length so much cleared that the rescuers could penetrate the workings. The explosion had taken place in the "four-foot seam." When they reached this spot the spectacle presented was most harrowing. In every direction corpses were seen in every conceivable posture of death. Some lay as in tranquil sleep; others were frightfully burned and battered; but the most terrible spectacle was that presented by many poor fellows who had been at their dinner when they were slain, for their food was still in their mouths. Some of these had died from the effect of the after-damp," and exhibited no sign of suffering. With much difficulty and danger the bodies were collected and brought to the mouth of the shaft -47 dead men, who had descended that morning into the bowels of the earth to earn the means of living. Their lifeless remains were conveyed to Merthyr by the railway. The scenes to which these dreadful calamities give rise in the surrounding country have been often described. As each batch of corpses was brought to the surface, the trams were eagerly surrounded by frantic women and children, who sought to recognize the features of fathers, husbands, or brothers. The whole country was agitated by wailing and woe, and in the villages and on mountain sides were to be seen groups of miners' families repeating the tragic tale with the violence and pathos of Welsh eloquence. The interment of the sufferers in the cemetery of Cefn was a wild and mournful spectacle. Merthyr and the great iron works of Cyfartha poured forth their thousands; the miners left their mountain cottages and poured down the glens.

Each coffin had its hundreds of mourners, who, as they wound their way from the dwellings of the deceased to the various spots chosen by their families for their last resting-places, sang, according to an impressive Welsh custom, mournful funeral hymns. When the inner portions of the works had been searched, two more corpses were found, making the whole number who had perished in this disaster 49.

24. THE DURRAN HILL MURDER.-At the Carlisle Assizes, William Charlton, engine-driver, was indicted for the wilful murder of Jane Emmerson, at Durran Hill, on the 21st of November last. The deceased, Jane Emmerson, lived at a cottage close by the side of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, at a place called Durran Hill, about three-quarters of a mile from Carlisle. At this place the highway crosses the railroad on a level, and it was the duty of the deceased to look after the gates at the crossing, and to keep the lamps lighted at night which were used as signals. She was an old woman of 72, somewhat peculiar in her habits, and was supposed to have some money laid by. It was her duty, after the last train at night had passed, to open the gates across the highway and close them across the railway. On the night of the murder, the 21st of November last, the last engine passed the Durran Hill crossing at about a quarter to 10 o'clock P.M., and the enging-driver saw the usual signal light burning, close by a small cabin which is on the side of the railway, opposite to the cottage where the deceased lived. A person who passed near the crossing about half-past 10 observed no light. The crime with which the

prisoner was now charged was, therefore, in all probability, committed after a quarter to 10 o'clock and before half-past 10. The first train in the morning leaves Carlisle at 4.15, and on the morning after the murder the engine-driver of that train observed that the gate was not shut across the line. A man named Hind, who passed over the line about 20 minutes to 12 at night, observed that one of the gates was shut across the line. Some one, therefore, must have put back this gate between that time and the time of the approach of the early train. About half-past 5 o'clock on the morning of the 22nd November, a plate-layer, named Blaylock, found the deceased lying dead in a pool of blood a few yards from her cottage. The body was warm, but the blood about was coagulated, and the extremities were cold. There was a wound on the cheek-bone, one on the eye, one on the right side of the head, a star-shaped wound on the crown of the head, and other wounds. These were such as would bleed slowly. The murdered woman must have lived a considerable time after she had been wounded, or so large a quantity would not have flowed. On examination, the police found near the body a number of footprints. The footprints commenced at a spot on the road at the side of the railway opposite to the cottage. They were then tracked across the line to the cottage, and back again across the railway. The footsteps going from the cottage appeared to have been made by a man running or taking very long strides. It appeared as if the murderer had gone up to the cottage in order to ascertain that the old woman was alone, had then crossed the railway again, and

