The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-28 00:00:00

ON, MONDA Y EV ENING, MAY 28, 1866.

be disposed of. Privately the wool trade is qhiet, at barely
late rates.

_ .
Current prices of-English wool per lb.
sd s d
Fleeces—South Down hogets l, 8 1 9
Half-bred do., , llO 111
Kent fleeces
South Down owes and wethers 1 8 1 9
Leicester do - 1 101 2 0
Sorts—Clothing
Combing

TALLOW.
Very little business is passing in tallow to-day, and
prices are lower. .P.Y.C.-is qubted at 40s Gd per cwt. on
the spot ; town tallow, 40s 6d net cash ; rough fat, 2s id
per Blbs.

•
PartiCulars. 1863. 1864. 1865. 1866.
Stock this day 37,744 48,887 31,732 27,772
Price of Y.C. -40 s 9d 40s 6d 40s Gd to
t—s Od —s Od —s Od Os Od
Delivery last week 999 989 1,369 578
Ditto from June 1 — 74,258 93,912 102,173
Arrival last week — • 556 '1,113 1,855 _
Ditto frt in June 1 — :.-85.298 80,623 97,462
Price of Town

A New Mystery.

justr
yfifvaet
awli et eyi:v agohch thh aa td wo
occurred
emu r
ra de ed pi
nu bt lhi
ec
resident at Donkin's Houses. Since
. Bthueisthexisbyt:a:oaw;ldiiy,
that date the coroner has been pursuing his investi-
gations, and these reveal the outlines of what at pre-
sent appears to be one of the most horrible and mys-
terious cases of poisoning ever perpetrated in this
country. It seems to be placed beyond the shadow
of a doubt that the three brothers B hb
us y—hale
and hearty men—have been sent successively to
their graves by the administration, repeated and
continuous, of large doses of arsenic ; that other
members of the household which was the scene of
these occurrences have been crippled, possibly for
life, through the same terrible agency ; and that, in
fact, almost every one who ate or drank within the
death-haunted walls came more or less within the
power of this fell influence. Thus much is certain,
if the generally consistent and straightforiard tes-
timony given on the inquest is to be believed ; but
how, or why-, or by whom death was sown broad-
cast—so to speak—in this ill-fated family, there is
not at present a tittle of evidence to show. Suspi-
cions there may be, but proof there is none.
The inquiry has been spread over such a length-
ened period that we will briefly recapitulate the
facts as ascertained. On the 20th of December the
residents in the farm house at Donkin's Houses were
the three proprietors, George, William, and John
Bushby ; Elizabeth Robley, their housekeeper ; Jane
Watson, a servant ; John Watson, a lad of 10, not
related to the woman of that name, but a nephew of
the Busbbys. John Kennedy, a farm servant,
had just left, after " having some words," and his
place had been filled by Thomas Boynton. On the
21st the destroyer first appeared, and by the end of
the week all the household had been attacked, the
symptoms being precisely similar in each case.
Medical_ assistance was not immediately thought to
be required, but as amid slight fluctuations some

of the sufferers grew worse, Dr: Dodd, of Ponte-
land, was called in, and with him were subse-
quently associated Mr. Atkinson, of Wylam,
and Dr. Heath, of Newcastle. But these
gentlemen could search out no pause for this
strange- visitation ; nor, although poison was sug-
gested to their minds, did they observe any circum-
stances that tended to confirm that supposition ;
and so, believing the disorder to be a peculiarly ma-
lignant form of diphtheria, arising from local mias-
matic influence, they treated the patients accord-
ingly. From the first the disease fastened with pe-
culiar force upon the brothers, and the result was
that William died cn January 3, George two days
afterwards, while John lingered to the 9th February.
The other patients escaped with their lives, though
some of them are yet unable to use their limbs. It
was noticed that, almost without exception, the per-
sons attacked were seized soon after partaking of
their meals, and particularly after drinking coffee.
Thiswas shown very plainly in the case of visitors.
Mrs. Brown, a neighbour, and her son were affected
by
Ain
the
A andn ud se ur
butter
Anderson,
nut,
er
another
andno t
ho
ef
reoneighbour,ffee,symptoms
on thea f
became
3ee
drc
at
omaf taking i ;lila: n
u upons
January.
rmye
bread .

having some tea on the following day ; and on the
same 4th of January John Fletcher had the same
results following his partaking of a similar meal.
John Stokoe, a nephew of the deceased, who came
in to assist, was in the house for several days before
he was attacked, after taking some coffee ; while Mr.
Bushby's sister-in-law, who was nursing deceased,
and for a little while enjoyed immunity, was at
length seized so violently that she is now, like Boy-
ston and Robley, without the use of her limbs. Wat-
son also seems to• have had • a very narrow escape
from death. Two other' leading facts deserve at-
tention. One is that it ,sothetimes happened that
where a party sat_ down to a meal together, some of
them would exhibit the -peculiar symptoms whilst
others would not -be affected. The other is thatthere
occurred periods in which "there feemed to be fresh
and general outbreaks of the complaint, especially on
the 18th and 22d January and the 4th February.
It is not surprising that these extraordinary oc-
currences should have. been made the subject of
the investigation which has led to the discovery
of arsenic in the body of John Bushby, and
that the three deaths and the whole of the
attacks are now ascribed to the administration of
that virulent'poison. It is however unfortunate that
the discovery was not made sooner, when perhaps
the poisoner—for few will believe these are the re-
...

sults of accident--might have been detectedln the
act. In such a case suspicion naturally falls upon
the person who was in the habit of preparing the
family meals, and that such a suspicion existed the
_ _

caution of the coroner to the housekeeper shows ;
but then she appears to have been herself one of the
greatest sufferers, and gives her evidence in a very
straightforward manner. The conclusion is inevit-

able that the criminal must have had ready access
to the house, and it is absurd to propose that there

was not some special end to gain ; but beyond this
there appears as yet to be no clue to the secret of

his shocking tragedy.—Northern Daily Express.

