The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-30 00:00:00

A NIGHT SCENE IN LONDON.

At Worship street police court, on Saturday, Henry Jackson,
a powerful man, of notorious character, and a masculine look-
ing woman, named Catherine Hoare, were charged with having
assaulted and robbed Mr. Isaac. Ashe, a gunsmith, residing in
Nelson square, Bermondsey. The prosecutor stated that after
transacting some business in the neighbourhood of White-
chapel at a late hour in the evening, he called at an adjoining
public house to procure refreshment, and while standing in
front of the bar, the male prisoner suddenly entered and
engaged him in conversation, in the course of which he inquired
if he had not recently arrived from the country. On telling
him that he was a native of Wallinghall, in Staffordshire, the
prisoner declared that he belonged to the same place, and
requested that he would treat him, but he declined to do so,
and abruptly left the house. He had only proceeded a few
yards when he was overtaken by the female prisoner, who
invited him to accompany her home, and in the course of her
unwelcome endearments, lie distinctly felt her hand fumbling
in the pocket in which his money was deposited. Witness
instantly thrust her from him, and pulled out his look silver,
which he was about to examine for the pttrpose of ascertaining
whether he had been robbed, when the female pri.soner struck
him a smart blow on the back of the hand, and jerked out the
money, which was dispersed about the pavement. Witness
was in the act of picking it up, when the male prisoner sud-
denly presented himself, and fiercely demanded, " What the
-he was doing with his wife?" Before ho had time to
reply, the woman Hoare seized him round the waist, and
pinioned his arms to his side, while her male confederate
rapidly collected the scattered money, on securing which both
of them started off and effected their escape. Police constable
Deady, H 56. deposed to having apprehended the prisoners
shortly after the robbery, and stated that on searching Jackson
at the station house, the exlet amount which the prosecutor
had lost was found in his possession. In answer to a question
from the magistrate, it was intimated by the officer that the
male prisoner had been previously convicted of felony, and
that he was believed to be a ticket of leave convict. The
prisoners, who reserved their defence, were committed to
Newgate for trial.

SERIOUS ATTACK OY A SHEFFIELD

MANUFACTURER,

A very serious assault was committed on Saturday
morning, on Mr. John Charles, the proprietor of the
Kilhan wheel, Sheffield, while he was returning home in
company with his three sons from'a wedding festival.
During the afternoon and evening of Friday, Mr.
Charles had been providing recreation for his workmen
in honour of his son's marriage. Shortly after midnight,
Mr. Charles and three of his sons left the house and
proceeded homewards. One of the workmen went along
with them, and one of the sons (John) walked along
with him. The other two sons walked arm in arm with
their father, and nothing occurred to mar the progress of
their journey until they had gone about a mile. They
then saw four men standing at the corner of Allen
street, and, though they looked suspicious, Mr. Charles
entertained no fear for their safety in carsequence of
their number. As soon, however, as they had passed
the men, footsteps were heard approaching, and in
another moment the men were upon them. One of
the sons carried a thick walking stick, and this was
immediately wrenched from his hand. A general and
very desperate scuffle then ensued, during which Mr.
Charles received several blows with the stick which had
been taken from his son. One blow struck him on the
head and knocked him down, rendering him insensible
and severely bruising the skull. Durinz the scuffle, the
third son and the workman came up and fought gallantly
with the ruffians ; the former dealing several severe
blows with a stout stick, and the latter coping unarmed
with the man who was weilding Mr. Wm. Charles's
walking stick. Fineing the workman a powerful op-
ponent, the ruffian, after having lost possession of the
stick, ran away. He was hotly pursued, and ran into a
passage to which there was no outlet. The workman
followed him, and seeing that he had an open knife in
his hand, knocked him down with his stick. A watch.
mats then arrived, and the ruffian was taken into custody.
The other men ran away. Medical assistance was
obtained to the injured persons. Mr. Charles was
removed home, and now lies in a precarious state. The
captured man, who frequently attempted to escape, was
brought up at the Town Hall at twelve o'clock. His
name is Peter Burns, an Irishman, living in Shepherd
street. After the above facts had been given in evidence
the prisoner was ordered to pay a fine of £3 and costs,
or in default to be committed for two months.

