12. DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD STAR AND GARTER HOTEL, RICHMOND.-The Old Star and Garter Hotel, so long known as a resort of convivial parties from London, was totally destroyed by fire at an early hour this morning. Only three persons were in the building at the time, and so rapidly did the flames spread after the outbreak in the basement had been discovered that Mr. John C. W. Lever, who had assumed the position of manager but a fortnight before, had no time to escape, and was burnt to death.

The fire was first observed by the coachman of Colonel Burdett, late of the 17th Lancers, who resided at Ancaster-house, opposite the hotel, and adjoining the great gates of Richmond Park. He was driving the Misses Burdett home from a party in the neighbourhood, and at a quarter past one o'clock had arrived at his master's house, when he remarked smoke issuing from the areas and beneath the entrance-door of the hotel. He directly called the attention of the Misses Burdett to the fact, and while he was shutting up his horses these ladies, with great presence of mind, regardless of the slender protection their evening dresses afforded, crossed the road and knocked and rang loudly at the door of the new hotel, which was built in 1864, a few yards nearer to Richmond Park, and which, though belonging to the same proprietary, is an entirely distinct building. Having roused the inmates, they returned to their house and called Colonel Burdett, who was just retiring to bed. He immediately directed his butler to ring his alarm-bell and rouse the neighbourhood. By this time Mrs. Bearpark, the housekeeper of the hotel, who, with half-a-dozen female domestics, slept in the new building, had arrived in front of the old hotel, and, in reply to inquiries addressed to her by the only two policemen who had arrived on the spot at the time, she described the persons sleeping in the old building to be Mr. Lever, the manager; Mr. Simpson, his clerk; and George Mingey, the cellarman. Meantime Colonel Burdett had been very active, and with the assistance of his coachman and butler had brought a ladder from his grounds, which arrived most opportunely, and just at the moment when Lever the manager, and Simpson the clerk, presented themselves together at the window of a bedroom on the third floor, calling piteously for aid. Although at this moment the flames had not broken through any of the front windows of the hotel, a dense smoke was escaping from every casement, including those on the third floor, where the two men were imploring help. Unfortunately, the ladder brought from Colonel Burdett's would not reach higher than the second floor, and there appeared imminent probability of both lives being sacrificed. But, happily, Colonel Bull, of the 19th Surrey Volunteers, arrived about this time, and, seeing the difficulty, called out to the inmates to lower themselves, which Simpson immediately did by tying one end of a sheet round the iron flower-basket outside the window, and lowering himself as far as the sheet permitted. There were still some inches between his feet and the top spar of the ladder, when Colonel Bull, with

great daring, mounted the ladder, and, almost hidden by dense volumes of smoke, continued to ascend until he got hold of Simpson's feet, which he steadied on the topmost spar, and thus brought him safely to the ground, to the inexpressible relief of those who had assembled. Simpson was dreadfully cut about the face and neck by coming in contact with the glass windows while swaying to and fro upon his fragile support. He swooned on reaching the ground, and was carried across the road to Colonel Burdett's house, where all needful attention was immediately paid him. It was hoped that Lever would have followed Simpson's example, and have lowered himself, but those present said that while Simpson was hanging from the window they observed Lever suddenly disappear, and the presumption was that he was suffocated by the smoke and fell down insensible. About this time it was discovered that Mingey the cellarman, who slept on the first floor, had contrived to escape through the new coffee-room on the north side of the old hotel, and which was the only portion of the building not entirely destroyed.

The incidents above described occupied only a few minutes, and before the first engine arrived the whole building was in flames from the basement to the roof, lighting up the valley of the Thames, and giving early notice to the surrounding towns of Brentford, Kew, Twickenham, Hounslow, &c., of the work of devastation that was going on. The roof fell in, carrying with it every floor in the building, before two o'clock, and, although the fire continued to burn with great intensity for two hours longer, there was, happily, from the direction of the wind, no danger of the flames extending to the new hotel.

