The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-12 00:00:00

DREAMFUL MURDER

On Tuesday morning last, the greatest excitement prevailed in
Penzance, in consequence of the discovery of one of the most
appalling murders that it has ever fallen to our lot to record.
The supposed perpetrator of this tragical crime is a man named
Benjamin Ellison, aged about 55 ; and, we are informed, belonging
to some part of the north of England. His unfortunate victim was
Elizabeth Rens Semen, about the same age as himself, and also an
entire stranger in Penzance. They had resided together about
eighteen months, in one of the cottages in Rosevean-road, nearly
opposite the Catholic Chapel.
Previously to the discovery of the murder, about eleven o'clock
on Monday night, Ellison called at the Temperance Hotel, in
Princes-street, and asked for some refreskment. He inquired if
he could sleep there that night; and on being asked why he did
not go home, he said it was too late to do so, and requested
to see a man named Eddy, who lodged at the hotel. Eddy
came, and in the course of conversation asked how Mrs.
Seman (the murdered woman) was, to which Ellison
replied that she was unwell. He appeared depressed in
spirits, and was continually examining and rubbing his

hands. He retired to rest, and on the following morning,
between five and six o'clock, came down stairs and left the
hotel. From thence it appears he went to the house of a Mrs.
Hill, in Rosevean.road, and informed her that his house had been
broken open, and that Mrs. Seman was murdered. Greatly alarmed
she accompanied him to the fatal spot, where, stretched on the
floor, lay the mutilated remains of the unfortunate woman. Her
face was covered with a gauze veil, and there were marks of blood
in all directions. Ellison said he would inform the police, and re-
quested Mrs. Hill to give the ;:larm. About nine o'clock he again
called at the Temperance Hotel, communicating the dreadful intel.
ligence there, and shortly afterwards was himself arrested on
suspicion.

The scene at the house on Tuesday morning was horrifying in
the extreme. A huge hatchet was found upon the floor where lay
the unfortunate ♦ictim, whereby the head was nearly severed from
the body. Upon the handle and blunt part of the axe were spots
of blood, and in the hand of the deceased was clasped some hair,
which it is said corresponded in colour with Ellison's. The back
part of the head was nearly beaten in, and other parts of the
body were dreadfully cut and mangled. From appearances,
there is reason to believe that a desperate struggle must
have ensued between the deceased and her murderer; and it is
reported that the hands of Ellison are much bruised, and one of
his fingers apparently bitten. About seven o'clock on Monday
evening a neighbour of the deceased met Ellison on the North
Parade, and soon after that time he was seen on Rosevean.road
proceeding in the direction of the house were the murder was
committed. No alarm of any kind was heard by the neighbours,
but it appears they were principally irs the town witnessing the
proceedings connected with the general holiday.
A Coroner's inquest was held upon the body as speedily as prac-
ticable, before 'John Roscotla, Esq., and a respectable jury. The
proceedings occupied between eight and nine hours, during the
whole of which time the hall was crowded. The evidence ad.
duced was of a circumstantial nature, but sufficiently conclusive
to lead the jury, after a short consultation, to return a verdict of
Wilful Murder " against Benjamin Ellison. He was committed
to take his trial on the charge at the next assizes, and left Pen-
zance in custody at an early hour on Wednesday morning fur
Bodmin.

Messrs. Millett and Borlase attended the inquest on behalf of
Ellison, who has stated various particulars regarding the deceased.
He says that she was in the receipt of an annuity, and was shortly
about to be married to a gentleman of title, on which event taking
place she had agreed to settle upon him (Ellison) an annual income.
He also states that a gold watch, and wearing apparel to a consider-
able amount, had been stolen from the dwelling.—Cornwall Adver-
tiser of Friday.

FREAKS OF A FLASH OF LIGHTNING.—On Tues-
day morning, about six o'clock, the electric fluid fell on the house
of M. Bouselier, Rue du Commerce, Grenelle, and demolished the
chimney. It then passed through the wed, and entered the cham-
ber of a marchand-de van, named Teissedre, residing in the next
house, and running a'ong the bed irons, melted the curtain rings,
broke a secretary to pieces, and split a zinc bucket, near a bed,
where two children were asleep, but did them ho injury. It
then broke the espagnolette of the window into three pieces,
writ down to the salle- a.manger, where it broke twenty-eight
panes of glass, passed out through a window at the back of the
house, and returning to the house of M. Boussilier, tore to pieces
the zinc roof. It next passed across the street, and melted 17f. in
silver and copper, which a milkwoman held in her apron, then en-
tered the kitchen and passed out of the dining-room, after break.
ing eight panes of glass. The razors, keys, and other iron articles
of the secretary, were found to be strongly magnetised. The sil.
ver and sous of the milkwoman were reduce-1 by the melting to
pieces no larger than stilt, and she herselt was paralysed fiir 24
hours its all her limbs. In a butcher's shop close by 400 to 500
kilogrammes of meat were so spoiled as to be totally unfit for use.
—Galignani.

