The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-07 00:00:00

THE MURDE f: AT OXTON, CHESHIRE.

LIVERPOOL, Sept. s.—Yesterday afternoon Knowles,
the maniac who bad shot the policeman Matthews that
morning at his own residence, was taken before the ma-
gistrates at Birkenhead for examination.
The accused, on being ushered into the court, shook
hands with Mr. Townsend, the magistrate's clerk, and
then moved in a familiar manner to the bench. His
eyes rolled wildly, and during the taking of the evidence
he frequently rubbed his hands, smiled, and winked to
several parties who were in the court. He looked healthy
and quite ruddy, but appeared totally unconscious
of
the enormity of the crime he had perpetrated. The first
witness called was
hßobert Lancaster, butcher, of Oxton, who said—l
ave known the prisoner for about 2 years, and have
lived near him for 18 months. I saw him yesterday'
evening at Mr. Jones', the Talbot Inn, at Osten. He
appeared very much excited in his speech. He was ram-
bling from one thing to another inhis conversation. He
remained at Mr. Jones' from about 8 to 10 o'clock. All
the drink he had in my presence was twopennyworth of
sherry.' He left the house very
house , and I went
ssith him to the gate of his own
hounise tl.
yMrs. Knowles
opened the door, and from what she said to me I was
induced to remain at the house. The prisoner remained
in the back parlour for about two
hours, went
pg when
with him into a bedroom over the back a rlvouyr.
inHcoe.
g
continued to be excited, and talked and sa
herently for a long time. He was talking his hiserhaving
been with Captsin Cook on his voyage
round world.
He the
He also proposed to make certain personskilinges, atid
talked about going up into the clouds.
sitting up, with his coat, waistcoat, and shoes woffae.
Shortly before four o'clock he appeared to fall a ep
and I did also for a few minutes. I was awoke eb-
the prisoner, who got up, and said, " Bob, werye
you the devil who came to kill me when I was at
Brenny-price ?" I believe by that he
he was ill before, meant when
26 years ago. At
occupied half an hour in washing his one time he was
hands. He took a toothpick and said he coald draw horses, dogs, &c. His
son (William Knowles) came into the room about a
quarter to 5 o'clock, and the prisoner at this time oc-
cupied himself in looking out through the window. He
soon went out, and shortly afterwards John Matthews,
constable, came into the room. Matthews spoke to the
prisoner in a kind manner, and the prisoner showed
him a pair of cloth breeches. After Matthews had been
in the room, William Knowles asked me to go into the
kitchen to get breakfast. Matthews was left in charge
of the prisoner in the bedroom. After being in the
kitchen about two minutes, Mrs. Knowles called me,
and on going up stairs I saw Matthews holding the back
parlour door, to prevent it being opened by some person
who was inside. Matthews said, "He has got a gun ;
is it loaded ?" I then drew a little back to the hinge-
side of the door, and said to Matthews I did not know
whether the gun was loaded or not. In a few seconds
after I heard the report of a gun in the room.
Matthews immediately gave a start or jump, crying
"I am shot; run for Dr. Godden." I ran into the
.kitchen to go through the back door for the doctor ;
when I got there I found Matthews had followed me,
and was standing at the back door. His breast was
covered with blood and the remains of the door. When
I saw Matthews again he was dead.
William Knowles, son of the prisoner, deposed as
follows :—My father is sometimes very passionate. He
was excited when he came into the house on Sunday
night at ten o'clock. We got Mr. Lancaster to sit up
with him a part of the night. I went into the room
where my father and Lancaster were sitting two or
three times. My father rambled very much in his talk.
At twenty minutes past two o'clock I went and called.
Matthews out of bed, and he came directly after-
wards to our house. Matthews remained until sor 6
o'clock, when my father became worse, and I then took
Matthews up to him. I then asked Lancaster, who had
been up all night with my father, to come downstairs
for refreshment. We left the room together. After being
in the kitchen about five minutes I heard the report of
fire-arms somewhere in the house, as if on the ground
floor. Directly afterwards Mathews came into the
kitchen and said, " I am a dead man, Mrs. Knowles ;
send for the doctor." I then went up stairs, and found
my father coming out of the back parlour. I said to
him, " Come to bed, father." He went up stairs and I
followed, and remained with him until Dr. Godden
came. My mother advised me to go for Mr. Matthews.
I do not know that my father has been under any re-
straint. There were firearms kept in a closet near the
fireplace in the back parlour. I cannot say whether they
were loaded. My father generally kept a double-bar-
relled gun loaded. I Lave seen than gun since, and it
is not now loaded. He was out with a gentleman
shooting on Friday and Saturday, but my father had not
.a gun with him.
Mr. Joseph Godden, surgeon, was next sworn. I live
at Oxton. I was called to go and see Matthews at the
house of the prisoner. I found him in the kitchen lying
on some chairs. I removed his neckcloth and waistcoat.
He was quite warm, but appeared to-be in the last stage
of life. I removed his clothes, and found a large
wound in his left breast, about two inches above the
nipple. lie was bleeding slightly from the wound and
from the mouth. I conclude, from the flow of blood
from the wound, that the lung as injured. It appeared
to be a gunshot wound, and believe death was pro-
duced by it.

