The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-03-04 00:00:00

SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT LEICESTER.

A shocking occurrence took place at I eicester at a
late hour fact Saturday night. It appear" that at
about ten inintees bet. re twelve o'clock on that night
a young man named William Bentord, 29 years of age,
wile !mein; out of Liumberttone-gate into Ctarence.
street, accompaded by two young women, named
S ash Holes am! Itlwy Jane li watt, and home-
dint. ly alter having tented the corner of the iteeet the
Party met a young man named Jonathan Borrows, a
hutch. r, in Imaineis with li. father in Belgreve.gate
in the town. Borrows, who WAS a perfect 'granger to
Bentord and his companions, at or cu meted w on him
with an op m clasp knife in his hand, the dale of wilidel
he plunged into his left breast. (Jet the krilfe beioa
withdrawn, Benferdput his bond to the wound in a vain
ft .e ea to stop the c fl eve of blood, and exclaimed,
" 0 dear, lam stabbed.' The screamed the women imn
in diately attracted aerowd of pereons, as the unmermie
pubic homes in the neigbotirboad were just on the
point of closing. On the crowd anemia g, Barrows
struck out tight and left with his open knits, stabbing
four other p-'ro'ne Me re he was eccured. On Saturday
night there is al waye a nun3eroua force of police &Emu
in that part • f the town which is it anewhet mai-Thew
f assemblages of dies:drily persons. On this coca.
sion Police-coinitable Newell was on duty hard by, and
at once attempt..! to accure the man Barrows. He was
immediately j tined by Police-constable Pemberton,
who seized Borrows aim, while Newell took the knife
from his hand. An inepector tt en appeared on the
scene; but i he three .111 cc were unable, in con-
sequence of the violent conduct of the prisoner, to take
Min into cnstorly without hail er assistance.
At length, with both hands handcuffed, he was carried
by his lUTII3 and legs to the police-station. Amongst
the crowd who followed wan a brother of the prieoner,
to whom the prisoner In quently called out "Knife
em; uhy don't you knife 'em."
While the prisoner was being conveyed to the police.
stati.n, the potions collected where the tragely took
place attended to the input-el persons. Tae trot man
whom prisoner attacked, William lienford, was carried
to a neigh hourieg surgery, but the wound was of ouch
a dreadful nature that the unfortunate man wan nage
unconscious, and diod in a 'platter of an how. Another
of the injured pertona—a young woman named Eliza-
bet h Wye—was conveyed to another surgery, and was
fonad to be buffering hem a very severe wound in the
back, end was remote d to her lodgini s, a 'short distance
off, and there attended hy a medical mar. Tee knife
lea-1 penetrated her cloak, dress, and stays, and in-
flect. el such a 'revere wound in her back that her life
was
.pronounced to be in imminent daeger. Her
friends were unable to leave her bedside the
whole of the night, and very little hopes were
entertaintd of her recovery. A young man, named
Howes, WAS also stabbed in the back and severely cut
actors several fingers. A ye nth named Glover received
a desperate cut on the right arm. A man named
Barnard was alto attacked by Barrows, but with con-
siderable pretence of id, d struck his assailant a violent
blow in the mouth, under which he leceiled, and in
that way leosened the force of the blow which Barrows
aimed at him with the knife. The knife, cotwith-
ietending, pawed through Bornard'a cl.ithee, and in.
fl Med a elieht weund in the loft side. In the cite of
Eta ibeth Wye, the medical gentleman in attendance
(tin her expressed his conviction that tad it not been
for the clays the wire she most hove been killed
instantly.
- • •

AR may be imagined, the ahocking eccurrence crested
a painful sensation thr, u;hout he town, the friends of
the to boner occ,ipvieg a very respectable position. It
shoii d be addtd that at the time he coratnlCed the
dreadful crime be was much exciied eith drink.

Oa Monday, the prisnner wee taken before the
maiderater, bat, he appeared wholly unrcovt.l by the
ser,ons poeit,on be occupied. lie was committed for
Wel at the Oa Ill.!.

A FATAL WAGER.— Two inquelte were held on
&anvil, at Ramsbottaro, near Bury. The first in-
quiry WAS respecting tie &Alt of a maotcr tailor
named Livesey, who was drowned theomh falling into
a mill-lodge on Friday arternoon, while in a state of
intoxication. The verdict in that case writ " Accis
dental Death. ' The etyma ingoest was indirec'ly
connected with the foregoing. The deceised, a yourg
man named Emery, was boaetirg in a beenhouse, ell
Friday at ternocq, that he would have gone into the
water to seek Mr. Livetey had the people not pre-
vented him. A lobourer named Creenhalgh offered to
bet him two shillings that he could not Mill] across a
lodge, and the bet WAS aoesidtd, a bystander being
appointed "'lrene." All three were the worse for
driok, and tjeey at once proceeded to a sheet of water
keowo as "Dovln Hole Lodge." D:ceased at once
stripped and plunged in, I ut. when ),t wax about two.
thirds of the way across he souk. Toe ref,rse and his
friend west away, and toe body was not recovered for
an hour or two afterwards. The Coroner s Lid that it
conid he erii.e within his province to Boni the persons
who hail eided nod ahetted in the comad,iou of to
ra-h and foolish an act for tral. on a chars- of main
asught r. The jory returned • verdict "That the
&ceased was accidentally drowned while swimming
for a wager, being intoxicated at the time.'