waited there till she had come out of her cottage to close the gates for the night. The signal lamps were found close by the body, as if the old woman had been attacked while going to close the gates with the lamps in her hand. A large stone and a large iron pin used for fastening the gates were found lying near the body, and with these the deceased appears to have been first assailed. In the garden a bill or slasher was found which belonged to the deceased, with blood on the handle. There were a number of bloody footmarks about the body, and footmarks leading to a garden at the back of the house where the deceased kept a pickaxe. The deceased was in the habit, when she went out of her cottage at night to close the gates, of fastening the cottage door after her. The door of her cottage had been broken open, apparently with the pickaxe, for it was found to fit into the marks which were made on the panel of the door. The pickaxe was found under the bed, and had marks of blood on the handle. At the bottom of the door there was the mark where a man's foot had been pressed flat against it, as if to force it open. The drawers in the cottage were broken open, evidently with the same pickaxe which had been used to force the door. Some sheets, three spoons, a ring, and about 77. in money were missing. Besides the footsteps already described, there was one footstep in the coagulated blood round the body. This imprint must have been made some time after the blood had flowed, because, had the blood not been coagulated, it would not have retained the impression of the foot. It was suggested, on the part of the prosecution, that after the murderer had committed the

deed he had gone away and returned some hours afterwards to put back the gate which had been left open across the line; and that after he had put the gate back he had gone to see whether his victim was dead, and that he had then left the print of his foot in the coagulated blood. The footprints were of a peculiar character. They had been made by a man wearing shoes with nails in them; a double row of nails round the sides of the shoes, and a semicircle of nails on each side of the sole near the toe. The prisoner was an engine-driver in the service of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway Company. He was well acquainted with the deceased. He had often been in her house, he knew her habits, and the times at which the various trains passed the crossing. As the prisoner drove the second morning train from Carlisle, he was usually called at 3 o'clock and spent the intervening time in the engineshed. On the morning of the 22nd November, he came to the shed about 3.20; but instead of staying there he left, saying he was going home to breakfast. About 4 o'clock a man, named Carruthers, met him coming in a direction from the scene of the murder. The house of the prisoner was in another direction altogether. A policeman found that it took him 17 minutes to walk from the engine-shed to Durran Hill and back. The prisoner returned to the engine-shed, having been away just long enough to enable him to go to the scene of the murder, and put back the gate and return again. The prisoner was not arrested for a month after the murder. When he was apprehended, a pair of shoes was found in his possession. In the soles of these shoes were found two semi

circles of holes, marking the place where nails had been. The semicircles corresponded in all respects with the semicircles in the footprints. The shoes corresponded in all other respects with the footprints. Some days after the murder, the prisoner said to the stoker, "I have burnt my shoes in the pit-hole, and the muds (the nails are drooping out." About & month after the prisoner was taken into custody 52 shoe-nails (called sparibles), wrapped up in a piece of paper, were found concealed under the slates in the privy at the back of the prisoner's house. These nails were of the same size and character as the nails which formed the semicircles in the footprints. These nails had the appearance of being worn, and there were marks upon them as if they had been drawn by pincers. When the prisoner was taken into custody, he was asked how the nails forming the semicircles had got out. He could then afford no explanation. After he had been in custody for some time, and had heard the evidence given before the magistrates about the footprints, he then volunteered a statement. He said that he had lent the shoes on the Thursday night in question to Thomas Robinson, his brother-in-law; that on Friday morning Robinson returned the shoes and said, “I have had a good spree." The evidence, however, put it beyond question that Robinson was miles away on the night in question.

The case, as stated on behalf of the Crown, was fully sustained; and the prisoner's counsel could do no more than comment on the circumstantial evidence. The jury, after five hours' consideration, returned a verdict of Guilty, with a

recommendation to mercy on account of the prisoner's previous character. This step will seem strange, when it is considered that if the jury thought the prisoner guilty at all, they must have thought him guilty of a murder so premeditated and barbarous, that no degree of previous good conduct could palliate his guilt; and that he had attempted the additional heinous crime of throwing the suspicion upon a perfectly innocent person. Notwithstanding this hideous aggravation of guilt, considerable efforts were made to obtain a commutation of the capital sentence; but the Home Secretary refused to interfere, and his course was justified by the written confession made by the murderer before his execution.

25. SALMON-POACHING.-MURDER.-At the Carlisle Assizes, Robert Robinson, blacksmith, 50; William Robinson, blacksmith, 22; and Hugh Earl, blacksmith, 40, were placed at the bar upon the charge of the wilful murder of Edward Atkinson, water-watcher, on the 14th of January last, at Brocklewath.

