The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-12 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OP SELF-MURDER,
AND DESTRUCTION OF A DWELLING-
HOUSE.

The village of Beaufort, South Wales, has been
;he scene of one cf the most remarkable cases of

aolf-de,truc•iou which it has ever fallen to our lot

to record, and a cor(mer's jury has decided that at
the time of his committing the fatal crime, ire per-
petrator was in his right senses, and accountable
for his acts. The deceased, whose name was
George Screech, and who was between 45 and 50

years of age, was not a native of the principality,
hut came to the neighbourho, d. of Beaufort from
Somersetshire four or five years ago, and had since
work9d in the mines. At the time of his death he
was residing at the house of a relative of his, a
decent man, who also got his bread as a miner,
nanit-nd Richard Greenland. During the last few
months he had once or twice said he wished he was

dead, as he was tired of so much hard work,
but nothing in his conduct had induced any
suspi, iou that his "mind was effected. ' Latterly he
had been out of work, and looked more poorly
than usual, but his appetite continued good,
and no apprehensions were entertained re-
garding him. On the day of his death he was talk-
ing to Mrs. Greenland as usu,d, and she was work-
ing about her house performing her usual household
duties. Her husband being a miner, lie always
kept some kegs of blasting gunpowder in his house,
which, with a view to greater seeutity, he deposited
in an upstairs room. At the time in question there
were quantities in two casks, one of which had the
head our, and the other a I.ole bored through the
top. In the course of her duties Mrs. Greenland
had to leave her house for a minute or two. As

she passed the door she noticed the deceased going
hurriedly towards the bottom of the staircase, and
in a minute afterwarls au expl, sion was heard,
which shook the place like an eatthquake. The
utmost terror was occasioned, and the affrighted
neighbour.; ran from their cottages to see what was
the cause of the alarming occurrence. It was soon
perceived that Greenla ,scl's house was shattered to
pieots. The roof was completely blown off, its
fragments being scattered in all directions, the
windows were torn out, he walls shattered, and
the lower rooms filled with a dense cuff...cating
smoke. On a search being made, Mrs. Greenland's
intait, which she had left iu a cradle in a lower

°urn,' was found alive, but the elthes were ou fire

and the poor little thing half choked with the
vapour. Screech was found amongst the debris
frightfully burnt and mangled, but a ill alive and
con,cious. Prior to his death, which occurred some
six or seven hours afterwards, he confessed that
lie had himself wilfully caused the explo-
sion, and, must have been tempted by the
- devil. He said, being determined to dtstroy him-
self, he took the tongs, drew a red-hot coal from
the fire, carri-d it upstairs, and threw it into the
open cask of gunpowder, which was under the bed.
As to the baby, he forgot that she was there. An
inquest was held on the b.,cly at the Beaufort Arms
Inn before the deputy-coroner, Mr. E. C. Davies,
% and a respectable jury. The foregoing particulars
14 were deposed to, and Mrs. Greenland and a man
named Amos were examined with a view to ascer-
,ain the state of his wind. A verdict of felo cis se

was returned, and the remains of the unhappy
man were interred in unconsecrated ground, and
without funeral rites, at ten o'clock at night.
i% Some of the adjacent houses were much shaken by
the explosion, but were less injured than from its
. violence might have been expected.

CountrW Markets

LEICESTER-APRIL 10.

94 At our corn market to-day there was a good supply of
4 who ,t, which sold at an advance of 3s to 4s per qr., good
white making 51g. and red 50s. pea quarter. The trade in
4 ba:ley ruled dull, and last week's rates were maintained.
0 Beans in small supply, and is per quarter dearer. Oats
3 were scarce and ls higher.
7%