The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-24 00:00:00

THE GOLD DUST ROBBERY.

WINCHESTER, FRIDAY EVENlNG.—Thisday William
PlEmpin, who has alreaidy been twice examined on a
charge of being implicated in the gold dust robbery, was
again brought up at the Guildhall. Charles Seagrim,
Esq., the mayor, presided.
Mr. Crombie appeared for the prosecution, Mr.
Wontner for the Royal Mail Steam-packet Company,
and Mr. Pelham, for the prisoner.
Mr. Crombie, on the part of the South-Western Rail-
way Company, said he proposed to ask for a further re-
mand of the prisoner, and to call witnesses to corrobo-
rate the evidence of the railway porters, Edwards and
Smith, given on the last occasion. It would ba proved
that the prisoner was in Winchester on the night of the
robbery, and teat ho was seen, not only at the railway
station, but at the Eagle) Tavern, with two packages in his
possession, which, from th e description given of them, there
was reason to believe ware a portioa of the missing pro •
petty. Ile might state that the police authorities were
prosecuting inquiries in London and elsewhere, with a
view of connecting the p,isoaer with other parties in
these transactions, who were not in custody.
Mrs. Lydia Cross, the wife of the lanittord of the
Eagle Tavern, near the railway station, and Eliza Cross,
her daughter, then gave evidence as to the fact of the
prisoner having been in the tavern between eleven and
twelve o'clock on the night of Thursday, May 8, with
two parcels in his hands. They mentioned a variety of
circumstances which took place during the time he was
there.

Mr. Inspector Field said that he was engaged
with the deteetivo officers of the City police, end the
sergeants of the metropolitan force, in following up
those inquiries, and from information ho had received
within the last few days, he had no doubt he should be
able to prove that the prisoner was connected with other
parties who were implicated in this robbery.
Mr. Pelham said Lo had had the strongest as-
surance trona the prisoner that he was not in Win-
chester at ail on the day in question, and he
looked upon the case entirely as one of mistaken identity.
The Bench alter a short consultation said that
they did not consider they should be doing their
duty if they did not give an opportunity, by re-
manding the prisoner, for the production of any further
evidence that might be brought against him. As to the
question of an alibi, if the prisoner was able to bring
forward twenty witnesses as to his being in a certain
place, that would be a question for a jury to determine.
At the same time there were circumstances of suspicion
that the bench could not feel disposed to overlook. The
prisoner would be remanded for a-week.
Mr. Pelham applied for the return of some property
found on the person of the prisoner, but this was refused
till the next examination.

