The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-24 00:00:00

THAMES.

ALLEGED HOCUSSING, ROBBERY, AED ATTEMPT TO
MURDER.—Charles Goghlan, a powerful, but
ill-
looking young fellow, 25 years of age, described in the
sheet as a ropernaker, whose antecedents were of the
very worst character, was brought up by Cox, 264 K,
under the following circumstances : _

Between six and seven o'clock on Sunday evening,
a witness named Roualdson, whilst passing through
Abbot's-fields, Poplar, perceived two men lying on
the grass in an apparently helpless state. On ap-
proaching them the prisoner, who was one of the par-
ties, started to his feet, and was moving away, when
Mr. Ronaldson asked him to stay until some inquiry
was made into the matter. On examining the pros-
trate man, witness' discovered that a trousers brace
had been fastened tightly round his throat, outside his
handkerchief, and the process of strangulation was
proceeding rapidly, his face was swollen, and begin-
ning to become black, and his tongue protruded from
his mouth to more then an inch in extent. The cir-
cumstances looked so suspicious that a constable was
sent for, and the prisoner taken into custody.
Charles Faul, a driller, of No. 1, William-street,
Poplar, who appeared very much exhausted, said that
he had been drinking with the prisoner's father, and
others, at the Salisbury Arms, on Sunday afternoon.
While there the prisoner came in, and asked his father
for 4d., which the latter refused to let him have.
Witness gave him some beef., and after a little while,
at the proposal of the prisoner, adjourned to the Cape
of Good Hope, public-house, which was nearer to his
(witness's) home. He was confident he must have
been drugged there, as on entering the place, though
a little in liquor, he knew well what he was about, 1,
and was aware that he had his watch in his pocket.
From that ttime he lost all recollections of what had
occurred until he found himself in bed next morning,
suffering severe pain from bruises on various parts of
the body, particularly on the knees and the elbow.
His chin also pained him much, and his finger was
considerably lacerated ; but he might have done that
with his own teeth whilst under the severe compres-
sion.
James Walters, of Rich-street, Limehouse, on going
to look for his little girls in the fields, which were not a
quarter of a mile from the Cape of Good Hope, saw the
prosecutor and the prisoner lying on the ground, the
former being apparently in a state of insensibility. On
hie return he found him still insensible, and watched
till he came to, when he complained of having lost
his watch and some money. Being told by a boy
named Thomas Burgess, who also gave evidence, that
he (Burgess) saw the prisoner go to a wall, and,
whilst pretending to look over it, placed something on
the ground, which he covered loosely with bricks.
Witness went to the spot and discovered a watch,
identified as his by the prosecutor, and following the
constable, handed it over to him. Cox, the constable,
stated that from information he had received he pro-
ceeded towards the place, and met the prisoner
hastening from it. Recognising him from the de-
scription previously given, he said " Halloo, where
are you going, and who is that man lying on the
grass ?" The prisoner said, " I know nothing about_
him." To which the constable replied, " You must
come there with me." The prisoner refused, but the
constable compelled him ; and on coming up witness
found the prosecutor lying insensible, with his pockets
open, and a tobacco box, a knife, and a key lying on
the grass immediately near him. Whilst witness was
trying to restore the prosecutor to his senses the pri-
soner went towards a fence which was near, and on
his return Cox, with the assistance of another
constable, conveyed him to the station-house.
On the way there he asked what he was in
custody for. On which Cox told him he should
know when the charge was
preferred. To which
the prisoner replied,
" You are as wrong, old
Cock, now as ever you were right; for I have not
got it." ,4 Got what?" said the constable. To which
the prisoner made no reply. When searched at the
station-house a shilling in silver and thirteen pence
in coppers were found upon him, though it will be re-
membered that he asked his father for the loan of
4d. at the Salisbury Arms. Another corroborative
fact proved was that the coppers were marked with
chalk, a piece of which the prosecutor was in the
habit of carrying in his pocket.
The prisoner (through the Magistrate) asked the
boy Burgess why, if he saw him hide anything, he did
not tell it at once to the constable? To which the
lad, ,Nho evidently gava his testimony under great
trepidation, replied that ho was afraid to meddle in it.
Mr. Ronaldson, on the depositions being taken,
added to his evidence that when be first came up he
sew a streak of blood on the prisoner's face, which he
wiped off with his handkerchief, and asked him how
it came there, but the latter made no reply.
The prisoner, in his defence, said that having been
.'
refused to be served at the Cape of Good Hope, they
went to a beer-house and bad some ale. On leaving
the Cape Mr. Faul fell down, and (Coghlan) remem-
bered no more.
the prisoner was
It was shown in evidence that