The Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1864-07-30 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

JURY DISCHARGED WITHOUT A VERDICT.— A remarkable case of alleged wife poisoning was tried at the assizes for Tyrone on Friday. The prisoner was William M'Nickle, and he was arraigned for the second time on this charge. It appeared that he had been married to his wife about three years, and that shortly before her death she had been colAned of a child. During her illness a nurse made some gruel for her, which she left in charge of the prisoner while she went to the well for water. After partaking of this gruel the prisoner's wife died in great agony, and it was proved that her death was caused by arsenic. A dog which partook of the gruel was at once removed by the prisoner and destroyed, and when it was discovered and examined Nix weeks afterwards, arsenic was found in its body. Under these circuunstanc,s, the prisoner was tried for murder, but the jury disagreed, and, aftel being locked up for several hours, were did. charged. A I lIINESE EXEcCTION.—The Shanghai liecorder" relates the following :  Yesterday morning, May IT, A-King met his fate for the murder of Mr. Dore. Ihe number of Europeans who were present showed that the circumstances attending this murder were not forgotten ; but there was not the vast multitude which at home characterises a "public hanging." In the centre of a wide plot of lands tent was standing, covered with red serge. The was set apart for She official magistrate. Punctual to a minute, the mandarins, prison Oldest, and others in authority arrived. The prisoner was marched, heavily ironed, between the police-constables, and placed before the inspecting magistrate. Ills appearanoe excited shouts of ironical applause from the natives, Joined In, we regret to add, by many of the Europeans present. As soon as all was ready, and an address spoken to the prisoner by one of the acting mandarins, he went at once in his knees, the head representative of the execution guild then rode up, and raising his sword, 83 the signal, the executionet's knife fell and all was over. The headsman at one cut severed the head from the body. It fell forward many feet. The blood spurted out, the muscles of the once animate body quivered and collapsed, and A-King lay headless and a corpse. The blow was clean, and before many of the spectators were aware, the man's head was off. There was a general question, "When will it begin 1" The time was kept to a minute. At 10 precisely the man's head was off ; and after duly looking at the body, and seeing the manacles knocked off the feet, the officials departed. NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS PRINCIPLES !—The next Parliament will not be honoured with the presence of Mr. Thomas Hughes as one of its members. The genial author of "Tom Brown's Schooldays" was solicited to staid for Finsbury at the next election and consented, but having discovered that the honour would probably cost him about a thousand pounds, he has written a letter in which, with characteristic straighforwardness, he says that he could not afford to spend such a sum, and that if he could it would not be consonant with his principlet to spend it in such a manner. This is, perhaps, not much to be regretted, as authors seldom cut much of a figure in Parliament. If, however, Mr. Thomas Hughes wants a constituency he would not have much trouble in finding one which would elect him at much lees cost as he is no mere theorist, but a practical and tried friend of the working classes.