THE FATAL COLLISION ON THE MID-
LAND RAILWAY.
CHESTERFIELD, THURSDAY. From the answer to
inquiries this morning, we learn that all the suffering
passengers, on whose account there was the greatest rea-
son to apprehend danger, are now progressing favour-
ably. air. and Mrs. Tennant are still at Clay-cross ;
and Mrs. John and Joshua Todhunter and the Rev. Mr.
Heather continue at Chesterfield. All have the advan-
tage of the best medical treatment.
The coroner's inquest was re-opened at the Municipal-
hall this morning at eleven o'clock. Mr. Macauley,
solicitor, Sir Isaac Morley, director ; Mr. Saunders,
traffic manager, and ethers, were again in attendance on
behalf of the Midland Company. Mr. Fretson, solicitor,
attended for the friends of the late Mr. Blake, and Mr.
Waller appeared on the part of the relatives of the other
deceased passenger, Mr. Meynell.
Mr. Turner, of Sheffield, appeared to watch the pro-
ceedings on behalf of John Thompson, the guard of the
express train on the night of the accident.
Lieutenant Douglas Dalton, the Government Inspector
of Railways, was also present.
Mr. Macauley, after apologising for some delay,
caused by his having to show Lieutenant Dalton over
the portion of the line where the accident occurred, said
he would comply with the promise made to the jury, and
had present every servant of the company who was with
either of the trains at the time of the accident.
a• Mr. Barlow, civil engineer to the company, produced
a plan of the Midland line, of the portion of the line at
Clay-cross, made after the accident.
Several witnesses were examined, and the inquest was
adjourned to Friday morning.
The jury were taken by spacial train to view the
locality of the disaster.
CHESTERFIELD, FRIDAY.—The coroner's inquiry was
resumed this morning at eleven o'clock, at the Muni-
cipal-hall.
George Carter, the foreman of the passenger train,
stated, that immediately after the accident and they
found the up-line was blocked up, he went in the direc-
tion of Chesterfield with a rod Signal light to prevent
any up-train approaching.
By Mr. Fretson—l do not know what was done to
prevent any train coming on the down line.
John Thompson—l was guard of the passenger train
on Monday night. We lett Derby at twenty minutes
past nine. The proper time was five minutes. Ido not
know where the fifteen minutes had been lost. When
we got opposite the Clay-cross Station I noticed the
slackening of the engine. When we had gone 150 or
200 yards the train stopped. I put my head out, and
went to the engine driver and asked " What's the
matter?" He did not know exactly the cause. He ex-
amined the wheels and pump, and then said there was
something amiss with the pump-rod. I asked him 11" w
long it would be before ho was ready to go on. 211
fireman said ho thought it would be ten minutes, and
the driver said a few minutes. I asked him
if I shouldhave occasion to go back with the signal, and the drivertn
said, " Yes, you had better." I got into thevan
get my lamp and signal out. I then went
down
be-
tween the two lines till I got thirty or
be-
yond out train, when the driver or the
rn I shoud
from the engine " All right!" fiforerm shouted
forty
yan yards
onin_gr e back. When 1,
" Is all right?" and commenced
heard the approach of a
had got a short distance beck I
rd
train. I had not seen or the train before I turned
back. Oar train was movingbeoan then. I continued waving
my red signal till I got orito
the footboard of the last car-
riage. I then shouted the drive, " Make speed—
can, there is a train coming."
mviraek
we
e r all e
ovg, and had got a short distance when the
other
us. It was coming faster than I
thought.
train ran into
The driver of that train could see our red
them hastei n
tail-lamp as well as my hand-single-lamp. There
was a tall-lamp and two side signal lamps to our train.
I had turned back before I heard the goods train coming.
I walked back with my red signal lamp turned towards
cross-tunnel. The train consisted of four car-
the Clay
sieges and a van.
By ala Waller—We had three lamps behind when we
started from Derby. We had orders to stop at Wingfield
and Duffield extra. The order was given by the station-
master. First felt the slackening of the train opposite
the Clay-cross Station. The train did not move more
than 200 yards before it stopped, It was eight or ten
minutes past ten o'clock. The driver might have stopped
it earlier if ho had reversed the engine. It might be five
minutes after the stoppage that the goods train came up.
My hand-signal could have been seen from the footboard
of the carriage to the Clay-cress Station. The proper
speed of the goods train was 12 miles an hour. It was
coming much faster than that. Considering the time
both trains started for Derby the luggage train ought to
have been half-an-hour behind us.
By Mr. Fretson—When we came to a stand it was
about 150 yards this side Clay•cross station. I know
where the semaphore signal at the station is placed, and
understand how to work it. That signal is about 190 of
200 yards from the place where we came to a st
inten-
tion walked at a brisk pace back. I set off with the
of walking half a mile back, because the engine-
driver had told me he would be ten minutes, and I did
-
not expect the other train for twenty minutes. I could
not have walked forward to the signal as SOOll as, I
walked back to the train. We were a quarter of an hour
late on starting from Derby, and we had lost ten
minutes on the road. When I set off back to walk half
a mile I got into my van and took twa fog signals
with me.

