The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-19 00:00:00

A YOUNG MAN SHOT.

Dr. Lankester, the coroner for Central Middlesex,
lately presided over a jury at the Bank of England
Tavern, Cambridge-place, Paddington, for the purpose
of inquiring into the circumstances relating to the death
of Isaac Williams, aged 21. It appeared that the de-
ceased, who was a bricklayer, and a companion named
Robert Wellin, went with others to Wormwood Scrubbs,
for the purpose of shooting the escaped pigeons
from the prize matches in the enclosed grounds, the
birds having escaped the first fires being received by
the " out scouts." The deceased required a certain gun
which was in the possession of Wellin, but he declining to
go on the grom,J, as it was guarded by a notice board to
trespassers, the deceased said, "Hand it over." As the
piece had been just .used Wellin reloaded, having brought
down a bird, and put a cap on the nipple of the lock.
Then, through the impetuosity of the deceased, lie handed
it, not over the thickset hedge, but through it, muzzle
forwards. The gun exploded, and the charge went through
the right hand of the deceased. Notwithstanding the
injury deceased had received, he and Wellin remained till
after the matches concluded, and divided the proceeds of
their gain. In the evening deceased went to St. Mary's
Hospital, and was admitted as an inmate, and died there on
Saturday last from the effect of the wound. Josiah Wil-
liams, brother to the deceased, living at Brook-green, said
he went to the hospital to see his brother, when he told
him that Wellin must have pulled the trigger while hand-
ing him the gun. The coroner said the witness should,
upon such a statement, have communicated with the
authorities and had the dying depositions of the deceased
taken. Other evidence was given, showing that after
the deceased had received the contents of the gun in
his hand he ran away and called out, " Keep the
dogs off." He afterwards returned. He said nothing
about being wilfully shot by his companion, but while
in the hospital requested that Wellin should come and
see him on the Sunday, as it was quite an accident. Mr.
George Field, house surgeon at St. Mary's Hospital,
deposed to the admission of the deceased. The wound in
his hand was rather dangerous, but not necessarily fatal.
He told witness that no one was to blame. He afterwards
suffered from delirium tremens, and died on Saturday last.
While in such condition he watched an opportunity and
ran out from the hospital into Cambridge-place, where
he broke with his uninjured hand the window-glass of
a cab which was standing in front of the hospital.
The statement made to the brother as to Wellin
having purposely fired the gun must have been while the
deceased was in a state of delirium, as he had said other-
wise. It having been further shewn that some remains of
leaves were attached to the lock of the gun, the conclusion
was come to that the gun wa-s discharged by its being
pulled through the hedge by deceased. Several inhabi-
tants of the locality were present who had to drive past
these shooting grounds, and denounced them as highly
dangerous, being so near the roadway. It was further
said that the firearms used by the " out scouts " were
generally old, almost useless, and liable to cause death or
serious injury. The police should interfere. A verdict of
accidental death was ultimately recorded.

ADMISSION OF ArronNEys.—The number of
original applications for next term, beginning on the
22nd inst., is 75, besides renewed applications. The num-
ber on the books exceed 10,000.

Four of the five men arrested in the county of
'Westmeath for the murder of Mr. Featherstonehaugh
have been discharged, no evidence having been found
against them after the most searching investigation.

From a parliamentary return it appears that the
number of voters on the electoral roll of the Universities
of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin on the Ist January,
1868, was as follows :—Oxford, 4,190; Cambridge, 5,440;
Dublin, 1,871.

Hay harvest has commenced in the neighbour-
hood of Blandford, Dorsetshire. It is expected that the
wheat will be in ear before the end of this month. The
favourableness of the season is already having an effect
on the markets.

A COMET.—An observer, writing from Fresh-
water, Isle of Wight, says :—" A very splendid star—
probably a comet—is at this moment visible in the heavens.
Although the sun is intensely bright and powerful, the
star or comet shines with a diamond-like brilliancy. Its
size to the naked eye is about that of a star of the second
magnitude, its altitude as near as possible 75 degrees
S.E. by S."

ELECTION EXPENSES. - The expenses incurred by
Mr. Lopes at the recent election for Launceston, Corn-
wall, for which borough he was returned unopposed, are
stated to be £ll7. The " attorney's bill for canvassing and
conducting the election" is £36 155.; the costs of the town
clerk and returning officer, £2O ; printing and advertising,
£l4 145.; sergeants•at-mace and constables, £7 ; hire of
carriages and drivers, £9 7s. 6d. There was never the
slightest probability of opposition.
MARRIED WOMEN'S PROPERTY. - The preamble
of Mr. Shaw-Lefevre's bill for amending the law with
respect to the property of married women, declares that
the present law is unjust in principle and presses with
unusual severity upon the poorer classes of the commu-
nity, and ought therefore to be altered. The alteration
proposed is, that married women shall be for the future
capable of holding property and of contracting as a femme
sole; that her property after marriage may be held as it
would have been when she was unmarried. No inter-
ference is made, it may be noted, with marriage cove-
nants or agreements, but property acquired after the Act
by women married before it was passed is to be held by
them as if unmarried. The earnings of married women
are deemed her personal estate. Not only, however, does
this bill relieve the wife, but the husband is declared not
to he liable for any debts contracted by his wife before
marriage. The same arrangement is made as to the taking
by the husband of the .property of a wife dying intestate,
as is made with regard to the wife in case the husband
dies intestate. The husband is also relieved from liability
to account for his wife's income and personalty.
Gross OUTRAGE ON A YOUNG LADY. —At Ips-
wich, before the borough magistrates, Henry Pyett, a
stone dredger, of Holbrook, was charged with assaulting
Miss Isabella Brewster Meadows, daughter of the Rev.
J. B. Meadows, of Belstead Lodge, near that town. The
prisoner pleaded guilty. The circumstances were that on
Friday afternoon Miss Meadows was going home about
five o'clock, and the prisoner passed her. As she got
near her own house he passed her again, and she sub-
sequently observed him peeping round a corner of the
road. She at first felt a little alarmed, but she went
on ; but as she was going up a hill before reaching her
father's house the prisoner faced her, seized her, threw her
down on to the bank, and thrust his thumb into her
mouth, causing the blood to flow and hurting her very
much. A walking postman, named Waspe, heard screams,
and hastened on. As soon as the prisoner saw him he
ran away. Waspe followed, and with assistance caught
him in a wood, near Mr. Fison's, and handed him over to
the police. Prisoner pleaded guilty, and said he had been
drinking and did not know what he had been doing. He
was sentenced to six months' imprisonment with lard
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