The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-22 00:00:00

THE ROAD MURDER.

FROME, Friday.—There is very little doubt that
the inquiries which Mr. Slack (of the firm of Slack
and Simmons, solicitors, Bath) is now making into
the circumstances attending the Road murder will,
to a great extent, clear away the impenetrable mys-
tery in which this terrible tragedy has hitherto been
involved. Mr. Slack is employed by the magistrates
of the Trowbridge division of the county of Wilts,
and his examinations, which have extended to the
whole of Mr. Kent's hoiisehold, including Mr. and
Mrs. Kent, are conducted under the sanction and at
the expense of the Secretary of State for the Home
Department. At present, the examination is
only such as a solicitor makes when getting up a
case, and is merely preparatory to a public exami-
nation before the magistrates. Who it is that Mr.
Slack has in his mind's eye as the culprit is not
very clear at present. The evidence he has collected
being et parte will, of course, not be given to the
world ; but we learn that sufficient has been elicited,
in Mr. Slack's opinion, to justify the magistrates in
placing some one on his or her trial. The attend-
ance of witnesses is, of course, entirely voluntary,
and the only ultimate result of refusal to give infor-
mation to Mr. Slack will be that his brief will bepro
tank) imperfect, and the examinations of the
objecting witness will take place in public. Mr.
Slack's office is not to judge or report, but
simply, as a solicitor, to collect evidence for the
hearing of the case before the magistrates. In his
inquiries Mr. Slack has been volunteered any
amount of sagacious advice and active assistance,
and has been deluged with correspondence from
amateur detective. Inspirations under mesmeric
influences have produced wonderful revelations,
which the " mediums" are ingenuous and disinte-
rested enough to devote to the interests of justice
for a " consideration." Others, not actuated by
any sordid motives, convey their ideas with greater
freedom, but delicately hint that, of course, they
shall expect a portion of the reward which has
been offered. Mr. Slack, however, persists in rely-
ing solely on his own unaided judgment, and
declines to accept the proffered mystic or material
services of his correspondents. He expects to ter-
minate his inquiry to-morrow, when, doubtless,
some decided course will be taken.'

DREADFUL OUTRAGE AT WA.RIUIV

TON.

Yesterday, Thomas Kendall and William Ley-
land, two ruffianly looking men, and Elizabeth
Leyland and Ann Green, the former a middle-aged,
and the latter an old woman, were charged at War-
rington with having robbed and caused the death
of Mr. William Yarwood, of Appleton Thorn. Che-
shire. The principal evidence given was that of
Martin Brogan, a hawker, residing in Warrington,
who said he was in the neighbourhood of Golden-
square on Saturday night, and saw the persons
Kendall, Leyland, and an old man. The old man
was going out of the Market shed, and the prisoners
were going in. Kendall knocked against the old
man. The old man said to him, " What
are you doing ?" Kendall said that if the
old _ man did not go, he would make
him go. There was an old woman with the man,
and Kendall made a blow at her, because she called
them blackguards. The old man got between Ken-
dall and the woman. Kendall then seized the old
man by the hair of the head and struck him. The
woman continued abusing the men, both of whom
afterwards made a savage attack upon Yarwood,
whom they knocked down and kicked.—Subsequent
evidence went to prove that the old woman, Ann
Green, was an accomplice of the male prisoner and
Elizabeth Leyland. About 12 o'clock the same
night William Parker, sen., hearing a noise in the
street went to the window, and there he saw Yar-
wood holding Ann Green by the throat, and
calling out for the police, saying that she had
robbed him. A crowd assembled, and the woman
Green recognising one of her acquaintances, called
to her to go and get some of her friends to rescue
her. This person went, and presently several men,
accompanied by Elizabeth Leyland, came and res-
cued Ann Green from the hold of Yarwood, knock-
ing him down and kicking him on the ribs and
head. This took place in the midst of 20 or 30
spectators, but no one interfered. Yarwood lay
moaning in the street for a quarter of an hour, and
when at length he was taken into an adjoining
house, it was found that he had been robbed of his
money, and had received a frightful wound on the
back of his head. When the surgeon arrived, he
found the man in a dying state, several of his ribs
having been kicked in, and he being frightfully
otherwise injured about the head and body. He
died soon afterwards. The examination yesterday
being merely a preliminary one, the prisoners were
remanded. The inquest, it is understood, will take
place to-day, and a post-mortem examination of
the body will be made.