The homicide for which these persons were now indicted arose out of the Act passed in 1861 (the 24th and 25th Vict.) for protecting the salmon fisheries. The Earl of Carlisle is lord of the manor of Cumwhitton, and has there the manor and the fishery in the river Eden at a place called Brocklewath, a place to which salmon resort very much to spawn. On the 13th of January the deceased, Atkinson, who had been a watcher for a long time, with another watcher called Bowman, a policeman named Cowman, and a labourer named Irwin, went in the direction of Brocklewath for the

purpose of watching during the night. They arrived at Brocklewath about one o'clock in the morning. There is a little island in the river there; and, their object being to conceal themselves, Atkinson took off his stockings and carried first one and then another across the small stream which separated it from the river bank. They concealed themselves among the willows till between 6 and half-past 6 in the morning, when they heard a dog bark in the direction of a house occupied by a farmer named James Milburn, situated about 50 yards from the river side. Waiting for a short time they heard footsteps in the main stream, and presently they saw a man in the river, evidently fishing. They kept quiet, and presently he came nearer to them, and went on fishing by the side of the island. The men went side by side with him for some 20 yards, and then, for some reason or another, he suddenly gave a whistle. Immediately on his doing so, the deceased, Atkinson, jumped into the water and seized him, and then called to Bowman, "Come in, Bob, and help me." Accordingly Bowman went in, and Atkinson said, Put the twitch on him." A twitch is a small handle of wood, with a piece of string attached to it, which is put round the arm and secures a person more effectually. Accordingly Bowman and he were engaged in putting the twitch on when the man said, "There is no occasion to do that; I will go quietly." Cowman was told by Atkinson that he need not come into the water. Immediately afterwards two persons rushed upon the watchers; Cowman (notwithstanding that he announced himself as a police offi

cer) and Bowman were knocked down into the water, and Irwin fell in avoiding a blow-all three had difficulty in escaping from drowning. Bowman was the last who recollected anything about Atkinson. He saw two men close upon him, and one of them, without a stick, had got his arms round him; so that it would appear that the man, instead of going quietly, immediately after his companions came, turned round upon Atkinson. Afterwards he heard heavy blows upon something-whether on Bowwan or Atkinson he could not tell. When Bowman and the policeman recovered their senses and had crawled to land, they saw nothing of their companions, and went away but Irwin afterwards found Atkinson lying by the river side, the upper part of his dress being quite dry, while the lower was saturated with water. He had been struck down, but had not fallen full-length in the water, as the upper part of his body was dry. He had been dragged out of the water for some distance, and left on the shore in a state of insensibility, with his clothes pulled over his face. After a little time Milburn showed himself in one of the fields. Irwin called out and told him there was a man in a bad condition, upon which Milburn got a cart and horse and conveyed him up to his house and placed him upon a sofa. He was attended by a medical man, but he died about 1 o'clock. Close to the place where the poacher had been seized in the water were found a pole and a net, with a salmon in the net; this was probably the reason why the whistle was given. The younger Robinson was clearly identified as one of the assailants. The elder Ro

binson and Earl had made statements which proved that they were the other two.

The defence turned chiefly on that difficult point of law, what is lawful resistance. If they merely went out to poach, and resisted, without preconcert, any sudden attack to apprehend them and death ensued, their crime would be manslaughter; but if they combined to go out poaching and to resist any attempt to apprehend them made by properly-authorized persons, and death ensued, all would be guilty of murder. For the Crown it was argued that the prisoners had so combined; for the prisoners that the common object of all was to fish for salmon, and that there was no evidence to show that they had any commou intent to resist capture at all risks. And indeed it appeared that none of the prisoners were armed with any formidable weapon, while the watchers had “batons," and Atkinson a kind of flail, and had used their weapons pretty freely. Moreover, it appeared that the watchers had not been appointed by the conservators under the Act, and therefore had not the powers conferred by it; their powers were only such as were conferred by the old law. The prisoners were all found guilty of manslaughter; the younger Robinson and Earl were sentenced to 10 years' penal servitude, the elder Robinson to 12 months' imprisonment.

In May some poachers invaded the fishing preserves of Captain Byron at Thrumpton, on the Trent. The keepers coming down upon them in force, two of the gang jumped into the river, with the purpose of swimming or wading across. One of them reached