The Express.
London, England, 1862-12-09 00:00:00

GROSS ATTEMPT TO MURDER.

A penal servitudeconWct, named Ed ward Parlor, de-
scribed in the calendar as 17 ears of age, but apparently a
mast desperate young b was indicted for felo-
nioualy stabbing and wounding Charles Clarke, with intent
to kill and murder him, at Carisbiook, on the sth of July
last.

Mr. H. T. Cole appeared for the prosecution ; the pri-
soner was undefended.
The facts of the case were briefly these. The prisoner
was, on the day stated, serving hie time as • convict in the
probationary ward of the Parkhurst Prison, Isle of Wight.
The prosecutor was one of the chief warders of the prison,
and on that day be was going to visit some sick patients in
the infirmary, when he had to per by the staircase leading
to the chapeL At that place the prisoner was engaged in
sweeping with a broom, and Clarke seeing • great dust asked
him to stop while he passed by. The prisoner ceased sweeping,
and Clarke went by him, but had hardly done so when be
received 'violent blow on the back part of the head, which
took away his senses. He came to again, and found the
prisoner striking him rapidly about the bead and face. The
prisoner, he then saw, had a knife in his hand, and attacked
Clarke with it in a maniacal manner. They closed, and •
fearful struggle ensued, and after receiving eight or nine
stabs, Clarke succeeded in wresting the knife from the pri-
soner and getting away to an adjoining room, and when
assistance came, in consequence of the alarm, he was found
bleeding profusely, and in a sad state. The prisoner was
I found partly concealed behind some green baize, and
was taken into coatody after some difficulty, he
being still very violent. In answer to the chief
warder the prisoner said he attacked Mr. Clarke he.
cause he wanted to get away; and when questioned subse-
quently by Mr. Hall, the governor of the prison, he said
" I thought if I killed Mr. Clarke I should be able to make
my escape from the prison :" and he added that be bad
resolved to make the attempt from the moment he entered
the place. The prisoner also said he found the knife in the
exercise-yard, and bad sharpened it on • piece of stone,
whichthefsaid he had concealed in the chapel, and where it
was sought and found. Clarke was very seriously injured,
and some time under medical attendance. The surgeon said
he found him stabbed in nine places, and the hemorrhage
was very great. There was one wound in the forehead, one
in the cheek, and one on the lip, a severe one over the
collar-bone, two on the left shoulder, one over the ridge of
the heart, and two on the right shoulder. The pri-
soner exhibited great keenness. He denied the evidence
in that part where it had been said he intended
to kill Mr. Clarke, and said the witnesses did not even
ask him why he attempted to kill Mr. Clarke. He said he
hit Clarke with his brush in order to stun him and get his
keys, but that when Clarke closed on him with his keys he
was obliged to use the knife in self-defence.
Clarke was called, and denied using his keys to strike the
prisoner. He only had two keys, and those not large ones.
The jury considered • few minutes, and then found the
prisoner Guilty of maliciously wounding with intent to
murder.
_ . . . . . .

Hu Lordship rid, if the prisoner's blows had taken
effect, as intended, ha would now have been left for execu-
tion. The guilt was just the same. The sentence of the
court was that the prisoner be kept in penal servitude for
life.