The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-06 00:00:00

TilE ROAD CHILD MURDER.

ROAD, Nov. 5.
The extraordinary and extrajudicial inquiry com-
menced on Saturday by Mr. T. B. Saunders, equity
and conveyancing barrister of London, and magis-
trate for the county of Wilts, was adjourned till this
morning at 11 o'clock. At that hour Mr. Saunders
appeared at the Temperance-hall, Road, and there
were also present Superintendents Foley and Wolfe
and some other members of the Wilts constabulary;
a few reporters, and three or four members of the
public. Mr. Saunders then stated thathehait-been
waiting at Bath expecting despatches which had
not arrived. He had, therefore, at once proceeded
to Road, and was there punctually at the hour ap-
pointed by Greenwich time. As some gentlemen
who were expected to take part in the inquiry had
not yet arrived he should adjourn till 12 o'clock.
At 12 o'clock Mr. Saunders again appeared,

but stated that the gentlemen he was expecting
had not yet arrived, and that one person who was
prepared to give evidence was detained by a
domestic afflictios. He should therefore wait
a further time before taking the chair and• com-
mencing proceedings.
By half-past 12 the Temperance-hall only con-
tained a scanty company, which did not halt fill
the small apartment of which the building consists.
The majority of the company present consisted of
women and children, and curiosity *s evidently
the motive which had caused all, or )learly all, to
be present. The remarks indulged in before the
proceedings commenced plainly indicated that but
little reliance was placed on this investigation as
tending to elucidate the mystery which still hangs
over the murder of Francis Saville Kent.

At a quarter to 1 o'clock Mr. Saunders came
again into the hall and took up his position at the
upper end. He commenced by expressing his regret
that some brother magistrates and the chief con-
stable of Wilts, whom he had expected were not
present, and went on to state that the chief of the
Bath police' (Mr. Hughes) was now engaged on
special sek"vice in making inquiries into this most
mysterious ease which happened on the 29th or
30th of Juno, last at Road-hill House. He (Mr.
Saunders) repeated what he had said on Saturday,
that he was acting with the concurrenee of several
magistrates, some of whom belonged to the coun-
ties of both Wilts and Somerset. Mr. Hughes was
acting with the saoetion of the proper authorities
at Bath. At present there were locked up in his
(Mr. Saunders's) breast many circumstances of a
private nature which he could not, consistently
with the interests of public justice, divulge. All,
however, should be divulged at the proper time;
but at this moment, if anybody roked him a ques-
tion, whatever might be thought by any person of
this plan, he would say that he was of opinion
that it was one which would tend to elucidate this
most mysterious affair, and he was there ready to
receive any information on the subject openly,
plainly, and is the face of day. After ordering the
removal of some children who were making a noise
at the bottom of the hall Mr. Saunders said he was
now prepared, from private information received
during three nights and days, to go on with this
case in any way that the interests of public justice
might demand. He had not had time to look
through the evidence and he took no notes on
Saturday, but he had the satisfaction of knowing
that what had then taken place had gone forth
through the press. He read a letter which he had
received from Mr. G. W. Sheppard, of Frome, a
magistrate for Somersetshire, who was present on
Saturday, in which that gentleman said that he
sincerely hoped that by the examination now
entered upon some cue might be found to this mys-
terious affair, but at the same time expressing a
fear that he (Mr. Saunders) had no ground to
build upon. Having given a short resume of the
proceedings on Saturday Mr. Saunders went on to
say that ho began the investigation by endeavour-
ing to get at certain facts from the Sunday pre-
vious up to the day of the murder. Now he believed
that a statement was made on Saturday that Mr.
Kent was at church on the previous Sunday with
the little boy who was unfortunately afterwards
found murdered in the latrine. The persons name
by whom that statement was made was Webley,
and he now inqui.red whether she was present.
Mrs.
,Webley was called, but no answer was
made. _ _ _

