The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-16 00:00:00

JUVENILE RUFFIANISM IN LONDON.

An inquiry is being conducted by Dr. Hardwicke at the
Coach and Horses, Eyre-street-hill, Leather-lane, relative
to the death of a compositor named George Ross,
fifty-seven years of age, who, as alleged, was
killed by a boy having mischievously thrown a
bottle or similar missile at him, inflicting a severe wound
upon his head. Catherine Ross, widow of the deceased,
said that she lived at No. 7, Summers-street, in the above
mentioned locality. One evening, about ten weeks since,
while her husband was passing through the street to his
home he was struck on the head with a pot or bottle, which
was thrown by one of a gang of boys who infested the street.
When her husband entered the room the blood was
profusely flowing from a large wound in his head.
He said, " I think lam murdered." He was medically
attended, but had not been well since, and had been able
only to do a little work. He lost his speech for a time.—
Mr. Stribling, the coroner's officer, said he had two wit-
nesses who saw the occurrence and knew the boy, but
although he had summoned them, they refused to attend,
as they had been threatened by the gang.—A juror
said that Summers-street was a perfect den. No person
could safely pass through it. While they (the jury)
went to view the body of the deceased they were insulted
and hooted. Mr. Stribling added that, as the doctor was
going to visit his patient, he received a smart blow on the
head from something that had been thrown at him. Mrs.
Ross said on that morning (Friday) she was going out to
buy some articles of mourning, and had only proceeded a
short distance through Summers-street, when she was sur-
rounded by several boys and robbed of sixteen shillings.
The coroner directed hisofficer to take a policeman with him
and force the attendance of the witnesses required, which
was accordingly done.— Catherine M`Gowan said she
lived at No. 7, Summers-street, and was a French
polisher. She knew Mr. Ross as a quiet, inoffensive man.
Several weeks ago, between nine and ten in the
evening, she saw him coming down the street. There
were several boys standing with stones and other
things in their hands ready to throw at the cats as
they came out of the houses. As Mr. Ross passed, one of
the boys said to the others, " I'll have a lark with
that old —," and immediately threw at him a broken
earthenware coffee-pot. It hit him on the head. The
poor man called out, " Good God, you've killed me."
Witness and others ran to him. His bat was cut through,
and the blood was streaming from his head down the back of
his coat. The boy who had thrown the coffee-pot at him
asked him if he knew who had till own it, and deceased said
"No." The boy then gathered up the broken pieces of the
coffee-pot and buried them in the dust-hole at No 7.—
The Coroner: Do you know this boy—the one who threw
the coffee-pot ?—Witness: Oh yes, sir. I can swear toliirn.- -
The Coroner : Why did you not attend here upon your sum-
mons?—Witness: I was afraid, for the boys had told
me, if I gave evidence against them, they would
waylay me and pay me.—The Coroner said he
thought Summers-street required the special attention
of the police. A man had there been apparently killed, a
doctor had been assaulted, the jury had been insulted,
witnesses had been threatened, and robbery had been
effected. He would suggest an adjournment so as to
afford an opportunity for the police to apprehend the boy,
who could be sworn to. The medical gentleman was not
then present, and he would, therefore, leave that evidence
till their next meeting. The inquiry was aecordingly
adjourned.

It is stated that Miss Burdett et:itts has ac-
cepted the invitation of the Burgomaster of Li:,ge to be
present at the Volunteer Fate, which is shortly to take
place in that city.

A PATB,LAILCIL —A few days since Richard
"Wood George died at Green-street, Kent, at the age of
years. lie was the father of ten sons and two daugh-
ters, nine of whom survive him, the eldest being 71. years
of age. His grandchildren number forty-nine alivet ; and
'tis great grandchildren ninety-six, of whom twenty-three
Are dead. He lived to see the fifth generation, and the
number of his posterity alive is no fewer than 121, Many
of whom attended the funeral.