FAIL OF A BUILDING IN PITILPOT- LANE.—Yester-
day morning, shortly before nine o'clock. an accidet:t happened
on the premises of Mr. Tayler, wine in porter, 23, Philpot-lane,
City, which was attended with serious consequence to two exca-
vators. As four men, employed to excavate the earth at the
tear of the premises of Mr. Taykr, were pursuing their avoca-
tion, the building fell with a frightful crash, burying two of them
in the ruins. The fall Is described by an eye. witness as being al-
most instactaneous, nor was there any previous warning given
to the men, except an extraordinary creaking of the beams,
immediately after which the roof, skylight, and wood work fell
into the cavity the excavators had made. One of the men was
driven with such violence against the wall that his head is consi-
derably injured, and he was obliged to be bled and sent home. Two
others, named White and Burch, were dug out after consid.•rable
difficulty; the tomer was protected by a large beam falling above
him, but Burch was covered by the rubbish, and when extucated
from his perilous position, it was found that he was exten►ively
injured.

- •
A melancholy event happened yesterday morning
on the Champ de Mars. During a review of the cavalry by the
Duke de Nemours, accompanied by his brother the Duke
Aumale, General Count tie Sparre, who was on the ground as
inspector.general, was suddenly struck with a congestion of the
brain, the consequence, it is sad, of an affection of the heart, and
died in a few minutes. The Princes were deeply afflicted, and
immediately dismissed the troops. The officer thus so suddenly
taken out of life was President of the Cavalry Committee, Grand
Cross of the Legion of Honour, and Peer of France. He had
eminently distinguished himself in the service of his country both
as a soldier and a legislator.—Galignani of Thursday.
_ _

STATE OF ri RADE.-1V ouls and pans continue
firm, with a slight tendency to advance in yarn'. A few purchases
are making, by Londoners, in anticipation of the demand for the
fall. These purchases are not made so early as they were last year
by two months, as there is no sufficient reason to apiirehend either
a scarcity of goods or a rise in prices this fall. Trade will be
moderate, but not more, judging from past date and present ap-
pearances.—Leicestershire Mercury.
MURDER or Al tt. BooTn.—The Lord Li. utenant
has offered a reward of 1001. for such in'orrnation as shall lead to
the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons concerned
in the murder of Mr. Booth, on the 9.9. d ult.—Dublin Evening Post.
'.IIIIJNDER ,t,TORNIS s.toi ins have ‘ist«-(1
HereforEl,hire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and materially
injured the corn-fields, turnip fields, and orchards : at Bewdley
and Pershore, great losses have been sustained. The thunder and
deluge in many vats of this county was violent, but less injurious
than in other surrounding counties; but we have heard that a
mower was killed by lightning at Cherrington, near Newport. At
Wroxeter, near this town, considerable injury has been sustained;
the lightning shivered one of the sails of Charlton windmill, killed
a sheep at Withington, destroyed a field of turnips of Mr. Caresweil,
at Eyton, and the deluge in his house was nearly three feet deep.
—Shrewsbury Chronicle. _ _

WAKEFIELD CORN MARKET, JULY 11. The
supply of Wheat is good ; of other Grain short f.,r this day's
market. Wheat is Is. per quarter dearer than last Friday, but
millers pay the advance with great reluctance. No alteration to
no;ice in the value of spring Corn.

"1.11 WEATHER ANSI T,tt CROPS —A grid dell of
hay was secured en Friday and Saturday, and on Monday and
Tuesday last, but since that time we Lave not had a hay day,
though there is now a good deal of grass cut, and the period for the
height of the hay harvest in Yorkshire and the neighbouring coon.
ties has arrived. The corn crops and the root crops arc doing
well, but we seem doomed to have a late, though we trust an
abundant harvest. The tendency in the price of grain is upwards.
Last week it advanced 3s. the imperial quarter in the Wak( field
market, and yesterday there was a further advance of ls.—Leeds
paper.

Yesterday, Mr. Bedford held an inquest at the
Pine Apple, Hungerford-market, as to the death of Thomas
Chandler, jun., son of Mr. Chandler, of the Swan at Milbank.
It appeared by the evidence of two men named Tomlinson and
Brown, that on Tuesday afternoon they went out with a barge of
rubbish from the House of Lords, but it was so over-laden that it
took in water as soon as they got into the stream. As soon as
they reached Dalton's-roads the barge touched and shipped several
tons of water—in fact, the barge was sinking. The deceased was
on his father': pier, and seeing the danger, put off in a boat, with
two other young men to their assistance. The deceased got on
board, but Tomlinson and Brown, seeing the danger, jumped
overboard, arid were picked up by boats. The deceased was seen
on board as she was sinking, and his body was picked up on
Thursday. The witnesses stated positively that barges were con.
scantly overloaded by Allen, the foreman to Mef•srs. Grissell and
Peto at the Houses of Parliament, and that they had repeatedly
told him their lives were in danger. This was the fourth boat
that had been sunk by overloading, and had eight or ten tons
more than she ou,ht, but Allen himself measured her. The jury,
after some deliberation, returned a verdict that " the deceased was
accidentally drowned by the sinking of a barge by being overladen,
and to which he had gone to render assistance; and the jury'
cannot separate without expressing their strong disapprobation at
the recklessness of Mr. Allen in causing the barges to be so over.
laden." It seemed there was some pecuniary advantage in exces-
sively leading the barges.

—•--, - -
LAUNCH OF AN IRON STEAMER.—On Wednesday
evening an iron steamer, named the Concordia, was launched from
the yard of Messrs. Miller, Ravenhill, and Co., at Blackwall. She
was constructed for the Dusseldorf Company, and will ply upon
the Rhin.. Her length is 185 feet; breadth of beam, 18 feet;
being about 15 feet longer than the Elberfeld, launched from the
same yard for the same company last year. Her engines will be
t w•o fifties.