The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-10 00:00:00

The Recent Murder at Aldershot,

"-.-.40-7.---

Yesterday (Monday) ifternocin, Thomas Dumphy, a gun-
ner in the 9th brigade Royal Artillery, appeared before
Capt. Newcome(chainnan), F. R. Thresher, Esq., and Capt.
Birch, at the Aldershot Petty Sessions, charged with having
feloniously assaulted and murdered Daniel Burns, also a
gunner, belonging to F battery, 9th brigade Royal Artil-
lery, on the 31st December:

The first witness called was Frederick Gay, a gunner in
the same battery with the deceased, who deposed—About
half-past six on the morning of Dec. 30 I was engaged,
along with the deceased, Daniel Burns, in watching the
prisoner, who was not exactly right in his mind. The pri-
soner got out of bed and took up the poker, with which ho
began beating the floor. Burns got out of bed, and went
over to Dumphy to take the poker from him, when Dumphy
raised it and struck Burns a blow on the side of the head
with it. He reeled, and Dumphy struck him again and
knocked him down, and before he could getup again struck
him with the poker. I was behind Burns, going over to
assist him, when Dumphy, seeing me, ran to meet me,
grinding his teeth at me. I then ran and made my escape
through the window. I alarmed the guard, and we went
and broke open the door, which had been locked so as to

prevent Dumphy from getting out, and we then found the
prisoner lying in Burns' bed, quiet. The deceased was
lying on the floor.

On being asked if he had any question to put,
Pri4oner, in a loud voice replied, " No, sir, I do not. I
don't know what brought me here at all."
Mr. J. T. M. Symons, M.D., assistant-surgeon, D Battery,
R.H.A., deposed that he was called to No. 7 hut, Z lines,
South Camp, shortly before seven on the morning of Dec.
30. He found Burns on the floor with a pool of blood round
his head and shoulders. He was severely cut about the
head, his upper and lower jawbones were broken, and
some of his brains were scattered about the floor, and
blood was on the bed. He next saw the prisoner sit-
ting quietly in bed, and there being no straitwaistcoat
near, he had the prisoner, who looked deranged and rather
wild, handcuffed. Burns was insensible, and witness ad-
ministered stimulants, but he died in five minutes after
witness first saw him.

Mr. J. T. Faught, assistant-surgeon, E Battery, 9th Bri-
gade Royal Artillery, deposed that on the 28th December
he was called to see the prisoner Dumphy, who was in one
of the guard-room cells, the men thhaking he was intoxicated.
Witness found him kneeling on the floor, with his eyes

turned towards Heaven in a devotional manner. He had
to be spoken to several times before he would answer.
Witness, finding him insane, ordered him to be taken to
the hospital. Next day he was reported to witness by
another medical gentleman as doing favourably. On Friday
morning, the 31st, witness was called to see Dumphy soon
after the assault on Burns. He found him handcuffed as
described by the last witness. A mark which was found
on the breast of deceased was probably caused by Dumphy
punching at him with the point of the poker as he lay on
the ground, and his jawbones were probably broken in the
same way. He believed that Dumphy was insane at the
time of killing Burns.

The prisoner, on being asked if he had any question to
ask the witness, again said, " I don't know what brought
me here at all."

The evidence having been finished, the usual caution was
read over to the prisoner, to which he made no reply, and
was committed for trial at Winchester, to the gaol of which
city he *as removed the same day.
The poker with which Dumphy struck the deceased was
exhibited in court, and looked a formidable weapon, being
immensely thick, and about 6lbs in weight. It was some-
what bent, the curvature arising, as it was alleged, from'
the force with which Dumphy struck Burns. The
wounds on the head were such, as stated by both the I:
medical witnesses, as might have been caused by such an :
instrument.