The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-06 00:00:00

THE CARDIFF ABDUCTION CASE.

An application was made on Tuesday to the Chief Clerk in
Vice-Chancellor James's court, by Mr. Joel Emmanuel, of
Austin Friars, for the appointment of the eldest brother of
Esther Lyons as her guardian. The applicant said that
no doubt the name of Miss Lyons would be familiar to the
court in connection with the recent proceedings against
the Rev. Mr. Thomas, of Cardiff, against whom a
verdict of £5O was recently obtained for her abduction
from the custody of her parents. The girl had been living
at St. John's-wood, but had been sent away by Mr. Thomas
to his friends. Application had been made to Mr. Justice
Blackburn for a habeas corpus, but his lordship suggested
that the better way would be to make Miss Lyons a ward in
Chancery, and to get a guardian appointed. The father, of
course, would bo her natural guardian, but it was con-
sidered by the family that the elder brother was a fitter
person to have custody of her, and to prevent a marriage
which she might be led into by those who had an eye to the
large property to which she would become entitled. She was
now 19, years of age, and_of weak intellect; and the appli-
cant had affidavits by the father stating his willingness to the
appointment of his eldest son, ➢lr. Ruck n Barnet Lyons, as
his.:sister's guardian.—The Chief Clerk asked if a bill had
been filed in Chancery?—Mr. Emanuel answered in the affir-
mative.—The Chief Clerk said Miss Lyons was :a ward then,
and sufficiently protected..—Mr. Emanuel said the object was
to get the appointment of the brother as guardian in order
to examine Mr. Thomas, and proceed against him accordingly.
—The Chief Clerk adjourned the case until Friday, for
further affidavits.

ASSURANCE COMPANIES IN CHANCERY.

An application was made to the Chief Clerk in Vice-
Chancellor James's Chambers on Tuesday on the part of
H. Sewell and W. Wiseman, two of the shareholders of
the Albert Assurance Company, for liberty to bring forward
a scheme to reconstruct the affairs of the company for
bringing them into voluntary liquidation. The Chief
Clerk adjourned the matter sine die.

Two summonses were down on the Vice-Chancellor's list
in Chambers for hearing on Tuesday—the European
Assurance Company and Carmichael, and the EurOpcan
and Colchester. Mr. Davidson said this was a very heavy
suit, involving a large number of transactions, and it was
only within the last two or three days the defendants had
obtained copies of the minutes. His application was now
for a month's extension of time to answer, Molars.
Flux and Co. opposed the application, on the
ground that it was of great importance to the
liquidator, that all the answers should be filed. All the
other defendants had put in their answers, and negotia-
tions were going on between the plaintiff and some of the
defendants to compromise their interests, which compro-
mise could not be brought about until all the answers had
come in. There were only two other defendants, and they
had undertaken to file their answers within a few days.
The Chief Clerk granted a fortnight on payment of costs
by applicant.
A summons was heard on Tuesday in Vice-Chancellor
James's Chambers, before Mr. Leman, Chief Clerk. The
Progress Assurance Company v. Mayhew. It involved an
application on the part of the official liquidator for the
delivering up of certain deeds. It appeared that the
Progress Assurance Company and the United Ports Assur-
ance Company had been amalgamated, and Mayhew and
others who were shareholders in the latter
Company held the deeds in question. Mayhew's
estate was now advertised for sale in tho Landed
Estates 6a:elle, and the official liquidator wanted to
inspect the deeds, so that he might know what claim the
company had on such estates.

WHAT TO SAY.—It is related of a certain minister
of Maine, who was noteil for his long sermons, with many
divisions, that one day, when he was advancing among the
teens, he reached at length a kind of resting-place in his
discourse, when, pausing to take breath, he asked the ques-
tion, "And what shall I say more ? " A voice from the
congregation earnestly responded, " say ' Amen !' "

A. Milwaukee man, who deposited 100 dols. in
hank, and was told the interest would be five per cent.,
came promptly at the end of the year with.s dols..in small
currency to pay that interest. When told that the 5 dols.
went the other way he looked up in astonishment, and he
went away wondering why a man should pay him for
being allowed to take care of.his money for a whole year.
ENCROACHMENTS OF THE SEA.—The .Maidslone
Journal reports that great danger menaces some parts cf
the Kentish coast. The sea is steadily working away the
defences to the coast line, and at Ifythe, Sandown, and
other points the encroachments arc so great as to excite
serious fears. Lydd Point js steadily increasing from the
accumulation of beach which is swept from other places.
More than once fears have been expressed for the safety of
Romney ➢larsh. Should an unusually stormy winter cause
the sea to break through the slight barriers interposed, a
great calamity would be the consequence.
A DEATHBEDCONFESSION.—A mall, named
Deadman, died recently in a workhouse in the neighbour-
hood of Bromley. Before his death he confozsed his
guilt with regard to the murder of a girl named Jane
Jackson, at Bromley, in January, 13G3. The body of the
girl was found in a well, after she had keen turned cut of
a beerhouse in Bromley, where she was living with a man
named Williams. Deadman, together with Partridge,
the landlord of the beerhouse, was tried for the murder,
and acquitted, and since then he appears to have been
leading a vagabond life, during which, according to his
own account, he was continually haunted by remorse fcr
his crime.

EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE. Tho other day a
young lad fell from the mainroyal yard of a Nova Scotian
vessel at Cork. The height was seventy feet. In the
descent his body struck against some of the rigging and
snapped it ; then falling against a seaman who was on the
mainyard he nearly capsized him, and next came upon a
piece of timber before finally alighting on the deck. The
timber was smashed, and the fall being thus broken the
poor lad escaped with comparatively trifling injuries. Two
ribs were broken, and the patient suffered from slight con-
cussion of the brain.—Cork Herald.
FATAL ACCIDENT TO THE WHIP OF THE YORK
AND AINSTY HUNT.—On Tuesday the meet was at Aslcham
Boss, near York, where the hounds soon found a fox
Powter, the first whip, following them up so closely that
he got some distance ahead of the other horsemen. Soon after
he disappeared from their view, and was discovered by Sir
George Wombwell, Bart., the master of the hunt, lying near
a hedge quite dead. How the accident occurred cannot be
known for certain, but it is supposed that his horse in
endeavouring to jump the hedge had failed, and thrown him
to the ground. Pewter had been fourteen years whip in
the York and Ainsty Hunt, and was deservedly respected
as an upright and trustworthy man. He has left a wife
and three children.

TERRIBLE SCENE.—A frightful scene was enacted
at Yeovil, Somersetshire, the other day. Mr. W. H.
Geake, upholsterer; was about to be taken to the -Wells
Lunatic Asylum, by police-sergeant Holwill, Mr. Helyar,
gunsmith, and a friend of his. Whilst at Pen-mill Station
they paced the platform, and as the train came slowly in
Mr. Geake sprang in front of it upon the metals. The
serg cant and Mr. Helyar jumped after him. Mr. Helyar
fell across the metals ; the train struck him and threw him
between the train and the platform. Fortunately a porter
named Webber seized him by the hair of kis head, and
held him until the train stopped. The sergeant was
struck by the buffer on to the six-foot way. Mr. Geake
lay between the metals, with the train passing over him,
when the bystanders were horrified to see the unfortunate
lunatic turn over, place his neck across the metals, and
allow one of the wheels to pass slowly over him, crushing
him to death.

EXTRAORDINARY SCENE IN A CIIIJRCIL—Never
has an English congregation witnessed a more exciting
scene than that which occurred in the parish church at
Ledbury during the morning service on Sunday last. The
rector, the Rev. John Jackson, was about concluding his
sermon, when a young woman, respectably dressed, and
bearing a child in her arms, noiselessly entered .the
church, followed by her mother ; and, having walked
round to the top of the middle aisle, faced the congrega-
tion, and, holding up the child, in distinct terms informed
them "It was Mr. Jackson's." She afterwards called upon
the child to observe its father. It need hardly be said that
the rector was agitated, but nevertheless proceeded with
the service. It is authoritatively stated that legal pro-
cc cdings will be at onco commenced by him. The young
womrzn's name is Elizabeth Parry, and she is a native of
Bodenhianrnear Hereford, whence she proceeded by train
on Sunday n:orning. It appears that some twelve months
ago she was in service as cook at the rectory, where she was
confined.
TILE AMNESTY* 1110\TEMENT.—At a crowdod meet-
ing of working men, who have formed themselves into a
committee to carry out the prepo3ed demonstration in
Hyde Park on Sunday, the 24th instant, in favour of an
amnesty to the Fenian prisoners, Mr. J. P. McDonnell,k
the chairman, explained that the chief object of the
meeting was to mature the arrangements for the
demonstration, and to appoint committees of or-
ganisation in localities where they did not as yet
exist, although they were spread over the whole
Metropolis. A deputation from the International Demo-
cratic League attended, and stated that that body was most
anxious to co-operate with the committeee in endeavouring
to obtain the unconditional release of the political priso-
ners. Several local committees were appointed, and ino-
)lmiAary meetings arranged for.