The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-08 00:00:00

MURDEROUS GAROTTE ATTACK.

Leeds is gaining an unenviable notoriety for the
frequency and reckless character: of garotte robbe-
ries in its vicinity. Our columns have from time to
time recorded these outrages as they hare occurred ;
and we have now another desperate attack upon a
Leeds merchant to report, and fur which two well-
known desperadoes have been sent to York- castle.
On Wodnesday last, at the Leeds Court-house, two
fellows were placed in the dock charged with an as-
sault upon Mr. Joseph Hartley, a young man, a mer-
chant, in North-street. The names of the prisoners
are John Lees and William Williamson—the first a
tall pockmarked man, and the other considerably less
in stature. Both prisoners resided at Hunslet-hall.
The scene of the outrage was Hunslet-moor, a lonely
place, the neighbourhood of which is frequently the
resort of desperate characters. We will let Mr.
Hartley tell in his own words the particulars of his
unfortunate adventure

Mr. Hartley, who had got fearfully mauled about
the head and body, said, on Saturday night I and my
brother left the Leeds Archery Club about twelve
o'clock, and walked in company to my father's house
in North-street, and I there left my brother and pro-
ceeded alone to Hunslet Carr. I went along the
eoslw,ggon way from Leeds to Hunslet, and as I
went through the gates which lead to Hunslet-moor,
I was passed by two men who had followed me, and
that was the first time I had noticed them. On going
through the turnstile one of the two men rudely
pushed before me, and we walked nearly together
through the turnstile, and as he passed me, in conse-
quence of the push he gave me, I looked into his face,
and noticed very distinctly that his face was pock-
marked. The lesser man had a dark shooting-coat on
and a cap. They walked about fifteen yards
before me in the same direction, but they soon
slackened their pace, and I overtook them ; and,
when I was reprising them, one of them threw his
arms round my neck, being at my back at the
time. He twisted his legs round mine and
tried to force me on my face, while a man
or men seized both my arms, and also strove to force
me on my face. I then endeavoured to throw myself
on my back, in order to crush the man behind me,
but I was driven forwards. The men in the rear
then rather loosed his hold, and the man who had
pressed me at the turnstile then rushed at my throat,
and put his bands there and on my chest, and forced
me against the man who was at my back on the
ground. While this was doing I got my right side
turned to the man who was on my back and I saw
his face distinctly. He grasped me on the throat,
and I was up and down several times struggling with
them. I never got my throat during the tussle libe-
rated from his grasp. While I was contending with
one man the other kicked me twice on the face and
once on the stomach. The tall man, who had hold of
me by the throat, said to the other prisoner, " Stick
to him, Bill," and repeated it, saying " Stick to him
with thy teeth," and then the man called " Bill" got
hold of my left hand with his mouth, and bit it, but
I succeeded withdrawing it. Before this my trousers
were torn entirely in pieces in their attempts to get
at my pockets. The man called Bill—the little one—
then tried to get at my coat pocket, in which there
were my purse and a cigar-case, but I got hold of his
arm so that he did not succeed in searching this
pocket. Then in the after struggle I got partly on
my knees again —the tall man still retaining his hold
of my throat. Bill then called out, " D—m him bow
he kicks," and then they got on my knees. I per.
ceived a gas light on the other side of the railway, and
I cried out, " Murder," and then the man who had
hold of my throat tightened his grasp very mucb, so
that I almost became insensible ; and the next thing
I remember was that I was set free, and the men ran
away. I ran after them, but slipped and fell. At the
same time I heard one of them shout out " Has thou
got it." I saw two persons come towards me, named
Robinson and Smith, who joined in pursuit, but the
two men succeeded in getting out of sight. I found
myself very much injured—my trousers completely
torn off, my coat spoilt, my eyeglass pulled off my
neck ; my umbrella, spectacles, and hat were
gone, and neckerchief unloosed, my shirt torn and
bloody, and my waistcoat torn. My face was bruised
badly, my head beaten severely, and my throat black
and swollen. I was taken to the house of Mr. Smith,
where I obtained a pair of trowsers, and he accom-
panied me to Hunslet Carr.
A medical man proved that Mr. Hartley's injuries
were of a very serious, though not now of a really
dangerous nature.
Other witnesses spoke to facts corroborative of the
prosecutor's statement, and criminative of the pri-
soners, who in the course of Tuesday were captured
-by the Leeds police, drinking in a public house ; and
Lees the prosecutor swore to them most distinctly. He
was not quite so positive about Williamson, though
he had no moral doubt of his identity. An attempt
was made on behalf of the prisoners to set up an alibi
but the evidence of the witnesses called for that pur-
pose brought both Lees and Williamson nearer to the
scene of the outrage, a few minutes prior to its com-
mission, than the prosecutor's witnesses bad done.
Eventually the prisoners were remanded till Thurs-
day, and on that day were committed for trial at the
next Yorkshire assizes.

DREADFUL MURDERS near ABERDEEN.
A shocking double murder was committed at Ki ty-
brewster, about a mile north of Aberdeen, on M,nday
night. The victims were a widow woman named Russ
and her grandchild, a little boy about five years cf age.
The murderer is a man named George Christie, formerly
a private soldier in the service of the East India Com-
pany, from whom he at one enjoyed a pension,
about convicted of
three miles
stealingwh i h was
silvtearke
platen f
fromro
in himm r
tohn. hishou
being
west of Aberdeen, on D eeside. Christie had been em-
ployed thrashing bcre in a barn adjoining Mrs. Ross's
house for a few days previously, and he, as wq-ll as those
working along with him, had been in the habit of getting
from Mrs. Ross water to cook their meals. On Satur-
day Ross had expressed in his hearing her inten-
tion of selling two pigs; she did sell them, and a wish to
rob her of the pro zeeds is the only motive that can at
present be conceivedto acc( unt for the brutal deeds
Between eight and nine o'clock Christie left Aberdeen,
saying to an acquaintance that ho had forgotten some-
thing at Kitty brewster. Peter M•Robuie, a gardener,
whose bero he had been thrashing, came down soon after
to look into the barn, and not finding Christie there he

looked into the window cf Mrs. Ross's house, and saw
Christie walking about with a candle in his hand and
Mrs. Ross lying before the fireplace. fie knocked at
the door, when Christie answered it, having, however,
first blown cut the candle. Mr. M'Robbie also heard
groaning inside, and this, along with the excited appear-
ance of Christie, aroused his suspicion. He imme-
diately went to the toll-house which is close by and re-
turned with the toll keeper. They knocked at the door,
end M'Rebbie said ho wanted to see what had been done
in the barn. Christie expressed his readiness to go
with them and did go. They also asked him " what
that groaning was." and he replied that the little boy
had a "sair belly." After leaving the barn he again
returned to the house. M.Robble and the toll-keeper
watched, and saw him leave the house with a bundle in
his arm. They forthwith gave information to the police,
who succeeded in apprehending the murderer about
half-past one on Tuestiey morning, in Lower Denbure,
Aberdeen. On bring charged with the murder he
denied his g ilt, but afterwards, in the watch-house, he
said " this should have been done long ago," whether
referring to the murder or his incarceration, it is im-
possible to say. Blood was found on the leg of his
trousers, his shoes, and the wristbands of his shirt. A
gold ring and fourteen shillings were found on his person.
The bodies of the victims were horribly mangled. The
murder is believed to have been committed with an axe.
Mrs. Rosa was above middle age, and her murderer is
about 51.