The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-08 00:00:00

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TLLEGAL STOII ZEE 0,

GUNPO

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At ai-recent sitting of the Glasgow Central Police-court,
before Bailies Millar and Osborne, Andrew M`Kendrick,
innkeeper, 4, Wallace-court, Bell-street, was charged with
a contravention of the 210th clause of the Glasgow Police
Act, which provides that it shall not be lawful for any
person to have in premises occupied by him within
the city any greater quantity of gunpowder than
2Clb. if he be a licensed retailer of the article, and
131 b. if he be not in possession of a retail license,
the penalty being a fine not exceeding 210 and for-
feiture of the gunpowder. The facts of the case,
as brought out in Kke evidence for the prosecution, were
these :—A lieutenant and inspector of police having reason
to believe that a large quantity of gunpowder was lying in
carrier's' quarters belonging to the defender, Visited these
quarters, and found in one part of a shed twenty barrels,
and in another four barrels of powder, the whole amount.
ing to about 6001 b. The barrels were marked " gun-
powder," and were lying among other goods. For the de-
fence it was stated that Mr. M`Kendrick, though the
tenant of the carriers' quarters where the gunpowder was
found, had sub-let- stances to carriers conveying goods
to and from Glsse, w and neighbouring towns ; that the
twenty-four barrels were in these stances, had only been
there for three-quarters of an hour when the police seized'
them, and were intended to be taken away that day to
Larkhall, Carlulze, and Kilbirnie by the carriers going to,
these districts.

Mr. J. L. Lang, who appeared for the defender, ana
stated that he had receiveclinstructions from Messrs. Hay,
Merricks, and Co., and Messrs. Curtis and Harvey, the
owners of the gunpowder, urged —(lst), that M`Kendrick
was not the real occupier of the premises, having sublet the
stances to carriers, and that in point of law these carriers
were in possession of the barrels ; (2nd), that the goods
being in transitu, not " held" in store, the 213th clause of
the Act, and not the 210th, should have been cited ; and
(3rd), that the owners of the gunpowder not being before
the court, it would be a monstrous iniquity to forfeit
their property without giving them a chance of defend-
ing it.

After con<nitation, the court stated that they had been
advised by the assessor (Mr. P. T. Young) that the de.
fender was the occupier of the premises in the true mean.
ing of the Act; that the proper clause had been cited, in-
'much as the 213th only applied to gunpowder being con•
vexed to or from the magazine ; and that it was within
their power, and was their duty, to forfeit the barrels and
their contents, whether the actual owners of the property
were in court or not. The evidence, however, shelved that
Mr. MUCendrick had been placed in an unfortunate
position without his knowledge of the circumstance, anti
the court thought that the modified penalty of 215., or
twenty-one days' imprisonment would serve the ends of
justice. The gunpowder would, of course, be forfeited.
Mr. Lang intimated an appeal.

The King of Portugal has conferred upon Sit
Tohn Roaring the Cross of a Knight Commander of the
Order of Christ, as a public testimony to his merits and
services.

A bill has been introcitited by Mr. Serjeant
Barry, 111ajor Gavin, and Mr. Esmonde, to extend to
Ireland the existing law of Great Britain as far as it
tads the preence o! military at Parliamentary elections.

KING THEODORE ON TILE STAGE. —The Temps say:
that the Chatelet Theatre, in Paris, is about to put in re-
hearsal a grand drama in five acts and twelve tableaux,
entitled, " Theodorus, Kirg of Abyssinia."

CIVIL SERVANTS AND THE FRANCHISE. - A
mimerously attended meeting of the officers connected
with the several departments of the Civil Service in
Glasgow has been held in that city, to petition Parlia-
ment in support of Mr. Monk's bill, having for its object,
the removal of the disqualifications hitherto so unjustly
imposed upon the civil servants of the Crown, as regards
the exercise of the elective franchise enjoyed by all other
classes of her Majesty's subjects.

A despatch from Ottawa, dated April 23, says :
" Jean Baptiste La Croix, who says he saw the shot fired
that killed D'Arcy ArGee, has been subjected to a search.
ing examination as to the facts, and his testimony remain.'
unshaken in all the particulars. Ho has seen Whelan in
gaol, and identified him. La Croix is an ignorant French•
man, although he tells a straightforward and connected
story. At the time of the occurrence he concealed himself
in a doorway, fearing that Whelan might discover him
and shoot him. Since that time he has been afraid t$
speak about the matter for fear of getting into trouble.'

