The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-29 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

MANSLAITGIITER ON BOARD SHIP.—A case that involves
some curious questions of law has been tried at the
Central Criminal Court before Mr. Justice Byles. A
seaman of American birth was tried for the murder, by
stabbing, of an Englishman, one of his shipmates, on the
18th of September last, on board a British vessel
moored in the River Garonne, about forty miles
from Bordeaux. The question was in what court should
the murderer be tried. The French authorities refused to
have anything to do with him, and handed him over to the
British Consul, by whom he was sent to England, where
his trial took place. The jury found him guilty of man•
slaughter, but strongly recommended him to mercy, and
judgment was deferred.

BIGAMY.—A charge of bigamy, which was stated by
Mr. Besley, the counsel for the prosecution, to be " one
of the most romantic and astounding cases of that kind
ever inquired into," has come before the police magistrate
at Marlborough-street. The accused, a fashionably-
dressed lady, with some pretensions to personal beauty,
is said to have married Major W. B. Lumley, and
lived with •him as his wife for many years, during
which time she had a former husband still living.
The case of the prosecution is that Eliza Wright Haines,
the daughter of a naval officer at Portsmouth, was married
at St. Helier's to aFrench teacher of languages, Alexander
Victor, of Versailles, in 1836. In 1842 they were living at
Bristol, Mrs. Victor being in partnership with a school-
mistress there, and Mr. Victor teaching French in the
school. In that year they were separated, and the lady
resumed her maiden name. Victor was spoken to as being
alive in 1848, but in 1847 she was married to Major
Lumley as " Elizabeth Haines, spinster," and lived with
him until 1864, when a separation took place. The pre-
sent proceedings are instituted by Major Lumley. What
renders the case additionally painful is, that the major has
believed the lady to be his wife for over twenty years, and
has only just discovered what he considers the proofs to
the contrary. The details of the case are most romantic,
and it is likely to excite great interest and to occupy a con-
siderable time.

CHARGE OF MIIRDER,—A coroner's jury have returned
a verdict of wilful murder against Mr. John Powell,
King's-road, Chelsea, for procuring abortion in the case of
Louisa Thomas, a married woman, living apart from her
husband, and causing her death. From the fol-
lowing note, addressed to a friend, and produced in court,
it is supposed Powell has committed suicide :
" Dear Turner, she was in the family way, but not by
me. She begged me to procure abortion, and I have tried
to do so, when she suddenly fell down, and shortly after-
wards, in spite of all my efforts, died. May God
have mercy on my sinful soul. I loved her dearly. I
shall be far from pursuit ere you get this. I cannot live,
and shall take poison. You will hear of me in a day or two.
Go to No. 3, Wellington-square, and say that Mrs. Thomas
is dead in my consulting-room. I cannot bear to be hung.
You know all the story. May God bless you for your
friendship to me. Try and make the best of my dreadful
story, but tell the truth to her family. I enclose her
carte. Her hair I shall keep with me to the last. This
locket she gave me. lam afraid to remain longer.—Your
poor friend, PowELL.—I should like you to have, the
picture, and tell her mother I loved and would have made
her my wife if I could. Break it gently to my poor old
mother. Can you run down to her ? I enclose £5 for your
exuenses."

AN ELECTION ADDRESS.—In the Far West, as
elsewhere, there are legislators who are not too much in
earnest. I recommend to some of our present candidates
for British suffrages the following noble close to a Far
Western election address :—" Gentlemen," said the candi-
date, after having given his sentiments on the " Constitu-
tion," the " Monroe doctrine," and such like topics ;
" gentlemen," and he put his hand on the region of his
heart, "these are my sentiments— the sentiments, gentle.
men, of a honest man--aye, a honest politician ; but,
gentlemen and fellow-citizens, of they don't suit you, they
ken be altered !"—All the Year Bound.

An advertisement at Portsmouth setting forth
the attainments of a juvenile actress now performing
there, contains the following :—" Copy of testimonial
from the Right Hon. Sir John Pakington, her Majesty's
Secretary of State for War. ' I have seen Miss Lydia
Howard, the Little Fairy Actress, in some of her principal
parts, and I think it a very extraordinary and delightful
performance. Royal Victoria Hotel, St. Leonora,
April 23, BO.' " The Birmingham. Post on this ob-
serves : "We are not at all disposed to laugh at Sir
John for having given a testimonial to the Little Fairy
Actress. It is quite charming to observe that with the
cares of the nation—and of Droitwich—upon his shoulderr,
he can unbend for an hour in a country theatre. Besides,
as Minister of War, Sir John is bound to take an interest
in the performances of the infantry. And then, consider
that one of the pieces in which Miss Lydia Howard most
delights her audience is Bombastes Furioso.' After
what has lately occurred at Droitwich, it will be readily
understood that to Sir John Pakington's mind this temp.
tation must have proved irresistible."

