The investigations of the railway authorities and police in connection
with the railway wrecking outrages last month are beginning at last to bear fruit. A working man, formerly em- ployed on the railway, was brought up before the Northampton divisional Magistrates on Tuesday charged with placing ob- structions on the line near Northampton on September 7th and 8th. The attempt of the former date was a peculiarly deadly one, four obstacles, including a railway chair weighing &I lb., having been placed on the rails, so as to intercept the Birmingham express at a spot on an embankment 17 ft. high. The train was crowded with passengers, and the engine was within an ace of being thrown off the line. A mass of circumstantial evidence was brought forward against the prisoner, who had been originally arrested on charges of theft, and who now reserved his defence. The arrest will undoubtedly tend to allay public anxiety. But we cannot help expressing surprise that the offence with which the prisoner is charged should not be that of attempted murder. If the Statute-book renders this impossible, then steps should be taken without delay to alter the law.
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