The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-10 00:00:00

TILE ROAD MURDER.

A writer in a contemporary says :—As " the
Road murder" bids fair to become " the Road
mystery," perhaps you would allow me to commu-
nicate an idea which suggested itself to my mind
on reading over the evidence at Miss Constance
Kent's examination.

In conjecturing the circumstances which could
have led to the murder of a child of such tender age,
the probable causes reduce themselves to three—
hatred, lunacy or somnambulism, and fear.
We have all as children had our quarrels, but it
seems repugnant to human nature to believe
that such lasting enmity could be inspired by a
child five years old as to lead to his being taken
out of bed in the dead of the night and murdered
in cold blood. In the absence of stronger reasons
than have yet been given to the public I reject
the first, or melodramatic supposition, which the
police so readily adopted.
2. Lunacy or somnambulism would hardly ma-
nifest itself with such startling results, unless
symptoms had previously appeared which it would
be the business of the police to discover, and
which would go far to identify the author of the
crime.
3. The motive of fear remains. How, it will
be asked, could a child so young inspire fear ?
Suppose—and every step of this case, except the
actual murder, is based on supposition—suppose
that something, call it an intrigue, a burglary, or
what you will, was taking place beneath the roof
that night, suppose the child awaking from sleep
" saw a man where a man should na' be," would not
that supply a motive for the crime ?
To my mind, two things that occurred the next
morning are fraught with suspicion—the ostenta-
tious reading of the Bible for an hour by the nurse,
who knew that the child was missing, and who
ought immediately to have made inquiry in Mrs.
Kent's room ; and the decision which was at once
arrived at by certain parties that the child had been
murdered.
If the police would follow out these two points
they would,.perhaps, be more successful than they
were in their " fussy activity" about the nightdress
of a schoolgirl.

ROBBING THE DEAD, AND SALE OF CORPSES FOR
Dr ssnarrox.—Some months since a family residing at South
Boston had the misfortune to lose a child, and it was buried
in an expensive dress, made by a lady, a friend of the family.
The body of the child was placed in a tomb under one of
the churches. Two weeks after the ceremony the lady who
manufactured the dress which the little one wore before
her death and was buried in visited a washerwoman for
the purpose of employing her to do some work. While
conversing, the lady's eye was attracted by a child's dress,
which hung upon a clothes line. She was startled, for the
dress resembled the one in which her friend's child was
shrouded. The visitor asked permission to examine it, and
her request was complied with. What was her horror to
find that it was the very dress which she had put together
with her own hands, and which she had seen her little
favourite wear several times. There could be no mistake
about it, for the lady knew her own work, and the mate-
rials were of a unique pattern. The visitor asked the
washerwoman how she came by the dress. The answer
was that one day she was washing at Dr. —'s house, and
that the doctor's wife made her a present of it for her little
girl. The lady instantly left the house and stated her sus-
picions to friends. The result was, the child's coffin was
opened and found empty. This discovery created such an
excitement that the police were appealed to, and other
coffins, deposited under the church by the same undertaker,
were c,pened and found vacailt. The bodies had been re-
moved and sold to surgeons for dissecting purposes.
GEMSTONE'S EYE SNUFF.—A certificate proving the.
virtues of this snuff, from Dr. 17re, M.D., F.R.S., 25, Keppel-
street, Russell-square : -" I hereby certify that the eye-snuff
invented and manufactured by Mr. Wm. Grimstone, of the
Herbary, Highgate, is quite free from tobacco and composed
of herbs, capable of exciting mildly the pituitary glands,
without exercising any subsequent narcotic action on the op-
tical organs. This snuff is therefore adapted to relieve cod-
gestions affecting the brain and the vision.--Andrew ITre,
M.D., F.R.S., professor of chemistry and analytical chemist."
The above is the result of an analysis of Grimstone's eye
snuff, required by the Spanish Consul-General (Marquis of
Bayamo, &c.), to free this snuff from tobacco duty in the
Spanish dominions.
[ADVERTISEMENT.]—The great injury inflicted on many
invalids by drugs increases the interest the public take in
Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica Food which cures without
medicine. We quote a few out of many thousand cases of
cures by the delicious Food. Cure No. 180.—" Twenty-
five years nervousness, constipation, indigestion, and de-
bility from which I have suffered great misery, and which
no medicine could remove or relieve, have been effectually
eured by Du Barry's Food in a very short time. W. B.
Reeves, 181, Fleet-street, London." Cure 4,108.—" Eight
years dyspepsia, nervousness debility, with cramps, spasms,
and nausea, for which my servant had consulted the advice
of many, have been effectually cured by Du Barry's Health
Restoring Food. I shall be happy to answer any inquiries.
Rev. John W. Flavell, Ridlington Rectory, Norfolk."
Avoid Pills and Medicines :. they invariably aggrayate and
perpetuate diseases ; their annoyance, ditappointment,
which,econstipation,
ti
aattioan,
aonthderexpreemmeeduliesa,y bere m
oavvi onigd e de
ff. be
cyt
uuaslilnyg
wD
int h
oßuatr r yp'
us r Fg
purging,
d
liver complaints and all thseire-
fienwdigpeesnteioenPeorydapv,pssaiav)e% 50 times its cost in
nervous, bilious and
liver s. Certificate
No. 36,418. We find it the safest remedy. Andrew Ure
MD., F.R.S., Dr Harvey, Dr. Wurzemr,e Shorla d Dr.,
Campell. Let invalids avoid the fearful dangers nf'
rious and injurious imitations offered under a variety
false pretences. Nevin' s imitations are prohibited by ythe
high Court of Chancery under a penalty of £5,000 against
t
oso4 °,3h.
.1,n0;557p receipt
bRb Theies
Alfred Hooper Nevill and his agents • and the pretencesns
that Nevill has a patent for Arabica 'Food and that Du
Barry's are connected with such patent are utterly false.o
No canister is genuine without the name Barry Du Barry
and Co., 77, Regent-street, in full, ontheseal and wrapper.
Shcipkeepers who attempt imposition in one article must
Post-officedb9.
tGi-dssrt.
taa;::2eede lettbh24,.
u4l3rbose3on.
h.
ord6.
order
e;
canisters
eb4S tlsyb;
1.
Barry
Fortnum lsa
are
1 trsreer
y.
a s;
hne
eDldna2:;upl
Mason,
9sad2oals,ayd.
6g;a
na63e
freed,
da 241 b. 40s. expect to be distrusted in all others. Packed in tins 11b.
02f6g1
ofB2oe
gO, Oatxe-:.
-street ; Batty, 16, Finsbury Pavement; Phillips and Co,
tea-dealers; Petty, Wood, and Co., King William-street,
City ; at 127,
.High Holborn; and all grocers,