The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-18 00:00:00

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SERIOUS CASE of INFANTICIDE.
APPREHENSION OF THREE RESPECTABLE
PERSONS SUPPOSED TO BE IMPLICATED.
WOLVERHADITON, SATURDAY.—An investigation is
now going forward in this town, in which a lady of
hitherto respectable character, together with a married
sister and a young surgeon is charged as being im-
plicated in a case of infanticide. On the 28th ult., the
body of a female child was found dead in Queen-street,
at the back of the house of Mr. Quinton, surgeon. It ap-
pears that for some time previous to the finding of the
body, Mr. Hildreth, printer, residing in the town, had
paid daily visits to Mr. Quinton's surgery, always in-
quiring very particularly for Mr: Sheriff, Mr. Quinton's
assistant. Mr. Quinton interrogated his assistant as to
the cause of these frequent visits, and was informed Mr.
Hildreth wished him (Mr. Sheriff) to procure abortion
"for a person of great respectability, secrecy being gua-
ranteed, and money no object" Mr. Sheriff asked Mr.
Quinton if he would attend ? but that gentleman refused
to do so. Mr. Sheriff informed Mr. Quinton that the
party was Miss Railton, of the Post-office ; and subse-
quently applied to Mr. Doubler, of the same place, to
procure abortion for a party, describing her in
terms similar to those he had used to Mr. Quinton,
but omitting the name. Mr. Doubler also very pro-
perly declined to attend. Since the finding of
the body at Mr. Quinton's, the suspicion at-
tached to Miss Railton that the child was hers, and she
was eventually apprehended by Colonel Hogg, of the
county constabulary. She at first denied having had a
child, but since her apprehension has made disclosures
seriously affecting Mrs. Hildreth (her sister) and Mr.
Sheriff, Mr. Quinton's assistant. From her statement it
appears that on last Sunday night three weeks, at Mr.
Hildreth's house, at about twelve o'clock at noon, Mr.
Sheriff went and performed an operation, and she was in
dreadful pain and agony from the time he had done this
until she was delivered of a child. The body was taken
away three or four nights afterwards, and the material
question in the investigation is, whether the body found
is that of the same infant. From the post mortem exa-
mination made by Mr. Fowke, there appears no doubt
that the child found upon Mr. Quinton's premises was
born alive. Mr. Sheriff, Miss Railton, and Mrs. Hil.
dreth are in custody. Colonel Hogg and the police have
been most indefatigable in their endeavours to further
the ends of justice with regard to this mysterious affair.
A coroner's inquest, under the presidency of Mr.
Phillip!, one of the Coroners for Staffordshire, has
been held some days, and stands adjourned until Thurs-
day next. In the present state of the inquiry, it is not
deemed right to publish the evidence until the conclu-
sion. It is almost needless to add, that the subject has
created the greatest sensation in Wolverhampton.

ELECTION of LORD RECTOR of the
UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW.
(From the Glasgow Argus, Friday, Nov. 15.)
The election of Lord Rector of the University of
Glasgow took place this day, Professor Hill presiding,
in the absence of Principal Macfarlan, who was unable
to attend from indisposition. The candidates were the
Earl of Eglinton (Tory) and Andrew Rutherfurd, Esq.,
M.P., late Lord Advocate for Scotland (Liberal). The
votes in the four nations, into which the University is
divided, were as follow :

Natio Glottiana
Natio Loudoniana
Natio Transforthana
Natio Rothseiana. ,

Rutherfurd. Eglinton.
• 114 ... 79
30 30*
29 ... 25
104 ... 52

277 185
Majority for Rutherfurd
The Liberal candidate was thus elected by a majority
of the nations, and by a gross majority of 92 votes.
Last year the Liberal majority was 59.
* in this nation the numbers being equal, Professor
Ramsay, who presided, gave his casting vote in favour
of Lord Eglinton.

