The Express. — 1851-12-25 (London, England)

TILE MURDER IN SOMERSETSIIIRE.  The particulars of the horrible murder committed upon the person of the unfortunate mull George Bush, whose throat was shockingly cut on his way Luna l'ristun to Timsbury, on the night of tho Ist December, have, already aprcured in the Express. We are sorry to say that we very much (ear the perpetrator of thu shocking transaction will escape justice, the whole affair being, notwithstanding the efforts of the Bath police, and the inquiries of Mr. Thornton, a detective officer from London, and who is still located in the district, enshrouded in impenetrable mystery. The proceedings already taken may be briefly slated as follows woman with whom the deceased lodged, together with her &milder, her son-in-law, and another man, were the parties first suspected by the police, and they were accordingly apprehended, and underwent several examinations before the magistrates. Front the evidence produced, and their own prevarications when accounting for their time on the night of the murder, a pretty strong circumstantial case was made out against them. Notwithstanding their apparent guilt, how. ver, the police, in the course of their investigations, became co ,vinced that they were not the murderers; and James Evans, a butcher, living at Furmborougli, and who was drinking with the deceased at Priston on the evening of the murder, was taken into custody. The other pri-oners were at the next examination discharged, and the police then succeeded in adding such evidence as made out a very suspiciouslooking case against Evans. According to the testimony of the witnesses, he was drinking in company with the deceased Buah on the evening of the murder at the Ring of Bells, at Priaton, and upon Bush leaving without paying for his beer, HUD, became exasperated, and made use of several threats towards hint. He immediately afterwards left the house, and was away wane time. A person who had icen drinking with them went outside, when he saw Evans come from the direction of the corner of the lane leading to the field where the liody was found, and he then appeared anxious to go on home, notwithstanding that his brother-in-law, who lived in the next Ileum: to him at Farnborough, was still drinking at the Ring of Bells. Ile was ultimately, however, persuaded to go in and have some more beer, but he looked ill, and was very fidgetty tend desirous of getting home. Several other suspicious eircuirstances were adduced against the prisoner, who was remanded fur further  "its' terday (Wednesday) Evans was again brought up before the county magistrates for the Bath division of Somerset, but, notwithstanding the efforts of the police, Mr. Hughes (chief of the Bath force) stated that neither himself nor Mr. Thornton were prepared with further evidence against the prisoner. The leggings belonging to the prisoner, and upon which blood was found, have been, we understood, submitted to Professor Taylor, of London, and to Mr. Herapath, of Bristol, for analisation ; but their invcstigation did nut carry the case any farther against the prisoner. The magistrates having expressed their desire to have the court cleared, Mr. Slack (solicitor for the prisoner), said he gathered from the coarse adopted by the magistrates at the last examination that they would to-day, if no further evidence wee adduced,discharge I and not commit the prisoner. Ile hoped, however, that the bench would either allow him to call witnesses (with whom he was prepared) to prove that it was impossible the prisoner could have committed the shocking murder during his absence from the Ring of Bella, or that the magistrates would intimate to him and to the public that he left the bar without that stigma which must otherwise be attached to a man once charged with murder. The room having been cleared, the public, after a brief consultation by the magistrates, were again admitted, when the prisoner was told that the magistrates bad resolved to discharge him, but that he: would be liable to be re-apprehende4l at any moment should further evidence be adduced against him.