The Miner and Workman's Advocate. — 1864-10-29 (London, England)

MYSTERIOUS AND SHOCKING DEATE.—On Saturday, !dr. Bird, the coroner for West Middlesex held an inquest at Alperton, near Harrow, on the body of William Avis, a, publican, who came by his death under peculiar and mystedous circumstances. From the evidence it appeared that the deceased, who kept the Chequers public-house at Alperton, which is on the Acton side of the London and North-Western Railway, left his house shortly before six o'clock in the evening of the Wednesday before, with the intention he told his son-inlaw and daughter, who lived with him, of going to a literary institution, which was to be opened that evening, at Sudbury, not a very great distance from his house. A lad named Wooton a neighbour, was going in a cart towards the institution, which is on the London side of the railway, and gave deceased a "lift." Deceased allowed the lad to drive past the institution, but asked him to stop at a footpath which leads to the line, saying he should get out there, as he wanted to go and look at a house down the path. At about half-past six o'clock deceased as seen by George Barrett, the constable of the London and North-Western Railway Company stationed at the Brent signal post, which is between the Sudbury and Willesden stations. Deceased was walking on the rails, and was by Barrett questioned as to what he did there, to which deoeasedreplied, "lam rather out of my latitude," meaning that he had lost himself. The constable took deceased off the line and showed him the footpath leading to Alperton, warning him to mind and not come on the line again. The deceased was seen no more alive, and as he did not come home inquiries were made which showe d that he had not been to the institution, On Thursday morning, shortly before five o'clock, Charles Bryan, the constable on duty at Wembly-cutting signal. post, which is between the Sudbury and Harrow station, in consequence of information he received, went and Searched along the line towards London. At about 400 yards from the Sudbury station he found the body of deceased lying in the "six foot." The body was quite cold, the skull was greatly fractured and an arm was out off and lying on the other side of the metals. At a few feet distance there was a pool of blood, which made it appear that deceased was first knocked down by a train Mono spot, and then struggled over to another spot, where he had his arm cut off by a second train. There was no evidence to show how the deceased got on the part of the line where his bodywas found, and which was a mile from the place where he was warned off. To get there he must have come out into the main road, as the Sudbery station is between the two places, and he could not have gone through the station unnoticed, being well known throughout the neighbourhood. There was no apparent cause for the deceased being troubled in mind. He was known to hate been deeply affected by tbedeath (Alia wife six years ago, but he was generally cheerful, and appeared a most unlikely man to commit suicide. The Jury rettuned a verdict that "Deceased was found dead upon the London and North-Western Railway, but that how he came by his death there is no tvidence to show."  Colonel Cureton, assistant quartermaster general of Ilie forces in Ireland, has been appointed Chief Constabfe of Shropshire.  Lord Egerton of Tatton, lifts presented the Rev. Henry Bainaele, M.A., ineuu:bent of Rlngway, near Altrinch.an, to the vicarage o, Knutsford, vacant by the death of the &v. Robert Clowes.  Viscount Milton, Earl Fitzwilliam's eldest son, is, it is said, meditating returning to the Far Wet, to spend the winter with his old frienas the Chero!tee Indians, and will come home again in the spring, via California.  It is not improbable that her Majesty will confer a third title to the Dukedom of Newcastle, as the present Lord Lincoln, born a few weeks ago, was for a time simply the Hon. Mr. Pelham Clinton.—Court Journcd.