Ought you not to have taken four?—We do some-
times. I have had '9, copy of the rubs given to me. I
have seen the rule that we are to place a fog-signal on
the line every 200 yards, till we have got 800 yards. I
only took two, because I knew I had not to go bev on t
the tunnel. I got within 100 lards of the platform
before I turned back. I think I could run 200 yarns in
five minutes. I hai only one minute to go out before I
turned back. I had consumed three of the four or five
minutes that we were stopping, by waiting to see what
was amiss with the engine. I came back because I
heard the engine•man say " All right." I noticed when
at Ambergate that we were twenty-six minutes behind
time. We had come about at one regular
speed. I was hurt by the accident. My nose was
slightly grazed, and my foot much hurt. I remained on
the footboard of our train till the collision, when I was
knocked off. I supposed the goods driver was slacking,
and ours getting off, we should get out of the way. As
soon as I got up, after being knocked off our train, I
went back to Clay-cross Station, but found the signal had
been put on. When I first left our train I went back
to turn on the signal at the station, and only turned back
without doing so because I heard the driver or fireman
call out " All right." W don't usually sound the
whistle on passing'rsmall stations. We onlystop at these
small stations nut mentioned on the time-table by the
order of the station-master at Derby. We had stopped
at two of these stations that night. I believe if on this
night we had had to stop at Claycross to put down pas-
sengers, this accident would have occurred. There was
no one at the. station to receive the passengers, or put,on
the signal it we had stopped. There is no one there at
night. I don't know that I have stopped at that station,
hut I have no doubt that train has, as well as at Duf-
field and Wingfield. The man at that station does not
expect us to stop, and whether there was any one there
to receive the passengers or turn on the signal was
mere chance. I think the goods train had come up to
us in half the time they should have done, or less than
that.
Further
teovimdeonnedeahy.aving been given, the inquiry was
adjourned

RAIL WAY RETURNS

TRAFFIC RETURNS FOR THE PAST WEEK.

NAME_
777.1.15t.HA:::::-.7.1
..... \ 1850. 1851.
Mlles
opened,
1851.
-7-12 Aberdeen .. ------ --
£1,196 £1,377
687
37% Belfast and Ballymena ••••••• • •• • • • •
17 Belfast and County Down• •••••• • • • • • 218 265
33 Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire
1,
27 Bolton Blackburn, and West York • • • •
85% Bristol and Exeter • • .... • • •••• ••• • • • 3,873 4,134
160 Caledonian-- .... 6,115 6,551
94% Chester and Holyh e-a•d : ...... :• . .. 2,i64 2,596
49 Dublin and Belfast Junction .... • • • • 645
0452! 11,...8.:
283
53 Dublin and Drogheda.... ..
6 Dublin and Kingstown .....:.. ••• • • • 873 742
16,74 Dundee and Arbroath • • 389 427
31 Dundee, Perth, and Aberdeen Junction 596 648
19 Dundalk and Enni5ki11en............ 143 155
67% East Ang1ian........................ 809 622
79 East Lancashire - .......... ..... ... 3,187 3,938
322 Eastern Counties and Norfolk ........ 15,762 13,704
95 Eastern Union.• •• .• ........ •• • ..... 2,217 2,057
116% Edinburgh and Glasgow .... ........ 3,851 3,960
71 Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee-- 2,300 2,219
18 Furness Railway •• • ••.. • • ........ 356 545
171% Glasgow, and South-Western .. ...... 3,323 3,725
22% Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock .... 1,024 1,032
236 Great Northern and E. L. ••••• • • • •• 3.421 9,5i3
188 Great Southern and Western (Ireland) 4,262 5,142
262% Great Western •• ••
90 Lancaster and Carlisle ••• • • •
260 Lancashire and Yorksldre- Yorkshire •• • • 13,812 16,443
39 Leeds and Thirsk ••..••• • • • • • •
146 268
12% Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport.. • •
46,932 48,042
51814 London and North Western . . •• • 875 1,092
5 London and Blackwall ••••••• • • • • • • • 0,•,73 11,702
173% London, Brighton, and South Coast
239 London and South Western. ..... •• • 11,587 10 ,'`l97
15 Londonderry and Enniskillen • •
11% Manchester, Buxton, and Matlock, &c. 132 155
167% Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire 5,701 'B9B
6,0 s
9% Manchester and Sout li Junction . ... - 499
23 Maryport and Callisle
4961 A Midland ••• • • •• -
50 Midland Great Western (Irish) .... , 1,254 1,313
60 Newcastle and Carlisle..
146 North British ••.. • • ..............,, 3,387 3,410
222 North Staffordshire
47 North-Western ...........,
45 Scottish Central
32 Scottish Midland ............., .
47 Shrewsbury and Chester ••••• • • . • •
30 Shropshire Union .. • • • • • . •
53 SO 11 t h DeVOll ••-•••...•• • • . . . . . . . .
261 South Eastern • • •• •.
75 South Wales .. ••..••••• • • • • • .• - 1,079
69 South York., Doncaster, and Goole
40 Taff Vale • • • • • • - • • • • • 2,352 2,253
36 Ulster. ••
'
'45 Waterford and Limerick • • ...... • • • •
- 365
13 West Cornwall ...... • .... •••• • • • • 21.4 331
12 1 Whitehaven Junction .•.• • • • ..... •• • 190 196
293 York and Newcastle, and Berwick .• •
14,
256 York and North Mid1and...........
FOREIGN.
7634 Amiens and 80u10gne.......... ..... 1,272 1,183 -
44 Dieppe •••••• • • • • • • ...
.11
381 -
63 Montercau and Troyes .... ...... .... 983 1.153
336 Northern of France •••• • • • ... ...... 16,511 17,896
143 Orleans to Bourges (Cent.)
72 Orleans to Bordeaux ................ 2 953 3,267
82 Paris and Orleans .. ..... ........... 7. 3i 8 351
85 Paris and Rouen . ..
...... 1,206 e, 197
59% Rotten and Havre .. ••••••• • • • • • • ... 2,6T,8 2,487

