The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-31 00:00:00

STAMPED ....sd.

ThaMarcierous Assault in a Railway Carriage.

Yesterday morning, at a special sessions held at Newport
Pagnell, Michael Lyons was brought rip on remand charged
under the 11th section of the 24th and 25th Viet., cap. 100,
with assaulting with a clasp knife and wounding with in-
tent to murder James Worland and Peter M'Lean in a rail-
way carriage on the London and North-Western Railway,
between Bit,' chicle stlel London, on the night of Friday, the
17th July, 1863.
It will be remembered that the prisoner was charged on
the last occasion under the 20th section of the act with
having unlawfully and maliciously inflicted grievous bodily
harm, the punishment under which was, as e misdemeanour,
three years' penal servitude. On mature cons.deration Mr.
Powell, the clerk to the magistrates, considered it advisable
to alter the charge to that made in the llth section, which
made the offence committed a felony, and the penalty penal
servitude for ten years.
The magistrates present were Mr. J. C. Menlo (chair-
man. ), )11,
.thlev.
Rev.
L d
liciter, ended on aof
Mr. Charles J. Rawlings, so , attJones appearedbeh,aslf on
Messrs. M'Lean and Worland; Mr.
the former occasion, for the prisoner, who was brerght
up as before by Mr. Superintendent Thomas Breary, from
Selby 3.
o Twanry eesr the Rev. C. S. Lowndes, and
Fenny Stratford, where he has been since the remand on
Wednesday week.
Mr. Rawlings said he appeared before the bench to pro-
secute the charge against the prisoner in the dock, instructed
by Mr. Peter M'Lean and Mr. James Worland. as it was
understood that the railway authorities did not intend to in-
terfere in any way or take any steps wh.,tever in the matter,
holding it as not being an affair in which the company was
concerned.
Mr. Peter M'Lean, examined by Mr. Rawliun.s,
keep the Tit,toria, avern, West Liam, Essex, and am also
an engineer. I have known Mr. Worland about ten years.
After having visited with him Halifax, Manchester, and
Liverpool, we were returning from the last-mentioned place
on the 17th inst. by the 3.45 p.m. train for London. After
passing Bletchley Mr. Worland pulled out his pocket. book
to settle the payments made by me, as I had been cashier.
He gave me £2 ss. out of between £25 and £3O in gold he
had. Almost immediately afterwards we both got up, and
I made a step towards the end of the carriage where the pri-
soner was then sitting. He rose up exclaiming, "Advance
further and I'll murder you," atthesamemoment brandish-
ing a knife, and making a plunge at me with his left hand.
He missed me, but immediately afterwards stabbed Mr.
Worland on the forehead. I think I had hold of the pri-
soner when he made the plunge at Mr. Worland. (The
knife was produced by Orpen, the railway policeman. It
was an ordinary double-bladed pocket-knife, the large blade
of which was the one with which the injuries were inflicted.)
I had hold of the prisoner by the arm, but he kept " job-
bing" at Mr. 'W orland, as I could only lay hold of his
sleeve, and he had almost the free use of his wrist. As the
prisoner was making the attempt to stab me first, I said—
" Good God, man, what are you going to do with the.
knife ?" While I bad hold of the knife the prisoner cut my
right hand very severely. We got him down on the floor
of the carriage. Mr. Worland was too faint to give me much
assistance ; but he said, " I shall sink under this. You stick
to him, Mac." After struggling for nearly half an hour,
we got him on the floor, and I held him till we got
to Camden• road station, where Orpen, the railway police-
man, took the knife from him. While were were struggling
he shouted out several times " Jesus will fight for me,"
"Murder," "Help," and we all shouted and screamed in
the hope of attracting attention, but without avail. The
prisoner was removed, and the knife taken from him. The
floor of the carriage and the back of the compartment were
covered with blood. There was more than enough blood to
fill a hat, Mr. Worland fainted from exhaustion, and was
taken to the Royal George Hotel, Euston-square. I have
since been attended by Dr. Bain.

