The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-20 00:00:00

Fearful Encounter in a Railway Carriage,

On Friday last a murderous assault was made ina
railway carriage on the London and North-Western
line by Mr. Michael Lyons, National School teacher,
of Bampark, Baliymascallan, near Dundalk, upon
two fellow passengers. The assailant had taken a
return excursion ticket for a month from Ireland to
London. As the 9.15 express train was about to
start from Liverpool to London he, Mr. Peter M'Lean,
and Mr. James Worland, Plaistow, Essex, entered
a second-class carriage, in which there was pievi-
ously au elderly lady. After the train had started
the prisoner, who had a 'Fargo carpet bag, placed
himself close by the window. He was heard to say
something incoherently, but almost in a menacing
sort of way. Mr. Worland and Mr. M'Lean, who
were conversing, looked towards him, as did also
the lady, who was seated near the window on the
opposite side of the carriage. The prisoner, how-
ever, sat down quietly, and continued so until after
the train had passed the Bietchley station. Then
he suddenly jumped up from his seat, and, with a
large open clasp•knife in his hand, rushed at Mr.
Worland, and stabbed him in the forehead, causing
a most frightful wound. He was in the act of
striking another blow, when Mr. McLean knocked
him back on to the seat. This had the effect of in-

furiating him the more. He started to his feet,
and was about to strike another blow at Mr. Wor-
land, when Mr. M'Lean seized him by the throat,
and clutched the knife in his right hand. A fear-
ful. struggle ensued, and the prisoner drew the
weapon through his antagonist's hand, cutting some
of the fingers to the bone. Mr. Worland, who all
this time had not been idle, although shockingly
wounded, and weak from loss of blood, managed to
get behind the prisoner and throw him down. The
lady in the compartment, after screaming for assis-
tance for some time, fainted away. The struggle
must have been a desperate one, for the prisoner,
who was shouting loudly, endeavoured to rise and
shake the two gentlemen off, at the same time
striking and stabbing both of them. Fortunately
the oil lampin the carrige was alight,andthis enabled
Mr. Worland and Mr. M'Lean to wrest the knife out
of the prisoner's hand, and to keep him down till
they arrived at Camden-town station. When the
ticket collector entered the carriage he saw the
wound€d men covered with blood holding the pri-
soner. The sides, seats, windows, floors, and every
piece in the carriage were covered with blood and
finger-marks. Prisoner was at once conveyed to
the stations where he made a statement to the effect
that he believed the two gentlemen who were with
him to be thieves, who intended to rob him. He
saw them talking to one another, and making
motions towards him, and he thought he could not
do better than defend himself, if only for his dear
little ones at home. Mr. M'Lean's hand is fright-
fully cut, and he is also seriously injured
in other parts of the body. Mr. Worland has been
dangerously. wounded, as stated in the medical cer-
tificate which appears in the Marylebone Po-
lice reports. The prisoner has since been taken
before Mr. Lowndes, one of the magistrates at
Bletchley, and remanded on the deposition of Mr.
Maclean until Thursday next. He volunteered no
statement in reply to the charge, and was then taken
to the county gaol. On searching the prisoner's
carpet bag a prize medal was found awarded to him
by the Society of Arts, besides various books and
papers, and he states that he came up from Dun-
dalk to be examined as a schoolmaster at the forth-
coming election at Burlington House. The police
authorities are in communication with those at
Dundalk by telegraph and post to ascertain the
truth of the prisoner's statements and antecedents.
He is supposed to be insane. Yesterday Mr. Wor-
land was so far convalescent as to be able to pro-
ceed to his residence at Victoria dock•road. It may
be mentioned that the train, being an express train,
does not stop at the intermediate stations betweev
Bletchley Junction and Camden, a distance of up-
wards of 40 miles, and there being no means of
communication between the passengers and guards,
information of the occurrence could only be made
known on the arrival of the train at Camden station•

