The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-03 00:00:00

THAMES.

CANNIBALISM—BITING A MAN'S EA.R.—Thomas Henry
Butler, a labourer, of No. 11, St. George-place, Back-road,
St. George-in-the .East, was brought before Mr. Yardley,
on a charge of assaulting James Regan.
It appeared that the prisoner was Assisting a poor Irish
woman, known as the widow Walsh, in turning her mangle,
and while doing so the chain of the mangle was broken.
Regan and others went into the house to repair the mangle,
some drink was called for, and a row ensued about
paying for the damage. Regan said that Butler ought to
pay all the expenses, on which Butler threw some beer into
the complainant's face. A fight and " scrimmage" ensued,
and all the Irish in Shovel-alley, St. George, joined in it.
The prisoner and Regan fought most furiously, closed,
and tell, and while they were down the prisoner seized
Regan's left ear between his teeth, and " gnawed away and
shook away at the ear, like a terrier shaking a rat."
Several bystanders interfered, and took the man's ear out
of the prisoner's mouth. The ear was much lacerated, and
Regan had been under medical treatment ever since. He
appeared in court with a surgical bandage about his head,
and it was proved that he had lost a good deal of blood.
Mr. Stoddart, solicitor, in defence, said that a regular
Irish row had taken place, and the parties were fighting
together.
Mr. Yardley said the defendant was a very cowardly
and savage fellow, and he was satisfied he did bite the
man's ear. He fined the prisoner £3, and, in default, sen-
tenced him to one month's imprisonment in the House of
ere 11 Correction.

THE FRIGHTFUL EXPLOSION AT
KING'S-CROSS.

During the whole of yesterday much excite-
ment pervaded the immediate vicinity of the
scene of the fearful disaster occasioned by the
blowing up of the locomotive used on the works of
the Metropolitan Under-ground Railway, the pro-
perty of Mr. John Jay, of Albion Wharf, King's-
cross, the eontractor of the above company. The
deplorable catastrophe, which has been already
truthfully detailed, took place, it will be recollected,
at the top of the tunnel, about 15 yards from the
mouth, communicating King's•cross with the
extreme north end of the Great Northern Railway
Terminus, resulting in the instantaneous death of
the driver and stoker of the engine, whose bodies
were frightfully mangled, very serious injuries to a
breaksman, and slight injuries to Mr. Peach, a fore-
man of the works, and to a cabman in the road.
So numerous and pressing were the applicants
yesterday to view the scene, that it was found neces-
sary to station the police to guard the entrance
from York-road in order to prevent intrusion and
mischievous inspection of the wreck that still re-
mains where it was caused, under the protection of
police, and which indicates beyond question the
terrific violence of this, at present, most mysterious
explosion.
It is still contended that the boiler is sound, and
that the explosion must have occurred from the
fire-box, the bottom of which is undoubtedly blown
out. This mystery will doubtless be elucidated at
the coroner's inquiry, which is not yet fixed;
From inquiries at the Great Northern Hospital
last evening, it was ascertained, through the cour-
tesy of Mr. A. W. Wallis, the house-surgeon, that
poor Church, the breaksman, was still alive, and
though his death was not immediately anticipated,
it is feared, from the serious injury to his head and
the unfavourable symptoms that have set in, that
he can scarcely recover.
Mr. Peach was enabled to resume his duties a
few hours after the occurrence, and the injury to
the cabman is found to be of a trifling nature.
A legal gentleman is coleleccetisned.gevidence on be-
half of the friends of the