The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-08 00:00:00

BOW-STREET,

A servant out of place, named Henry Harris, was
brought before Mr. 'Fwyford for final examination,
charged under the Police Act with having in his pos-
session certain articles of plate of which he could give
no satisfactory account.
Mr. Henry Ray, watchmaker, 22, Great Russell-
street, Covent-garden, produced pieces of a soup-ladle,
which had been offered to him for sale by the prisoner
on the 23d ult., and on his being questioned to whom
they belonged, he said they were the property of Mr.
George Hawkins, 110, Chancery-lane. Witness sus-
pecting that the property must have been stolen,
called Forbes, 115 F, and directed him to ascertain if
such a person resided in Chancery-lane, at the same
time telling him that his presence was required to ex-
amine the articles. The constable requested the pri-
soner would accompany him, but on getting into the
street he attempted to make his escape.
Colin Forbes proved that on the day in question he
received the prisoner into his custody, and on conducting
him to the door of the court, to call upon another con-
stable for assistance, he ran away, but after a short
chase he was recaptured.
The prisoner declined making any defence, and he
was ordered to be committed to hard labour for the
misdemeanour for two months.
There was also a fish slice found upon the prisoner,
with some broken pieces of plate. which are supposed
to be the property of Lady Harriet Hoste, as her Lady-
ship on going to the Continent deposited a portion of her
plate at 5, Spring-gardens, the residence of Mr. West,
barrister, to whom the prisoner's mother had been
housekeeper, and his being occasionally allowed to sleep
on the premises, afforded him an opportunity of com-
mitting the robbery.
The property was ordered ty be detained until the
proprietor should come forward to claim it.

EVENING EDITION'.__

SHOCKING MURDER of a FAT HER
BY HIS SON, AT LEES.

About seven o'clock, on Sunday evening last, the in-
habitants of Lees, near Oldham, were thrown into a
state of great alarm and excitement, by a report, which
proved but too true, that a man named John Bardsley,
a rover in the mill of Mr. Seville, and a man of great
respectability in his station of life, had been murdered
in his own house by his son, James Bardsley, a young
man twenty-three years of age, and of the most aban-
doned and profligate character.
It appears that the young man by whoa: this dread-
ful act was committed has been for several ;,ears past II
an idle and turbulent feilow, the terror of his father's
family and of the whole neighbourhood. A few months
since he made an attack upon his mother wial h
knife, giving her several severe wounds ; and, snc.
was her terror of him, that she left her husband and
went to live with a daughter in the United States, in
order to be out of his way. Since that time, James
Bardsley has absented himself from home, returning
only to annoy and plunder his relations.
On Sunday evening, the father, John Bardsley, was
at home, reading the Bible, with his daughter and a
boy, when his son, whom he had not seen for some
time before, entered the house, and began to help him'
to some bread and cheese. His father reproached him
for his misconduct, and desired him to leave the house
some angry words ensued, on which the son drew f
os
a sheath, a knife, apparently provided for the p whom
and made a desperate attack upon his father, on w
he inflicted a number of frightful wounds upon his
head and body. As soon as the murderer entered the
house, his sister quitted it ; but the boy had remained,
and seeing the murderous attack, he ran out to alarm
the neighbours and obtain assistance. Several p
er-
sons immediately hastened to the house, and found
the old man lying in a pool of blood on the floor,
and the murderer just rising from the body, with e
bloody knife in his hand. This was immediately
wrested from him, and he was secured. A surgeon
was then sent for to examine the wounds of the father,
who was promptly in attendance, but his assistance
was in vain-,for one of the blows of the knife had
pierced the apex of the heart, and the poor man bled to
death in a few minutes.
On examining the weapon with which this murder
had been committed, it was found to be a long-bladed
clasp-knife, which had , been converted into a sort of
dagger, by winding string round the handle and a small
portion of the blade, so as to prevent it from shutting,
and the point and both edges had been ground extreme',"
sharp, as if for some such purpose as that to which it
was applied.
When the murderer was apprehended, so far from
showing any compunction for what he had done, be
seemed to exult in the success of his attempt, and openlY
expressed his regret that he had not been able to murder
two or three other members of the family. When takeo
in custody to the neighbouring inn, he immediately
asked for some refreshment, and ate and drank with the
utmost indifference, though his hands were at the time
covered with the blood of his murdered parent.
The house in which the murder was committed stsol
just within the boundary of the County of York; atlid
the Coroner had therefore to come from Halifax to
the inquest, which was held on Tuesday. The incli
commenced at eleven o'clock, and there were thonsau 0
of persons collected, in order to catch a gliulPsa
ap
of the prisoner. His appearance was haggard
frightful. in the extreme—his hair and beard being,
very long. On being asked why he had cornnl
the horrid deed, he said he had fully ma e
up his mind that if any one interrupted him on enteric!
his father's house, he would instantly murder them. ea.
knife, which we have already described, was produce.
The witnesses examined were the prisoner's brother, tir
surgeons who opened the body, and the parties who filrs;
,
entered the house after the committal of the horrid need'
and who seized the prisoner and disarmed him of Or
knife, which they identified. After a patient investig!r
tion, the jury brought in a verdict of " Wilful murde
against James Bardsley," who was then committed t°
York Castle, for trial at the next Spring Assizes. •