The Sun. — 1864-05-30 (London, England)

FEARFUL ARTILLERY ACCIDENT.—The D battery, 3d Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery, were out at drill at Bellary on the sth of April last. They had just galloped past in columns of half batteries left in front,wnen the word " Trot" was given ; they had hardly broken into a trot when the limber of No. 5, one of the three leading guns, exploded, killing four men on the spot and wounding seven others ; 13 horses were wounded, three of which had obe shot on the spot. The ground all along looked like a small battle-field after an action. It was covered with pieces of flesh, uniform, and harness, and the bodies of the poor fellows who were killed. Two were lying quite close to the gun not much disfigured, and the two others were about 100 yards off. where they had fallen, fearfully disfigured. They were blown about 80 yards into the air. All that remained of one poor fellow was his chest:and head ; arms and everything else were gone. No cause can be assigned for the explosion. The limber boxes were filled with the regulated allowance of ammunition, and had been packed in presence of an officer and sergeant on the Ist ult. No blame is attached to any one. The remains of the poor fellows were followed to their last resting place by the whole of the artillery and a large number of the officers and men of the 2d battalion 21st Fasiliets. The following is the list of the men killed and wounded:—Killed—Gunners Hickey, Healon, Townley, and Toohey. Wounded—Gunners Mulcatry, Gower, M'Mahon, Connor, Power, and Lindsay ; Farrier-Sergeant Taylor and Gunner Lydon, who had his bridle arm smashed at the wrist. It has since been amputated. They are all doing well.  The Court of Assizes of the Herault has just tried two Italians, named Novarre and Trinca, on a charge of having attempted to murder a farm-steward, named Bertrand, residing at La Pail,. near Montpellier. Another Italian, named Reamed, was also charged as the instigator of the crime. On the evening of the 25th November last, after dark, Bertrand was seated by his fire-side, when 'a stranger suddenly entered the house and stabbed him from behind. The wounded man immediately seized his assailant, and a struggle ensued, in which Bertrand received a cut in each hand. Madame Bertrand then came to her husband's aid, but was disabled by a stab. This diversion, however, enabled her husband to fetch his gun from the next room, and he was returning with it, when the assassin and an accomplice, who had been waiting outside, both fell on him, and endeavoured to get possession of the gun. Not succeeding, the two fellowk ran away, and Bertrand fired after them, as he thought, without effect. Several Italians were arrested on suspicion, and one of them denounced Novarre and Trinca as the assassins and Rastucci as their instigator, the latter having had some quarrel with Bertrand about payment for work. All three were accordingly arrested, and it was found that the shoes of Novarre and Trinca exactly corresponded with the footsteps in the field across which the assassins had run on escaping from Bertrand's house. A witness also deposed that he had seen Rastueci extract a number of small shot from the back of Novarre's neck. Twenty-eight witnesses were examined, and their evidence clearly brought the crime home to the prisoners, who were accordingly found guilty, and each sentenced to 15 years' hard labour.