Extracts from 4 issues

Issue of March 25 1865

On Sunday a fire occurred at the Jute and Seed Stores at the East India Docks at Blackwall, destroying property valued at £30,000.

Issue of 1 April 1865

The swindler, John Morgan, who played such a clever trick at Shrewsbury a short time ago, was tried at the Assize in that City, yesterday week. It will be remembered that he professed to be a detective and took Mr Charles Ashworth of Manchester into custody on a charge of having robbed a hotel in Carmarthen. He succeeded in hoodwinking the magistrates in Shrewsbury and got off with a quantity of Mr Ashwood's property of which he had taken possession. The defence was that the whole affair was got up for a wager to obtain possession of a ring which had been given by a lady to Mr Ashworth. The jury did not credit the defence but found the prisoner guilty and he was sentenced to 7 years penal servitude.

William Archer Jenner, a town councillor of Salford and a man of wealth, convicted of perjury, was on Thursday week at the Manchester Assizes sentenced to imprisonment for 18 calendar months with hard labour.

A dreadful accident arising from an incautious use of gunpowder occurred at Marske near Redcar on Sunday night. One man named Holmes was killed and three of his children were so frightfully burned that there was no hope of their recovery.

The convict Hamilton, who was sentenced to death at the late Manchester Assizes, has been respited. Stephen Burke was executed at Lancaster on Saturday for the murder of his wife at Preston on January 1st.

Issue of 8 April 1865

An old man names Isaac Skilden, who died in Bethlem Hospital on Saturday last, had been an inmate of the hospital for 60 years. He was admitted on July 20 1804 at the age of 29 when the hospital was situated in Moorfields and removed in 1815 to the present buildings in Southwark.

Issue of 19 August 1865

A curious bill transaction was tried at the Surrey Assizes on Monday. Mr Hopkinson sued Mr Saltmarsh on a bill of exchange which the defendant refused to pay because, he said, his signature to it had been obtained by threats of violence when he was mobbed by a number of fighting men on the Brighton Race Course who threatened if he did not sign it they would throw him into the sea. It did not appear, however, that the holder of the bill knew of the way in which it had been obtained and the jury returned a verdict in his favour.

Two more actions against railway companies were tried on Thursday week at the Manchester Assizes. Mr Davenport, manufacturer, Macclesfield, who was severely injured in a collision in Stockport on the London & North Western company's lines was awarded 1250 pounds compensation and Mrs Herbert, wife of a painter, obtained a verdict of 590 pounds for an accident on the Manchester & Altrincham Railway. At the Leeds Assizes yesterday week a man named Horton recovered 1200 pounds damages from the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Company for injuries sustained by being run over at Hipperholme.

John Thomas Glass, who shot one of Colonel Berkeley's messengers on the polling day at Cheltenham, was tried on Monday at Gloucester Assizes. The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter and the sentence was 15 years penal servitude.

Southey, shortly after having killed three children at Starr's Coffee House, London, proceeded to Ramsgate where, some years ago, he had left behind, deserted his wife and children. He was known by the name of Stephen Forward, which, in fact, seems to be his real name. 
At what precise time he went to Ramsgate does not appear but on Wednesday he found out his wife and daughter there and had an interview with them in the house of Mr Ellis a dyer in King Street. 
On Thursday morning he was again allowed to see them and while the interview continued Mr Ellis heard two rapidly succeeding reports of firearms. Rushing upstairs he found wife and daughter shot dead. The murderer at once gave himself up stating that he was also the murderer of the three children in London. 
The prisoner is a man who has long been at war with society. His history shows a strange combination of morbidity and hypocrisy. Of late years he appears to have followed gambling as a means of livelihood, to have frequented the watering places where he came in contact with many gentlemen of position at the billard table. Among them was the honourable Dudley Ward from whom Southey asserts that he won 1100 pounds at billiards. Southey called on the Earl of Dudley and represented the matter to him but his lordship refused to pay the claim. 
Mrs White, the woman who lived with Southey, then called upon the earl and was so pertinaceous that she had to be removed with some force. A summons by Southey against the earl was the result, which was dismissed. Since that time the man has more than once figured in the police reports and has lived by betting, gambling and begging. Earl Russell on one occasion sent him 5 pounds after learning that he was nearly starving. 
The inquest was held yesterday week upon the bodies of the murdered woman and girl and a verdict of wilful murder was brought against Southey alias Forward, who was thereupon committed for trial upon the coroner's warrant. On Saturday he was finally examined before the magistrates at Ramsgate and committed to Sandwich Gaol for trial on the charge of having murdered his wife and daughter. He conducted himself with violence of manner during the examination and spoke loudly of the interests of justice that were being violated in his case.

