worth while paying for again.
After waiting outside the theatre for some time I went
home to Chelsea. I never saw her afterwards."
Mrs. Mary Smith, a lodger in the deceased's house,
produced two letters, both of which were in Mr. Rudge's
handwriting. One was written to herself, and was as
follows :
" Dear Mrs. Smith,—This is to wish you farewell. I
cannot stand what others say about me. lam the dupe
of others. Against you receive this letter I shall be no
more. Mrs. Williams is the cause of this. My head is
so bad.—l am "JAMES RUDGE."
In reply to the Coroner, witness said that many people
in the neighbourhood has charged Mr. Budge with mur-
dering the deceased. The second letter produced was
written by Mr. Budge to his aunt, and in it he said—
" Dear Aunt,—l hope these few lines will find you
better. Come and look to my things. I havebeen abused
most shamefully. lam innocent of the crime.—l am,
dear aunt, yours, " JAMES BUDGE."
Police-constable Thomas Wake, 45 B, Chelsea division,
said he believed that the police had received information
that Mr. Budge had at eleven o'clock last Wednesday
night been seen by Charles Cavannah, of 33, Auckland-
street, Vauxhall-gardens, to leap from the parapet of
Westminster Bridge into the Thames. His body has not
yet been recovered.
The Court was then adjourned.

LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND THE STAGE,

The electric telegraph has been put to a new use in
in Canada'. At Mimouski, when the late earthquake
came upon them, the telegraph clerks sent at once to
Quebec, a distance of 200 miles, to ask, " How do you
feel?" While the operator there was at his work the
shock arrived. He at once sent to Montreal, about 200
miles further on, to ask if they had felt it. They had
just time to say "No " before the shock of the earthquake
was felt.

It was recently determined to erect a statue to Professor
Morse, the eminent American electrician and inventor of
the telegraph which bears his name, and for this purpose
subscriptions were opened in the States. The full
amount has been very speedily subscribed, and the erec-
tion of a marble statue is to be at once proceeded with.
It is to stand in the Central Park, New York, a suitable
position having been willingly granted by the Commis-
sioners.

Nature says :—" Since our last issue the Joint Committee
of the Royal and Royal Astronomical Societies and the
Council of the British Association have met to consider
the question of the Eclipse Expedition, and in consequence
of these meetings Mr. Gladstone has been asked to receive
a joint deputation to urge upon the Government the im-
portance of the proposed expedition. The Joint Com-
mittee have appointed the presidents of the Royal
and Royal Astronomical Societies, the Astronomer Royal,
and Mr. Lockyer to plead its cause ; while the Council of
the British Association will be represented by the Presi-
dent and officers of the Association, Sir John Lubbock,
M.P., and Dr. Lyon Playfair, M.P. No time had been
fixed for the deputation to wait upon the Prime
Minister.

It is thought that Professor Wyville Thomson's
appointment to the Professorship of Natural History at
Edinburgh will be taken advantage of by the Government
to abolish one of the Queen's College Professorships in
Ireland.

Nature announces that Dr. Hirst feels called upon by
the pressure of his new duties to resign the General
Secretaryship of the British Association.
- •

There is a possibility, according to the Liverpool Courier,
that the arrangement for a special reserved telegraph wire
between Liverpool and London may come into play almost
immediately.
- - - -

The medals in the gift of the Royal Society have this
year been awarded as follows :—The Copley medal to
Dr. Joule; the Rumford medal to M. Descloiseaux ; and
the Royal medals to Professor W. H. Miller and Mr. W.
Davidson.

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. The Ininan Company's
fine mail steamer the City of Brussels has made another
remarkable passage across the Atlantic, having left New
York on Saturday, the 29th ult., and arrived in the Mer-
sey at midnight on Monday.
A. Dublin correspondent states that the movement
in Irelind for the holding of meetings in favour of the,
Pope is growing. An effort will be made to pledge mem-
bers of Parliament to press the Government to interfere to
some extent on behalf of the Pontiff.

The students of the Glasgow University, to the
number of about 600, had a torchlight procession on Wed-
nesday night from the Old College to the new buildings at
Gilmore-hill. The spectacle was as novel as it was inte-
resting. Unhappily, the Glasgow roughs marred the
success of the demonstration.

THE EDUCATION ACT IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE.—The
polling at the parish of Soham, in Cambridgeshire, on
the question as to whether there should be rate-supported
schools and a School Board in that parish, terminated
on Thursday in a majority for the opponents of School
Boards.

At Lyons energetic measures are being taken to resist
attack. The inhabitants are ordered by the Prefect to
lay in a three months' store of preservable provisions.
The road are being cut and barricaded in the environs.
Tremendlus rains have fallen, which have greatly swelled
the Rhone and Saone. The Saone has submerged a great
part of the country, and is likely to impede the Prussian
advance,

INCREASE OF VAGRANCY.—In the agricultural
parts of Yorkshire vagrancy has so much increased of
late that special efforts have been determined upon to
repress it. The Malton Board of Guardians have issued
a handbill, stating their belief to be that begging and
vagrancy. are on the increase in the union, and that
indiscriminate alms-giving is the cause of the evil. The
public are called upon to abstain from giving to beggars
and vagrants of whom they know nothing, but to hand
them over to the police or parish constable to be dealt
with.

A young man named Hendrick has been com-
mitted for trial by the magistrates of Carlow for sending
a threatening letter to Mr. Williams, of New Garden,
near Carlow, to intimidate him from putting into force a
decree for the possession of a cottage held by Hend-
rick's brother. Some documents were found in his
possession which were sworn to be in the same hand-
writing as the threatening letter, and upon this evidence
he was committed.

THE FENIAN PRISONERS.—The Cork Exanuner
contains a long letter, addressed on the 7th inst. by Mr.
Maguire, M.P., to "My dear Mr. Gladstone," urging the
release of the Irish political prisoners. The letter in
substance urges the right hon. gentleman to allow
himself "to act on the influence of his own gene-
rous nature," and to "throw wide the prison doors
of these men, and say—' In God's name go free, and
let the past be past.' " Mr. Maguire points out
that the municipal corporations, which are tho-
roughly representative of the whole country,
unanimously request the release ; that the feeling of
tolerance for Fenianism widespread, mainly in con-
sequence of the apparent insensibility and actual neglect
of the last Government and Parliament. The law, he
adds, has been fully vindicated, and tranquillity reigns
throughout the country; and, even were there any appre-
hensions of danger, the Government possess ample
powers for the maintenance of public order. He trusts
Mr. Gladstone will by his own action anticipate any more
general movement in favour of the release.