The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-19 00:00:00

THE TRAGEDY AT FULWOOD

BARRACKS.

PRESTON, WEDNESDAY.
The jury at the adjourned inquest last night re-
turned a verdict of wilful murder against Patrick
WCafferay, the soldier who shot Col. Crofton and
Adjutant Hanham. The body of Col. Crofton was
conveyed yesterday afternoon to the railway station
en route to Leamington, where Sir Morgan Crofton,
father of the deceased, resides, and where the in-
terment will take place. The mournful cavalcade
left Fulwood barracks shortly before 5 o'clock, but
long before that time thousands of persons lined
the way from the barracks to the railway station.
The whole of the shops in Church-street and Fisher-
gate, through which the procession had to pass,
were elosed out of respect to the deceased and sym-
pathy with his friends on their sad bereavement.
Every upper window was, however, crowded with
spectators, and the demeanour of the vast crowd
was remarkably orderly.
The funeral procession left the barracks in the
following order :—Detachments of the 55th, 41st,
10th, 29th, and 32d Regiments, with arms reversed.
Then came the band of the 3d Royal Lancashire Mi-
litia, with drums muffled, playing " The Dead March
in Saul." Immediately following was the corpse,
enclosed in three coffins, borne on a gun carriage
drawn by two black horses tandem, the horses
being attended on each side by three dragoons
cloaked. The coffin was shrouded in the regimental
colours, and upon it were placed the sword, belt,
sash, and shako of the deceased. The pall-bearers
were Col. W. Patten, M.P., aide-de-camp; Captain
Clarke, 29th Regiment; Capt. Barlow, 10th Regi-
ment ; Capt. Bltiett, Major Creagh, Capt. Kneebone,
29th Regiment; Capt. Smythe, and Mr. T. B. Ad-
dison. Immediately after the corpse came the
colonel's charger, fully caparisoned, led by his
groom. Across the saddle bow were slung the boots,
spurs, and pistds of deceased, the boots being re-
versed. Then followed the other officers of the de-
pot battalion and of the 13th Light Dragoons, in
the order of seniority, juniors first, each wearing a
crape band on the arm and a crape sash over the
breast ; also Dr. Hammond. Dr. Clarke, Dr. Donald,
Capt. Wilkins, barrackmaster ; Adj t. Lake, 3d Royal
' Lancashire Militia; Rev. R. C. Stanley, chaplain to
the barracks ; Major Goodair and the officers of the
11th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers; Major Birchall
and the officers of the 21st Lancashire Artillery Vo-
lunteers ; the staff of the 3d Royal Lancashire Mili-
tia, a fatigue party of soldiers of the depot and the
11th Light Dragoons on foot. The following in-
scription was on the outer coffin, which was of oak :
" Colonel Hugh Denis Crofton, eldest son of Sir
Morgan George Crofton, Bart. Died Sept. 16, 1861,
aged 47."
The crowded streets and the respectful demeanour
of the spectators, the closed shops, the slow and
measured tread of the soldiers, the mournful strains
of the band, the simplicity of the well-worn flag
around the soldier's coffin, the riderless horse, and
the remembrance of the cause of these sad trappings
of woe, rendered the scene most affecting, and many
of the spectators displayed considerable emotion.
Just as the head of the cavalcade reached the House
of Correction, above which floated a Jack half mast
high, the jury returned into—fre inquest-room, and
the foreman was in the act of delivering their verdict
when the strains of the band playing " the Dead
March in Saul" were borne in by the wind through
the open windows of the court. Most of the spec-
tators present were greatly affected, but the pri-
soner displayed no emotion, simply turning with a
half smile upon the warder who had him in cus-
tody. Further to show the callous nature of the
man, we may state that near the close of the in-
quest yesterday, when the prisoner had been stand-
ing three hours, he was asked by the warder if he
would sit down. He sullenly answered" I'll stand,"
and declined to accept any accommodation.
Nearly two hours were occupied in the march
from the barracks to the station, a little more than
a mile. On reaching the station the procession
passed through the west entrance, and the corpse
was placed in the guard's van. At the station seve-
ral of the officers expressed their gratification at the
marks of respect which had been paid,by the inha-
bitants of Preston to the memory of the deceased.
Capt. Bluett, on behalf of the officers of the Depot,
thanked Majors Goodair and Birchall for the at-
tendance of the Rifle and Artillery Volunteers. The
procession returned to the barracks after deposit-
ing the corpse in the van, marching in quick tiguth
The corpse left Proatuu by the 10 45 p.m. train
last night, and will be interred at Leamington to-
day. Until the departure of the train a guard
_os
honour remained in charge of the van. The rem 94
.8
of Capt. Hanham will be molted to the station MI

