Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-16 00:00:00

LANCASIIIRE WINTER ASSIZES.

TUESDAY.

ItRPCRE ME. JUSTICE WIGIITMDT.

MURDER AND SUICIDT; NEAR THE EUSTON.

SQUARE STATION.

Yesterday considerable excitement prevailed in the
neighbourhood of the Euston-sqnare railway station,
London, in consequence of a report that a dreadful
murder and suicide had been committed at Harpur's
coffee•house, Diummond-street, Euston-square. It appear-
ed that on Thursday last, a man, who seemed to be a
foreigner, called with a female, who it was F up?osed was
his wife, and asked for a lodging for a short poled. They
engaged a bed and remained there till Sunday, when, as
they were both about to leave, he (Mr. Harper) stopped
them, and represented that he should require some money
for the expenses they had incurred. They went back
into their room, and nothing more was heard of them for
some hours. Between six o'clock and nine o'clock Me
Harper knocked at the door once or twice, but, as it was
fastened in the inside, he did not open it. About ten
o'clock Mr. Haspur saw Sergeant Bendell, S 33, who was
passing on duty, to whom he communicated what had
happened. The sergeant went up with Mr. Hasps' to a
room on the second floor, when the sergeant knocked
repeatedly. As no answer was returned, the door was
forced open, upon which a very horrible sight was
presented to their view. The female was found on the
floor with her throat cut, and there was a large pool of
blood close to her head. The unfo:tunato man was upon
his knees ; he had also a frightful gash across his throat,
and there was a razor in his right hand. From this
circumstance the inference is that he had cut the woman's
throat and had afterwards perpetrated the same act aeon
his own. A surgeon w.s sent for, who observed that they
had been dead some hours. No noise had been heard in
that room in the course of the afternoon, and at present it
is unknown what could have lad to the committal of the
double crime.

ILimutrann, Monday Evening.—A:despatch from Copen-
hagen says that the Danish Council of Stale has authorised
the minister to bring in a bill for a loan of £300,000
sterling at 8 per cent., secured on the finances of the whole
kingdom.
ARRIVAL OP TROOPS IN TIiDIA.-719 officers and 18,009
men arrived in India, from all party, between March 19th
and Nov Bth Prom England, the arrivals were 430
officers and 10014 ; and from China, 53 officers and 1,514
men.

THE ARMY.—The colonelcy of the 3rd reg7ment of Foot
has become vacant, by the demise of Lieut.-General Wode-
house, who died on Friday last.
EXT :NSION OP THE M kaNET "C TELEGRAPH.—The
magnetic telegrAp's is now extended to the harbiur of
Valencia, the south-west coast of Ireland, so that
vess-':s entcrine that port (the most westerly of Europe)
n commilLicito instlir.anecinsly with evory port of the
-United Kin?,doin and the Continent; and all the se coming
from America can by this means, ob'&n orders with the
least possible loss of time, and with little or no deviation
from their course, Ve,s?!e hiving sustained damage at sea
can, by this means. communicate directly to the unler-
rit-rs. This intelli,;eace will be very acceptable to s,iippers
and ship-masters.
GAROTTE ROBBERY BY FOT.DIERS AT PRBSTOX.-0,2 Moe-
thy, William Blundell and John Crowley, soldiers of the
4th Regiment, a battalion of which it now stationed at
Fulwood Barracks, were charged at P;eston, with having
garotted and robbed a man named Henry Whittaker, on
Sunday night. About eleven o'clock that night Whittaker
was passing through Laurel-strew-, in the " Sandhole," a
disreputable part of the town, when he was attacked by
the prisoners and a evilian. One of them throttled him
by putting his arm round his neck, and threw him down ;
another put his hand on the prosecu'tor's mouth, and the
third rifle I his pockets, and robbed him of 8s John 811
stated that he heard a man " s'irike," and ran in the
direction whence the sound preceded. Hs saw Blundell
with his hand over Whittaker's eyes, and Crowley rifling
his pockets. " There was," said the witness, " another
man there." The witness- was requested to look in the
emnnartment of the coitrt in which prisoners are placed
previous to bring put into the dock for examina ion, and
he pointed oat a man ensued Brady, who had bean appre-
hended on suspicion, as being the third person concerned
in the robbery Brady was therefore placsd in the dock
along with the soldiery, and Bell identified him on oath as
being the man wh (was with the soldiers when the robbery
-wets committed, an ewho not only threatened to knock him
.(B811) down for interfering, but actually also attempted to
pck his T 15eklt during the melee. The prisoners wexa all
=Mad it Lancaster Mine.