The Richmond engine was the first to arrive, and was followed by several of those from the surrounding towns, conspicuous among which was the Twickenham Volunteer Fire Brigade, with their fine steam-power engine. Altogether, eight engines had arrived before a single drop of water had been obtained, and so great was the heat thrown out by the burning ruins that the green-houses and a large elm-tree in Colonel Burdett's gardens, eighty feet distant across the road, caught fire more than once, and could only be kept cool by constant supplies of water drawn from his private wells. The new hotel had a roof-tank, capable of holding 80,000 gallons of water, but, almost as a matter of course, this tank was not only unavailable, but nearly empty.

About four o'clock a party of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Salvage Corps, headed by Foreman Purkett, arrived from London, but they were unaccompanied by any engines or firemen; and a lamentable want of discipline would have prevailed among the various local fire-brigade corps but for the exertions of Superintendent Butt and Inspector Ayre, of the V division of the Metropolitan Police, who were present, and preserved order as they best could. No additional loss, however, arose from this circumstance. All that was left of the old hotel was an enormous mass of smoul

dering bricks and rubbish several feet below the level of the roadway. The front wall fell early, and very small portions of the rest were standing when the Richmond people rose in the morning.

There was no clear account as to how the fire originated. That it broke out in the basement-the kitchen or cellar-there could be no doubt whatever, because that was the portion of the hotel in which the fire was first discovered. All business in both the old and the new hotels had been recently suspended for the winter season, the few servants retained having been engaged in taking the stock in the cellars, &c., and, no doubt, those portions of the old building had been visited on the previous day. Simpson the clerk stated that he was engaged with Mr. Lever the manager up to midnight in making up his stock-books, and that, having himself turned off the gas at the main in the entrance-hall, they together retired up-stairs to their respective bedrooms-his own on the second floor, and Mr. Lever's on the third floor. He stated he was awoke by a suffocating sensation, and on rising in bed found his room nearly full of smoke. He jumped up, and, putting on his trousers, dipped two towels in the water-jug and wrapped them round his head. Thus prepared, he left his room and groped his way up-stairs to the bedroom of the manager, whom he had great difficulty in rousing. When he told Mr. Lever the house was on fire, the latter replied, half-asleep, "Oh, nonsense; humbug!" and it was only by dint of almost pulling him out of bed that he could be made aware of his danger.

The property destroyed was very heavily insured in the Sun, the Guardian, the Atlas, and the Phoenix Fire-offices, the wine in the cellars of the old hotel alone having been valued at nearly 10,000%.

About five o'clock in the evening, a strong gale sprang up from the westward, and brought down the few outer walls of the old building which had up to that time remained standing.

An immense number of spectators visited the hill during the day.

15. MURDER IN FINSBURY.-About half-past five o'clock a.m. an atrocious murder was committed at Brecker's Hotel, Christopher-street, Finsbury-square, the victim being a young woman. It appeared that four hours before Jacob Spinass, the night-porter at the hotel, was taken into custody for creating a disturbance at a house of ill fame in the City-road, where, according to his own account, he had been robbed of a sum of money. The acting Inspector at the Hoxton Police Station, however, decided not to take the charge, but before he set the prisoner at liberty he advised him to go home, and not to frequent such places in future. Spinass, who was a native of Switzerland, said he would take the advice, and was evidently affected by what had been said to him. He then raised his hat, and went away, leaving on the inspector's mind an impression that he was really of a kind and inoffensive disposition. He got back to the hotel at half-past one, and the door was opened by

Joseph Webber, the junior porter. The latter, seeing that he had been drinking, asked him whether he should do his work for him; but this offer Spinass declined, saying, "No; you go to bed." Webber then went up-stairs. At half-past five o'clock the household was disturbed by the smashing of china, and Mrs. Brecker, on descending to the basement, where Spinass's room was situate, and whence the noise proceeded, met him on the stairs. His manner was wild, and he repeatedly said, in German, that "the devil was down-stairs." Mrs. Brecker called for assistance, and Webber came down. It was then discovered that the dead body of a woman was lying near the scullery-door in a pool of blood. One side of the head and face was so completely disfigured as to render identification nearly impossible. Her dress was extremely shabby. From the appearance of the room it was manifest that there had been a violent struggle. The windows were broken, the furniture was disordered, and the bed and the walls were bespattered with blood. Pieces of a wine bottle, many of which had flesh and hair clinging to them, were found in the bed. A heavy candlestick, bent at the bottom, was standing on the table. Spinass, who did not leave the house, was given into custody; and in answer to the charge said he was attacked in his room by several men, among whom was the devil, whom he struck at with the candlestick. They then disappeared; and as soon as they were gone he saw a dead woman on the floor. He was then taken into custody.

