The Sun. — 1860-10-30 (London, England)

TEE MYSTERIOUS MURDER AT ROAD.  FROME, MONDAY. Important information has recently reached us, from which we have reason to believe that the  authorities are not disposed to allow the investigation into this dreadful mystery to lapse. It was presumed that Mr. Slack's duties had terminated with  the close of the recent proceedings at Trowbridge against Elizabeth Gough ; but we have it on reliable authority that that gentleman is still active in the matter, and that very recently he has had an interview with the Attorney-General, who, at Mr. Slack's instance, has gone minutely through the whole case, as it has appeared in the public papers, and who has decided on consulting the Home Secretary on the course which should now be adopted. We believe that the objeat now sought is to have a still further inquiry—this time through the medium of the coroner's court. We are ignorant of the results that are anticipated from such a proceeding; but that Mr. Slack is confident that, if a free and searching examination, untrammelled by the objections of counsel, and unshackled by the routine of criminal accusations, is secured, a practical and much desired result will ensue, we believe we are justified in stating. With this view we are informed Mr. Slack has recently been hunting up precedents for reopening a coroner's inquiry, and. that he has obtained two—one of a very remote date, but the other of comparatively modern times. That there will be much opposition to the overruling of the former inquest is of course expected,but it is believed that Sir Richard Bethel, taking all the peculiar circumstances of the case into consideration, will recommend to the proper authorities that the previous proceeding shall be, as it were, entirely obliterated, and an investigation commenced de novo. We repeat, that we make these statements on reliable authority. Very little of importance has occurred since the recent prosecution. It has bees clearly demonstrated to many persons (among others to your correspondent) that a person or persons might easily have been concealed in the house, but this hypothesis is entertained by scarcely any one. The police appear to have resumed their surveillance of the house, for frequent visits have of late been made to Road. It can well be imagined that great anxiety exists to hear what further steps are contemplated. A Bristol paper makes an interesting statement, the accuracy of which we, of course, do not vouch for. The Bristol Times of Saturday says—" It will be remembered that during the inquiry at Road Mr. Kent, on being interrogated as to whether any of his former servants had a bad feeling against the family, intimated that one had left his service some time ago with a most unfriendly disposition towards them. The servant, we hear, has, since she left Mr. Kent's, been living satisfactorily in a household at Clifton. Her mother and sister reside at Road, and the former being ill some months ago, the latter wrote to the girl at Clifton to come home. She made up her mind to do so, but some accident induced her to alter her intention, and she did not go. Had she gone, however, as she at first proposed, she must have arrived at Road in the evening, a few hours before the murder was committed. In this case it is possible the girl would have been arrested, or subjected to examination under suspicion."