SENSATION PRICES OF PICTURES. n letter
from Henry Graves, publisher to the Queen, al:-
pears in the last number of the .Atkenaum.—" 6, Pall-
mall, July 14, 1863.—1 observed in your last week's journal
a letter from Mr. J. E. Gambart regarding my purchase of
The Railway Station' picture, by W. P. Frith, R.A., that
I only paid Mr. Flatou £13,000 for it. I beg to inform you
the statement is untrue." To this ambiguous note of Mr.
Graves our contemporary appends the following observa-
tions :—" It would have been more satisfactory to the pub-
he, who have an angry sense of being mystified about these
sensation prices, had Mr, Graves said in what particular
and to what extent Mr. Gambart's statement was untrue.
Does Mr. Graves mean to say that he has given more than
£13,000 for the picture of the The Railway Station ?' If
so, Mr. Gambart is certainly very much in the wrong. Mr'
Gambart asserts that ' for about £13,000' Mr. Graves has
purchased—not only the original picture, but also a sub-
scription list of £16,000, the copyright in the work, the
plate in its progressive state, the use of a replica and other
things. All this is a very different affair from a mere pur-
chase of the picture, whether for £13,000 or £20,000. It is
a series of purchases, included under a common term and
paid for in a general sum. To the assertion of this sale,
Mr. Graves must allow us to remind him that his reply is
no real denial. Mr. Gambart said 'about' £13,000. llr.
Graves does not deny that the price was about' £13,000,
but only that it was not exactly £13,000. Is this a quibble
about the pound of flesh ? If there is no mystification at
the matter, it will be easy for Mr. Graves to say so."
WANTED, ANOTHER UNDERGROUND RAILvirAl•
—'The scheme proposed by Mr. Baylis of a great
trunk line from Stratford to Oxford-street or 1-iYae-
park-corner, would remove from the City streets
great part of that heavy omnibus and goods traffic, which,
now encumbers the Poultry, Cheepside, Ludgate-hill, and
Fleet.street. There is equal need for another line, or an
extension of the Metropolitan, to the rear of the Bank, and
thence again to Fenchurch-street, to establish communica-
tions between the north and west of London and the lines
that are alre adyen rapport with the Metropolitan and the east-
ern suburbs and valleyof tueThames. Until some such exten-
sions of railway communications are made, we must expect
an increase, not a decrease, of traffic in the streets, and
seeing that to street improvement there must be a limit, we
must hope for increased space by railways below the
surface, for therein do we best see the promise of an effec-
tual remedy for the evil which threatens to grow too great
for us. If we consider the wretched means of communica-
tion with the city at present possessed by the Metropo-
litan Railway, which carries 30,000 passengers a day, the
importance of extension will be seen to be in no waY
secondary to any consideration of public convenience, and
it the extension had to be made out of public moneys,
we believe that in the end public interests would be pro-
moted commensurately with the outlay.—City Press.

MARINE WAR RISKS.— Ihe dangers attending
the operations of our mercantile marine in low latitudeot
from the increased numbers and activity of Confederate
privateers, have become so great that underwriters, both
here and in New York, have largely advanced their pre'
miums for war risks. Not only the actual losses, but the
liabilities of our marine insurance companies, on the score
of vessels released on giving bonds, are constantly acouruo:
lating . and, in default of any adequate protection afforded
by Government, underwriters, as a measure of self-preserva-
tion, are obliged to write war policies at a rate which ope-
rates almost as a prohibition on foreign commerce. Rate°
fluctuate with almost every fresh receipt of marine advicl
though with a general upward tendency at an average
3 to 4 p r cent. to North European ports, 5 up the Meditera-
ranean, the same to New Orleans and the West Indies, an
8 to 10 for vessels bound to any point south of the Equator.--
-which is considered the dangerous point in Atlantic naviga-
tion. In cases of special risk,ltypothecated upon a corabillat ion
of perilous circumstances as regards the exposed position of
certain vessels at any particular time, much higher rates
are charged, and New York underwriters have quite anuf-
ber of such under consideration to arrive, which they, "e 7;
cline to write under 25 to 33 per cent. Late intelligence Aro-
San Francisco mentions 15 per cent. as the rate charged
„
there for voyages to North Atlantic
i,orts. No disinclion
is now made in favour of American bottoms engaged in the
British carrying trade, as the neutral ownership of car'cijea
i
is found to be no guarantee of safety. The bonds givenpd
sea captains for the release of captured vessels are suPr°,7o
to hold goad as against both owners and underwriters, 0
the question of ultimate liability under these bonds is °la,
which depends upon circumstances connected with the final
issue of the war. The sales of bonded ships in forei,gn pert:
are made with a special reference to this liability.--13°o
Commercial Bulletin. the
SINGULAR DISCOVERY.—A few oays since ,
workmen at the carriage department of the 111;,5..5i:
Arsenal were employed in saw ing up a large elm
a bird's nest, apparently that of a sparrow, with three
to
was found in a cavity of the timber, but having
"that the
the surface. From its position it is considered
of
ye_rs.
nest must have remained in the tree for a number inu
The nest, with the wood surrounding it, was placed
glass case for preservation at tho museum of the establish-
ment. eXteUsiVO
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN CORK.—Dao
lane, Corky
f Hagarty Brothers, tanners, Blarney-
were, on Saturday last, completely destroyed 14 tire.