Mr. Saunders went on to say that he should re-
quire the presence of Mrs. Webley, and alsd of Mrs.
Lelen and Mr s. Orchard, who, he understood, could
afford certain information. He had endeavoured
to find out when.) Mr. Kent was on the Monday
and Tuesday and other days of the week preceding
the murder, but up to the present moment he had
failed in doing so. It was suggested that Mr. Kent
was engaged on a visit of factory inspection, at or
about that time, and the coachman was sent for,
but not by him, because he had nohfintended to
have any single person there who livedpr had lived
at any time upon the premises at Roadhill House.
It was here announced that Mrs. Webley was in
attendance, and in compliance with an invitation
from Mr. Saunders,
Mrs. Webley came forward and stated that she
saw deceased with Mr. Kent at church on the Sun-
day morning previous to the murder.
Mr. Saunders then asked —ls there anybody here
who can give me any account of Samuel Saville
Kent's proceedings on the Monday after Midsum-
mer-day ? (No answer.) Is there anybody in this
room who saw Mr. Kent on Monday, the 25th of
June ? (No ans wer.) Is there anybody in this room
who knows any other person who saw Mr. Kent
on Monday, the 25th of June ? If so, let them
speak out without fear, favour, or affection. (No
answer.) Perhaps you will make inquiry about
it among your friends. Is there anybody here
who saw him on Tuesday ? (No answer.) Let
them make a like inquiry among their friends.
Is there anybody here who knows anything
about Mr. K ent's proceedings on the 27th of
June, or is th, T.re anybody here who knows any-
body that does 1' (No answer.) Now, then, is there
anybody here who saw Mr. Kent at home on the_
28th ? Let the people say. (No answer.) Mr. Saun-
dwe proceeded to recapitulate the statement made
by Holcombe, the gardener, on Saturday, stating
that he did not intend to request his attendance
again for p2iv ate reasons, as he believed it would
not be conducive to the ends of justice. After some
further obser 'rations,
Mrs. Silcox • was called, and stated that on the
morning of the 30th of June Urch, a policeman,
came to her he use and told her that she was wanted
at Mr. Kent's house ; this was between four and
five on Satur clay afternoon, the 30th of June last.
She went to I toad-hill-house, and was told by Mr.
Parsons to ass fist Mrs. Holcombe in living out the
child. The n i use was also to assist, but she did
not ; she never came near the place.
Mr. &under s—That I consider an important
fact.
Witness— I believe all the other servants came
into the rot lin where the child was, but I don't
recollect seeir ,g the nurse there.
Mr. Satin& Irs;--Now I must ask you who do you
mean by the 1 wrson whom you call the nurse ?
Witness-1 Nh v, the person who nursed the
child. I thin k I should know her again if I saw
her. On thr idonday night I was sent for again,
to put all things in place. The nurse was with me
then. She d id not say anything particular to me.
She and the housemaid took the remains of the
child upstair s. The body was in a shell. I have
told all that I have now stated to Mr. Slack. Mr.
Foley also et tine to me with Mr. Wolfe, and I be-
lieve I told t hem what I have now stated. I have
never been e xamined in public before.
Mr. Super .intendent Foley, being appealed to by
Mr. Saundei 79 as to whether the evidence of Mrs.
Silcox was t rue or false, stated that the body of the
child was in his custody, and that he saw the nurse
and the othc r female inwates of the house come and
kiss the hod Fr, After the inquest he gave up the
key 0 the r xan in which the body Aad been lying,

and it was taken upstairs. It appears to me (con-
tinued the witness) that the old lady wishes trj
make it out that the nurse was shy of coming
the room where the child was.
Mrs. Silcox--I did not say that she wP 'into
Superintendent Foley—As far as J
~s.
nurse kissed the child every time,s
I._ie came into the
room while I had charge of it.
left Heritage and
Urch in charge of the house
when I left on Satur-
day night; they are the recollect, the
• ,v 0 men who were locked
his exhaustion on 'Yoley went on to describe
in on that night. IZ.e.
something borgler:,n— evening in question, and
g on the ludicrous ensued, Mr.
ning that Mr. Foley had alluded to
thaeunfadeetilimha-gbeing eating and drinking while the
inquiry was proceeding. Mr. Foley begged to
state that he made no reference to the manner in
which the worthy magistrate was employing him-
self, and after some further irrelevant inquiries,
Mr. Saunders asked whether Mr. Wolfe wished
to make any observations on the evidence of Mrs.
Silcox, either in confirmation or contradiction.
Mr. Superintendent Wolfe declined to say any-
thing.