The capital sentence in the case of Thomas Cockcroft convicted at the Leeds Assizes of the murder of his sister by blows and kicks arising out of a quarrel between them has been commuted to penal servitude for life on the recommendation of the presiding judge who has expressed to the Secretary of State, his concurrence in the recommendation of the convict to mercy, by the jury.

The Championship of the Thames The skulling match between Henry Kelley of The Bells Tavern, Putney and Robert Chambers of Newcastle on Tyne for the championship of the Thames and 200 pounds a side was decided as our readers know, on Tuesday week, when we gave an account of the race which took place about 3 in the afternoon, the course being from Putney to Mortlake, the distance performed by them in little more than 23 minutes against the wind. Our illustration gives a view of the boats passing Crabtree Tavern which is situated on the Middlesex shore half a mile below Hammersmith Bridge. 
Kelley, who finally proved the winner, as we need scarcely repeat, coming in 5 lengths ahead of Chambers at the goal is shown well before him at the moment when this sketch was taken. It may be remembered that he rowed against Chambers, a heavier man, six years ago and was defeated on that occasion. He is the son of a famous waterman, John Kelley of Putney, and is aged 34 years of age.

The inquest on the three children who were found dead last week at Starr's Coffee House, Red Lion Street, Holborn, was resumed on Tuesday when the medical evidence showed that they had been poisoned with Prussic Acid. Some other strong smelling drugs were sprinkled on the floor apparently to disguise the smell of the Prussic Acid. The enquiry was again adjourned in order that, if possible, the murderer might be brought before th jury and identified. Southey, the murderer, is not, it appears, their father but had been living with their mother who was the wife of Mr White, a schoolmaster living near the scene of the murder. Indeed he was one of the first persons attracted to the coffee house and by his recognizing the children the identity of the murderer was at once surmised. It is believed that Mrs White, the mother of the three children, sailed, some weeks back, for Australia. The children have been buried at th expense of Mr White. As will be seen in our country news, Southey has subsequently killed two other persons, his wife and daughter at Ramsgate.

At Guildhall Police Court yesterday week Samuel Seamans, a jobbing butcher of Halesworthen, Suffolk, was charged by Mr Alderman Challice for sending to Aldgate market on 22nd last month 200 lbs of meat well knowing the same to be unfit for human food. The events were established by the evidence of Mr Wylde, Inspector of Meat, Mr Cole, farmer and Mr Tennant, cattle dealer of Burnfield, Norfolk and partly by the admissions of the defendant himself who, bail for his appearance not forthcoming, was committed to Newgate for trial. The trial took place on Tuesday and the jury acquitted the prisoner. 
At the same time last Saturday Charles Austin, Senior and Charles Austin, junior, cowkeepers of Peckham Rye appeared before the presiding alderman charged at the instance of the Commissions of Sewers with having sent to Newgate market a quantity of beef diseased and unfit for the use of man. They were convicted and fined 10 pounds a piece with the alternative of 3 months imprisonment but they paid the fine.

Benjamin Taylor and Henry Kelly were again brought up at the Mansion House yesterday week charged with conspiring to defraud the Birmingham Banking Company. The conspiracy consisted of a plan of which bills drawn on imaginary firms were presented at the bank for discount. Several witnesses were examined and the prisoners were remanded.

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Last updated 06 February 2004