conclusion of the contract of service with him. They
showed that Mr. Gye and Miss Wagner had been on
intimate terms previously. None of the Judges were
prepared to say that the verdict of the jury was
unreasonable. The jury believed Mr. Gye when he deposed
that he did not know that the contract between Mr.
Lumley and Miss Wagner subsisted. Miss Wagner said
she was free; and if Mr. Gye believed that, the jury
were right in their verdict. The rule, accordingly, was
discharged.

On the 6th inst. the small town of Crowland, in
Lincolnshire, was the scene of a Dreadful Murder. Mr.
Hickling, a farmer residing in South street, has been
twice married, and a daughter by his first wife was
married to a tradesman of the town, named Joseph Baines,
tailor and draper. On the above morning, about ten
o'clock, a woman named Rowlett, who lived opposite
the Hicklings' residence, saw Baines go in alone,
opening the street door himself, and shutting it after his
entrance. In the course of a few minutes, Mrs. Hick-
ling rushed out screaming "Murder!" closely followed
by Baines, with a poker in his hand. A few yards from
the door of the house she fell to the ground; and while
thus prostrate, with her face downwards, she was struck
a violent blow on the head by Baines, who seemed
much excited, holding the poker with both hands, and
striking blow upon blow, apparently with all his force.
The woman Rowlett immediately cried out, "Oh! Mr.
Baines, what are you going to do?" and a shoemaker,
named Ringrose, hurried to Mrs. Hickling's assistance;
the latter was then quite senseless, and, indeed, never
spoke after the assault. On Ringrose's interference,
Baines threw down the poker, and ran away, but when
he had gone a few yards he returned, took up the poker,
and made another blow at the deceased. After this he
ran off a second time, and was followed by Ringrose,
who, however, was afraid to seize him, as he looked very
wild. He did not speak a word during or after the
murderous attack, and no evidence was adduced before
the coroner explanatory of the motives impelling him
to the dreadful deed. The woman had her arms broken
in two places, and her skull was completely fractured,
several portions of bone being driven also into the brain.
The above facts were deposed to by various witnesses at
the inquest. The evidence of one of the constables who
arrested Baines showed that he was alternately much
excited and depressed at the time and after his arrest.
He cried, said he "could not rest night or day,"
wished the constable to "pray for him," and often put
his hand to his head, saying, "Oh, my poor head! Oh,
my poor mind!" Presently he began walking sharply
round the room, and then, complaining that the air was
oppressive, he went to the window with the intention
of opening it, and, but for the constable, would, it is
believed, have thrown himself out. He seemed very
unwilling to be left alone in his cell. The coroner said
the evidence was clear; and the jury immediately
returned a verdict of wilful murder against Joseph
Baines.

The police reports contain Eight Cases of Cruelty
to Women brought forward in one day. Five of them
were heard at Guildhall, and three at the Thames
Police-office. G. Verogo, aged twenty-one, was charged
with assaulting a young woman, the mother of his
illegitimate child. He struck her on the face, and then
kicked her in the stomach. He was sent to prison for
six months with hard labour. T. Miller was charged
with assaulting his wife. The officer who took the
prisoner into custody said that he was more like a
madman than a rational being. The woman had borne him
two children, and was pregnant with a third. She had
a summons against him for a previous assault. He had
some time back been in prison for three months for a
similar offence. The magistrate said that as three months
had not been sufficient to check the prisoner's propensities,
he should now be committed for six months. M.
Noble was committed for two months for assaulting his
sister. W. Creed was charged with assaulting his wife,
but she was not there to press the charge. The officer
who took the prisoner into custody deposed to the
frightful nature of the assault. Creed was remanded
for a week, until his wife, who was spirited away by her
husband's relations, could be found. W. Maynard was
charged with a similar offence, and was remanded for a
similar reason. P. Silver, a seaman, was sentenced to
two months' imprisonment and hard labour for an
unprovoked assault upon Amelia Hunt. G. Beele received
the same sentence for a similar assault upon Johanna
Fitzsimmons. G. Buck was sentenced to the same term
of imprisonment for assaulting Jane, his wife.

A fearful crime has been perpetrated at Esher: a
woman has Murdered her Six Children, and then
attempted Suicide. George Brough, formerly in the
service of Prince Leopold, and now keeper of the ponds
and park at Claremont, lived at West End with his
wife and six children. They had been married many
years; but latterly Mr. Brough suspected that his wife
made assignations in London, and at last, by means of
detection which he adopted, traced her to a public-house
with a male companion. Under the feelings which this
discovery induced, he resolved to separate from his
faithless wife, and left his home. On the morning of
Saturday the 10th inst., Henry Woolgar, a labourer in
Claremont gardens, was passing Mr. Brough's cottage,
and saw a pillow stained with blood hanging out of the
window. Another person came up, and they rang the
bell violently; no one answered it, but they thought
some one moved, and presently a woman waved a towel.
Seeing this, Woolgar got a ladder and mounted to the
window, and saw Mrs. Brough coming up the staircase
with her hair hanging down and her body all over blood.
"As she reached the top," he said, in his evidence
before the Coroner, "she turned towards the window,
and I saw a wound in her throat, and she made a
whistling noise." Woolgar slipped down the ladder
and went for a surgeon, while a neighbour entered the
house by the window. He saw Mrs. Brough in one
room with her throat cut, and a little baby lying in bed
with its throat cut. Going from room to room, he found
the other five children murdered in the same way. Mr.
Bedser, the parish constable, and Mr. Biddlecombe, the
superintendent of police, gave similar evidence. They
entered by the front door, which Mrs. Brough had
crawled down stairs to open. The wretched woman,
after her wound had been dressed, voluntarily gave to
Mr. Biddlecombe a frightful account of the deeds she
had done. "On Friday last I was bad all day; I
wanted to see Mr. Izod, and waited all day. I wanted
him to give me some medicine. In the evening I walked
about, and afterwards put the children to bed, and
wanted to go to sleep in a chair. About nine o'clock
Georgy kept calling to me to come to bed. I came up
to bed; and they kept calling me to bring them some
barley-water, and kept calling till near twelve o'clock.
I had one candle lit on the chair. I went and got
another, but could not see; there was something like
a cloud, and I thought I would go down and get a knife
and cut my own throat, but could not see. I groped
about in master's room for a razor. I could not find
one. At last I found his keys, and then found his razor.
I went to Georgy, and cut her first; I did not look at
her. I then came to Carry, and cut her. Then to
Henry: he said, 'Don't, mother;' I said, 'I must,' and
did cut him. Then I went to Bill: he was fast asleep;
I turned him over; he never woke; I served him the
same. I nearly tumbled into this room. The two
children here, Harriet and George, were awake: he
made no resistance at all; Harriet struggled very much,
and gurgled. I then laid down and did myself. I can't
tell what occurred for some time after that, as I found
myself weak and lying on the floor. That nasty great
and black cloud was gone then. I was thirsty, and got
the water-bottle and drank. I fell in a sitting position;
got up, and saw the children, and it all came to me
again. I wanted to call, but could not speak. I went
to the window and put something out to call attention.
I went to bed, and remained there till the bell rang.
They made such a noise. I crawled on my hands and
knees, but could not make them hear. It was Henry
Woolgar. I went down to unbolt the door. There was
only one bolt fastened, and that I undid. That is all I
know. They can tell the rest. It was not quite daylight
when I put the signal out. It is possible I might
have said something more to the other officer. If I
have, he can tell you." The Jury returned a verdict
of wilful murder against the mother. Mrs. Brough