The body of the murdered woman was subsequently identified by Eliza Ward, Bridget Martin, and Mary Ann Morton, who said that they lived at a common lodging-house in Flower and Deanstreet, Spitalfields, and who applied to Inspector Fife, at the Oldstreet Police Station, for permission to view it. They said that a female friend of theirs was missing, and that the reports in the newspapers led them to fear that she was the victim. Inspector Fife accordingly had them conducted to the dead-house. The features of the deceased were so disfigured as to be unrecognizable, but her identity was placed beyond doubt by her dress, which had been given to her by Bridget Martin a few weeks before. The latter also said that her friend had dark hair, light blue eyes, and a fair complexion. The deceased answered to this description. It was then stated that up to the night of the 14th she lived with Ward, Martin, and Morton, at a lodging-house in Flower and Dean-street. She had recently completed her thirtieth year, but looked much younger. Her name had been never ascertained. She was known among her acquaintances as "Sissy." For the last two years she had been constantly seen in the neighbourhood of Finsbury-square. Apparently she had no relatives living. In the evening of the 14th, about nine o'clock, she left Flower and Dean-street. The identity of the deceased was further established, two hours afterwards, by Mary Anne Grange, who said that she had lent the deceased the boots which she had on when the murder was discovered. A post mortem examination of the body was made on the afternoon of the 16th.

Jacob Spinass the prisoner came from Switzerland. His age was twenty-three. On the 12th of April, 1868, he arrived in England, and six days afterwards obtained employment at the hotel where the murder was committed. In the summer he acted as a commission agent or courier at a house in Cavendish-square. During the winter he was out of a situation. In January, 1869, however, he got some work at an hotel in Percy-street, Tottenham Court-road. About the following Easter he returned to Mr. Brecker's establishment.

Spinass was tried for murder at the Central Criminal Court on the 2nd of March, and sentenced to death, but was subsequently reprieved.

17. SHOCKING MURDER OF A GAMEKEEPER IN SUFFOLK.—An inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of John Hight, a young gamekeeper, murdered on the estate of the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, at Eriswell, Suffolk, was concluded before Mr. G. A. Partridge, the local coroner, and resulted in the committal of two men for trial. The facts of this barbarous murder were as follows::

On the 31st December, 1869, Hight was seen to enter a plantation in which a shot had just previously been heard, and was never again seen alive. When he left home he intimated his intention of being back by six o'clock, and as he did not return during the night his friends became alarmed; the police were communicated with, and a party set out in search for him. Nothing could be seen or heard of him until the morning of the 2nd of January this year, when his dead body was found concealed among some furze about 100 yards from the plantation. He had evidently been brutally murdered, having on his head four wounds inflicted by blows with some heavy instrument which completely smashed his skull. Marks of blood (which an attempt had been made to obliterate) found in the plantation led to the conclusion that the unfortunate man was murdered there, doubtless by poachers who were heard shooting early in the afternoon, and that they returned later in the evening and concealed their victim in the spot where his body was found. Two poachers, named Rutterford and Heffer, were seen by a policeman coming across a turnip-field in the direction from the furze cover where the body was concealed, and from one of them (Rutterford) a gun was taken, upon which were subsequently found marks of blood and human hair. Each barrel too was found to contain a full charge of powder, but there were very few shot in either barrel, and the paper which had been used instead of wadding had by some means got some way up the barrel, tending to the belief that the gun had been used violently and the shot shaken out. A further examination of the ground at the spot where the fatal struggle occurred resulted in the finding of a considerable quantity of shot corresponding precisely with the few that were left in the gun. The case, however, did not rest upon circumstantial evidence alone. The prisoners were brought up for examination before the magistrates at Mildenhall on the 7th, when, in the course of a very long exami