Murder of a Woman and Suicide of the

Murderer.

INQUEST.
Mr. C. E. Driffield, county coroner, held an in-
quest on Saturday, at the " Edge-lane Hotel," Old
Swan, upon the body of Mrs. Train, who was brutally
murdered on Thursday night by her cousin, John
Thomass Moss, and also upon the body of Moss
himself, who committed suicide after the murder.
The first witness examined was Margaret Golding,
the deceased Mrs. Train's servant, who said that
her mistress removed from Bootle to Old Swan
about six weeks ago. Moss, who had lodged with
Mrs. Train at Bootle, accompanied her to thehouse
at Old Swan. When Mr. Train (who was a purser)
came home, about a fortnight ago, Moss left the
house, but used to come in Mr. Train's absence during
the day in Liverpool to his meals. Mr. Train sailed
on Wednesday morning, and the same day Moss
returned to the house, and took tea with Mrs. Train
that evening. Witness noticed no peculiarity in
their manner, and they slept that night in different
rooms. Witness stated also that Mrs. Train had
showed her a knife with which Moss said he would
kill her, and while she was packing up—being on the
point of removing to another house—Moss .threat-
ened her, but on witness speaking.to him he said wit-
ness and her mistress were a brace of fools. Witness
was afraid to leave her mistress when told to go for
a policeman. This pacified Mrs. Train, who resumed
her packing. Then Moss got a hatchet, Mrs. Train
was again alarmed, but again pacified on his saying
that he would not harm her. Shortly afterwards
witness heard Mrs. Train scream, " Oh, Margaret 1"
three times in a breath ; and hurrying in witness saw
Moss striking her mistress on the side of the head
with the edge of the axe with all his force. Mrs.
Train turned partly round, when he struck her a
second blow down the centre of the head. Witness,
affrighted, made for the stairs, and when a step or
two down saw a third blow given, and Mrs. Train
fall. As she ran down the stairs she heard a noise
as of several smashing blows. She obtained assist-
ance, two men and police-officers, and again entered
the house. Moss was found in the scullery dead,
with his throat cut. Moss was a cousin of Mrs.
Train's, and they had always been intimate, but not
improperly so to witness's knowledge. On Thurs-
day, while Mrs. Train was away from the house,
Moss said he wished he was dead, as he could get no
employment. About two months ago he spoke about
being able to cut his throat easily by a particular
vein.

Other witesses stated that when Moss was found
he was quite dead. A recently sharpened tableknife,
covered with blood, was under his leg. In Moss's
pocket was found the following letter :—" May 24,
1866. Thomas Train.—My sister, or, at least, she
is nearly my sister, you called ' a —', because
she is not a fit consort for you, and I, who you called
a spy,' take the opportunity of ridding you (sic) of
her.—l remain yours, &c., J. T. Moss."
Subsequent evidence went to show that Mr. and
Mrs. Train lived together upon very happy terms.
One of the witnesses had heard Moss say that "Mrs.
Train ought to be Mrs. Moss." This witness be-
lieved that Moss had attempted to seduce her, and
that her firm resistance had led him to entertain the
idea of killing her.
The jury returned- a verdict of " Wilful murder
and felo de se."

.---'
/

X 7.2

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, That an
Extraordinary General Meeting of the SHARE-
HOLDERS of the NEATH and BRECON RAILWAY
COMPANY will be holden at their Offices, 1, Westminster
Chambers, Victoria-street, Westminster, on TUESDAY,
the 12th day of June next, at One o'clock in the afternoon,
precisely, for the following purposes, viz.:-
1. To put in force the powers of the Neath and Brecon
Railway Act 1866 ;
2. To consider and, if thought fit, to approve of an
Agreement for the working by the Central Wales
Extension Railway Company of the Lines of the
Neath and Brecon Railway Company.
W. L. BANKS, Chairman.
D. HOWELL MORGAN, Secretary.
1, Westminster Chambers, Victoria-street,
Westminster, S.W., 26th May, 1866.

Ti I_IIDiTION.

SUN OFFICE, 7 o'CLocK.

TAT TERSALL S'—This Evening.

ASCOT STAKES.

4to .1 agst War (offered-9 to 2 taken)
sto 1 agst Ackworth (taken)
7to 1 agst Loveapple (taken)
Bto 1 agst Chronometer (taken)
10 to 1 agst Dulcimer (taken)
12 to 1 agst Lucifer (taken)
100 to 8 agst Black Draught (taken)
ROYAL HUM' CUP.
100 to 7 agst Carnball (taken)
100 to 7 agst Split the Difference (taken)
100 to 7 agst Siberia (taken)
100 to 6 agst Star (taken)
100 to 6 agst Molly Carew (taken)
100 to 6 agst Rather High colt (taken)
20 to 1 agst Centaur (taken)
20 to 1 agst Historian (taken)
20 to 1 agst Bigote (taken)
25 to 1 agst Broomiela.w (taken)
3to 1 agst Gardevisure (taken)
ASCOT CUP-
-rteGittdtateUr`(take24