Groser, a local reporter, made a statement to
the effect that Mr. Summers, late Superintendent
of Police at Frome, had told him that on the Sun-
day after the murder he saw in the passage of Road-
hill-house one or two spots or smears of blood by
the front door. He said he had not mentioned it to
any one, and gave a reason why he had not done so.
He had since removed from Frome; had been a
police-inspector at Beaconfield, Bucks, but had now
removed from there.

Mr. Saunders thought this highly important.
Mr. Groser continued that on the Monday after
the murder he was at Road-hill house while the
inquest was proceeding, and saw a young lady com-
ing down stairs. On seeing him she went back.
This trivial fact. 'ght be of consequence, as afoot
thiii time Miss :taried Kentywas sending the
housemaid for some water; it Might have been that
she was going for the water herself, and on seeing
him she returned. Saw the nurse on the Saturday
the murder was discovered, and she appeared more
agitated than any of the other servants.
Mr. Superintendent Wolfe said he had seen Mr.
Groser scores of times since the murder was dis-
covered, but he had never mentioned anything to
him about the smears of blood.
Mr. Groser, in reply to Mr. Saunders, said he
had been on the premises several times since Sum-
mers made the statement to him, but he had never
looked for these marks of blood. Summers did not
make the statement to him till a fortnight after the
murder was discovered. Witness suggested that it
should be publicly stated who emptied the clothes-
basket on its coming from the washerwoman on the
night previous to the murder, and whether there
was a clean night-dress belonging to Miss Con-
stance Kent then in it.

Mr. Superintendent Wolfe said the matter had
been fully inquired into before, and it was found
that the basket was emptied by the two elder
Misses Kent, by the first marriage.
Mr. Superintendent Foley stated that he had
minutely inspected the ptemises on the morning
after the murder, but could find no trace of blood;
had he done so, he should have formed the conclu-
sion that the child's throat was cut in the house.
Mr. Superintendent Wolfe regretted that Mr.
Summers, as an officer of the force, did not know
his duty better than not to communicate the state-
ment he had made to the proper quarter instead of
to Mr. Groser, and he (Mr. Wolfe) had Mr. Grocer's
authority for saying that he placed no reliance
whatever on his statement.

Mr. Groser corroborated Mr. Wolfe's statement.
A desultory conversation ensued between Mr.
Saunders and some of the police officials, and the
inquiry was again adjourned.

(From the Times.)

The inquiries into the Road murder have gradu-
ally assumed so singular a complexly that they
are now almost as unexampled in character as the
crime itself. The first stage in the proceedings
was constituted, of course, by the coroner's inquest,
but that investigation failed to establish the pro-
bable guilt of any person, and Elizabeth Gough,
the nursemaid, on whom suspicion had naturally
fallen, was left at large. In the next instance the
case was committed to the detective police, and
an experienced metropolitan officer decided, assthe
result of his inquiries, to accuse Miss Constance
Kent of the crime. But that proceeding also
fell unsustained to the ground, and the young lady
was discharge& An investigation was than sot on
foot of a private and peculiar nature, in which a
solicitor of Bath conducted a laborious inquiry
on the authority, as afterwards appeared, of the
Attorney-General, and the issue of which was
that Elizabeth Gough was definitely brought
before the magistrates of the county on the fearful
charge. Again, however, was the charge aban-
doned, and the nursemaid was released from custody.
Here justice appeared at fault, and it seemed, in-
deed, as if no further means of detection remained
to be tried. Still the affair was not permitted to
rest, and at the Quarter Sessions which followed
the last investigation Mr. Saunders, one of the
magistrates, proposed that a special committee
should be appointed to examine into the report
upon all the circumstances connected with the crime,
and with the proceedings of the police in the mat-
ter. This proposal was not seconded, but it called
forth some remarks from Mr. Sotheron Estcourt in
defence of the local authorities, who, he said, had
failed in their endeavours to discover the offender,
not from want of energy, but for lack of a clue.
Mr. Saunders had suggested that the case should
be brought under the cognisance of a new eet of
magistrates—that fresh eyes, in short, should be
brought to bear upon the mystery, andlhat the in-
quiry should be resumed with greater care and more
comprehensive research. Mr. Estcourt's view of
the matter was that the magistrates had done as
much as any magistrates could do; that they had
simply failed for lack of evidence, and that any
others in similar straits would fail also. With these
observations the subject dropped for the time, but
since then Mr. Saunders, who was always of opi-
nion that more evidence was obtainable, has opened
an inquiry, apparently on his own private account,
has invited the public to assist, and has received
new depositions touching the occurrence. As far
as we can understand this proceeding from the
published reports, Mr. Saunders appears, after
the failure of his motion at the Marlborough
Quarter Sessions, to have conferred with his brother
magistrates on the Bradford bench, to have ob-
tained their concurrence in the undertaking he
proposed, and then to have appeared in the Tem-
perance-hall at Road in a private, rather than a
magisterial capacity, and to have held, as it were,
a public conference on the inscrutable mystery.
What kind of evidence he succeeded in procuring
has already been seen, but at this moment it is
further reported that an attempt will be presently
made to commence the whole inquiry afresh from
the very beginning, and to hold, in short, a second
coroner's inquest on the body of the murdered
child.

