The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-09 00:00:00

THE 70DMORDEN TRAGEDY.

On Friday afternoon, Miles Wetherall, aged 22, was
charged on remand, at the Court House, Todmorden, with
the wilful murder of Jane Smith, aged 21, one of the
domestics of the Rev. A. J. Plow, at the Parsonage, Tod-
morden, near Rochdale, on Monday night last. The court
and its precincts were so densely crowded that access
to the justice-room could scarcely be obtained. The
witnesses had to be pushed through the mob, and one of
the sitting magistrates was compelled to enter the court by
means of a window opening upon the roofs of the adjoin-
Lug houses. The examination lasted fully six hours, and
ended in the committal of the prisoner for trial at the
ensuing assizes at Manchester, which will commence early
this week.

The Rev. A. J. Plow was sufficiently recovered to be
able to appear in court. He deposed to the circum-
stances of the crime, and his testimony bore out the
statements which have previously appeared. He said he
had interdicted the visits of the prisoner to his house for
the. purpose of paying his addresses to Sarah Bell for two
reasons : first, she was too young ; and secondly, he had
a great objection to a long courtship going on in his house.
The girl promised him that she would neither see itor
speak to the prisoner, but she broke her word, and he then
discharged her for breach of trust. Within the past few
weeks several of his house window-panes had been broken
with stones, and he bad heard pistols fired. On ono
occasion the back door was covered with shot.
Sarah Elizabeth Bell was examined as a witness. She
testilied to the fact of her having been discharged from
the services of Mr. Plow because the prisoner had paid
his addresses to her against the rev. gentleman's order. The
deceased, Jane Smith, had told tales, and Whetherall de-
clared he would be revenged. On his using this ex-
pression she asked him what he meant by it, but he
made no reply. She saw him last Sunday at York, and
from his conduct then she concluded that he intended to
break off the engagement. A series of letters between the
two parties was read, and throughout the correspondence
the witness endeavoured to console the prisoner for her en-
forced absence, and to dissuade him from his threats of
♦engeance.

At the conclusion of the evidence the prisoner was
charged with the offence, and asked if he had anything
to say.
The prisoner said he had committed the crime through
Mr. Plow opposing him in his desire to see the witness
Bell. He said he went and honourably asked Mr. Plow
to see Bell, and that leave ought to have been granted. He
was determined to see her, although Mr. Plow would not
give his privilege, and he saw her at the house until the
deceased, Jane Smith, told about them. Since then he
had gone to ruin, and now he would die the death of a
dog. He was glad Mr. and Mrs. Plow were not dead.
He intended to murder them or he would not have gone
near them. They knew perfectly well that Sarah Bell
and he loved each other, but Mr. Plow opposed their
being engaged because they were poor. He would not call
any witnesses.

The body of Jane Smith was interred at the parish
church on Friday morning, and was followed to the grave
by the scholars of the Sunday schools connected with the
church. An immense concourse of spectators assembled in
the vicinity of the church, and the service was conducted
with great solemnity. The prisoner Weatherall has some-
what relented that stolid indifference he at first mani-
fested. After the examination of the prisoner at the magis-
trates' office, on Tuesday, seeing and hearing the strong
expressions of feeling expressed by the populace on his way
back to prison, Weatherall's courage seemed to fail him,
and he was afraid the prison would be attacked and sum-
mary vengeance executed upon him.

During the Easter holidays, we hear, the Print
of Wales will go for ten days to Ireland. His Roya

will share the
m leviltlhbee tphue
kgteieostf ofcLamorbdriAdgbeercorn, and at the
siainigiehnetiss
hospitality of the Earl of Mayo. There are, of course,
to be reviews and grand entertainments. Punchestown
races, we believe, are fixed for the 16th and 17th of April
but unquestionably the most impressive attraction will he
found in the gladness of our impulsive and warm-hearted
countrymen to see their Prince once more among them.—
Telegraph.

MR. HARE'S PERSONAL REPRESENTATION SCHEME.
—The discussion of Mr. Hare's scheme of personal repre-
sentation was resumed at the London offices of the Reform
etßt
,eastlaestinpgretshiadte din.
hisAoplrentit:nr
wasiae a b ue
read fromn Saturday,
prof
some scheme like Mr. Hare's was necessary to secure the
return of any working man to Parliament. On the present
system no working man would be able to get into Parliament
on account of the expense of election.—Mr. Acland opened
the discussion. He complained that the scheme was unintel-
ligible. The great advantage of it was that it offered the
power to vote for any person; but he shewed that it neces-
sarily shut out the ballot, and as a wire-puller profes-
sionally he could desire nothing better. He pro-
posed that every person should be allowed to
vote • for any candidate he thought proper with-
out respect to locality, and that the 658 who had the
greatest number of votes should compose the House of
CLmmons and vote each pro rata according to the number of
their constituents.—Several speakers objected to this plan,
which, it was urged, might band over the entire com-
ma.nd of the House to a popular man.—Mr.P. Taylor,M.P.,
wished to see England, not crotchets, represented. He
was in favour of local surveillance over members.
To him it seemed that Mr. Hare's scheme would be
a representation of minorities and crotchets simply.—
Mr. Probyn did not see what was to prevent a rich man
engagingas many election agents as he requires all over
the country, and so multiply occasions for bribery.—Mr.
T. Hughes, M.P., was favourable to the scheme, and
thought that, considering the end to be attained, the
machinery was not unduly complex.—The discussion was
adjourucctfu a fortnight,