His Lordship took his seat on the bench at half-past
nine o'clock. The following, the last case in the calendar,
was then disposed of. John Griffith, Bos.-Warier, James
Rowe, Jseers Harris, and W. M‘Millaaa, were indicted for
having, at Liverpool, on the 17th September, together
with other parse s, unlawfully conspired to inure Thomas
Bradley and William Bradley in their trade as cabinet-
=alien, also for an assault on John Stevens. Mr. Brown
appeared for the prosecution, and Messrs. Aspinall and
Bowler for the defence. Mr. Brown stated the facts of the
case, as will he found detailed in the evidence, and said that
the prosecutor was not anxious to pieh the case, if the
prisoners pleaded guilty. In consequence of this,
an arrangement was sought to be entered into,
but the prisoners refused to yield to the conditions.
His Leriship regretted this, and the case wee proceeded
with Walter Sehn Stevens, a cabinet-maker, WA3 the
'first witness examined. He belonged to Plymouth. He
first came to Liverpool on the lOce August. He entered
the employment of Bralley, Bothers. He had been home
and returned to Liverpool between these times.
.On
leaving for his dinner en the 17th Sept., he was going
through Harper-street, when the five prisoners at the bar
met him. He knew three of the prisoners, Griffielts, ,
'Rowe, and Harris. The prisoners asked him if he was a
cabinet-mekar. He said he was. They asked if he was
working. an with whom, He told them he was working
with the Messrs Bradley. They asked him to leave their
employ. He told them he was not going to give up his
situation, as he was very comfortable. They then told
him he was working against his fellow-men. He said
why ? He was then called a b rogue, and a b
• thief. Griffiths shook his fist at him. He (Grif-
fith's) was all covered with blood at the time.
This was during the "r• cabinet-makers strike.
The two prisoners, Harris and Rowe, advisel him to c)me
oat on strike, and that as they had been his shop mates,
and from the same place as lie, they wonli not like to see
him hurt. He was told if ho did not come out on strike,
when. the dark nights came they would cut his throat.
When he Tame back to the shop to work, he saw Geiffi hs
and M'Millan about the door. He applied for a warrant
the next day. Cross-examined by Mr. Aspinall : Ho never
belonged to the Masters' Club. He received some money,
but he could not say it was from the Masters' Club. He
got this money to come here. He could not say whether
it was masters or employers that sent him the money. He
got about ...C4 from the men. Ho got money from the mens'
society to take him back home during August. He came
back again at the desire of his father. He received money
from Mr. Wright, vice-chairman of the neastee'a association,
to bring him over here. Griffiths asked him, during their
cenvehation, whether he was going to pay back the
money to the men's society. He promised to
pay them back at so much a week. He could
not tell whether it was before or after he was
threatened by the men. He would not swear that he
refused to pay the money. Alt the quarrelling arose about
the money. Besides getting this money from the men,
he lived at their expense for a fortnight. He was before
a magistrate three times for quarrelling with hia master.
Joseph Dawson deposed to being a carver, and having
-worked in Bradley's workshop. He was with the last
witness on the 17th Sept., going to dinner. He went the
length of Harper-street with him, He saw the five pri-
soners. They were all coming down the street. Rowe,
Harrie, and Griffiths came across to them, The witness
here corroborated the evidence of Stevens in regard to
the expressions used. 'Cross-examined by Mr. Aspinall :
He was at the Police-office when the case was tried, but was
not called as witness. Ha saw Stevens every day, and
had talked with himsen this matter. In the conversation
that took place in the street about the money, Stevens said
he would ply it back, when the prisoners said he was a
long time about it. Mr. Gibson Bradley examined :He
had three of the prisoners in his employ about three
months, they came on the 14th September to get their
cheats. M‘Milan came with them, and paid him some
money which was owing him (the witness) by the men
This was money advanced to bring them from
Plymouth. He saw give to each of the
men £5. He remembered the 17th September.
He went to the crowd that was gathered by this
affair, and saw the prisoners there. This was
the only material evidence deposited by this witness.
James Thompson was next called, and stated that he saw
the prisoners on the day and place in question. They
met him and gave him a " chaffing " He could say
nothing further about the affair. His Lordship said, the
great difficulty in this case was to get at Griffiths. Tne
rest seemed to be clear of the ease altogether. Mr.
Brown reminded his Lordship that the other prisoners
had used threats. His Lordship thought it was quite
the contrary ; the words used were more of the nature of '
friend'y advice. The Foreman of the Jury here rose and
said, they (the jury) had already resolved to find the
prisoners not guilty, consequently they were immediately
discharged.
This concluded the business of the assizes for this
session.