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.
LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.-1:13tUrll of
Traffic for the week ending May 18 :
Passengers, parcels, &c. £29,459 19 8
Merchandise 17,460 7 6
Cattle ... ... 1,101 11 7

Total ... £48,041 18 9
Corresponding week last year 46,932 11 6

Note.—The returns as published are exclusive of the
traffic of the Huddersfield Canal and Shropshire Union, North
Union, Preston and Wyre, South Junction, Blanchester and
Buxton, and Buckinghamshire Railways, and of the propor-
tion of traffic deducted under agreement with the North
Staffordshire Company.

EASTERN COUNTIES AND NORFOLK ItAmwmr.—Traffic
return for the week ending May 18:
Passengers, parcels, &c. £7,375 3 1
Merchandise, cattle, and cartage 6,329 7 4

Total ... £13,704 10 5
Corresponding week of ISSO 15,761 11 3
BRISTOL AND EXETER RAlLwAY.—Traffic for the week
ending May 11 :
Passengers
Goods
Parcels ...
Mails ...

• £2,50-1 16 1
.. 1,250 7 9
• 15i 3 7
• 223 4 2

Total ... £4,134 11 7
LONDON AND BLACKWALL RAILWAY.—Amount of revenue
:or the week ending May 18:
Passengers ••
Goods

... -.£1,0i4 10 9
... ... 17 0 0

Total ••• •.•£1,091 10 9
Corresponding week last year ... 875 711
SHREWSBURY AND BIRMINGLIA3I RAILWAY,...TraffiC re-
ceipts for the week ending May 18 :
Passengers .• ... £263
Carriages, horses, and parcels ... 12 14
Live stock 3 13
..•4 •••
Merchandise and minerals ... 251 3 0

Total .£530 18 8
Corresponding period last year.. 646 4 9
SHROPSHIRE UNION RAILWAY.—(Open 29 miles.)—Traffic
or the week ending May 18 :
Passengers, parcels, &c.
Goods and live stock

~. £378 10 7:1
969 15 10

Total £648 6
Correiponding week last year ... 492 4 5i
MANCHESTER, BUXTON, MATLOCK, AND MIDLANDS JUNG.
TRW RAILWAY.—Return of traffic for the week ending
May 18.—
Passengers, &c.
Merchandise

Total ...
Corresponding week laet rear ..,