The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-24 00:00:00

"LATOTHER ATTACK OF THE
AGAPE:TONE.

After the return of the Rev. Mr. Price and his
storming party to Bridgwater, on Tuesday night,
it was arranged that a select dozen of sturdy
men should accompany the gentleman in search
of his wife, to the three farm-houses belong-
ing to Mr. Prince, the arch-agapemonite, early
on Wednesday morning. These farm-houses
are situate at Aisholt, Chinton Trivett, and
Blackmore-lane, all within a few miles of the
principal " Abode of Love," and are occupied by
the disciples of the false prophet. Shortly be-
fore six o'clock a brougham, containing Mr. Price
and "a few stanch friends, and two conveyances car-
rying his followers, left Bridgwater. The men
forming the expedition were well armed, and ar-
rived at Aisholt between seven and eight o'clock.
Immediately on alighting they entered the grounds,
and finding the window of a room opening upon
the lawn unfastened, they all walked unbidden into
the apartment. Mr. Hodder, the determined Prince-
ite, who had threatened to shoot the assailants at
the Agapemone the preceding night, quickly made
his appearance, as did also other male members of
the notorious fraternity. Mr. Price informed them
that he had come for the purpose of searching the
premises for his wife, and intended to do so either
peaceably or by force. Mr. Hodder answered that
the lady was not there, but offered to allow them
to examine the dwelling if they would, " like gen-
tlemen, and not like blackguards," delay their in-
vestigation until the ladies had dressed and left
their chambers. Mr. Price at (wee consented to
wait, and as the ladies came down stairs they were
shown to him. With one or two of his men he then
searched all the rooms in the house and the out-
buildings and grounds, but could find no trace of
his wife. The founder of the Agapemone, who it
was supposed he_d left the district, was seen at
the Aisholt farm. The ex-Agapemonite and his
followers next visited the farm-houses at Chilton
Trivett and Blackmore-lane, but did not scruti-
nise the rooms, the solemn delaration of the
people in charge of the two establishments that
Mrs. Price was not there, being accepted as the
truth. A fourth farni at Blakeshill was not jour-
neyed to, Mr. Price having reason to believe that
the object of his quest was not in that locality.
Having taken up the watchers set to keep an
eye on the Agapemone itself, the expedition
returned to Bridgwatei foiled, but not dis-
heartened. It is believed that the lady is still in
the neighbourhood, and that she is concealed in
the house of one of the adherents of Prince, of
whom there are many in the villages of West So-
merset.

Another visit to the chief " Abode of Love". was
planned for Wednesday night, but did not take
place. The Princeites are in great trepidation, and
have applied to the county police for aid against
any future trespass upon their estates. The
civility with which they received the well-armed
invaders at the three farms on Wednesday shows
that the experience gained by Tuesday night's in-
vasion has induced them to abstain from actively
opposing the onslaughts of their assailants.

THE MURDER IN THE QUEEN'S PARK,
EDINB URGH.

Although the police authorities are actively en-
gaged investigating into the circumstances attend-
ing the untimely death of the unfortunate girl
Slater, nothing of a tangible and conclusive nature
has as yet transpired to assist them in tracing home
the actual guilt or complicity of the affair to any
one. The evidence affecting the prisoner Tanner
is, we believe, of a merely circumstantial character ;
while the strongest evidence against the two men,
who are still missing from "Abe regiment of Light
Dragoons at Piershill, is Punished by the suspicious
circumstance of their flight. The task which the
criminal officers have to accomplish in the case is
necessarily a very d'fficult one, from the lateness of
the hour at which the murder was committed, the
difficulty, it might almost be said the impossibility,
of identifying tho actual perpetrator of the deed,
and singling him out among so many men, all about
the same size and stature, and wearing the same
uniform, and the utter absence as yet of any eye-
witness to the murder. A numerous variety of ru-
mours concerning the case have been widely circu-
lated about town—such as, that when the two men,
Tanner and Quin, were apprehended, the other two
soldiers made their escape in civilians' clothes from
a house in Campbell's-close ; arid the criminal offi-
cers have been busily employed in testing the ac-
curacy of these stories—in every case, as was to be
expected, finding that they were destitute of
foundation. We learn also that a -number of
persons went to the Police-office on the pretence
of having something to tell regarding the
matter —as to their having seen the girl at
certain places on the night in question, and so on—
merely to gratify their morbid curiosity to have a
sight of the dead body; but their evidence was
found to be worthless. These circumstances, of
course, must have thrown some impediments in the
way of the officers proecuting a proper line of in-
quiry. An instance of this morbid appetite for the
least item of information about the case, no matter
how apocryphal, is afforded by the fact of so many
people clustering about the County Buildings during
the precognition of the witnesses, and congregating
in the Queen's-park, in the vicinity of the spot
where the murder is supposed to have been com-
mitted. The tree at the foot of which the corpse
was found has been stripped of its bark in various
places, apparently by persons actuated by the same
motives as the people in Glasgow, who chipped off
bits of the window-sill of the house in which Made-
line Smith resided. About a dozen witnesses, both
military and civilian, were examined by the Procu-
rator-Fiscal yesterday ; but we understand that no
new fact of importance was elicited. The two sol-
diers are still abrJent from their regiment, and in-
quiries are being made after them. The post-
mortem examination of the body of the deceased
Girl was commenced yesterday by Drs. Keillar and
Smith, but has not yet been brought to a conclusion.
Several parties have still to see the body, and there
are various points upon which medical examination
has yet to be made.—Caledonian Mercury.