The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-19 00:00:00

THE CASE OF WILLIAM BISGROVE.

We understand that since the remission of the capital
sentence in the case of William Bisgrove, the authorities
of Taunton prison have become convinced of his insanity ;
and he will be removed in a few days to the asylum for
criminal lunatics at Broadmoor. The remission of the
capital sentence was, we believe, the result of an inquiry
conducted by the Chief Constable of Somersetshire under
instructions from the Home Office, and set on foot in
consequence of facts coming to light of which there was
not even a suggestion at the trial. In the course of the
inquiry it appeared that Bisgrove, an illegitimate child,
and insufficiently fed and clothed during the first years of
his life, had always been of weak health and intellect ; and
that for three years he had been subject to epileptic fits
of frequent recurrence, and usually followed by impulses
to seize whatever might be near him—a stone, a hatchet,
or a knife—and attack the bystanders. It was, how-
ever, not difficult on these occasions to disarm
and calm him by remonstrances, after which knives were
carefully kept out of his way. He had always lived in
the same neighbourho6d, where, when not under the in-
fluence of a fit, he was a quiet, good-tempered lad ; he was
much liked and pitied by his neighbours, and not given to
drink. The epileptic fits first became frequent while Bis-
,,rove was working in the Radstock Collieries, and were
'ubsequent to (if they did not originate in) two accidents,
which occurred in his presence while he was in the col-
lieries, and which greatly terrified him. One of these was the
death of a man whose head was broken by a stone falling on it
from the roof of the pit. In consequence of Bisgrove's
liability to fits, and inability to take care of himself, he
was first made to work in a safer part of the colliery, and
was ultimately discharged. Soon after he had a sunstroke,
which increased the frequency of the fits. In the autumn
of 1867 he went to sea, the doctor who had attended
him thinking he might in this way be cured. He
returned in May, not cured, though the fits (of
which there were at least two between the time
of his return and the murder in August) were
followed, not by excesses of fury, as before, but by a feeble
and semi-conscious state continuing for a day or two.
Those who knew him described him as having after his
return lost " his bright look," and appearing " scared."
The witnesses who were examined by the chief con-
stable included the people with whom he had lived when a
child and out of work, the certificated master whose
school he attended, a farmer in whose house he had
lived for four years, the bailiff and the manager of the
Radstock Collieries, and the doctor who had attended him
at the time of the sunstroke. At the trial Bisgrove was
defended only by counsel assigned him at the last moment
by the judge ; and nothing was put in evidence but the
events of the night on which the murder was committed.
But the facts since brought to light tally in a remarkable
manner with the absence, noticed at the trial, of any
motive in Bisgrove for the commission of the murder and
with its special circumstances, and they are not less con-
sistent with the insanity which is now proved to exist.—
Daily NetcB.

A BARRISTER SHOT AS A BOAR.—M. Rogelet,
an advocate of Metz, who had not attained his 30th year,
has just fallen a victim to a deplorable accident while
boar-hunting in the forest of Bettlainville. One of his
companions, in the gloom of a wet evening, taking the
unfortunate gentleman for the animal pursued, fired and
shot him full in the breast, killing him instantaneously.
Dr. Russell, the celebrated Tinzes correspondent
in the Crimea, accompanies the Prince and Princess of
Wales in their visit to the Nile. It is understood that Dr.
Russell has been requested by his Royal Highness to make
notes of the journey, with a view to publication on the re-
turn of the royal party. Much interest would naturally at-
tach to such a work. We hear that Dr. Russell is not ex-
pected to furnish special letters to the Times.

Mr. C. R. Weld, a gentleman well known in the
world of literature, science, and art, died suddenly at his
residence, New Bridge MI, near Bath, on Friday even-
ing, from disease of the heart. Mr. Weld represented
this country at the Paris Exhibition as one of the assistant
commissioners, and Lis report on horolo,gical matters was
a most able and interesting document. The lamented
gentleman was a barrister-at-law, and married, the
11-cs!ern Daily Press believes, a sister of the present Poet
Laureate.

THE DISTRESS AT PORTSMOUTH. —A meeting of
the inhabitants of Portsmouth to consider the best means
to be used toward alleviating the great distress now expe-
rienced among the labouring classes, has been held at the
Guildhall, Portsmouth. There was a fun attendance, and
eventually it was decided that a communication should
be forwarded to the Poor-law Board on the subject,
and that local subscription lists should be at once opened
to provide funds for the snaking and repairing of public
roads, that some labouring men might at once be em-
Dloved.