The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-05 00:00:00

SHOCKIN G ACCIDENT.

GRAVESEND, SEPT. 4. About half past nine
o'clock last night the inhabitants in the neighbour-
hood of a house in New-street, lately talun by the
coachman of Mr. Levy, lessee of the Terrace-gar-
dens, were alarmed at bearing dreadful screams is-
suing from the house. From Mr. Busby's tavern, in
Terrace-street, close by, several persons rushed to the
place, and found a little girl, about twelve years of
age, issuing from the front door enveloped in flames,
and uttering the most appalling shriek.. Her clothes
were almost altogether consumed, and her head, face,
shoulders, and chest presented the most horrible ap-
pearance. The flesh was literally burning off.
Medical assistance was bad as soon as possible, but in
the intermediate time Mr. Burbidge, chemist, ap-
plied everything necessary to assuage the dreadful
Buffering of the poor girl. It appeared that
she had been only hired the day before by the coach-
man's wife, and bad been left in the house alone
whilst they were absent at the gardens; that there
had been in a closet of an upper room some fireworks,
which probably were of the kind used in the gardens,
and that the girl from curiosity was examining them,
when they exploded and set her clothes on fire. That
she ran down stairs screaming, and igniting the pas-
sage as she passed, and that her screams created the
alarm which perhaps may save her life, and most pro-
bAly has saved this part of Gravesend from another
calamitous fire. The fire caused by her ignited
clothes as she rushed down the stairs was speedily put
out by the exertions of the neighbours, and by the
timely arrival and assistance of the police, headed by
Superintendent North.
The sufferer, who had been at first removed to Mr.
Busby's, where every possible attention had been paid
to her, was, by direction of the medical officer of the
workhouse, taken to that place, but her recovery is
considered hopeless.

DISTURBANCE BLT W EEN THE
11TH HUSSARS AND CIVILIANS.

About half-past elf yen o'clock on Saturday night,
the inhabitants of St. Matthew's and Westgate streets,
Ipswich, were disturbed from their slumbers by se-
veral low fellows assaulting two of the privates of the
11th Hussars, now stationed in the Ipswich barracks.
The two soldiers were, according to the statements of
two or three most respectable persons, brutally
treated. It appears that, about the time mentioned
above, the two soldiers entered the shop of Mr
Fade, wine and -spirit merchant, where they sa
a female, the wife of one of their comrades, whon
a man named West, a sawyer, and another
named Rivers, a painter, were insulting. The two
soldiers remonstrated with the men for such unmanly
conduct, but the latter still continued to abuse the
soldiers and the woman, who did all they possibly
could to prevent any disturbance; but finding River,
and West determined to commit a breach of the
peace, the soldiers left, and were proceeding quietl3
down the street, when they perceived that they wer
being followed by nearly twenty persons. When the
soldiers arrived opposite the Crown and Anchor both
their caps were knocked off by a mob, who ill-used
them in a most cowardly way. After several skir
mishes the soldiers got the worst of it, there being
about fifty persons present at this time, some of
whom jumped upon the soldiers when lying in the
road, kicking and otherwise ill treating them
The soldiers then beat a retrett',. but they had not
reached beyond Mr. 1-teadie, watchmaker and jeweller,
before they were again overtaken. After they had
again met with most brutal treatment at the hands o!
the mob, the soldiers once more managed to gel
away from them, one running up Globe-lane, and the
other round Mr. Churchman's corner, pursued by their
assailants, who were hallooing and making a great
noise, much to the annoyance of the peaceable inhe-
bitants. The soldier who ran up G.obe-lane fortu-
nately got clear away from his pursuers, but the other
poor fellow was not so fortunate, and finding them
too close at his heels to be pleasant, he ran into the
house occupied by Mr. Rowlson, nearly opposite the
Temperance Hall, and begged protection. Mr. Rowl-
eon had much dilicul:y in .keeping some portion of the
people from entering his house. Some of them de-
manded that .he soldier should be given up to them,
and even intimated that unless their orders were at-
tolled to they would break (=pen Mr. Ruwlson's
house. In the meantime police-constables Cole,
Bk.otofield, and Ponder, came up, and they, in a shorn
time, escorted the soldier to the barracks, followed
by a large number of persons shouting and making
a greet noise. One of the soldiers had 1.i3 lil,
cut open, and the other sustained such sever!.
injuries that he was taken to the hospital. Ter
soldiers assaulted, we are informed, are two of th,
bert•conducted men in the regiment. On the follow-
ing night (Sunday), a party of ten ur twelve soldier!
belonging to the 11th Hussars, comrades of the two
soldiers who were assaulted by the civilians on the
previous night, sallied forth with the evident deter-
mination to make an attack upon the parties, some of
whom is appears were well known to them. For this
purpose they proceeded to the Royal William Bowl-
ing-green, where they found West (one of the men
woo had originated the quarrel), and a person named
Jordan. A slight row here took place between them,
which resulted in West and Jordan being rather
roughly handled by the soldiers in the public road ;
but the former managed to escape from his assailants.
About half-part eleven o'clock, ten or twelve soldiers
again met West and Jordan opposite the Feathers
public-house, in Westgate-street, when they made
another atiaLk upon them. The soldiers had taken
off their jackets, one of their comrades holding them.
Some of the soldiers were at this time armed with
short sticks, which they used pretty freely upon the
heads and persons of West and Jordan, so much so,
that Jordan's head was broken open, and he was
taken to Mr. Sampson's surgery, where his wounds
were bound up. West, after the fray, was picked up
quite insensible, and conveyed to his home by two of
the police. Information having been given to the
guard at the barracks, a piequet was at once sent out
in search of the soldiers.—lpsteich Express.