ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1327, 26 February 1859, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

A Lames-table Story.—We have to record a most terrible case of accidental poisoning which has occurred at Bradford. The victims who have died already number 20 about 170 more are dangerously ill. The facts of the story are thus clearly and succinctly stilted by the ' Times :'—There is a certain Joseph Neal, a confectioner at Bradford, who was in the habit of adulterating his lo2enges and wares of lhe like kind with a substance' which in the trade slang is called "daff," but which is in reality plaster of Paris. This substance, when used in such proportions as Neal and others like bim are in the habit of using it, is n.t destructive of life, nor to any noticeable degree deleterious to health. Neal wanted to make up a quantity of lozenges, and accordingly be sent over to Shipley, lo theshopof an apothecary there named Hodgson, with directions to bring him back 121b. of "daff." Hodgson was ill iii bed when Neat's messenger arrived and when tho application was made known lo him, sent down word that the messenger had better let tbe matter stand over till he bimselfcouldcome down and attend to it. The mar., however, persisted, and at length Hodgson desired God-' dard, bis assistant, to supply him with the article be desired. Hodgson mid Goddard to go down into the cellar, and there he would find the " daff" in a cask Now, iv this cellar there was a cask without nnv distinctive label. The lid was broken in three places, and it was as unprotected as any o'her article in the cellar. The contents appeared to be the " daff" of which the assistant was in search, and he accordingly weighed out 12 lbs. of it, and delivered it to NeaPs messenger. It was deadly poison—it was arsenic, wliich he hud given to him by mistake. Neal's assistant returned to him with the supposed " da If," and he handed it over to one of his workmen to be worked up into the lozenges. This man, James Appleton by name, slated before the magistrates that after working at this job from 6 iv the morning until about 11 or 12 o'clock be was taken ill with vomiting, be suffered great pain io his face, and arms, and was ill for some days afterwards. It did not, however, occur to his mind to connect bis illness with the work upoo which he had been engaged. The lozenges in due course weie made up and deposited in stock, no one having any suspicion that aught was amiss, William I-lardaker, a person who appears to keep a stall or booth in the market- place at Biadford on market-days, preseuted himself at Real's shop, and asked to be supplied with 40 lbs. weight of the lozenges whicli were handed to him as usual, without remark. Any one of the lozenges which were thus delivered by the dealer to the retail chapman contained arsenic enough to destioy two human beings! Bradford market day was the 30th of October. Harduker got his" little piles of sugired death ready, and the tragedy began. As the habit was, upon that day one person after another wenttoHardaker's stall, and bought, some one pennyworth, of the deadly stuff. Some of the purchasers slipped the delicacies into their own mouths ;sonjegave them to the children they bad with them. These fell the first. Tbe lozenges were scattered all about Biadford and in the villages around. Presently in tbe streets and in the houses lamentations arose. Then deaths occiured, and the alarm spread over tbe town. It was soon discovered that wherever there was a sufferer there hud been a lozenge, and so tbe police soon found their way to Hardaker's. His stock was seized, and the Special lozenges were handed over to an analytical chemist in Bradford, who discovered that thoy contained arsenic in large proportions. Each of them, by calculation, must have held 9_ grains of arsenic—pleasant confectionery! Nor" could the inhabitants of Biadford feel secure that with the seizure of Hardaker's stock there was an end uf the mischief. From his hands the lozenges were speedily traced to those of Neal the dealer. This man stated that after Hardaker had been supplied, all that was left of the lozenges, including the scraps, was put into Scotch mixtures in his own shop. Where was this to end ? Neal and his wife had, since they were apprised of the ciilnniity, endeavoured to pick out the poisoned lozenges from their stook, but the man admitted thnt a considerable quantity even yet remained. The officers were at once most properly directed to make a clear sweep in Neul's shop When this was done Neal took to his heels, and ran away from the officers, who followed him to liir, workshop, and found that there were there in an upper room fragments of the poisoned lozenges, of which he had not made mention. He was taken into custody, and Hodgson, the chemist, was also apprehended. £At the magisterial inquiry held oil the whole case ou the Oth of November, Hodgson, Goddard, his assistant, and Neal, were committed for trial at the Yorkshire assises, on the charge of manslaughter. Bail was taken for the druggist and the confectioner to the amount of £400, and for the assistant, of £200.] A largo factory at Glasgow, six stories high, and containing 84,000 spindles, has been destroyed by fire; entailing a loss of £90,000, partly covered by insurances, and throwing 400 people out of employment. The factory beloni.ed to George Grant and Sons.

The Hon. Miss Plunkeit, daughter of Lady South, has alforde 1 another illustration of the danger ol'ballcon dresses. She went to near a fire, lier dress touched the flame, and in a few moments she was so burned that she died a few days afterwards. A terrible explosion took place on Saturday, the lltli December, by whicli 24 lives have been sacrificed. The scone of the calamity was Tyldcsly Colliery, near Manchester, aud the

