The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-10-08 00:00:00

TYNE.

The whole of Newcastle wan on Tuesday thrown into
a state of the greatest excitement by • report, which ran
LI. rough it like wildfire, to the effect that Mr. Mark
Fester, the well-known and much-ri.sipected collector of
Income-tax, had been barbarously murdered as ho was
proceeding to his office in Illackett-streek The facts of
the case are as follows :—Mr. Prater has for some time
past been the proprietor of the omnibus which now runs
regularly between the Monument and Bulinen's Village;
he was in the habit of riding to and from business upon
it. Ile left his residence at itulman's Village by it at
nine o'clock on Tuesday morning, lie got out opposite
Dr. Nesham's residence, in Northumberland-street,
about half-pant nine. Seeing that the 'bus reyaired
some repairs, he turned to the conductor, and gave him
some trivial ordere respecting it, and then at 'once
turned away to his office, which was the first or owner
house in Illackett-street, above the shop of a hair-
dresser. As he reached the door he met a friend, and
stood a few momenta talking to him. Just as be was
going into the home a man ran up to him with • long
bright knife in his hand, and, before lie could escape or
take any precaotions whatever fur his safety, the
adeassin thrust the deadly weapon, with great violence,
into his face. The blade touched the right °heck near
the mouth, then, amities off from the bone, plunged
Into the neck, where it severed the jugular vein. The
unhappy victim of this diabolical deed did not seem at
first to comprehend the fatal nature of his injuries. He
walked upstairs to his room, when ho soddenly ex-
claimed, ' I fear Imu done for," or words of a similar
nature and fell upon the ground, and in a few minutes
expired. Medical attendance was at once sought for,
and in a few minutes Doctors Rayne, Liddle, and
Lightfoot were upon the spot, but life was quite extinct,
• great quantity of blood having flowed from the fright-
ful wounds indicted upon the neck. The murderer
was at ones scoured and taken into custody. He
proved to be a man named George Clark, 45 years of
age, • cabinet-maker, who fonuerly carried on Lusineas
for himself in Nicholu-square, but lie haa latterly been
working for Mr. Elston, in Pilgrim-street. The knife
with which the fatal deed was committed was found on
116 person. It is a common table-knife, hut it has
recently been ground down to a very sharp point; it
is also rather jagged at the sides, so that it is a most
formidable weapon. Upon being wired, Clark ex-
claimed, " lie sold mo off, and now I'll be tried fur
inn tier," and, • few uponeuta afterwards, lie said,
" This will be • grind business for the papers." On
inquiry we find that sonic three months ago • seizure
liad been made upon Clerk's premises, under Mr.
Frater's direction, for a dog tax, which he would not
In)'. lie seems ever since to have cherished a feeling
of deadly revenge, and, if we may believe in the re-
ports which have reached us, he has often given espies-
' to the saint/. Tin, police-court at the Manors was
craiimmied to excess on Tuesday iimrning, iii auticipation
of the case cooling on. Shortly before twelve, the
prisoner, a middle-aged man, meanly dressed, and of a
very morose and sullen appearance, was put in the
dock. He did not seem to be in the least degree agi-
tated or excited by the events of the morning, hut
wore a most composed, though scowling aspect. Ilia
hand was still stained with ilia blood which only • few
hours before he had rhod. Mr. fiebhage, addressing the
magistrates, said " The prisoner is charged with
causing the death of Mark Pieter, this morning, about
balf-past nine. in Blackett-street, by stabbing him
in the neck with • knife. I apply for a remand
for a week." The presiding magistrates, A.
and It. Dodds, Esqrs., at once remanded Clark
Er a week, and he was relUOrti from the Court. w hen
arrested he was searched, and • document relating to
the seizure of his goods, above referred to, was found
upon him. Mr. &Abilene charged him with the offence)
is the station-hoe ie,when he said," Ile robbed nil, and
I don't see why I should not rob hits. I won't keep
two governments, but I'll support the Union." What
the latter sentence meant it is bard to say. At present,
however, tbere seems to be no ground for suspecting
the sanity of the prisoner; though it is rumoured that
be was at one time iomewhai of a inonomanine. Great
excitement prevails ill thu neighbourhood in which this
moat sad affair oceured, and srowds bare visited the
scene of the tragedy. The deceased leaves a widow and
a family of three persons--a aon by a former wife, and
two daughters by the prssnt Mrs. Prater. The sad W-
IWI/pew al bilt hsb.aes ôlslk Vu imwassialtei

