rnuiurial.
The election at Reigate terminated on Saturday in the return of Sir Henry Rawlinson. He headed the poll all day. At its close, the numbers were—Rawlinson 212, Doniton 116, Monson 95. Mr. Doniton's friends were very much enraged, and showed their temper by preventing Sir Henry Rawlinson from speaking. A protest has been lodged against the election, on the ground that the Speaker had no right to issue a writ during the adjournment of Parliament.
An extraordinary case came before a Magistrate at Clifton on Friday last week. The Reverend Samuel Smith, M.A., Master of the Collegiate School, Clifton, and his wife, were accused of highway robbery and attempted mur- der ; the victim being Mr. Leach, a contractor, of Croydon. Mr. Leach was too ill to attend, and the accused were remanded, but bail was accepted. According to a narrative which has been published, it appears that Mr. Leach courted Mrs. Smith, then Alias Mills, many years ago ; but the cor- respondence was broken off ; Mr. Leach married another lady, and Miss Mills became Mrs. Smith. The last union was not a happy one. Mr. Leach is now a widower. Mrs. Smith wrote to him' that she had lost her husband,, and begged a renewal of his acquaintance ; he doubted this story; she persisted that it was true ; and he consented to meet her at the Bristol station on the evening of the 3d. He went to Bristol at the time appointed; met Mrs. Smith, who was dressed in widow's weeds ; and they took tickets for Yate station : Mr. Smith had watched their movements, and he followed them. Arrived at Yate, Mrs. Smith persisted in going across a common to the house where she said she lived. The stationmaster offered to conduct them to the common, and procured a lantern, with which he lighted them to the point from which they. ould have to cross it. After leaving them, Mrs. Smith became the guide ; but not making any satisfactory progress, Mr. Leach proposed that they should retrace their steps and take the high road. Mrs. Smith, however, said that she was feeling for the hedge, and that as soon as she had found it they would be all right. In a minute or two Mr. Leach heard footsteps, as of a person tracking them ; and he was turning round when Mrs. Smith called to him, saying, " I have lost my way." A man's voice answered, " And I have lost my way " ; immediately upon which Mr. Leach received a desperate blow across the forehead from some heavy instrument, which was followed up by a second across the back of the head. Both blows inflicted severe wounds, from which Mr. Leach bled profusely. The man, who ho is satisfied was Mr. Smith, again struck at him, and a scuffle ensued ; in which Mr. Leach, being an agile man, succeeded in throwing Mr. Smith to the ground. The strug- gle was overheard by two workmen on the Midland Railway, who, suspecting that some one was damaging the railway-fences, hastened to the spot ; where they found Mr. Smith on the ground, and Mr. Leach, whose face and clothes were covered with blood, holding him down. These men pulled Mr. Leach etf, and were told by Mr. Smith that he had been violently assaulted. On being asked to go and give information to the police, Mr. Smith said, "Oh, he is a villain, and I'll have no more to do with him." Mr. Smith and his wife then went away; Mr. Leach gave his version of the story, and was conveyed to the Railway Hotel, late ; and Mr. Lemonsurgeon, was sum- moned with all despatch, and attended and dressed )Jr. Leach's wounds, which were so extensive as to require sewing up. In the mean time, the Smiths had crossed the common and made for the neighbouring village of Wiekwar. On their track were found a widow's cap and a six-barrel revel- ver loaded and capped, near the spot were the struggle took place. At Wickwart Mr. Smith procured a gig, giving his name as Mr. Henry John- son, of "IV Aeon Street, St. Paul's, Bristol; and was driven to Old Market Street. They were shortly afterwards arrested at their own house. On Thursday, the accused were reexamined. The evidence so clearly wade out that Smith was the assailant of Mr. Leach, that Smith's counsel admitted that his client must be committed on a charge of assault, but urged that the wife was not amenable, having acted under her husband's orders. There seems no doubt that, from whatever motive, the Smiths acted in concert in deceiving Leach and drawing him to Bristol. After the murderous assault Smith carried off a parcel of wearing apparel which Leach had with him. Some days before the outrage, Smith bought the revolver which was found on the common : he gave a false name to the shopkeeper. The Magistrates considered Smith and his wife equally liable, and they were both committed on a charge of "feloniously maiming."
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