The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-26 00:00:00

ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE.
_ .

The following are further particulars relative to the
shocking deed lately committed at Rochester:—
Sunday afternoon, the following tragic event took place,
in the family of Mr. Seaton, surgeon, on St. Margaret's
Bank. Mr. and Mrs. Seaton were at church at the time,
and the apprentice, a servant girl, and two of the children,
remained at home. The servant? who was upstairs with
the youngest child dressing herself, heating a shriek rail
down to ascertain the cause, and met the • little girl, about
six years of age, with a stream of blood issuing from her
throat. Notwithstanding the shock such a sight was cal-
culated to excite, she had the presence of mind to run to
Mr. Rye, surgeon, who resides within a few doors of Mr.
Seaton, and who, fortunately, happened to be at home, and
he reached the spot in two or three minutes after the per.
petration of the act. Entering the house lie followed a
track of blood up the stair-case, and on the landing found
the little sufferer weltering in her blood, and senseless.
Having removed her, and carefully dressed her wound,
imagine his horror and surprise when, on turning round,
he saw the apprentice supported in the anus of a petson
who had followed him into the house, with his throat cut
in a shocking manner. Ilia attention, of course, was nett
directed to the youth, whose name is Blackman, and schu
is about sixteen years old. In the course of the evening
he appeared perfectly collected, was questioned as to the
motive which had actuated him in the commission of these
dreadful crimes. He said that he had called the child into
the surgery to show her the instruments, and while su
doing a thought suddenly struck him that be must murder
her, for which purpose be laid her across his knees, and
taking up a pointed knife with two sharp edges, he thrust
it into the side of her throat, and then attempted to stab
himself three times in the side, the knife each time striking
against his ribs. Having failed in his attempts at self-
destruction by these means, he cut his throat almost from
car to ear. He subsequently declared that he had
motive of revenge against any part of the family, nor mulct
he account for the sudden impulse which led to the corn.,.
mission of these dreadful deeds. We are happy to say the
child is pronounced out of danger, but it is very doubtful
whether Blackman can recover.

Extract of a letter from St. Petersburgh, dated Aug. 26,
(Sept. itk.)—" House-breakers are becoming as expert
here as in London. A few nights ago the office of thd
English Consul was broken open and robbed of money and
other valuables, to the amount of about fifty thousand
rubles, equal to more. than two thousand pounds. The
robbers took out the glass of a window facing the epn
street, on a fine moonlight night, and forced the shutters
with a centre bit; they then broke open a private drawer,
secured with a patent lock, in which were deposited the
keys of the iron cheat, which was opened after breaking
two keys, and the property above mentioned taken away;
other boxes were broken open, but, containing nothing but
papers, were left. The robbers also left billets Of the Con..
tnercial Bank to Cie amount of about twenty-five thousand
rubles, which had been deposited with the Conkl, and ales
a diamond necklace. No traces aro yet had of the thieves,
who must have been well acquainted with the premiss.
Our new and active muter of the police is indelatigabld
in his endeavours to discover these daring depredators. '
On the afternoon of Saturday last, an elderly country.
man, in an evil hour, had his pocket picked of GI. in a yard
near the Bunker's Hill public-house. On discovering his
loss, he made a hasty retreat to obtain assistance in recover-
ing his property, when he met with a soldier, an old ac.
quaintance, to whom he related the piteous tale. A sharper,
overhearing the story, stepped up, and Rrofessing to be a
constable, volunteered his services. Tlte three then re-
paired to the house ; but before the gentletnon constable
would commence a search, he wished the simple country-
man to ascertain the precise sum thot he had been robbed
of, when the unsuspecting man laid on the table Gi. in
notes, two drafts for 1001. each, a pocket book, and a
silver watch, the whole of which the kind officious con-
stable instantly seized, and ran away with. We under-
stand the man has since been appreheuded.—Not::-nghars
Journal.

A colour sergeant of the 17th regiment, now lein3 in
Edinburgh Castle, deserted last week with a eunsiaerabit
sum of money belonging to his company.—Caketunian
Mercury.
On Friday morning, as a fine boy, about thirteen years
of age, named Davis, residing at No. 5, Canterbury-street,
Cornwall-road, was following some sheep which were
passing, was accidently upset by one of the flock, and his
neck dislocated by the fell. The boy rose, but immedi-
ately dropped dir.vn and expired.
A few days since, as some labourers were working in a
gravel pit close to the town of Sbeffortl, they dug out a
bottle, and two earthen dishes or platters, all of them evi.
dently of Roman manufacture. 1, rorn the pickaxe corning
in contact with the bottle and the large platter or dish, they
were unfortunately mutilated. The small dish was taken
out whole, but the careless workmen threw it from the pit,
and afterwards threw their working tools upon it, and
broke a piece out of it. These dishes are of red earth, very
fine in texture, and of excellent workmanship; the smaller
one is a fine specimen of the chastest simplicity in desigr.
There are two handles placed horizontally on the edge, and
the margin is ornamented in the boldest relief. The Large
dish has withinside a radiated circle, containing the
maker's name (it is presumed) Offager in Roman capitals.
Huntingdon Gazette.
EFFECTS o SEIDECTION.—On Thursday morning laet,
some children, who were rambling through the fields. near Kirg-
ston-upon-Thames, in search of blackberries, discorertsl in s
hedge, a considerable distance from the main road, a young comer.,
almost perfectli insensible, and nearly &salute of clothing; the
children tried every means in their power to restore the Stlffeler, bat
without effert, and one of them went off to comietunicata the cir-
cumstance to their parents, several of whom speedily repaired to
the spot, fortunately in time to save the fleeting life of the miser.
able girt, who was then reduced to the last extreme of famine; with
the assistance of some labouring men, she was removed to the
Three Jolly Butchers public-house, and the parish officers having
been applied to, she was attended by the Surgeon of the work.
house, who adopted the ordinary means for her restoration. When
sufficiently recovered, she gave the following melancholy history of
herself :—ller parents were in a respectable sphere of We, residing
at unport ; while on a visit at Portsmouth, at a friend's house.
she became acquainted with a young gentleman, who, under the
specious show of affection, and promise of marriage, indoced
her to elope with. hint. On :ter arrival in the naccropoin,
she experienced the usual fate which awaits indicate' la
too hastily formed attachmerfts. She was abandoned by ha
heartless seducer, and destitute of friends became an nnialing
slave to vice. As her error was in the int instance involuntary.
she resolved to atone for it by a fixed determination to return w
her friends, and had proceeded on her way homewards as far ar
Kingston upon Thames, when her resources failed, and being az-
able to procure the common necessaries of life, she wanderai into
the fields, where she had subsisted on wild berries for three days,
when, namre being exhausted, she lost all firmness of mind. 0;
awaited death. The parish officers, on ascertaining het tura _1
address (which delicacy forbids us mentioning) have written to '0
patents, describing her melancholy situation. in the mean
she has been visited by the landlady with whom she first
on her arrival in town, and who (as also the parish authoritiCoos,
shown her the most humane attention. She is an extremely hand
some girl, only eighteen yeah of age • but her dejection of nun-
has given her this appearance of a much more aflaar.ced age.

On the 22d init. at Richmond, Surrey, the Lady of Dor"-
Smyth. Esq. of a daughter.
At Paris, on the 4th inst. the Lady of T. Stricklane.
Sizergh Castle, Westmorland, of *son and heir.