The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1843-02-03 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

RUNAWAY COACH.—The somewhat unusual circumstance of a coach " running away " without horses, and passing over the coachman, occurred at Windsor on Saturday last. It appears the London and Windsor coach (late Moody's) was standing opposite the coach-office on Castle-hill (a steep declivity leading into High-street) with the wheels supposed to be properly secured by a block of wood. About half an hour before the time for starting, 11Ir. Luther, the proprietor, and driver, got upon the box to adjust his coat, and put it in order on the seat. In doing this, it is supposed the wooden block was jarred away from the wheel, when the coach set off, at the rate of between seven and eight miles an hour, down the hill, crossing the High-street (where there was fortunately nothing to impede its progress), and down Peascod-street, where it was luckily stopped as the pole, as the coach gave a lurch, was about to insinuate itself into the shop-window of an extensive grocer. When the coach started off from the office, the coachman, not liking his novel position, without either reins, whip, or nags, resolved (unwisely as it turned out) to cut the connexion, and in jumping from the box unfortunately fell, when the off fore and hind wheels passed over both his legs and severely injured him. He was immediately picked up and taken to the office, where he received the necessary aid his case required. On Friday, a man. named Charles Knowles, a collector in the employ of Messrs. Statham, Thorp, and Co., dyers, of Collyhurst, was brought before Mr. Maude, at the boroughcourt, Manchester, charged with embezzling the sum of £176 135., the property of his employers. Mr. J. M. Darbyshire, book-keeper and cashier to Messrs. Barrett and Co., of Manchester, merchants, deposed, that, on the 3d of September last he paid the prisoner £26 on account of Messrs. Statham and Co.;on the 15th of October he paid him a further sum of .£5O on the same account ; the prisoner gave receipts for these sums. Mr. F. Bleakley, cashier in the employ of Wells, Cook, and Co., of Mosley-street, proved that on the 11th of November he paid to the prisoner, on account of Messrs. Statham and C 0.,. the sum of £lOO 135., for which he gave a receipt. Mr. Henry Statham, a partner in the firm of Statham, Thorp, and Co., stated that the prisoner had been in their employ as townsman and collector for the last three or four years; he had never accounted for the above mentioned sums. Inspector Greene apprehended the prisoner on Thursday afternoon ; on the charge being stated to him, he said, "Oh ! dear, I hope my master will forgive me. I wish my master had given me a little more time, as I was just about handing over the sum I have got in my pocket." On his being searched the sum of £8 3s. OW. was found in his possession. He said nothing in defence, and was committed for trial at the sessions. HORRIBLE MUTILATION OF A FEarALE.—A degree of excitement and horror, such as has perhaps never been experienced before in Leeds, was caused on Sunday last, by the discovery in the River Aire, near Knostrop lock, of the body of a female, mutilated and burnt in the most horrid manner, and presenting one of the most atrocious instances of determined butchery ever committed on a human being ; the head, the arms, and the legs from the loins, being entirely cut off, the ribs being broken. the flesh lacerated, and some parts of the intestines protruding from the abdomen. It is, in fact, the mere trunk of a human body, which has been burnt to such an• extent, in an unsuccessful attempt to reduce the whole to ashes, that the partial remains of the breasts are the only indication of its being part of the body of a fenialeilp.,rtypeiw,a,nslinnhlasydets-t is conjectured by Mr. Price, the medical gentleman who has examined the body, that she was of low stature, and from 20 to 25 years of age. Hitherto her name remains unknown, and every circumstance connected with the shocking affair is shrouded in mystery. The whole affair partakes somewhat of the nature of the horrible crimes in which the murderers Greenacre and Goode were concerned. On Monday an inquest was held on the body, when after the appearance of the body had been described, the inquiry was adjourned till Monday next.