The Express.
London, England, 1846-11-20 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL.

MCRDEROVS OtrTE.AOII NEAR PRESTON. —On Tuesday
evening one of the most daring outrages ever known in this
county took place at Broughton, about three miles from
Preston, at the residence of Mr. hiller, land-steward. Mr.
Miller's house is somewhat lonely, being at some distance
from any other residence. About six o'clock on the above-
named evening, Mr. Miller and his daughter being in
the house, with no other person but a female servant, a
knock was given at the front door, which was opened by
Miss Miller, when six men, armed with pistols, made a rush
into the house; two of them subsequently retreating,
remained in front of the building. Miss Miller, terrified
by the conduct of the intruders, cried out " Thieves, thieves,"
and ran, at the same time, towards the lawn in front of the
house; when, on emerging from the front door, one of the
men outside shouted out, " grab her ;" at the same mo-
ment a pistol being fired at her, which was imme-
diately followed by a second attempt upon her life, by
the firing of another. Miss Miller then ran to
the house of a neighbour screaming out " murder." In
the meantime, the villains had gained full access to the
house, and one of them presenting a pistol at Mr. Miller,
said, "We want your money." Mr. Miller told them he
had none, upon which the men said, " We know you have."
Mr. Miller again denied having any, anal called to the ser-
vant, whom the robbers had forced into an adjoining room,
to " ring the bell." It should be explained that the bell
alluded to is an alarm-bell, situated at the top of the house,
from which there is a communication with the room into
which, fortunately, the robbers had forced the attendant.
At her master's call, the servaat commenced ringing the
bell, on which the men looked one at another in amazement,
and ran away. In lees than ten minutes from the alarm-
bell having been rung, a number of neighbours arrived, but
the robbers had escaped. The lives of all the family would
probably have been sacrificed, had it not been for the timely
assistance summoned by the alarm-bell. On Miss Miller
returning home, with a neighbouring farmer, she was much
exhausted, and it was discovered that her life had been in
great peril, the contents of one of the pistols having grazed
the front part of the head. She bled considerably, but for-
tunately is in no danger. It is said that Mr. Miller had, a
uw days previously, been receiving certain rents, and the pre-
mption is that the delinquent are s were aw of that fact.
They have nut, up to the present time, been apprehended ;
but suspicion rests upon some characters in the neighbour-
hood, whom the police are on the look out for.
TORS.9IHRE.
AN ACCIDENT of a MOST PEARPULtDEECRIPTION occurred
between Staithes and Runawick, to a number of men
recently employed to obtain jet aft of the cliffs, by Mr.
Andrew, jet manufacturer, of Whitby. Seven of these men
had retired from labour about noon, and seated themselves
against the cliff to eat their dinner, not having the least
apprehension of danger, when a small piece of stone fell
upon the shoulders of one of them named Cuthbert. Looking
up to ascertain the cause, he perceived the cliff giving way,
and immediately sprung from his seat, calling his com-
panions to make for safety, as the cliff was coming upon
them. Three of them, named Smallwood, Bennings, and
Jefferson, promptly obeyed, and with Cuthbert fortunately
got from under the main fall, and caught hold of a rope,
impended over the cliff to assist them in ascending and
elissioding to their work. This prevented them falling over,
sad they escaped with sundry bruises, inflicted by
pieces of cliff rolling against them while suspended in
said air. The other three men, Bennings, Hopper, and
Sayers, delayed a moment, thinking Cuthbert only in jest,
but looking up they beheld with horror, when too late to
escape, that the assertion was too true—the entire mass,
comprieing several thousand tons, came down, and burled
them to the bottom, a distance of about 60 feet. Some
women, who were on the scar gathering bait, saw the acci-
dent, and hastening to Staithes, they gave the alarm, when
a great number of men set off to their assistance. After
great exertion, they were extricated, and, miraculous to say,
notwithstanding the great distance they had fallen, and the
huge masses falling with them, they were all found to be
alive. Hopper showed very little sign of life, but after lying
a short time on the beach he rallied a little, and they were
all conveyed to Staithes.
STAFFORDSHIRE.
HORRIBLE ATTEMPT TO MURDER A STEP•CRILD.—
Some time ago a man named Isaac Davies, a miner, at West
Bromwich, married a widow, to one of whose children by a
former husband he appeared to have a violent antipathy. On
the 20th ult., his wife had gone out in the evening, leaving
her husband, the child, and a young man in the house. After
sitting fur some time, Davis said he would take the child up-
stairs and put him to bed ; but the young man having a pre-
sentiment of some injury to the lad from his father's
apparent dislike to him, requested him to allow the child
to remain in the kitchen till his mother came home. Davies,
piqued at the young man's suspicions, ordered him out of
' the house, at the same time taking the child in his arms up
stairs with him. The young man, however, although he left
the house, remained at the door, and shortly after, hearing
the child scream in a fearful manner, he got the assistance
of a female neighbour, and spin entered the. house.
Davies, hearing some one come in, came down stairs hur-
riedly, in au excited state, and Wing his shirt sleeves covered
with blood. In answer to the inquiries of the young man,