The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-28 00:00:00

THAMES.

ATTEMPTED MURDER.—SamueI Ford, a dissipated and
drunken ruffian, about 50 years of age, who has lost an eye,
and san only see imperfectly with the other, was brought
before Mr. Woolrych, charged with attempting to murder
a girl named Catherine Mahoney, by cutting her throat with
a razor.
Lie prisoner, who is well known to the police, has bean
frequently quarrelling with his wife. He has often beat
her; and on one occasion he threw her on the fire in his
room, and she was severely burnt. On Saturday night
the girl Mahoney was invited to sleep in the
dwelling of the Fords, at No. 2, Burton entry, White
Horse-street, Ratcliif, a short distance from Stepney Old
Church. The prisoner and his wife and daughter slept in
the only bed they possessed, the girl Mahoney was lying
on the floor at the foot of the bed. Yesterday morning the
prisoner and his wife began quarrelling in bed, and he beat
her in a savage manner. The woman and her daughter
left their bed and rushed out of the house. The girl
Mahoney remained in the room The prisoner, who was
in a very infuriated state, armed himself with a razor,
and attacked the girl in the dark, believing it was
his wife, an drew the razor across her throat,
inflicting a deep wound. A fearful scream from the
girl revealed to him that she was not the person on whom
he had determined to wreak his vengeance. He left her,
and the police were summoned. Robert Thimbleby, a
police constable, No. 119 K, caused the wounded girl to
be removed to the London Hospital, and took the prisoner
into custody. He trembled excessively, and while dressing
himself put the boot belonging to the left leg on the right
one. He was reminded of his mistake by the constable,
and said he did not know what he was about. He was
asked for the razor with which he had cut the girl's throat.
He denied all knowledge of it. Thimbleby made
an immediate search for the instrument, and found it in a
box under some clothes and papers. There were stains of
blood on the razor. Those stains were quite fresh.

A certificate from Mr. George King, house surgeon in
the London Hospital, was
produced. It stated that
Catherine Mahoney had received a severe incised wound on
the neck, and could not be removed at present.

Mr. Woolrych remanded the prisoner for a week.

WESTMINSTER.

OUTRAGE UPON A REPRESIIMENT-HOUSE-KEEPETt.—
WELL-MERITED PUNISHMENT.—WiIIiant Hienthurst, a
youth about 17 years of age, was charged with the follow-
ing disgraceful outrage :
Duaernay Martinali, a German refreshment-house-
keeper in the Fulham• road, who was the complainant. ex-
hibited a laceration on the bridge of the nose and a black
eye. He said that yesterday afternoon the defendant and
some other boys came in front of his shop, made a great dis-
turbmnee, and threw dirt and other things into the shop
lie went to the door and desired them to go away and not
annoy him in his business, where they called him " a
old German," and defendant threw a stone at his head,
and shop
denied that he
which struck him in the face and injured him considerably.
the
and pushed after
him.
Complainant
Defendant said he did not throw thep
st°neu nti l
in any way touched the defendant. He merely endea.
voured to persuade them to go away- He had to complain
of a serious nuisance occasioned by defendant and his corn-
complainant had
come
was recalled, out
led of,
his
h positively
panions. They were in front of his shop every Sunday
abusing
him throwing things into his shop, and annoying
him in his business. He had never given to them any
offence, and there was no reason for the annoyance.
Defendant's father stood forward, and said he was a very
good boy to him.
Mr. Selfe—He does not ccem to be a good boy to others,
if I may judge of his conduct on this occasion.
Sebastian Bathurst said ho was present, and defendant
was never touched by complainant, bnt merely spoken to,
when ho threw the stone.
Mr. Selfe—This is a very disgraceful and unprovoked
act, and I shall endeavour to stop this abominable and
cowardly practice of throwing stones. I shall commit de-
fendant for 14 days to hard labour.

Dr. Pakenhain, the dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin,
died on Friday night, after a short illness, in his 76th year.
TuE TEA PLANT HAD BEEN DISCOVERED IN
THE UNITED STATES, covering a large area of land
in the central parts of Pennsylvania, and a company having
been organised for the sale, Professor Dana has examined a
plane shown him as a specimen, and states it to be the well-
known Conothus dnzericanus --the New Jersey Tea-plant
the loaves of which were used for this purpose at the d
be-
ginning of American revolution. Some consider that this
substitute for the popular beverage must have triee
patriotism of our great grandmothers, but others report
more favourably of its qualities.