A HINT TO FLORICULTURISTS.—Powdered char-
'coal, flower of sulphur, gypsum (sulphate of lime), and
other substances slow to dissolve, will modify the colours
of flowers, when spread round about their roots :
clarkias, and antirrhinums are wonderfully sensitive
to the influence of these dressings. In the Builder, about
sixteen or eighteen years since, we gave an account of
some experiments of this kind, which the writer of this
hacl.made in his garden, our purpose being to suggest
means of obtaining varieties in flowers, by causing them
to " sport," or tend to vary, by means of such experiments.
For example, a white dahlia, by means of charcoal,
was made to have a variety of different-looking
flowers on one stem ; one red, another striped I% ith
orange and white, another orange, and so on. The ex-
periments we did not repeat, and we gave them to the
public in the hope that some use might be made of them
by cultivators of flowers. Similar experiments were after-
wards made in France, and a few years since an account
of such experiments was given in the French and English
papers ; but no result of any great importance seems to
have as yet been attained. We are still of opinion, how-
ever, that such experiments might be of service to florists
if systematically and perseveringly carried out. Perhaps
they might thus obtain their much-desired blue dahlia or
hollyhock for example. The analyne dyes, for one thing,
might be good substances to work with.—Builder.
EXTRAORDINARY CONTENTS OF A HORSE'S
STOMACH.—A Clydesdale mare, worth about .£4O, was
brought to the Bellfield Chemical Works, Glasgow, on the
10th inst., which, oncoming home from putting in hay, had
walked straight into a pool in the farmyard court. In stoop-
ing, down to drink, the weight of the cart forced her head first,
into the water, and before she could be relieved was
drowned. Attention having been called to the con-
tents of her stomach by one of the men, there was
taken from it the following articles, viz. :—G horse nails,
broken ; 8 round nails, from 1 to 2 inches long ; 10 single
flooring nails, 24 11-inch nails, 97 broken nails, various sizes,
351-inch nails, 11 1-inch zinc nails, 55 11 to 1-inch tack
nails, 16 shoe tackets, 3 slate nails, 4 screw nails ; the total
number of nails was thus 269. There were also four common
pia:3 la -inch long each ; one blue bead, one brass button, one
pearl button, five metal buttons marked " V. M.," 25 small
Pieces galvanised wire, three copper nail heads, four small
metal washers, one hook (of hooks and eyes), one hair pin,
one-half of a needle, one small piece of lead, seven pieces
of zinc—in all 55 articles or,including the 269, 324 articles
weighing 11b. In addition there were found gravel and
sand weighing 21bs. 111 ozs.—Glasgow Herald.

TRAVELLERS.—The rage for tiny craft, like the
passion for ponies, continues ; though it is perhaps only
Mr. Macgregor who can stow victual and appliances for a
journey to Acre in a canoe that can be carried on a man's
shoulder. Lord Southwell (who will be remembered for
his dignified protest against the system of electing Irish
representative peers, which appeared in the papers this
simmer), Mr. Kenelm Digby, M.P., Captain Fagan, and
another gentleman started on Saturday by the
Rotterdam boat, taking with them an elegant
little steam launch, in which they intend to travel
some three thousand miles on the great rivers
of Europe, finally turning rp, if possible, about the
opening day, on the Suez Canal. The little vessel which
has been built for the occasion, and whose calibre may be
guessed at about four tons, found comfortable stowage on
the fore-deck of the Waterloo, where the appliances of St.
Katherine's Wharf deposited it n. 7 easily as a porter will
lift a portmanteau. The travellers will descend the
Danube to its mouth, and count on easily surmounting
the difficulties of the Iron Gate. Sir Charles Dunce, who
staited for St. Petersburg on Monday last, is the Learei
of some important Government despatches. This
fact being duly recorded in his passport will be
useful in securing him aid and attention from Russian
officials in those more remote and inhospitable parts of
the empire to which he is bound. Mr. Hepworth Dixon,
who accompanied him in his recent journey to Salt Lake,
left London about the same time for a Russian tour, but
on this occasion they travel separately. The author of
"New America " will, of course, write a book. Sir Charles
Dille, who is simply in search of political facts, will not.
He will travel fast, and will rctern to London about the
20th of October.—"Li the Ecc!ss." Do7a' Ne