The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1843-04-18 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

MARTIN.—MALTA, APRIL 5. Yesterday the murderer of the late Dr. Martin was put to the bar. No case establishing his guilt could have been clearer, but as one of the jurors out of seven who presided sapiently chose Co consider that eve!), man who kills another must be labouring under monomania, the prisoner, on being found guilty, escaped the capital punishment, and was sentenced to the gslleys for life, with chains to his legs. Six out of the seven jurors pronounced the crime a deliberate act of murder, meriting death. The sentence had given considerable pain, though the judges (by law) could not award the capital punishment if all the jurors do not agree.  EXPLOSION OF GUNPOWDER MILLS AT  WALTHAM ABBEY  On Thursday, at five minutes after three o'clock in the afternoon, a melancholy accident occurred at Waltham Abbey. A part of the gunpowder works exploded ; four buifdings were laid in ruins, and seven unfortunate fellow-creatures were in an instant dismissed from life.  Though many years have elapsed since a calamity of anything like the same magnitude occurred at Waltham Abbey, little accidents have from time to time reminded the inhabitants of the danger in their vicinity ; and, consequently,when three or four unusually loud reports were heard in succession, their thoughts immediately turned to the powder-mills. Windows were broken in various houses by the concussion, and those on one side of the church suffered severely. At the station-house of the North-Eastern Railway, which is about a mile from the mills, several squares of glass were forced ; and the same thing, it appears, happened so far off as in the main road of Waltham Cross. Of the buildings literally nothing remained but a heap of black rubbish, in the midst of which some broken machinery could he distinguished. Weather boarding, rafters, joists, and enormous blocks have been carried by the expansion of the gunpowder across the stream which passes in front of the Government erections, and which is called " The Powdermill River," and thousands and thousands of slates were strewed on the ground. With the slates, rafters, and pieces of machinery, &c., were seen human bodies so torn, blackened, and disfigured, that at once to recognise them was absolutely impossible. The body of one sufferer was carried a  very considerable distance ; it was said one hundred and thirty yards from the spot where the ruin commenced, and must have been thrown to a vast height. This was evident from the deep indentation made in the ground where the remains descended. The point made by the head, shoulder, and hip was such, it astonished every one that a human body could fall with weight sufficient to produce such an indentation. Five of the sufferers were carried over " The Powdermill River," and two remained on the side where the buildings had stood, one being found among the ruins. We spare our readers a minute description of the various appalling features of the ghastly spectacle. Suffice it to say, some of the victims had their entrails blown out, one his foot carried off, and all were miserably mangled. The cause of the acci. dent is at present unknown. A coroner's inquest was held on Saturday, on view of the bodies, when a verd►ct of accidental death was returned.