THE INNHOLDERS' COMPANY AND ALDERMAN
GIBBS.—REFUSAL TO DRINK THE HEALTH OF THE
NEW LORD MAYOR.--The annual dinner of the Inn-
holders' Company took place on Friday evening, at their
Hall in Dow-gate-hill, and nearly 200 of the Livery be-
longing to the Company attended the festival. The pro-
ceedings exhibited up to a certain period the greatest
conviviality and harmony, but when the officiatilz
Chairman, Mr. Tanner (in the unavoidable absence of
the Master of the Company), gave as a toast the health
of the present Lord Mayor (Gibbs), the proposition was
met with one of the loudest bursts of indignation that
ever rang within the walls of that venerable building..
Several members of the Livery of this Company ad-
dressed the Chairman in opposition to this toast, and ex-
pressed in no measured terms the feeling of disapproba-
tion which they declared to be general amongst the
Livery at the conduct of the Court of Aldermen, who
were really the instruments in the election of' this unac-
countable Mayor. It was explicitly and emphatically
denied that the Livery had anything to do with the elec-
tion of Aldermen Gibbs, but asserted that it was a gang
of hired persons packed into Guildhall that had carried
the show of hands in favour of Mr. Gibbs and Alder-
man Wood. Had a poll been demanded, the result
would have been that both the latter mentioned parties
would have cut a most contemptible figure in point of
numbers. The Chairman declared that the toast he pro-
posed was complimentary to the office of Lord Mayor,
and not to the man who filled it ; but the opposition
was persisted in after this announcement still more
furiously than before, and ultimately the Chairman was
compelled to withdraw the toast, amidst the cheers of
nearly the whole assembly. The asperity created by it
speedily became softened down, and the remainder of the
evening was spent in great hilarity.
RAILWAYS IN GERMANY.—The twenty-four German
railways, on which circulation is now established over
an extent of about 1,660 miles, carried during last
August 1,183,553 passengers, and earned 825,631
thalers. In August, 1843, at which time some of them
were not opened, the number of passengers amounted to
1,063,014, and the receipts to 705,383 thalers. The
German railways have carried from the Ist of January to
the 31st of August, 6,718,108 persons. It is said that
the order has been given in high quarters to construct a
railway from Cologne to Minden, from Dortmund to
Bielefeld, by Camen, Hamm-Adlen, Oelde, with a branch
to Munser, and at the same time another from Cassel,
by Neechares, Lippstad, Soest, Warl, Vunx, with a
branch to Dortmund. By this means the railway would
form a direct communication from west to east, without
going out of the limits of the Zollverein.—Railway
Chronicle.
UNJUST ACCUSATION FOR FELONY AT YORL
ASSIZES.—IIARD CASE.—At the Yorkshire Assizes
last year, a person named Joseph Mason, who resided at
Clifton, near York, was tried for having burgiariously
entered a house at Hall Moor, and was sentenced to
twenty years' transportation. From the man's previous
good character and some other circumstances which were
stated to Sir James Graham at the time, a strong feeling
prevailed in the neighbourhood where he was known
that he had not committed the crime imputed to hire,
and strenuous exertions were made by Mr. Simeon
Hutchinson, Captain Darnell, and other respectable
individuals, to obtain a reprieve of his sentence. Their
efforts, however, were unsuccessful, and the poor fellow
was sent to Norfolk Island. This week, however, two
men who have been committed to York Castle for feloby
have confessed that they, together with two other persons
now at large, committed the burglary at Hall Moor for
which poor Mason has been transported. The two pri-
soners have also confessed that four other persons have
been unjustly transported for offences which were perpe-
trated by the Hall Moor burglars. These extraordinary
statements have been promptly communicated to the
Secretary of State.—Leeds Mercury.
CHARGE OF CHILD MURDER.—COMMITTAL OF THE
PRISONERS.—WiIIiam Welton and Mary Charlotte
Field Larkin, the parties in custody on suspicion of
having caused the death of a male infant child, born of
the latter prisoner, of the body of which, however, no traces
have been discovered, were on Friday brought up before
a very full bench of magistrates for final examination.
The case excited the greatest interest, and the justice-
room was inconveniently crowded during the investiga-
tion, which lasted nearly three hours. The facts of the
case have been frequently before the public. At the
close of the evidence Mr. Durrant applied to the bench
to hear the examination of witnesses, who he said were
present, in proof of an alibi on the part of Welton on the
evening of the 13th of October. The prisoner expressed
his anxiety that they should be heard ; but the bench,
(who had the assistance of John Disney, Esq.) declined
to adopt that course, the Chairman observing that the
defence of an alibi might be made in another quarter.—
The prisoner declined saying anything at that time, but
repeated that he wished to have the matter cleared up
by his witnesses as quickly as possible.—Mr. Thompson,
on the part of the female prisoner, stated that she in-
tended to offer no defence upon her examination.—The
room was cleared of strangers, and after a consultation
of about half an hour, the bench came to the decision of
committing both the prisoners for trial at the next
assizes. Upon application the bench consented to take
bail for the appearance of Welton, fixing the reeogni-
zances at himself in 2001., and two sureties in 1001. each;
but we believe up to the time at which the bench rose the
sureties had not been submitted for the approval of the
magistrates.—(Abridged from the Second Edition of the
Chelmsford Chronicle.)
NEW LAW OF SETTLEMENT.—The Poor-law. Com-
missioners have requested the opinion of the principal
rate-payers
nestonthsi
es s
sßill,on. which
The
mostwill n
introduced into
Parliament
as follow i—lst. It repeals the former Law of Settlement,
clauses are
be
telxecnieepnttinwhaceljedruedhgewascases.
born—when gives
ceavnenr yo t obnee
ass
cseert:
1 ther English, Irish, or Scotch, he is to be
Mined, then the party takes his father's or mother's set-
The effect of the clauses will be to throw
itnlema epnlat.ce,3lsd,.leWhenever a party has resided five years
irremovable.ai
m almost
tthe
entire burtben on towns and exempt the
countryoagreefs
supporting
therti
ng hardships
of
per-
sons should
removal parishes.t
then quite
be borne by the whole union—why is land
expense
to be exempted from all taxation ? If the towns get the
benefit of the poor man's labour so does the country, and
the country also gets the advantage of his wages in the
purchase of provisions. Surely both town and country
should contribute to his support. We believe the Bill
will be submitted to the different vestries for their opinion.
—Carlisle Journal.
KEYNSIIANI.--CRIME AND PROPORTIONATE PE-
NisitmENT.—A Correspondent forwards us the following:
•—" At the late Petty Sessions held here, Joseph Cobb,
for striking Miss Neale With a stone and hurting her so
much that she was under medical treatment for a week,
was fined 10s. ; at the same time and place, Thomas
Sidcombe, for shoDting at a covey of partridges (it was
not asserted that he ruffled a feather), was fined 101.
Costs to the amount of 10s. were inflicted on Miss
Neale."— [Our Correspondent would have made his
communication more complete had he added the names
of the gallant and game-loving magistrates who passed
the two sontences.j—Soinerset County Gazelle,