The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-21 00:00:00

ATTEMPT TO MURDER BY ".BURKING.

Yarmouth has been the scene of an attempted murder
of a female under circumstances peculiarly revolting,
and which have excited a feeling of horror throughout
this and all parts adjacent. The case underwent strict
investigation yesterday in the justice-room of the town-
hall of that borough, which was crowded to excess.
The person implicated is Samuel Howth, a labouring
corn porter, about 40 years of age, and a married man,
who was charged witty having, on the night of Thursday
last, by means of a " pitch-plaster," attempted to suffo-
cate and murder a female named Proudfoot.
The unfortunate creature, Mary Ann Proudfoot, the
victim of the prisoner's revolting violence, was directed
to be conducted to the witness box. Her head and face
were swollen to nearly twice their original size ; the
features appeared to be completely destroyed, the face
presented a blackened pulpy mass, produced by the fear-
ful heavy blows inflicted by some blunt instrument while
on the ground. Her evidence, as contained in the depo-
sitions, was in substance as follows :
I am a single woman, 36 years of age, a servant in the
service of Mr. Bunn, corn merchant, at Southdown,
adjacent to Yarmouth. I have been a servant of his, off
and on, about 20 years. The prisoner was also in Mr.
Bunn's service as corn porter, believes some ten or eleven
years. Ho was married. His wife is living, and they
have several children, some grown up. Between four
and five months past an improper intimacy has existed
between us, and I fell pregnant. Some time after, I
spoke to him for money to get me over my confinement,
but he made no reply. Last Thursday was my day
out, and meeting the prisoner early in the morning,
begged of him again for money. He answered, " Meet
me to-night at eight o'clock." I said, " Whereabouts? "
He replied, "At the Pudding-gate." I said " very
well, I will meet you there. {Pudding-gate, it
should be observed, is a secluded spot on the North
Deanes, situate on the north side of Yarmouth, leading
on to the sands.] Shortly after two o'clock in the day,
I left my master's house, and went to see my child at my
sister's house, where I remained till near eight o'clock. I
then went to meet the prisoner at the place he had named.
I got there about eight o'clock, and saw him coming to-
wards me. After some conversation he said, " How much
money do you want towards your confinement?" I re-
plied, " It would take me three or four pounds to get me
over it." I was then in the act of raising myself over
the sands, when he rushed on me, and thrust a sticking-
plaster over my head and face, and at the same time
grasped my throat with his hand tightly. I got away
from him a few yards distant, and tore the plaster away
from my face and shrieked out. He instantly closed and
felled me down with his fist, and commenced striking me
in the face with all his might. I screamed " Murder
as loud as I could, and struggled to get away from him.
He, however, kept me down with his knees, and placed
one of his hands on my mouth, and with the other beat
me over the face and head uatil I lost all recollection.
I cannot remember what ho did to me afterwards. On
regaining my senses, I found myself in a room, on a
chair, and several persons attending on me. I distinctly
recollect tearing the plaster from my face, and throwing
it away. The prisoner never quarrelled with me, nor I
with him; he always treated me with kindness.
Ann Julings, a widow, carrying on the Northumber-
land Arms public-house, on the North Deanes, was next
called. She said, on Thursday night last, between 8
and 9 o'clock, she was alarmed by the shrieks of a fe-
male, and screams of " Murder." She ran out with her
boy, and proceeded in the direction as far as the bottom
or south-east corner of the Mill-wall,where she saw some-
thing white lying on the sand. The night being exces-
sively dark prevented her discerning what it was. The
screaming had long ceased. Being frightened to go fur-
ther, she returned, and called for assistance, and upon
coming to the spot, found the object to be a female, ap-
parently dead. Her bonnet was off, and she appeared
to have been brutally ill-used. She assisted in carrying
the woman to the Northumberland Arms, and placed
her in a chair before a fire, when, for the first time, she
saw something black and adhesive hanging from the
woman's mouth and chin. She pulled it off. It appeared
to be canvas, covered with tar, or some such substance.
The woman remained insensible for some time, and at
the request of the medical gentlemen who were called in
she was taken to the Borough Hospital.
The plaster was hero produced by the police, and
handed to the witness, who identified
liege being the
same she pulled off. It was very , evidey
formed to cover the face, head, and neck ; the coating
in plaster was a composition of Stockholm and coal tar,
very thickly laid on. proseoutrix's
Several witnesses spoke of seeing the
face and head covered with pitch, proving that the plas-
ter bad completely enveloped her.
At this stage of the proceedings the prisoner was
remanded for a week, in order to complete the depo-
sitions, when he will be committed to Norwich Castle
for trial at the next assizes.

-----
SIR EDWARD STAELET.--There is no truth in
the obituary which appears in a Dublin paper of Monday
of the death of Sir Edward Stanley, inspector of prisons
in Dublin.
RELEASE OF ADD-EL•KADER.—We believe that
previously to the liberation of Abd• el-Kader by Louis Napo-
leon Bonaparte, negotiations had been carried on by the
French Government with the Porte, for the purpose of ob-
taining the consent of the Sultan to the reception of the Arab
chief in his dominions. Broussa had, accordingly, been
named by the Porte as the most suitable place of residence,
that being the city to which prisoners of State and disgraced
officers of the Turkish Government are usually sent; but it
would appear from Louis Napoleon's speech at Amboise, that
Abd-el-Kader is to be considered as a free resident at Broussa
on parole. It is a remarkable circumstance, that the inten-
tion of the President to liberate the Emir had been stronglY
opposed by all his advisers, civil and military, and they
imagined that he had yielded to their remonstrances. It was
only a few minutes before the interview at Amboise, that
Louis Napoleon informed General St. Arnaud, the
Blinister
War, that he wag going to set Abd-el-Kader at liberty on
the spot. Such is the tenacity of purpose, and the secrecy if
resolution which characterize the present ruler of France.—
Timm