These proceedings, we conceive, are without
parallel, though we are far from asserting that they
are without warrant. They have arisen in a feeling
of dissatisfaction and uneasiness shared by the
whole country. The excitement on the subject has
rather increased than abated, and it extends, as the
Chief Constable stated, even to foreign nations. It
represents, however, something beyond a mere sen-
sation. Combined with the feelings of horror and
curiosity, there prevails a general conviction not
only that the murder ought to be discovered, but
that it might probably have been discovered at first
had measures been better concerted, and could per-
haps be discovered now by more judicious procedure.
The consequence is that people are restless and un-
quiet, chafing at the failure of justice, and indis-
posed to put up with the baulk. They believe that
a narrow circle of a dozen persons comprises the
criminal, and they are indignant at thinking that
the formalities of law or the mismanagement of
officials should enable this criminal to evade retri-
bution. We have seen repeated expressions of this
sentiment. It appeared in the memorial addressed
to the Home Secretary by the inhabitants of Bath;
it is visible in these proceedings of Mr. Saunders ;
it may be traced in the scheme of a fresh inquest;
and it pervades the copious correspondence which
we receive on the subject. People think that it iE
both scandalous to leave such a crime undetected,
and easy, or at least possible, to detect it. They
cannot endure to leave the matter where it is, and
are ready to suggest or welcome any proceedings,
however informal, which may retrieve the failures
of more regular Courts.
With feelings so natural we
y
quarrel, but we must venture toremark
never desirable in any case, howeverextreme,o ss b
eannot
thatP is
it
the doctrines of justice. We should rejoice
violate constitutional principles, or offend against
to
to hear
that the authorities had sanctioned any scheme
for more effectual inquiry into this atrocity, but
we doubt if irregular proceedings will be found of
much avail, and we are persuaded that any new in-
vestigation should be as solemn and as authoritative
as possible. It will be remembered that complaints
were made on the last occasion of the obscurity
which hung about Mr. Slack's authority, and that

P.RIcE, 4 STAMPED, SD.