A MAN POISONED THROUGH NEGLIGENCE.—On Sunday
morning great consternation was created in the vicinity of
Brompton, London, owing to the death of a gentleman,
under the fo'lowing lamentable circumstances .—lt appears
that Mr. M'Culley, a tailor, having been taken ill in the 11
Bell and Horns Tavern, Brampton, despatched a'messenger
to a chemist's close by, for a doss of castor-oil. The
chemist's assistant supplied his customer with what be
supposed to be castor-oil, and the messenger returned.
Shortly after, however, some one came running back to say
that an awful mistake had been made, and that essential oil
of bitter almonds had been sent in the place of castor-oil.
Every aid that medical skill could suggest was used to
counteract the effect of the poison, but without effect. Mr.
M'Culley fell a victim to the carelessness of the medical
assistant. The assistant, however, denies having sent the
poison, and throws the blame on the party who took it
away from the shop. The case will undergo a strict in-
vestigation.
Exneerrioers IN ITALY.—Apropos of crimina's, a horrible
scene took place last week at tho town of Palombara,
eighteen miles distant from Rome, on the occesion of four
individuals being guillotined for having robbed and bar-
barously murdered the tax gatherer of that district a year
ago. It appears that the first on the list for execution,
after having confessed and received the sacrament, appa-
rently resigned to his fate, was seized with a sudden repug-
nance to place his head under the fatal engine, locking up
to the axe with an air of great mi,giving, and absolutely
refusing to kneel down in the required spot. On the
executioner and his lieutenant endeavouring to compel him
to do so, he made the most violent resistance to them, and
although his arms were handcuffed behind his back, struggled
and kicked so as to baffle all their efforts to carry the
sentence into effect for five and twenty minutes, during
which time he was screaming for aid to the spectators—
Ajuto, popolo mio—and imploring the soldiers who guarded
the scaffold to shoot him rather than allow him to be
guillotined by force. As no one assisted the executioner
save his lieutenant, they and their victim were frequently
in danger of falling from the platform, on the floor of which
the death struggle took place; and had not the gendarmes
around more than once snpnorted their legs, they would
have been pushed off the scaffiold by the desperate crimisal.
At last they prevailed over him, without having recourse
to the last means which the law allows the executioner to
make use of in this country when offenders are hopelessly
refractory—that is, to stab the condemned man with the
weapon the executioner wears in virtue of his office, a strong
straight cutlass. The second murderer was equally averse
to meeting his faith, but only delayed it for a while by
insisting on reciting the litany before dying, which was
allowed him, although be had previously gone tyro ,gh the
last offices of religion. Eye witnesses describe it as an
awful scene to behold the man on the scaffold reciting the
litany, and all the people around him joining in the re-
sponses. The unfortunate wretch would have gone on with
other prayers till his breath failed him, had not the execu-
tioner cut short his tardy orisons and hurried him into
eternity.
SIR G. GREY AND THE GALLOWS.—The gallows is bravely
swinging out the old year. Jack Ketch has enjoyed the
merriest of Christmases. He strung up Marley one morn-
ing, Jackson at Chester, the next; and finished his Carist-
mas week by turning off three S'cilians at Winchester.
Then, by way of ushering in the new year, with due solem-
nity, he will, in a few days, have the pleaure of atte iding an
entertainment of a similar sort at Maidstone, where the
convicts Redanies and Mansell, now lie awaiting the carry-
ing out of the sentence of the law ; and from them he will
possibly make a brief, but brilliant tour in the provinces,
where his services will certainly be engaged. Sir George
Grey seems to have come to the conclusion that, hitherto,
having shown an unwise leniency, he would hang as many
as he could catch to make up the annual deficiency. His
determination to admit of no extenuating circumstances, is
remarkable. Although in the case of Celestine Somner,
who showed such method in her madness es to put on an
old dress previously to cutting her child's head off, lie found
peculiar circumstances to justify a remission of the sentence
of death, he could find none to save that wretched boy of
eighteen, B irbalano,atWinchester, of whom his confederates,
in the agony of a coward confession, said that he was
dragged into the piratical conspiracy on board the Globe,
by their persuasion, and compelled to aid them by their
threats. A boy of eighteen is not usually a hardened ruffian
and a confirmed cut throat. That discretionary power,
once so freely used by the Home Secretary, might have been
permitted influence here. But no, Sir George Grey was
inexorable to all representations; ho saw no extenuating
circumstances in the case; and this wretched boy, a mere
tool in the hands of his villanous confederates. met with
them one punishment. It may be a question, whether the
large discretionary powers invested in the Home Secretary.
are not altogether wrong in principle. It, certainly does
not insure that due administration of jes ice we desire. A
least, it has not in the case of Sir George Grey; for last
year he had a fit of humanity, and would hang no one,
while this year, a violent reaction appears to have se;z
him, and he hangs everybody he can catch. The execution
of that boy on Tuesday last was positively inhuman.—Press.