afternoon, and will be forwarded for interment in
the family vault at Wimborne, Dorsetshire,
Both of the deceased officers were heirs to baro-
netcies. Colonel Crofton was the eldest son and
heir of Sir Morgan George Crofton, Bart., of Mohill-
house, in the county of Leitrim, a branch of the
house of Crofton, Baron Crefton in the Irish Peer-
age. He married in 1849 Georgiana Lucy, daughter
of the Hon. Peter de Blaquiere, by whom he leaves
a family of three children, the eldest of whom is in
the eighth year of his age. The deceased had served
in the army for upwards of 26 years, the whole, with.
the exception of three years, in active service. Mrs.
Crofton is now in Preston, but confined to her bed
in consequence of the shock the awful tragedy has
occasioned her.

Captain Hanham was the third son of the late
Rev. Sir James Hanham, of Dean's Court, Dorset-
shire, and brother and heir presumptive to the pre-
sent Baronet, Sir William Hanham. He entered
the army in 1843 and received the appointment of
Adjutant of the 11th Depot Battalion in October,
1856. He leaves a wife and four children to lament
his untimely decease.

THE BRITISH CHESS ASSOCIA TION.

On Saturday the annual meeting of the members of the
British Chess Association was held in the Lecture-hall of
the Athena3um, Bristol, where there was a numerous atten-
dance, including Captain Kennedy, who presided, Mr,.
Hampton, Mr. G. 11119 y, Mr. Boden, Herr Lowenthal,
Dr. Wilson, Herr HOrwitz, Herr Kling, the Rev. W.
Wayte, Mr. Tbompson,"Mr. Withers, Mr. Nugent, Mr.
Pigott, Mr. Cleland, Mr. Selkirk, Mr. Steele, Mr. Howard,
Mr. Holloway, Mr. Berry, Mr. Powell, Mr. Ferriere, etc.

The CILATIIiiAN, in introducing the business of the meet-
ing, said a suggestion had been thrown out that it would
be advisable to hold the meeting of the association in Lon-
don next year, when the dreat Exhibition would also be
held there, and with that view he would propose—" That
a provisional committee, consisting of Mr. A. Mqngredien,
chairman, Mr. G. Medley, Mr. Hampton, and Herr Lowen-
thal, with power to add to their number, be appointed in.
London, to conduct the preliminary arrangements for the
meeting next year, and also to consult as to the best means
of placing the Chess Association on a more stable and per-
manent footing." (Hear, hear.) He thought it would be
a most desirable thingto have a permanent working secre-
Cary, and they should use their utmost efforts to get one,
so as to place the association on the footing on which it
ought to stand. (Applause.) He well knew the immense
amount of trouble and correspondence which devolved upon
the local committee, or upon the man ;ging director : it was
such that it was impossible for any single gentleman or
committee to undertake. (Hear, hear.) At present, at
each annual meeting of the association the committee had
to be reconstructed, and such a state of things should not
any longer be allowed to exist. (Applause.)
Mr. NUGENT briefly seconded the resolution, which was
carried unanimously.

Mr. G. MEDLEY, honorary secretary of the London Chess
Club, proposed, " That Captain Kennedy be elected one of
the vice-presidents of the Chess Association. (Cheers.)
Mr. BODEN seconded the proposition, which was carried
by acclamation.