The Express.
London, England, 1865-12-07 00:00:00

DESPERATE ENCOURTER WITH POACHERS.

THREE MEN SHOT.
The extensive preserves of Mr. Rowland Burden,
of Castle Else Dane, near Hartlepool (who is chairman of
the Durham quarter sessions), were the scene of a
sanguinary midnight encounter betwixt a grog of armed
poachers and some gamekeepers and policemen on Tuesday.
It appears about 9 o'clock in the 'venil( offend guns
were heard firing at different parts of Castle Eden Dens,
some of the poachers having the audacity to come within
• quarter of a mile of the castle. It was evident from
the number of guns that were being discharged there were
three or four gangs of poachers. The keepers felt the
necessity of going in strong muster and with the protection
of policemen. Accordingly the watcher at the Garden of
Men joined another and his sons, and also obtained some
of the county pollee. A body of eight men collected, and
proceeded towards the place whsnoe the firing came. The
pursuers consisted of Sergeant Seaford, Policeman Lowrey,
Policeman Mainsforth, John Robinson with his two sons,
and Bleakins, both Mr. Burden's keepers, also Charlton, a
keeper at Hardwick Hall. After remaining in breathless
anxiety for some time footsteps spprosched them closely,
and soon they were in pursuit of the intruders. The
policemen and keepers being at the outskirts of a thicket,
were easily distinguished by the poachers, and on the
threat to fire being made by the poachers the keepers were
rather taken aback, but the more daring of them advanced
forward, when a gun was discharged at then. The cora•
piny were not very close together, and part of the charge
shot Policeman Lowrey, who was standing outside of the
group. The shot corns entered his arm, cheek, and side.
Immediately after the gun had been discharged Lowrey
said " I'm shot," and almost simultaneously with the
expression another barrel was fired, and the risen in this
case was more serious than the previous shot. The whole
of the charge passed between two policemen, and entered
the back, arms, and legs of John Robinson's eldest son.
Another gun was also fired, but it had no effect. The
keepers and policemen were in great alarm, standing in
front of persons firing at them whom they were unable to
see. Blenkina, one of Mr. Burden's keepers, fired his gun
in the direction the charge came that shot Robinson, and
one of the poachers cried out, "Oh deer, oh dear, I'm
killed." Blanking states that his gun went off partly by
accident, Other guns were than fired it the keepers and
policemen. A chase was then given, but it was treeless, it
being so dark and the poachers having tbo lead of them.
Two of the poachers came oat at the top of the wood, and
on mounting the fence observed the keeper of Mr. John-
stone, of Hardwick Hall, standing there. On his making
up to them with his gun in hand one of them shouted out,
" For God's sake don't fire any more, my name is
Winter." They bolted over the edge spin, down into
the wood, and escaped before Charlton could get up to
them. Robinson, after seeing his brother home, went
in search of more assistance, and obtained the aid
of Francis Hutchinson, watcher to Mr. Baptist, of
West Hartlepool. When they were returning to the scene
of the encounter by a different route, they heard the voices
of several men coming from Castle Eden Court-house,
going towards Shottoo. They were swearing very much,
sod appeared agitated. The keeper and Robinson were
rather alarmed, laud secreted themeelves behind a hedge
until the men had parsed. They had apparently gnus in
their bands, and one of the party was being led by two
others as though be had been shot or hurt. They could
not recognise any of the men, as the moon was overcast,
but they were evidently pitmen, and went in the direction
of Shotton Colliery, where there are a great many poacher'.
The polio* during the day went to Shotton in sorra of the
poachers, and two of the persons whom they suspected were
absent from their bootee, their wives saying they had gone
to Durham assize., to bear bow things went with the Win-
gate poachers, who belonged to Shottoo.

• grand battue took place on Monday at Com.
pGigne in the preserves of Boyal-Lieu, when no leas than
2,476 head of game were brought down by the Emperor and
his guest,. The numbers were as follows :—His Majesty,
375 ; Count de Latour-1f aubourg, 347; Prince de la him-
kowa, 302 ; the Earl of Dudley, 270; Earl Cowley, 258 ; M.
Lion Clevreart, 232 ; Marquis de Tonlongeon, 191 ; the
Duke di la Force. 179 ; General Blanchard, 162 ; sad the
Duke de Magenta, 160.
The Slestrig-Hotstein Gazette states that • mes-
senger of the Prises of Augustenburg has jest been dis-
missed in consequence of a discover, that he was receiv-
ing money for making a report of everything that was
going on at the prince's residence. Papers were found
I
proving his guilt as a spy, and likewise of his being guilty
of purloining letters.
"The Countess de Montijo," says the Erenement,
" has just purchased for 1.500,000 fr., the estate let Berth',
near Iteuilly (lodrel. This property. in the centre of
which is a toe mansion, built on the plans of Mansard, is
to be the summer residence of the couatess."
A sad accident occurred at the Theatre de la
Gaits, Paris, the evening before last, about halt an hour
before the rising of the curtain. One of the yeas-shifters
fell from a lofty flying bridge on the stage, and so Imo-
tared his skull that he expired in • few manage after.
A strange accident has taken place at a public
ball in Vienna. An officer became entangled by the crino-
line of his partner, and, falling, broke one of his lip ; the
lady rolling over him in her turn fell on the other leg and
fractured it likewise.
The Madrid journals announce the death et
Don Ventura de la Vega, director of the Academy of
Manic in that capital, just as he was preparing to bring
out his tragedy of The Death of Quer.