Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1879-10-25 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

THREE CHILDREN BORNT TO DEATH.—An inquest was held at Denton, a village about eight miles from Canterbury, before Mr. T. T. DeJanus, touching the death of the three children of a labouring man named Rllen—viz , John Henry, aged 5 years and 9 months, Annie Maria, aged 4 years and 7 months, and Robert Henry, aged 2 years and nix months, who were burnt to death in a fire that occurred at their father's house. It appeared from the evidence that the parents left home in the morning to take their youngest child, a baby, to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, leaving the three children in charge of the mother's sister, Frances Stevens. Mrs. Stevens put the children to bed at half-past six, and went into the house three times afterwards to ascertain if all was safe. According to her evidence there was no fire in the house, and the children had no candle or any matches in their room, but a box of matches was left on the table downstairs in readiness for the parents when they arrived home. Between seven and eight the house was found, to be on fire, and when the front door was opened the room on the ground floor was full of smoke and flame, and flamee were also issuing from the upstairs window of the room in which the children were sleeping. The efforts made to save them were unsuccessful, an all three children were burnt to death. The origin of the fire is unknown. A verdict of "Accidentally burnt to death" was returned. _ _ _  A TITNNFL THROUGH MONT 13LANc.—The proposal of French engineers to carry a tunnel through Mont Blanc, instead of the Simplon, is receiving considerable attention in Switzerland. In the French Senate, General Billot, on the Commission respecting the completion of Freneh railways, had already advocated the superior claims of the Mont Blanc route; and now, in a special brochure, M. Chardon, Deputy for Upper Savoy, adds his voice in support of the latter scheme. His chief reasons in favour of it are, first, that the tunnel through the Alps would thus be entirely on French territory; and, secondly, that by the Mont Blanc route the distance between Paris and Genoa will be 97 kilometres shorter than by the Simplon line, while the distance from Paris to Milan will be shorter by 44 kilometres, that between Geneva and Genoa by 140 kilometres, and that between Geneva and Milan by 88 kilometres. The cost, moreover, would, according to M. Chardon, be smaller, and the work could be executed more rapidly, so as to be ready by the opening of the St. Gothard line. The tunnel would be carried through the mountain from Chamounix to Cortnayeur at a height of 1014 metres. The estimated outlay would only be 75 million francs, I while by the Simplon route the cost would be no less I than 136 million francs.  THE MURDER OF A POLE BY A RUSSIAN OrFICER.-It may be remembered that between three and four months ago a murderous attack by a Russian officer on a Polish landowner named Karwicki was reported. The officer, Lieutenant Popoff, was fried at Warsaw for the offence by a public court-martial on the 6th inst. The chief witness for the prosecution wasthe widow of the murdered man, whose version of the occurrence was contradicted in ' several important points by the accused and his servant. She stated that the lieutenant bad purchased a horse from her husband for 160 roubles (not quite £25), and it was stipulated that if any flaw were discovered in the horse the purchaser was to be at liberty to return the animal and receive back his money. Some days afterwards Popoff sent a message by his servant to the effect that the horse was weak in his legs, and therefore he required that a portion of the purchasemoney should be returned to him. This demand was refused, both the Russians said, with insulting language towards the young officer. Then Popoff himself went to Karwicki and a stormy scene ensued, and finally the officer ebot 001111 the Pole and threatened his wife with death. The accused, who is only 22 years of age, made( a favourable impression on the Court. He dicta that he felt hinkself compelled to slay Karwickiin order to uphold the honour of his uniform. TlitCourt took an hone for deliberation, and then found that Popoff had killed Karwicki under circumstances of gross provocation, and sentenced him to the loss of all professional status and rights, to four years' hard labour in a penal workshop, and to deportation to Siberia. VIOLENT SHOCK OF EARTHQUAKE IN CUMszsi,