The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-30 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 30, 1865.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

BOW-STREET.

ROBBERY BY A POTMAN.—Henry William Sledge, a
potman, lately in the employ of Mr. Vass, landlord of the
Goat Tavern, Chenie-sfreet, Tottenham-court-road, was
placed at the bar charged with stealing a cheque for £25.
Mr. Vass said the prisoner was a potman, in his service,
and the end of last month he sent him out to get cash for a
cheque for £25 on the London and Westminster Bank.
He never returned, and he had not seen him since that
time until he was in custody of the police.
John E. Morris said pisoner came into Mr.Hazlowood's
shop, in Tottenham-court-road, on July 29, and asked for
change of the cheque in question for Mr. Vass. He asked
for as much silver as could be spared. Witness gave him
£5 in silver and £2O in gold. The cheque was afterwards
paid into the London and County Bank in the ordi-
nary way of business.
Police-constable 217 G said—About half-past 11 on
Friday night last ho heard the prisoner was in Old-street,
and he wont there and apprehended him. He told him
he should take him into custody for stealing £2O from Mr.
Vass, his master. He said he was very sorry, and that it
was the first dishonest act he had ever committed. He
further told him that when he had succeeded in getting the
cheque changed into coin, he had a fit in the street, and
afterwards he went into a public-house to get a glass of
brandy as a restorative. While there he discovered that
he had lost all his money except £2 3s. 6d. He took
him to the station, and on searching him he only found one
halfpenny. _ _ _ _ _ _ .

Mr. Vaughan asked whether the cheque was ready to be
produced.
Mr. Vass said he had not got it with him. It had, doubt-
less, gone back to Messrs. Eagles and Travers. Ile would,
however, get it if it was required.

Mr. Vaughan said it was the subject of the larceny, and
it was of importance that it should be in court.
Mr. Vass said he would have it in Court on Friday.
Mr. Vaughan then remanded the prisoner until that day.

Caution to Cigar Purchasers.

At Bow-street Police-court, this morning, a man, named
Thomas Kennedy, a paper-stainer, residing at 26, Hadfield-
street, St. Luke's, was placed before Mr. Vaughan charged
with endeavouring to obtain money by false pretences from
several persons, by offering spurious cigars for sale, repre-
senting them to be genuine.
Edward Gray, waiter at the Crown Tavern, Rupert-
street, said about twenty minutes to 1 o'clock this morning
he met the prisoner in Oxford-street. He spoke to him, and
shortly afterwards he produced something which had the
appearance of Bengal cheroots in bundles of ten
each, which he asked witness to purchase, saying that he
should have them for sixpence a bundle. He eventually
offered three bundles for a shilling, and witness, thinking
they must either have been stolen, or that the prisoner was
attempting a fraud upon him, purchased the cigars for the
purpose of giving information to the police, and imme-
diately afterwards he took one and broke in half, when he
observed that they were made up of dried leaves, and brown
paper. He at once told the prisoner he ought to be
ashamed of himself to offer such things for sale, when he,
finding that the prosecutor had discovered the nature of
the fictitious cigars, gave him his money back again and
walked away. He (witness) then met a constable and told
him what the prisoner was about.

Police-constable Moorcraft, 165 E, who wore the Eng-
lish, French, and Turkish Crimean medals, Bahl that in
consequence of what the last witness told him he watched
the prisoner, whom he saw go up to three or four gentle-
men, and asked them to purchase cigars. He went up to
him and took him into custody, and then found he had a
lot of bundles of paper cigars in his possession. He heard
the prisoner say to one of the persons to whom he offered
the cigars that they were very good ones, and that they
could not be produced in the shops for double the price.
The prisoner said ho was very sorry, but he did not
think he was doing wrong in offering the things for sale.
Mr. Vaughan said ho did not believe him. He had
some doubts about a jury convicting for "endeavouring"
to obtain money by false pretences, and as the charge of
actually obtaining the money had been condoned by the
return of the shilling to the witness Gray, he should dis-
charge the prisoner, but he cautioned him against coming
to that court again, for if he had escaped bringing himself
within the pale of the law on the present occasion he
might not be so successful the next. The fictitious cigars
he should order to be retained and destroyed.
The prisoner then left the dock in a remarkably speedy
manner.

The Great Western Railway.

-+--

The directors of this company will recommend to
the proprietors the following dividends for the six
months ending the 31st July, 1865 :
Great Western original stock, at the rate of £2 per cent.
per annum.