The witness was cross-examined by Mr. Jones, who put
numerous questions, with a view to show that the conduce
of Mr. Worland and the witness might have led the prisoner
to think that they intended to do something towards him,
but Mr. fd'Lean, with some vehemence, said, after replying
in the negative to many interrogatories, " Pray, sir, do not
agitate me further with such utter nonsense," and the Bench
interposing, the cross-examination stopped.
Mr. Jas. Worland, examined by Mr. Rawlings, confirmed
the evidence of Mr. M'Lean, and stated in addition that
after the prisoner stabbed him he (Mr.Worland) kicked the
prisoner, to overcome him if possible. The witness fell on
the platform, after getting out of the carriage, being weak
from loss of blood.
Mrs. Maria Eaton, examined by Mr. Rawlings, said that
she was 78 years of age, and lived at 31, Herbert-street,
Hoxton. She left Liverpool on the 17th inst. in the same
carriage with the last two witnesses. She had a small dog
with her. She saw three gentlemen in the carriage, and
after the train passed Bletchley she suddenly looked up,
being aroused by a noise, and saw the three struggling
violently. The prisoner Lyons had a knife in his hands.
She said, "For God's sake, what's the matter? Give rue
that knife." The prisoner struck Mr. Worland on the
temple, and afterwards made several attempts to stab both
the others, exclaiming, as if invoking, " Jesus, Jesus I "
but what else he said she could not hear, She partially
fainted, and when recovered she found they had got the
prisoner down, and she bound up Mr. Worland's forehead
with three handkerchiefs and her apron. She wanted to
get the knife away from the prisoner, and if she had got it
she would have thrown it away at once. She would have
thrown herself out of the carriage to escape.
John Orpen, the railway company's constable, examined
by Mr. Rawlings, stated that he received the prisoner into
his custody, charged with attempting to murder Mr. Peter
M'Lean and Mr. James Worland. The prisoner said that
what he had done was in self-defence, for he thought the
two gentlemen in the carriage were going to make an attack
upon his life.
Dr. William Bain, of Poplar deposed to the character of
the wounds inflicted upon Mr, Worland, and that there was
great danger for three or four days. He also attended Mr.
M'Lean for the wounds on his hand, which might have been
very dangerous.
Inspector Cox produced the following letters, which he
had received upon the subject-matter of the charge :
" July 20.
" Sir,—Seeing an account in to-day's paper of an assault
committed by a schoolmaster named Lyons recalls to my
recollection a man of that name who was usher at the school
I was at some 12 years ago. His actions then were so pe-
culiar he was generally considered mad, and was dismissed
for an assault on a boy who he fancied was speaking of him,
The man I refer to is tall and thin, given to speak to him-
self, and in the habit of uttering incoherent words.
"Yours, &c., " J. DENNISTOX,
"Audit-office, King's-cross Station.
" To Inspector Cox."
" Consular-lodge, Dundalk, July 21.
" Sir,—As borough magistrate of this town I consider it
my duty to report to you that Michael Lyons, who made
the murderous attack on the two merchants in the railway
carriage, was at the business house of my firm, when
.abut
to sail by one ot our steamers on Thursday last. Koow:cgi
him for several years as a national school teacher se
lecturer on science in this neighbourhood, I disco
the boat
with him for half an hour previous to 0 be
was
leaving, and he appeared quite rational, told
about to take his holidays in England, and told
dlcoaoltluorne
me when he returned, to see if I would patronise
for the benefit of the Free Library. I felt surprised etrate such an
se
d on Sun-
day morning when I read that he had perpetrate
outrage. I feel that I should report theisaerfircumstances to
you. I cannot account how he had a e sum of money
on his person, as he was always considered'a Poor man. I
have sent word to his relatives. "12,
66 Ja CARAIIER,
(Signed) "
T a Mr. Inspector Cox.',
of
fceived by the chair-
The following letter has
magistrates:—
" Glebe,
man of the Newport Pagnel
allsebebnecehn
re and, July 28
Sir,—perceiving
iron' the newspapers that the case N
Ballymascanlan, Dundalk, I I
Mr. Michael Lyons is to be heard at your sessions on
bench
Thursday next, I take the liberty
of addressing you as chair-
chair-
man of the Newport Pagnellof magistrates. The na-
tional school and teacher's house of Rampark, in this parish,
are less than two miles distant from the Glebe, where I
have resided for the last 12 years. Mr. Lyons has been the
teacher at Rampark for a longer period. He has been tutor
to my children for upwards of four years, spending several
hours in my house every evening
except Saturday and
Sunday. On the Saturday afternoons he has been
teaching natural science in the chief school (the grammar-
school) of this district. As a popular lecturer in Dun-
dalk and its neighbourhood he is well known, and has
been most successful. Although struggling
with diffi-
culties, his untiring industry and ingenuity have fur-
nished him with opportunities for scientific purposes,
of which the construction at once prove him to be
no ordinary man, and yet withal I have invariably found him
most modest, unassuming, and gentle. Possessed ot qualities
of head and heart calculated to fit him for a higher position
in life than that of a national schoolmaster, he was recom-
mended to raise his social status by the acquisition of a degi se
in science,and having been assisted in a pecuniary way he left
Dundalk for London on the evening of the 16th with the
intention of presenting himself at an examination at Bur-
lington House, to be held the following week. I saw him a
few hours before he left home. His strength was severely
taxed by physical exertion under an unusually hot season,
and he mentioned to me that h 3 had lost his rest at night
through the strain upon his mind. If we add to this a very
high nervous temperament, naturally a predisposition to
mental derangamnt, which on more than one occasion had
been evinced, anxiety about this examination, and an un-
broken sea voyage and long railway journey, it will not be
difficult, I pr sums, to arrive at the true and sole cause of