The Sun. — 1847-05-03 (London, England)

MURDER OF THREE CHILDREN BY THEIR MOTHER.—On Saturday, intelligence reached town of a dreadful murder having been committed in the parish of Llanbydder, in the county of Carmarthen. It appears that a woman of the name of Mary Hughes resided at the house of her sister-in-law, who keeps the Carriers' Arms public-house, about three miles from the village of Llanbydder. On Wednesday last the landlady left the the house about 12 o'clock at noon to go to the village, leaving Mary Hughes, who had three children living with her, Tic, two girls and a boy, of the respective ages of five years and a half, two years, and twelve months, at home with them. She did not return until seven o'clock in the evening, when she found the outer door locked, and the key placed under the door. On entering the house she found no one about, and on going up the stairs to see where her sister-in law and the children were, she observed the legs of one of the children in a position as if the body was suspended, and upon going up into the room a dreadful sight presented itself, the three children being suspended by their necks to one of the beams in the roof. She rushed out of the house, and ran to a neighbour's about a hundred yards off, who instantly returned with her and cut the poor children down, but life was quite extinct, and had been for some time. The wretched mother, who alone could have committed the dreadful deed, could nowhere be found, although strict search was made for her, and it is supposed that she has gone to Merthyr to see her husband, who had left her a few days before to seek work in the iron factories in that vicinity or at Nantyglo, or has committed suicide. No cause can be assigned for the murder, as destitution could not have caused her to do it, for although her husband had gone to look after work, the family bad received every assistance from the sister-in-law, and she had also parochial assistance to upport the children. SUPERSTITION IN THE NINETEENTFI CENTURY: A few days since an unusual circumstance was observed at Pillgwenlly, which caused no small degree of astonishment to one or two enlightened beholders. A patient ass stood near a house, and a family of not much more rational animals were grouped around it. A father was passing his little son under the donkey, and lifting him over it 3 back, a certain number of times, with as much solemnity and precision as if engaged in the performance of a sacred duty. This done the father took a piece of bread, cut from an untested loaf, which be offered the animal to bite at. Nothing loath, the Jerusalem pony laid hold of the bread with his teeth, and instantly the father severed the outer portion of the slice from that in the donkey's mouth. He next clipped off some hairs from the neck of the animal, which he cut up into minute particles, and then mixed them with the bread, which he had crumbled. This very tasty food was then offered to the boy who had been passed round the donkey so mysteriously, and the little fellow having eaten thereof, the donkey was removed by his owners. The father, his son, and other members of his family were moving off, when a bystander inquired what all these "goings on" had been adopted for ? The father stared at the ignorance of the inquirer, and then, in a half-contemptuous, half-condescending, tone, informed him that " it was to cure his poor son's hooping-cough, to be sure !" Extraordinary as this may appear, in days when the schoolmaster in so much in request, it is nevertheless true.—Monmouthshire Merlin. The weather during the past week has been of a rather extraordinary character for the time of year, ternpests of unusual severity having been experienced in many parts of the kingdom. Here, yesterday, we had several storms of hail, accompanied by thunder and lightning louder and more vivid than often occurs in the most sultry weather. On Saturday, also, we had a similar visitation, but of less severity. On that day, however, the force of the tempest was very great at Lavington and the neighbourhood, several trees having been injured, and one of them shivered to pieces by the lightning. At Oornberry-mill, situate between East and West Lavington, considerable damage was done ; between fifty and sixty panes of glass having been shattered besides other injury. From the severity of the hail storms we much fear that the early blossoming fruit trees have suffered considerably.— tVikshire Independent. BAINEs v. BAINEs.—The learned Recorder of Hull, Matthew Talbot Baines, Esq., Q.C., brother to Mr. Edward Baines, took care, in his address to the grand jury on Friday last, to remove any suspicion which might have existed of his participation in the editor of the Leeds Mercury's abhorrence of the Government scheme of national education. In charging the grand jury the Learned Recorder said, .‘ I, for one, rejoice greatly over the improved prospects of' national education ; for it is quite impossible to conceive a subject of greater importance. So far from wishing to limit education at all, if I had my own will, I would snake it accessible to every human being; because, in proportion as you disseminate the blessings of a sound religious and moral education, in exactly the same proportion do you provide for the dearest interests of the public at large.-e-Mr. Thomas Baines, the editor of the Liverpool Tintes, is also at issue with Mr. E. Baines, jun., on this important question. not having, like his brother, changed his opinion upon it.