The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-26 00:00:00

SHOOTING TRAGEDY AT DERBY.

On Wednesday evening the Derby police were
informed that a man named Robinson, who had
cohabited with a married woman named Berring-
ton (whose husband had left her some years ago),
had been missing since Monday. His house was
locked up, and it was therefore determined to enter
it forcibly. The officers found Robinson with his
clothes on in a stupified state on the floor, and the
woman lay on the bed, her skin discoloured, and
apparently in a stupified state. Mr. German,
surgeon, arrived in a few minutes afterwards,
but the woman died about twenty minutes after
his arrival. On entering the bedroom, Inspector
Fern observed to Robinson, " Why, she has
taken poison," and he replied, " If she has, she
took it out of one of those two bottles" (pointing
to two that were upon the table). Robinson also
added, " When I came into the house tonight I
complained of having a pain in my bowels, and she
(Berrington) said she would give me something to
do me good,' but I was not to smell at it. I took
some of it." Robinson was taken to a surgeon's,
but he fell down in a stupified state, and it was
some time before he could be restored to conscious-
ness. Men, however, sat up with him during the
whole of Wednesday night, and yesterday the
poison had ceased to have any power over him.
That murder and suicide were contemplated, the
following letter, by Mrs. Berrington, posted to her
brother-in•law, Mr. Brown, of Kegworth, on Wed-
nesday evening, will show :

Derby, July 23, 1861.

My Deai Mother and Sister,—l write 6 inform'you that
I am very unhappy at this time, and by the time you get
this I shall be no more ; but don't blame any one for what
I have done. I hope'you will, on receiving this, come to
Derby immediately, as no doubt some one will be breaking
into the house and taking all there is. I think there will
be sufficient to bury me ; and you will find some little things
in one of the big boxes that I should like my little Mary to
have ; and you will find in the little drawers at the end of
the box some portraits. There is one in which me and my
young man is taken together. The other is a likeness of
his brother, a soldier, belonging to the 4th Company of
the Royal Brigade, now at Canton, China. We have been
expecting him home some time, and when he returns I
should like him to have it, as y have mine. I have sent
to him and told him where he will find it, so I hope that
you will give it to him, as it was my dear Will's wish, and
also mine. Francis Robinson is the young man's name—
brother to the one you will find me with. The key of the
door you will find in the window; you must break a pane
to get it. The key of the box you will find under my head.
You will also find in the box that will be locked a packet
containing some pledge tickets. You «:11 find the card of
my club, and also the rule book; and I think there will be
four pounds allowed by the club b bitty me with. The
note that you will find on the box please to take to the ad-
dress as soon as you can. I must now bid you all farewell.
—From your affectionate but unhappy sister,
SOPHIA BERRINGTON

No. 2, Court, Macklin-street, Derby.
P.S. I wish you to have the club money and all other
things that may be left.

SAGACITY OF A " GOLLY" DOG.

That species of the canine order, called the sheep
or colly dog, is well known for its sagacity, and
the following, for which we can vouch, is perhaps
without a parallel. One day last week Mr. Shaw,
Achgourish, Kincardine, Abernethy, with his fa-
vourite dog " Chance," left home for the hill, for
the purpose of what is called " the sheep gathering,"
that is, bringing them down to a convenient place
to be shorn and washed. They had not proceeded
far when Mr. Shaw, from indisposition, or some
other cause, did not feel inclined to go up the glen,
and he told his deg to go away and bring down all
the sheep, and that he would await his return.
" Chance instantly obeyed his master's orders,
went up the glen, gathered all the sheep together,
and came away with them exactly in the direction
of his master. We may mention that " Chance's"
movements were observed from the top of Craigourie
by the hill pundler. Mr. Shaw, who waited pa-
tiently the return of his faithful servant, now saw
the sheep nearing him to the west of Craigourie,
and at this moment observed a hare getting up
amongst them, and looking very bewildered.
" Chance" taking opportunity of this, left his charge
for a little and took to the chase, and after some
stiff work succeeded in catching the hare. Mr.
Shaw called out to the pundler to go and take the
hare from the dog. Chance" anticipating what
intimate
a tt
o
was to follow, surveyed with suspicion the pundler,k.
not
on n
woh battleo w a s him.fwasitthapopnreowacihthinwghomhe
Yetwas
terms, instantly threw the hare over his back, as
being the easiest mode of carrying, brought with
him the sheep with all speed, and laid the hare at
his master's feet. Not later than Friday last, the
same dog was asked by Mr. Shaw to go and keep
the crows out of the potato field. This he did, and
in about half-an-hour returned to the house with a
live crow. It is supposed that he concealed himself
below the stems, and when a flock of them alighted,
made a dart at them, and in this way had caught
it. We can vouch for the truth of the above. A
dog of this kind would certainly be valuable, not
only to shepherds, but to agriculturists' and we
hope Achgourists will preserve the breed.—Banff-
, shire Journal.

The Rectory of Richmond, Yorkshire, has been
conferred upon the Rev. Richard Earnshay Roberts, M.A.,
of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, Perpetual Curacy of St.
George's Church, Barnsley.
_ _

INFANT MORTALITY IN BAVARIA,—The mor-
tality amongst children during the first year of life is very
considerable in this kingdom. From 1835-44 there were
327,393 deaths amongst legitimate, and 103,676 amongst
illegitimate infants ; that is 31 per cent. of all those born,
30.1 per cent. of the legitimate, and 35 per cent. of the ille-
gitimate. According to Quetelet, the mortality of infants
in the first year is, in Belgium, 141 per cent., in England,
14. G, in Denmark 17, in Saxony 29, in Bavaria 31 per
cent. This excessive infant mortality here may be partly
o
due to the atmosphere and the high position of the
country above the level of the sea ; but the most imapt
cause is, no doubt, the social condition of tone Bavarian
people, in-
dustry, people, the antiqUated, mediaeval state of commerce
d u
permissions t r , the reignt o
marry, o fmonopoly,
veto theof t difficultyhe
oDipe mm parishes,o
ifc
itoohbue ot as
ctilon itsnhe gde
boroughs. Such circumstances are not
ntoattuhrealludeeanveldophmeaelntht ooffththeerpesoopuurlcaetisoonf.the3.lceonunitnryth, beuptraimlso,)
oobfliiirfee'd tiongstoea:toosfermviacne,Yaius tgheaynadrefront adlilnogwefdamtoilies carryaorne
a 'business of their own. The common issue of the struggle
between passion and morality is only too well known ; and
,thus a multitude of children is born who are a disgrace to the
mother whom they bring into misery, and to the father, who
is often obliged to emigrate; or the illicit connexion is con-
tinued, and the misery only increases with time. If it last
some of these men are received as citizens into the parishes,
this is generally done at an advanced period of life, when
their energies are spent, and there are children whit
last,chit
costs much trouble to legitimise. The family is, at
often thrown upon the parish, which by its veto, intends to
shield itself from burdens, but becomes in the end, by its
short-sighted policy, only more heavily taxed than would
otherwise have been the case. The members of the families
just described generally swell the criminal population of the
coltutrY.—Xol.o4 Zinifs finc? Cfßetto,