occasion an accumulation of fire-damp. Many of the victims were literally blown to pieces, lhe colliery," says the Manchester Guardian is not of very long standing, but its working have generally been considered more or less dangerous to those employed therein The point where the calamity is said to have its' origin is some 1000 Or 1100 yards from the pit's eye, and therefore no loud report was heard above ground, hut those who were beW at the time of the explosion say that the noise rcsem-l-l h V al ' g , e ° f a P ark of artil!e O', and h.5. A| V S U heard sor "e miles if it had not been stifled,,, some of the deep caves of the earth. A few, though but very few, of tbe mioeisaud drawers escaped beiore the crash came, having taken alarm at the unusually _enTi,r P CCU n Ulat " ,n , 0f foul * as *W«h *« Perceptible. One sturdy collier took away himself and two boys to the pit's eye, through a Sphere bul* .TV Cd ; V th tbe noxious «""«>*- ptiere, but i,,t befi.ru the two youths hud bese°inva C sTb P r te ' y i r m ? We > aDd ">e -nan bim«f thi 11 * h ' « hi "» te '«- The remainder ?|L ,ro "V"'* dnmn who "ere at work in ihedmerentbHysandm the levels have been coal L„h I PerS "" S ■ ,ract *''** l -y acquainted with w _ ifi ?_ o P eral """' *ere confident that such hn._i.__-r I 6 ?"• "° m thC featUres » nti ««M« h ,m, ,I T- thal " " Soras llild »"" "en bu.n to death, it Wus q . lile impossible t , could escape the scarcely less horrible fate of being suffocated l,y ibe after or choke damp, lhe managers and persons employed in the colliery having- recovered from the first shock to their feelings caused by this melancholy occurrence, proceeded with all despatch to adopt the best available means for clearing the mine of the deadly vapour with which it was surcharged. Ao effective body of stalwart and anxious men were told off to explore the mine as soon as they possibly could, for the purpose of ascertaining beyond all doubt the fate of those poor fellows who had been in such fearful danger. Jhe state of the atmosphere, ho.vever. was such as to baffle their attempt to make any incursion up the workings for two or three hours. By a laudable perseverance in a judicious use of the ventilating apparatus, in another hour or so they were enabled to traverse a considerable distance of the 'jig-brow,' but for some time they only succeeded in finding one dead body. Between five and six in the evening it was reported that seven lifeless bodies had been met with. A numerous concourse of persons assembled in the neighbourhood of the pit hank, some anxious to learn the sad reality as to the fateol those relatives who were near and dear to them. About half-past five it was communicated around that in the opinion of the explorers below it was impossible that any of those who had not yet been leached could be alive. Then it might be said that tbe struggle between hope and despair terminated on the part of the survivors. Orders were issued that none of the remaining bodies should be brought to the surface until a somewhat late hour ofthe evening, in the hopes that the assembled multitude would by that time have considerably diminished, and an unnecessary scene of woe be avoided." The task of exploring the pit was not concluded till the afternoon ofthe I.lib. Dec.

The small fishing village of Laßocque, in the parish of Grouville, on the eastern coast of Jersey, was the scene of a dreadfui tragedy on the morning of Sunday, the 12th of December. Geirge Elias Le Rougeiei, a fisherman, unmarried, of a respectable family, and generally well-conducted,-but of a passionate temper and violent when in drink, returned home about four o'clock in the morning. He had been to St. Helier's on tbe previous day; and with other fishermen had received payment for fish. He drank freely in the course "of the evening, and delayed leaving the town till midnight, when ha was accompanied by an acquaintance living within half a mile of his home. The door was opened by his sister. This sister was a married woman, Mis. Noel, the mother of two children. Her husband is in Alderney. She had a boy sevens-ears old, with her. With the brother and sister also resided their mother, 76 years of age, aud bedridden. It was necessary to lift the mother; and the son wished to do it, hut she would not let him, preferring the help of her daughter. This appears to have exasperated the wretched inau, and in a fit of fury he took down his gun and fired at his sister, killing her ii'stantly. He had been shooting wild ducks some days before, and the gun was loaded with swan shot. Tbe poor Woman was silting on the bed, and her hoy was by her side when she received het death wound. The child was uot hurt. The unhappy man, who is now in the town gaol, asserts that, being reproached with drunkenness, be took down his gun to play with, orpointit, to show he was not so drunk, aiid that by accident the gun went off. The mother who, as we have said, was present states that after he had done the deed he shook the deceased, dying, "0, my sister! 0, my sister!" that then, kneeling before witne-s, he exclaimed, "I am a murderer," and that hs then attempted to cut his throat with a razor.

A young man has just been committed for trial at the Stafford assizes, charged with shooting at his sweetheart. His name his Elijah Knowles. He is a miner, is 24 years of age, and resides at Nethertou, a colliery town in the neighbourhood of Stourbridge. The preliminary examination took place before the magistrates at Wordsley on the 13th of December. The prosecutrix, a young woman, "a nailer," named Slater, appeared in court, having so far recovered the shock as to be able to give evidence. Knowles smi'ed in the dock, aud exhibited indiffereube to the proceedings. The prosecutrix Was accnntnodated with a chair,and gave her testimony with embarrassment. She said she was a sing.c woman, and knew the prisouer, who had paid his addresses to hor for some time. Some days ago, the prisoner, from some c6nversation they had previously had together, in wliich she exhibited dislike to "him,he Went to her and said "Well Eliza, are you in the same temper as you always was?", and she answered "Yes, I am." •Then," he said. "If you don't have me I'll make you so as no one else shall I" and continued "I will make asecoud Kate's hill job of it, the meaniug of which prosecutrix did not comprehend at the time, but found out afterwards that the saying was proverbial, for a man shot his sweetheart there, and was hung for doing so. After saying this the prisoner weut, and the prosecutrixcommuuicatcd her fears to a companion, whose reply to her was on hearing what Kuowles had threatened, "Oh, cheer up ; 1 should think he would never do such a thing." However on the evening ofthe 2nd of December, while she was working iv a nail shop at Rowley, a noise was heard at the door of the shop. On its opening she s.-.id she saw Knowles with something in his hand like a gun, which he put thuuigh the space at the door and fired at her. She saw the flash, and fancied she felt burned with the powder; and was falliug senseless through fright, when her bro-ther-in-law caught hold of her and bore herint. au adjoining house. A girl, working in the same nail-shop, corroborated the prosecutrix's statement.