THE GOVEENMENT OF INDIA.—A copy of the
till prepared by Sir Stafford Northcote and Sir James
rergusson, to au:end in certain respects the Act for
the netter government of India, was issued on Wednes-
say. It is proposed thet henceforth every member of the
In Tian Ccuneit shall b 3 appointed for the term
twelve years, and shall not be eligible for re-election.
tic salary of such member is to be £1,11;00 per annum, to
be paid out of the revenues of India, but he is not to be
entitled to any retiring pension. A change is also pro-
posed in the remuneration to be paid to the auditor, who
is to have a salary of £l,OOO a year; but he is not to be
permitted to hold any other office under the Crown. In
future, compensations, superannuation, and retiring
allowances are not to be granted by royal warrant, but by
order of the Secretary of State for India in Council, and
in no other way.

FRIGHTFUL DEATH.—Dr. Laukester has held
inquest at the Boston Arms, Junction-road, Iloilo
way, on the body of Mr. William Cornelius Jourdain,
aged G 2, who up to the time of his death, on the Sth
;net., resided at 8, Junction-villas, Junction-road. The
circumstances of his death are very singular. The re-
latives of the deceased state that on the 27th ult. the
,eceased went into the Kentish-town station of the
North London Railway ; that the train which he wanted
to proceedby arrived, but overshot the station a little, and
then backed. He went into a second-class compartment,
but finding it was a smoking carriage, he got out and was
entering another carriage, when the station-master seized:.
him. The train was not then moving, but it immediately
started, and although he could have easily got into the car-
riage, the station-master clung to him. The train proceeded,
and finally, in the struggle, both fell between the carriages
and the platform, the station-master uppermost. They were
dragged along some distance together, but being brought
.in contact with a step they were separated, and the plat-
form being a hollow one the station-master escaped with
the loss of a part of his coat. The train was then stopped,
and when deceased was picked up he was found to be
seriously injured. He was taken to his house, where he
died from the injuries he had received. The station-
master, in giving his evidence, stated that he had seen all
the passengers who were going on safely seated, and then
gave the signal to start. The train commenced to move,
when the deceased jumped out of a smoking carriage, and
running past a first.class carriage opened the door of a
second-class carriage. The train was then going at a good
speed. The deceased attempted to get in, but slipped,
and fell with his legs dangling between tho train and the
platform, and holding on to the rail of the door by one
hand. Witness had shouted to warn deceased, but when
he saw what had happened he blew his whistle fur the
train to stop, and running to the assistance of deceased,
caught hold of him and told him to leave his hold of the
rail, but he would not do so, and, catching hold of wit
ness's coat, dragged him along with him down between
the carriage and tile platform. After listening to these
conflicting statements, the jury adjourned for the purpose,
if possible, of obtaining further evidence.
SHOCKING AFFAIR AT DERBY.—For some days
past Derby and the neighbourhood have been placardec
with startling announcements that Mr. Worthington,
the " Star Diver of the World," would exhibit on the
River Derwent at Derby on Thursday afternoon and two
following days. Among other feats he was announced tc
jump from a height of 120 ft. into the river. The entertain-
ment was announced to commence at 2.20 on Thursday
afternoon in a field on the banks of the Derwent, betweer
Derby and Darleygrove. The performer, a young man of
about 22 or 23 years of age, appeared on the ground at the al),
pointed time, dressed in a bathing costume, and commenced
performing a series of feats under the water, including
drinking milk from a bottle, peeling and eating an orange,
blowing a trumpet, &c. He also threw a lad into the water
and rescued him. The exhibition was to close with the high
leap into the water, and Worthington ascended the scaffold
about a quarter-past four o'clock. After remaining
e
some minutes in making the necessary preparations, tin°tnos the
put himself into position for diving, and jumped
river. In his progress downwards he made three evo-
lutions of his body, and a medical gentleman on the
on the top of the
sank to the bottom of the
hheya-svt.ial;ders that he was a
dead man. Worthington
bank remarked to some offetlellie
water on his side, and at once
the surface, as was his custom, and sonic minutes elapsed
river. The people seemed to exp,ct that he would rise to
'
before any efforts were made to recover the body. At last
Mr. Smith, of Little Eaton, dived into the water, and
after several unsuccessful efforts succeeded in bringing the
lifeless body of Worthington to the surface. Four medical
gentlemen, Drs. Topham, Jamieson, Pant, and Iliffe, who
had been witnessing his performances, promptly attended
him on his being brought to the bank in a boat, and every
means were used to resuscitate life, but their efforts were
unavailing as life was extinct, the opinion being that he
died from concussion while diving. There was a large at-
tendance both of ladies and gentlemen. His mother and
two brothers were present, and were spectators of his un-
timely death. Great praise is due to Mr. Smith for his
exertions to find the body. The height 9f the jump was
about ninety feet, -