_
Great Western (West Midland—Oxford) ordinary stock,
at the rate of £1 2s. 6d. per cent. per annum.

Great Western (West Midland—Newport) ordinary stock,
at the rate of 17s. 6d. per cent, per annum.

Great Western (West Midland—Hereford) ordinary
stock, at the rate of £5 per cent. per annum.

Great Western (South Wales) ordinary stock, at the rate
of 31 per cent. per annum.
Carrying forward a balance of about £12,000.

The Great Eastern Railway.

The scrutineers yesterday stated the result of Sergeant
Gazelee's amendment for the appointment of a committee
of investigation into the company's affairs, which the
directors opposed. The result of the poll was, according
to the decision of the scrutineers, in favour of the appoint-
ment of the committee. The following gentlemen were
then appointed to form the committee :—Messrs. Turner,
George Smith, W. A. Ballantine, Bevis, and Gregg. The
chairman of the board of directors said every facility would
be given to the committee. Books and papers would un-
reservedly be placed before the committee.

Frightful Accident and Loss of Life at the
Thames Embankment.—This Day,

Betwoen the hours of six and seven o'clock the greatest
excitement was caused among the inhabitants of White-
hall, owing to a tremendous noise, similar to an explosion
having taken place. It was soon discovered that one of
the steam portable travelling engines used by Mr. Fur-
ness for forming a portion of the embankment had
fallen off the gantries behind the caisons in front of the
river, and also a piece of stone weighing over three
tons ; and, what was worse, a man named Thomas
Loyde was literally crushed to death. It appears that
whilst the unfortunate man was raising the block of
stone, and when near the top of the "jib," it slapped a
little out of the chain, and caused the engine to cant,
and it then fell on to tho piles and cross beams, crush-
ing them to pieces, and the engine and the stone and
the poor man descended into the shallow water on the
north side of the embankment. Every person near ran
to the spot to lender assistance, but a considerable time
elapsed before the unfortunate man could be extricated,
for the engine was broken to pieces, and the great weight
of the stone required the aid of another engine to re-
move them. The poor fellow was at length got out and
taken to the Westminster Hospital, when it was found
that life was quite extinct. Although another powerful
steam engine has been employed, only the jib and a pair
of wheels have yet been drawn up, the remainder of the
engine still remaining in the water. The accident is
attributed to the fact of the engine not having been
lashed to the gantries.

The Attempted Suicide and Murder in

Westminster.

Yesterday afternoon, a man named Shaughnessy, a mason
attempted to murder his wife in Regent-street, Pimlico, by
eutting her throat with a razor. He inflicted a severe
wound upon her, and afterwards attempted to kill himself
by cutting his throat. Fortunately he was successful in
neither attempt. The wound inflicted on his own person
is the most likely to prove fatal. The podce have the
matter in hand.
LATEST PARTICULARS.

The man William Shaughnessy recovered [sensibility
last night at ten o'clock. He said to the nurse, who had
charge of him in the ward at Westminster Hospital, "1 did
not intend to kill my wife when I struck at her with the
razor, but I did mean to do for myself." He made no state-
ment as to what circumstances had induced him to commit
suicide. The authorities at the hospital, when they were
informed of the statement made by the self-injured man,
instantly communicated with the police in order that they
might send a constable to remain with him during the
night. He is at present under the care of Mr. Antonini,
the house-surgeon. The wound in the wretched man's
throat is seven inches wide ; but the gash, although it
extends from ear to ear, has not injured either the wind-
pipe or the jugular vein. It is thought probable that he
will live for at least 24 hours.

The injuries to the throat of the wife are almost iden-
tical to those of her husband, but there is no danger of
her immediate death. The wounds were inflicted with a
razor.

The cause of the quarrel which terminated so seri-
ously is stated to be a refusal on the part of the wife to
give up to the care of her husband his son, a boy aged
ten years. Frequent quarrels had taken place between
them before ; and yesterday, at the time of the shocking
occurrence, they were returning from the police-court,
where the magistrate had been trying to bring about a
reconciliation between them. The man, whose age is 47,
had been married to his wife, who's° age is 45, several
years. They have five children—three boys and two girls
—and they lived at 142, Lillington-street. The man has
a very determined and ferocious appearance.

On inquiring at Westminster Hospital, this morning, our
reporter learnt that both the man Shaughnessy and his
wife were progressing favourably, considering the nature
of their wounds, though of course no definite opinion
can be formed as to the result—but the very worst is to
be feared.