.ue prisoner counsel even stigmatised the pro-
ceedings as on-English and exceptional, if not actu-
ally in violation of constitutional maxims. Thr,
truth is, there is a kind of dilemma in the case, an d
we seem compelled either to sit down under a failure
which we believe to have been avoidable, or to right
ourselves by measures of doubtful propriety. There
are obvious masons against reopening the case un-
der fresh authorities, and reasons just as obvious
against committing it to the same authorities as
before. It was mismanaged at the first, and the
result of that mismanagement was to destroy the
best chances of success. After the coroner's inquest
the scent was lost. The tracks of crime, whatever
they may have been, had been then effaced, and all
future inquirers found themselves at fault. It is
no imputation on the local authorities to say that
their senses have been, as it were, blunted by false
alarms and abortive exertions. They have certainly
not been apathetic, but they have as certainly not
been successful, whereas it seems the instinctive
conviction of almost everybody on the spot that
success is attainable. The inquiries are said to have
been neither sufficiently comprehensive nor effec-
tively organised. We do not place much faith in
popular representations on a subject like this.
Crimes of this character have a tendency to set
morbid minds at work, till at length persons are
found even to make false confessions. Still, with
such reports as are current about available evidence
and suppressed information, it would be better, in the
interests even of public tranquility, that such an in-
quiry should at length be instituted as would either
disclose the truth or show that it mail not be dis-
closed. Where a case is hopeless we eattcoaig guilt-Litt°
the results ; but where it is believed, whether
erroneously or otherwise, that failure has occurred
from mismanagement alone, the safer course lies in
prompt and definite Action:. : Qfrf, -04a,thingi
ter
ever. we. • are certain,' and that,- IS; that, 'if. the
inquiry into this mystery can be reopened at all-it.
should be done by open, constitutional warrant, in
solemn form, and with high and avowed authority.

DREADFUL EXPLOSION IN THE
NORTH ,SEA.

Intelligence was received at Great Yarmouth,
about two o'clock on Sunday morning, of a fearful
explosion on board the large paddle steamer
Tonning, which formerly belonged to the North of
Europe Steampacket Company, but which has
latterly been trading between London and Tonning
on private account. The Tonning left Tonning on
Friday morning at an early hour, and was on Satur-
day, about 50 miles east of Yarmouth,at one o'clock
in the afternoon, in the midst of the fleet of fishing
boats out on the herring voyage. While among
the fleet the steamer hove to for the purpose of pro-
curing a few fish for the crew. She had not been
hove to above two or three minutes when a
tremendous explosion of one or both her boilers
took place, blowing up her decks, part of her crew,
and a great quantity of fire, smoke, and steam.
The report was distinctly heard throughout the
whole fleet of several hundred fishing vessels, and
by most of them the explosion was seen, and is
described as having been of a most painful and
striking character. The frightful nature of the
accident was not at first understood, but there being
no doubt as to its effect, the fishing boats sent a
number of their small boats with men to render any
assistance in their power. Oa reaching the steamer
they found her to be very seriously damaged, and
there were doubts for some little time as to whether
she would not speedily go down. The fishermen
boarded her, when they discovered a scene of the
most distressing character, they saw, beside the
havoc committed by the explosion upon the ship and
among the cattle, the bodies of a number of men,
some dead, and some in a state of great agony from
scalds, burns, and contusions. The fishermen at
once offered every assistance they could to the sur-
vivors. The crew of the steamer consisted of 27
men and a boy ; and it was ascertained from the
captain (who had escaped injury), after examining
the vessel, that several of the seamen were blown
high into the air and seven were found to be miss-
ing, and three, who died soon afterwards, were lying
among the broken timber and iron in a dying state.
Seven others were very severely injured, and are at
the Yarmouth Hospital, whither they were taken
on Sunday morning at three o'clock, having been
brought to the beach by the fishing boats. The
engineer—who lost a son in the explosion—was
among those taken to the hosp'tal, and the two men
most severely injured are the chief mate and a
Dutchman, who was proceeding to London with
the cattle. The thc three men,---wim atea
soon after, or who were dead when taken out of the
ship, were conveyed to the workhouse at Yarmouth,
where an inquest will be held upon them by Mr.
C. H. Chamberlin, the coroner of the borough.
The steamer was towed into Yarmouth Roads
about 11 o'clock on Sunday, and has been taken on.
to Lowestoft. It appears from what can be ascer-
tained at present, that at the time of the explosion
the boilers were only working at a pressure of
131 b. to the square inch ; they worked iwith three
valves, two showing a pressure of 121 b., and one
151 b., and they were all blowing free. The occur-
rence seems to have been purely accidental, and it
is not expected that uny fact to the contrary will
be elicited at the inquest.

YARMOUTH, MONDAY NIGIIT.

The chief mate and Yunker Aintz, the foreigner
in charge of the cattle, are in great danger ; tie
former is delirious. The steamer is lying at Lowes-
toft. This afternoon the Yarmouth coroner com-
menced an inquiry into the cause of the disaster.