The Sun. — 1860-07-03 (London, England)

BARBAROUS MURDER.—A shocking murder was perpetrated at Road, a village about four miles from Frome, on Saturday morning last. Mr. S. S. Kent, a gentleman holding a lucrative situation as inspector of factories for the district, lives in a house standing in his own grounds at Road. On Saturday morning, about seven o'clock, it was found that one of his sons, a fine lad just four years of age, was missing from his cot in the nurse's room, in which he usually slept, and after an hour's search his body was found stuffed down the seat of a privy on the premises, the throat being cut so as to almost sever the head from the body, and a large stab being apparent near the heart, evidently inflicted after death, as no blood had flowed from it. The body was wrapped in a blanket belonging to its bed, and he appears to have been killed while still asleep. The perpetrator is as yet undiscovered, but of course the most diligent inquiries are being made. It is evident th it the guilty person must have been in the house over night, for all the fastenings were exactly as they had been left the previous night, whelk Mr. Kent himself saw they were secure, except the drawing-room window which opens on to the lawn ; this was a little way open and the shutters unfastened, but no violence had been used either there or at the drawing-room door. The wounds were apparently inflicted with a large table knife, but no such weapon nor any clothes stained with blood have as yet been found on the premises. The knife it is supposed was wiped on a piece of paper, which has been found. The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Kent and seven children, three girls and one boy being children by the first wife, and two little girls and the deceased by the present Mrs. Kent. It is a singular fact that nearly three years ago the two younger children of Mr. Kent's first wife—Constance and William—considering themselves to be ill-treated, started off, both dressed in male attire, and were not found for two days. They have now recently returned from school. It seems almost beyond belief that the child could have been abducted from the nurse's room without her knowledge; nevertheless no suspicion attaches to her. THE LICENSING SYSTEM OF SCOTLAND —The  Royal Commission of inquiry on this subject, which visited and took evidence in different parts of Scotland, on the working of the Forbes Mackenzie Alt and prior statutes regulating the sale and consumption of liquors in Scotland, have published their report. Their testimony is favourable to the existing system, as having been productive of beneficial effects, and as being in accordance with the wishes of the public generally. They, however, recommend certain changes, such as fixing a minimum rental for licensed houses, according to the size and population of the towns and districts; reconstituting the appeal courts, so as to prevent those who had refused a licence to an applicant again voting in the appeal court ; that the certificates for inn and hotelkeepers should be altered, so as to enable them to sell in their licensed premises provisions to be sold for consumption beyond the premises; that persons falsely representing themselves as travellers, so as to it duce hotelkeepers to sell to them exciseable liquors on Sunday, shall bo held guilty of an offence, and liable to fine; that magistrates or justices shall have a discretion in allowing hotels or public-houses to be opened earlier than 8 a.m., and to allow hotels or taverns of a certain class to keep open till 12 p.m., en paying one-half more duty, and also to extend the usual hour on occasion of any public entertainment; that railway refreshment-rooms may be kept open fir passengers only at all hours of day or night at which trains are passing or about to pass ; that persons taken into cu tody in a state of intoxication for protection by the police may be fined in imprisoned fora not exceeding 55., or in default of payment for a term not exceeding. 24 hours; that all prosecutions under under the acts shall be conducted by the Procurator-Fiscal of the county or reburgh, and that the provisions cbe of the_ to act for the suppssioa of shebeens sh e 7 tk the exend Scotland. The commissioners add that they to Scotland of a bill on the principle tohfl.nthenesylnhan_f cellor of the Exchequer's bill to regulate .the g refreshment-houses would be highly expedient.