The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-09 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS
.MURDER NEAR

GLASGOW.

On Thursday evening last Mr. William Simpson,
coalmaster, Larkhall, Lanarkshire, a young man of
high respectability, and possessed of the most
promising abilities, is supposed to have been
murdered near the village of Motherwell. Mr.
Simpson, it appears, had proceeded to Airdrie on
Thursday, for the purpose of drawing some money
from the bank, in order to pay his men at the col-
liery (which be does once a month), pay-day being
Saturday. When he left Airdrie he had in his pos-
session £l3B in notes of the following banks :
one £lOO-note of the National Bank, six Li-notes of
ditto, one £2O-note of the Clydesdale Bank, two L.
and two .E 1 notes of ditto, some silver, and a gold,
watch. When Mr. Simpson had walked as fp:e as
Motherwell, he went to Mr. Clark's Motherwell
Inn, where he partook of a simple rtheshment.
Rain having by this time begun to fall, he ordered
a conveyance to take him home; but as the weather
soon became fair he countermanded this order, and
resolved to prosecute the remainder of his journey
on foot. He accordingly left the inn wi, h that
intention about half-past eight o'clock, and since
then nothing has been seen of him. The road which
he took was a narrow footpath on the bank of the
Lesmahagow Branch Railway (a mineral line), and
which is commonly used on the way to Larkhall.
About half-past nine o'clock an engine man named
Andrew Rankine, in passing up this footpath
towards Motherwell, discovered about 200 yards
from the village, the hat worn by Mr. Simp-
son. He also found a number of letters 'and
a pocketbook lying about; and there have
likewise been discovered several coins, amount-
ing in value to is., and some copper
coins. Rankine immediately communicated with.
the constable at Motherwell, who instantly
despatched intelligence of the circumstance to head-
quarters at Hamilton. Mr. Dykes, Procurator
Fiscal, Captain Mackay, chief constable, and Super-
intendent Dewar at once proceeded to the spot,
where Superintendent Christison, of Wishaw,
speedily arrived. The strictest investigation was
immediately made, the line of railway was searched
for some distance, as were also all the ditches in the
neighbourhood, the old pits being also penetrated,
but no trace whatever has been found of the body.
A number of the county police and a good many
colliers have aided in the search, bat their efforts
have been unsuccessful. There remains, however,
no doubt that a most foul murder has been com-
mitted. In the hat which was found there were
two long irregular gashes, the one from seven to
eight inches long, and the other from four to five
inches ; still there was no appearance of blood
about the hat. At the spot the ground was trampled
apparently with many footsteps, and the silver and
copper coins seemed as if they had been pressed to
the ground by several feet. The ground altogether
presented the appearance of a place where a struggle
had taken place, but there is no evidence of any one
having heard such a struggle. It is surmised that
the body may have been thrown into the Clyde,
and as a flood has since passed down the river, in
consequence of the heavy rains, there is no saying
where the body may be found, if it be found at all.
Meantime the river is to be dragged, and the
minutest search will continue to be made. The case,
however, as yet seems likely to remain shrouded in
the mystery in which it is at present enveloped. A.
reward of £2OO has been offered for the apprehen-
sion of the murderer or murderers. Deceased was
a young man of 23 or 24 years of age, and leaves a
widow and child to mourn his untimely death.

TILE CATASTROPHE ON THE HAMP-
STEAD JUNCTION RAILWAY.

THREE PERSONS MISSING.

Yesterday afternoon a singular circumstance
transpired, which leads to the belief that there are
c still
uv e
routdh.e r
Duringvict
ims
t whose
heafternoon cas
ss have
th r e
enot e
respectable
adbilse-
persons waited upon Mr. Murray,
the coroner's
if
summoning officer, and inquiredhe had
ascer-
tained, either amongst the dead or the wounded, if
there were any persons of the name of Kent. He
replied
ofsuch a that
name
as quite
amongstcertain the
that
deceased,th
ere
as Were
none all
the bodies had been identified. They then informed
him that they were relatives of a man named Kent,
who resided at Bow, and who, together with his
wife and child, one of them had seen get into the
excursion train on Monday morning. They had a
friend who had also seen them in Kew Gardens, but
they. had never since been heard. The horrible
possibility suggests itself, although it is scarcely
feasible, whether, in the rush to pick up the shat-
tered fragments of carriages to make the bonfires,
so as to afford light on the night of Monday, the
mutilated remains of these persons might not have
been placed with them on the burning piles. It is
singular, however, to relate that a little child—a
girl, some seven or eight months old—was found
uninjured, and has not been owned; and we believe
we are correct—at least rumour has it so—in stat-
ing that the Rev. Mr. Calvert, of Kentish-town,
has taken charge of it.

SHOCKING COLLIERY ACCIDENT. ONE MAN
KILLED AND THREE INJURED.—Yesterday morning an
accident, attended with fatal results, took place at the
Gidlow and Swinley Colliery, the property of John Cross,
Esq. Shortly before six o'clock, the workmen employed in
the pit began to descend the shaft, and all reached the
bottom safely till the last lot commenced the journeY•
When the cage in which they were had got within a dozen
yards of the bottom both ascending and descending ropes
gave a sudden jerk ; by this the ascending cage
was
ssAd been killed,
violently against the wood covering of the stage, and the
prowciaspitathterodo
descending cage in which were the manoednne
the bottom. Some time elapsed before the winding appara-
tuse
cau.liie of the accident
could be made right, but when the shaft vies descended
those were severely
tithrwease
had
dususnd
ttalliantedo of
serious the
ofsageinv
eenj
.urimTe
se:,
rema I n 8 a perfeCowrttnilinel:ntthshget mystery,
wii:iii:odhfda esttnhhteeh said to have
shaken. The name of the dead man is George Taylor. He
was twenty-two years
place, and with
ag being torn away
Taylor was killed when the
there
ekzeiceds
nothing
tohringohgft
jerk gt
. It is supposed that
coming violently in contact with 00k place by his head
Xancheeter Examiner. the, spring of the cage.—
jumpceca° engine
Ilee gi
itt °TI(
3 el
1 is•