The Miner and Workman's Advocate. — 1865-04-29 (London, England)

ONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 1865.  SUMMARY.  The rate of mortality last week was the same as in the week previous—that is to say 27 in the thousand. Glasgow had the discredit of being the highest on the death-roll, being 34 in the thousand, or seven above the average of its companion towns. Bristol was the lowest, and was exactly as many below the average as Glasgow was above. 'The total number of deaths was (2,872, and of births 4,048, of both which London furnished one-half. The mortality in London was 164 above its own ten years' average. A new and unexpected light has been thrown upon the long concealed mystery of the Road murder by the voluntary confession of Miss Kent, who was in the first instance charged with the crime, that she was actually the murderess. It appears that Miss Kent has for the last year and three quarters been an inmate of St. Mary's Home, Brighton, and that a few days ago she made a confession to the Rev. Mr. Wagner, who has charge of the institution, and then, as the rev, gentleman states in his evidence, proposed to give herself up to a magistrate. The written confession is in the most general terms, and couched in singular language, fitted rather for an attorney's office than any other quarter. It sounds strange to find a sister, under any circumstances, write of her brother as "one Francis Saville Kent." The magistrate, who frequently and solemnly warned the girl of the importance of the step she was taking, did not go into the matter further than to receive and verify her confession, but remitted the prisoner and her case to the magistrates of the district where the crime was perpetrated. The Messrs. Barry, wharfingers, and their three servants, charged with defrauding insurance offices, by alleging falsely that certain goods in their possession had been destroyed by fire, were again brought up before Mr. Alderman Stone, at the Mansion House, and the case for the prosecution was closed. Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, for the Messrs. Barry, reservedhis observations till the case was brought up again for the formal signature of the depositions.  Another batch of cock-fighters has been proceeded against and convicted. This time the offence was committed in Delamere Forest, Cheshire, but it is said that some of the defendants on this occasion were also before the magistrate in London. They all pleaded to one of the charges made against them, and were fined sums varying from a 10s. to £5. A coroner's inquest was held on Tuesday, by Dr. Lankester, on the body of the young woman who was found on Saturday last in the New River. It will be remembered that a young man who was found by the police with his clothes all wet, and who said he had had a tussle in the river with some one, is now in custody on the charge of murdering her. But the evidence, or rather gossip, taken before the coroner, pointed to suicide arising out of a quarrel she had had with her boy sweetheart. The case was remanded.  At the Middlesex Sessions on Saturday an appeal was lodged by a farmer at Ealing against a conviction by Mr. D'Eyncourt for cruelty to animals in bringing a cow to market very soon after calving, which produced great pain. Several veterinary surgeons testified that it was improper and injurious to move a COW so soon after calving. On the other hand, several farmers and drovers bore witness to the prevalence of the practice, and that in their opinion the animals suffered no harm. The magistrates were unanimous in their condemnation of the practice, which they said must be put down, and they confirmed the decision of the magistrate. A prisoner who was confined in Durham gaol on a charge of murder, committed suicide on Friday by taking the laces out of his boots and forming a cord with them, with which he contrived to strangle himself. It seems the boots are the only portions of dress that prisoners Committed on a capital charge are allowed toretamn at 1414113 thor  Dr. Pritchard, of Glasgow, who has already been charged with the murder of his wife, was on Friday again brought before Sheriff Sir Archibald Alison, and after examination was again committed for trial on a second charge of poisoning his mother-in-law. The prisoner denied the charge absolutely, and declined to say more. It is said the prisoner shows great coolness and self-possession in the face of these heavy charges hanging over him. A telegram from Nice announces the death of the Czarewitch in that city. The deceased Prince, who was only 22 years old, was heir to the throne of All the Russias. He was greatly beloved by his family and all who were intimate with him, and the affliction of the Royal family of Russia and of the Princess Dagmar, to whom the deceased Prince was betrothed, will meet with universal sympathy. A deputation waited on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on Monday, to represent to him the hardship of the mileage duty imposed on stage coaches and omnibuses, which were levied irrespective of the passengers carried or the profits made, and from which other competing systems of conveyance were exempted. The Chancellor of the Exchequer admitted the pressure of the tax upon the interests complaining, and promised that their case should be fairly and fully considered, but refused to commit himself to any pledge in their favour. He threw out some hints about a parliamentary control of omnibus fares; but the deputation were of opinion that competition had already lowered the fares as low as it was possible for omnibus proprietors to accept. A young girl, respectably connected, was found drowned in the New River, near Stoke Newington, on Saturday morning. There was no evidence as to how she came by her death, nor had there been time before the inquest for a postmortem examination, but suspicion has fallen upon a young man, a labourer on the railway, who was found by the police in the immediate neighbourhood with his clothes all wet, as if he had been in the water, and who stated in answer to the queries of the police, that he had had a struggle with some one in the New River. At that time the body of the girl had not been found. The case is under remand for examination. Two inquests were held on Monday—one at Forest-hill and one at Sydenham—and both on persons who were killed while attempting to cross the railway. The first case was that of a porter of the Brighton Railway Company, the other was that of a lady on the Mid-Kent line. In both cases an open verdict was returned, but, having regard to the nature of the Sydenham accident, the jury recommended the company to put up a bridge at the station, so that passengers might cross the line in safety.