this lady by an Inland Revenue officer ; and It has sines
transpired that the deceased and Mrs. Triter have been
apprehensive of receiving some violence at the hands of
Clark, but it is scarcely probable that either of them
contemplated the fearful extent to which this violence
has been carried.—A correspondent to the Morning
Star adds :—For some thne lie has ben the peweemer
of • dog, of which he was very fond, and ho was in the
I repeated habit of backing it to fight with other dogs.
I Malty of these matches took place in his own house,
and the consequence was that the neighbours complained
to the police of the nuisance. They thought that the
casket way to put it down would be to compel prisoner
to pay the dog tax. Clark, however, informed him that
he could not pay it, and peeing that he was a very poor
man, Mr. Fester, who was always distinguished for Ids
humanity and generosity, as well as for his courteous
and obliging disposition, actually paid the sum due out
of his own rocket. At the same time, however, he in-
formed Clark that unless be got rid of the dog before
the next half-year's tax was due, he would certainly
have to pay it. Clark would noticlo this, however, and
therefore, in May last, Mr. Frater was compelled to
noise POMO of his tools for the 6s. which he then owed.
Whilst a few weeks ago when he happened to be in the
poi doing mine work, he told one of the officials that
he would soon be buried there. Although in appearance
he is possessed of little muscular 'strength, his neigh-
bours in fit. Michael's Church-yard, in which he lived,
were always afraid of him sea most violent and deter-
mined man, and he had previously been guilty of some
most violent assaults upon those who had offended him.
The prisoner Um k was brought up on Wednesday
night, Wore the coroner, Mr. J. T. Hoyle, and after
a lengthened examination the jury retired, but were
ouly absent ten minutes. Upon their return they
announced that they found George Clerk guilty of
wilful murder. The prisoner heart the verdict with
unmet:ern. The only effect the declaration against hins
seemed to have was evinced by a alight fivah on his
hitherto pallid cheeks and a nervous compression of the
lips. Ho was afterwards removed from the dock and
the court was cleared.

A FIT= Mcarrint.—A murder of • railway points-
man is suspected to have taken place near Macclesfield.
The unfortunate inan was found lying across the nails on
Sunday morning, and he died on Monday. Before his
death he stated that • number of poachers, imagining
him to ho • polioetnan. had beat him severely with
sticks.—The evidence adduced at the inquest opened on
Wednesday, at Macclesfield, on the body of Peter Hill,
the 'white:flan, who was found on Sunday morning in
a state of insensibility in • cutting near the Musa Rose,
about a mile from the Macclesfield Station, diveloees one
of the most diabolical outrages on record. Mr. Bland,
surgeon, showed that the injuries under which the
deceased sank could not have been caused by the buffer
or any part of a railway engine. The supposition that
the unfortunate man received the injury by being
knocked down by • luggage train therefore falls to the
ground. The account he gave of the affair was that he
met some poachers on the line, and ordered them off,
that they set upon him with sticks, and kicked him till
he fell insensible to the ground: The general opinion of
the jury seemed to be that the poachers had first de-
! priced the deceased of capaciousness, and then laid him
1 scrum the rails, so that the nest train that
either up or down might finish their horrible eife747411.
, Traces of the feet of 'secret men and dogs, disposed so
1 as to leave no doubt that a scuffle had taken place near
1 the spot, were discovered early on the following morn-
ing. Had not the unfortunate man's cries for help
attracted attention lie must inevitably have been cut to
pieces by the next train. He seemed to have lain in
the spot where he was found (across the rails) a con-
siderable time, as the affray was said to have taken
place wines bore towards two or three o'clock, and it
was about six o'clock when he was found. The inquest
has been adjourned in order to afford the police time,
If possible, to apprehend the guilty parties, and like-
wise to gain some further information as to lliU's
whereabouts between the hours of twelve o'clock on
Saturday night and two o'clock on Sunday morning.