The Express. — 1867-02-07 (London, England)

LAMBETH.  Mr. Porte, one of the relie officers of the parish of St. Mary's, Newington, attend before Mr. Elliott, to answer • summons taken out against him by the Manis Townshend, and charging him that he, as relieving officer, did on the 31st of last month. unlawfully and illegally neglect and disobey certain of the rules, orders, and regulations made by the Poor-law Commissions, by refusing in a case of sudden and urgent necessity to afford such relief as was requisite to Charlotte Sparks, a destitute person, for which offence he was liable to a penalty of 51. Mr. Elliott remarked that the question her would be whether the case was one of "sudden and urgent necessity," and desired that the young woman ought be examined.  Charlotte Sparks, a jolly, healthy, and rather well clad young woman of 17, here entered the witness-box, and on her examination by the magistrate, admitted that for • year and • half she had not resided in the parish of Newington, and for the whole of that time had resided in the parish of St. George the Martyr. She also admitted that the night before applying to Mr. Porter, the defendant, the slept in a refuge in the Boroughroad, also in the parish of St. George's. She was sent to Newington workhouse, as she was anxious to get out of the streets, stop • while in the house, and get into service again. The defendant here said he recollected the young woman making an application to him fur an order to be admitted into the workhouse • but on learning from her that she slept in the parish Of St. George's on the night before, be told her he could not give the order, and that she must apply to the parish she resided in. Mr. Chester, solicitor to the parish of Newington, said there was not a tittle of evidence to show that the young woman had any legal settlement in the parish. Her appearanos proved that her case on application was neither urgent nor necessitous, and therefore the defendant, had done no more than his duty in refusing to admit her into the workhouse.  Mr. Elliott. considering no offence proved, and that the defendant had done no more than his duty, dismissed the 11111111/10M.  We have reason to believe that the following are the terms of the compromise in the case of Kearns v. Storks:—An annuity of 1001. per annum for life, 500 f. crab, and plaintiff's costa to be paid as between attorney and client.  ROBBERY AND Mt:MAß.—Yesterday afternoon an inquest was opened at the Pool Hotel, Poulton, near Birkenhead, on the body of an old man named Hugh McComb, a marine store dealer. The deceased was in the habit of carrying on his person a large sum of money, amounting to upwards of 20W., and this fact, which seems to have got generally known, has doubtless led to his being robbed and murdered. The last time McComb was seen alive was about 11 o'clock on Tuesday morning, shortly after he had been on board a ship in the " Great Float," bargaining for some old ropes. After leaving the ship be was joined by some man at present unknown, and the two were seen near the Pool Hotel, into which the stranger entered. On oorning out he was heard to say to McComb, " He's not here," and the two then walked off in the direction of the new copper works on the margin of the Great Float. Shortly after this, about noon, a Mr. Lang, while walking alongside of the railway, found the dead body of McComb lying across the rails covered with blood. Life was quite extinct, and it was evident, from the signs of a struggle, that the murdered man had been suddenly garotted by some one, and that his throat had afterwards been cut—the jugular vein being quite severed. The sum of 921., a knife, and a pipe, were found on the person of the murdered man, but his brother said that when he left home he had at least 2001., so that the murderer must have taken at least 1001., though *how he came to leave the remainder is as yet a mystery. The inquest was proceeding when our parcel was despatched.