The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-02 00:00:00

SOUTHWARK.

MURDEROUS ASSAULT BY A MERCHANT.-Mr. Jeremiah
Finnigan, described as a general merchant, was charged
before Mr. Burcham, this morning, with assaulting Isaac
Solomon, a member of the Hebrew persuasion, carrying on
business as a clothier in the Borough.
The prosecutor stated that he and the prisoner lived in
the same house, 92, Windsor-terrace, Dover-road, South-
wark, the prisoner having brought a woman, whom be
said was his wife, and a child. He (prisoner) was not more
than a fortnight in the house, and there had been no inter-
course between them. Shortly before 11 o'clock last
night, while ho was in bed, the prisoner burst into his
room with a poker in his hand. He jumped out of bed,
and was about putting on his trousers, when the prisoner
struck him a terrific blow with a poker on the
arm, which was severely bruised, and which
he could scarcely move. There had been no altercation
between them, and the assault was totally unprovoked.
Mr. Edwina, solicitor, who appeared for the prisoner,
cross-examined the prosecutor at some length. His bed-
room was on the second floor, and the prisoner had to come
upstairs to get into it. He swore positively that he gave
the prisoner no provocation whatever, and not a word
passed between them on the occasion in question. The
prisoner was drunk. He knew nothing about the prisoner
further than that he was a lodger in the same house, which
belonged to his (prosecutor's) mother-in-law. Nothing
further was elicited.

42 M said that about 11 o'clock last night he heard the
cry of " police," and went to the house in question and
succeeded in getting an entrance. He saw the prisoner
with a poker in his hand strike the prosecutor, who had
come down stairs. He kicked witness.

Mr. Edwina said that he was not instructedto make any
defence on the part of his client, further than that he was
very drunk at the time he committed the assault, and
mistook the prosecutor for another party. He trusted the
magistrate would afford the prisoner an opportunity of
settling with the prosecutor, and he was authorised to say
that his client would make an ample apology, and not
enter Mr. Solomon's house again.

Mr. Borchert' (warmly)—lt appears preposterous that a
man comes home drunk, and, without any provocation,
breakc into the bed-room of a fellow-lodger in the middle
of the night, and assaulting him in the savage way de-
scribed. He then threatens to assault the policeman, who
was present on duty. I convict him of the assault, and
sentence him to pay a fine of £3, or be committed for one
month, and also to find surety in £2O to keep the peace for
three months.
The prisoner was then removed from the bar.

A VISITOR FRO3I THE SEA.—A few days since a
seal entered the house of John Henan, of Bally-
kinder, much to the astonishment of the inmates, who,
which mea-
however, succeeded in capturing the animal,
sured eight feet in length and four feet in girth at the
broadest part. In its passage from the water it had to
climb over 11 perches of a sandy bank to get to Henan's
house.—Down Recorder.
ADVENTURE win A BEAR.—The Prop4s of
Lyons relates the following adventure with a bear
which occurred one evening last week in the mountains
near Vercors(Drome):—A shepherd, when driving his flock
to the fold for the night, was surprised to hear his dogs set
up a tremendous barking. On looking to ascertain the cause,
he saw a huge bear standing on its hind legs as if about to
climb over the enclosure. The man, who was armed with
an old gun for his personal defence in those solitudes,-im-
mediately fired at the animal, which fell as if dead. The
report of the gun brought another shepherd to the spot,
and they together ventured to approach, but scampered
away in terror on seeing it make a sudden spring in the
agony of death. They, however, soon returned, and
finding the animal lifeless, carried it in triumph to Vercors,
where its weight was ascertained to be 152 kilos (33411 b.).
Other bears of a large size have been seen in the neigh-
bourhood.