GOLDWIN SiIII7H ON
_ELEC2ION

AGENTS AND EXPENSES.

At a meeting of the Council of the Reform
League held last night at Adelphi-terrace, Strand,
a reply from Mr. Goldwin Smith to a valedictory
address from that body, on the occasion of his de-
parture for America, was read. Mr. Goldwin Smith
thus refers to election agents andexpenses :—" The
greatest part, perhaps of the work of this and simi-
lar associations yet remains to be done. You have
won the extension of the franchise—you have now
to win freedom of election. The reform attempted in
the election of Mr. Mill for Westminster without
paid agents or canvassers, by an appeal through pub-
lic meetings and other organs of public opinion to
the reason and conscience of the people, was as im-
portant as the extension of the suffrage itself and
not less arduous. The freedom of the elector's
choice is at present confined within very narrow
limits, and the electoral right to a great extent prac-
tically nullified, first by the expensiveness of elec-
tions, and secondly by the influence of election
agents. The expensiveness of elections of course
limits the electors' choice to the rich, even in the
boroughs, and much more in the counties, where
• the expense is still such that none but very rich
men can practically come forward. If the people
mean to have freedom of choice and real elec-
toral power they must make up their minds to
charge the expense of elections on the munici-
palities and the counties. As soon as this is done,
the expense will become inconsiderable, because the
municipalities and the counties will take care to
insist upon economy, whereas nobody thinks of
economy while the charge falls on the candidate.
Opinion in many of the constituencies, especially in
the south of England, is not yet ripe for this
measure, and caution must be used there-
fore in advocating it ; but it is manifestly essen-
tial to real freedom of election. The first
great object of this and all Liberal associations
ought to be, then, the reduction of expense ;
the second ought to be the abolition of elec-
tion agents. It is not necessary, nor would
it be just, to say anything sweeping against
the personal character or the practices of this order
of men. But it is the law of their professional being
to keep the elections out of the constituencies, and
in their own hands, and in one form or another to
sell the representation to the rich. They would be
totally unmindful of their own interests if they
did otherwise. Not unfrequently their ordinary
professional objects, as solicitors naturally desirous
of wealthy clients, become mixed up with the mo-
tives of their political conduct in a way which
practically produces all the worst effects of corrup-
tion. There is very little use in passing bribery bills
while a rich man can go to an intimate solicitor
and say, under decent farms, " I will put the
management of my affairs into your hands,
if you will, by your influence, make me
member for your borough." I repeat, that I have
no wish to say hard things of any class or order ;
and I have no doubt that many election agents
are men whose political convictions are as li
strong and sincere as my own, and who discharge
their duty with perfect integrity to the party which
employs them. But the system is and must be
fatal to freedom of election, and, therefore, to the
existence of national government. The way to
get rid of it is, everywhere to form electoral asso-
ciations, which shall take the nominations out of
the hands of agents and transfer them to the con-
stituency at large. At the same time every effort
must be made to substitute the influence of public
meetings and public discussion of all kinds for the
private influences through which:election agents ope-
rate, and upon the ascendancy of which over the
public influences their hold on the representation
depends. Notwithstanding the extension of the
suffrage and the more popular character of the
eonstituencies, I have not looked forward with
any sanguine hope to the success of many po-
pular candidates in the present elections. The
two obstacles to which I have adverted are sure to
exclude them, and to keep the representation in the
old hands. To me, I confess, it would seem better
not to persist in popular or wbrking men's candi-
datures where there is not a fair chance of success.
If the popular or working men's candidate is left,
in a great many places, at the bottom of the poll,
the result will be damaging to the cause; and the
more timid and reactionary part of the middle class
will be encouraging to c)mbiue actively with the
upper class against the aspirations of the working
men. It seems to me better on this occasion to
concentrate efforts and resources on the contests in
which there is a chance of victory, and to look for-
ward to a clearer and more favourable field in the
future.