not to be serious. A third accident of the week occurred at a late hour on the night of Dec. 26th, and was attended with more serious consequences. While conveying a party to or from the Christmas Ball, a fly was suddenly brought to a standstill through the fore-feet of the horse getting into contact with a man of gentlemanly exterior lying across the road. He was, as soon as possible, taken to the Infirmary and a doctor sent for.
[The foregoing accounts have been summarised from the St. Leonards Gazette, for which the said journal is responsible, but not for the accidents please!]
Murder of a Hastings Gaoler
Early on Monday morning, the tenth of March, the whole borough became sorrowfully excited on learning that Mr. James Wellerd, the greatly respected gaoler had been murdered. The said gaoler was about 70 years of age and resided on the premises with his son and his son's wife, the last-named being the matron. Wellerd had held the situation about 14 years, was extremely humane, was well connected and bore an excellent character for integrity and veracity. About a fortnight before the murder, two men and a boy were taken into custody for picking pockets. One of the men was discharged, but the other man, known as John Murdock (whose real name was William) and the boy, named George Wright, were committed for trial at the next quarter sessions. These two were placed in the gaol to await their trial. From the evidence given at the inquest it appeared that the two prisoners occupied the same cell in the day time, but were separated at night. On the morning of the murder the gaoler unlocked the cells as usual, which were on the second floor, and having done that, the prisoners followed him down stairs. The matron then hearing the bottom door bang; which was very unusual, looked out of her bedroom door and saw that the day-cell was open and the door of the gaoler's room shut. She heard a gurgling noise as if someone was being strangled. She then went back to her own room, bolted the door inside and ran to the window. On opening it, she saw the prisoners going from the gaoler's room into the yard and to the coal-house. She called out for the police, and the prisoners then ran back and locked the door and locked the door at the bottom of the stairs. They returned to the yard, when Murdock got on to the coal-house and pulled Wright up after him; but the latter jumped down again, and ran about the yar crying, saying "We have killed the man! Oh dear! It will all be laid to me!" The matron called out to Wright to unlock the door, and when he had done so, she saw the gaoler lying on his back close to the door, with his eyes starting from their sockets, and a little blood flowing from his mouth. His pockets were turned inside out, and he appeared to be quite dead. Mrs. Wellard then opened the outer door, let in assistance and sent for surgeon Ticehurst. Among the persons who were let in was Richard Coote, a powerful brewer's drayman, who had had his attention drawn towards the gaol through a runaway horse, when he saw a man jump off the wall and run in the direction of Breed's yard. He (Coote) was standing about 60 or 70 yards from the gaol at the time, but the prisoner was away before he could-