This was the whole of the evidence given, and the
prisoner was remanded until the holding of the inquest
upon the body, which took place this morning, and re-
sulted in the committal of the prisoner for trial for mur-
der under the coroner's inquest.

LETTERS FOR AIISTRA.LIA.—The Post•o{liee autho-
rities have given notice that ship-letter mails will be
made up for Melbourne and Sydney, to be sent out by
the steamer Pacific, 1,400 tons burden, which is ap-
pointed to leave this country on the 30th inst.
DEPARTITEII OF THE ATLANTIC:I.—LIVERPOOL, Wed-
nesday.—The United States mail steam-ship Atlantic,
Captain James "West, sailed from the Mersey this fore-
noon, with the usual bi-weekly mails for New York,
211 passengers, and a large cargo of valuable merchan-
dise on freight.

RESIGNATION OP ARCHDEACON WILBERPORCE.—Two
letters, published the Guardian, of last evening, inform
us that that uneasy clergyman, Archdeacon Robert J.
Wilberforce, has resigned his preferment in the Church
of England, and that his resignation is accepted by the
Bishop. The royal supremacy staggers the reverend
and venerable gentleman, who desires henceforward, or
at least for the present, to be thought of as a lay mem-
ber of the Church of England, or, in his own words of
" the Church." ,

THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT SIIOEBURYNESS.—III the
account which appeared yesterday of the melancholy ac-
cident at Shoeburyness by the bursting of a 56-pounder
gun, 11 feet long, (and weighing 98 cwt., it was stated
that colour-sergeant Rose and Repository-sergeant Lee
had both died on the afternoon of the same day on which
the accident occurred, owing to the severe injuries they
had sustained. Pay Company-sergeant Williams bore
the injuries he sustained with such courage that it was
at first hoped he would recover, although it was known
that his right thigh was broken and would have to be
amputated. Unfortunately on his removal on a shutter
to the hospital to have the operation performed, it was
found that his left [arm had been shattered, and it was
apprehended that, if it was indispensable to amputate
the arm also, there could be but slight hopes of his re-
covery. The contents of a letter, received from Shoe-
buryness yesterday, communicate the intelligence that
he died on Tuesday, the day after the accident took
place. The three sergeants were all remarkably fine-
looking and well-conducted men ; they bad all been mar-
ried and had families, and two of them have left widows
to mourn their loss. Colour-sergeant Rose has left a
family but no mother to take care of his now orphan
children, as he buried his wife about a fortnight ago, she
having died of cholera.

DISTRESSING SlllClDE.—Yesterday morning a man
named Thomas Bowes .committed suicide at No. 140,
Lambeth-walk, under the following circumstances :
It seems that the deceased was in the service of Mr.
George Webb, butter and bacon merchant, of High-
street, Shoreditch, who recently opened a shop in Lam-
beth-walk, and of which deceased had the sole manage-
ment. Webb's affairs becoming embarrassed, he was
declared bankrupt about a fortnight back, the deceased,
who occupied apartments in the house, being left in
charge of the property until the appointment of assig-
nees. The deceased endeavoured to obtain another situ-
ation, but failing to do so he yielded to despondency.
On Monday night he gave his wife all the money he had,
telling her to take care of it. The next morning he
went down to the cellar where the butter and bacon
were kept. His wife, alarmed by his long absence,
followed, but finding the door locked she called another
lodger, when, on forcing open the door, they found the
man lying on the floor in a pool of blood, which flowed
from a terrific gash in the throat, inflicted by a knife,
which lay by his side. Life was not wholly extinct, but
before medical aid could be procured he had expired.
The deceased, who was about forty years old, was con-
sidered to be a most trustworthy servant. The wife and
six young children are thus rendered wholly destitute.
The police have taken charge of the property on the pre-
mises until transferred to the custody of Webb's assig.

noes.

MIRACULOUS ESCAPE AT SYDENHAII.—About one
oviook p.m., yesterday, a cart and horse, the property
of Mr. B. Brown, corndealer, Peckham Rye, was
standing on the siding at Forest Hill, when a train
passed, and caused the animal to take fright and run on
the railway towards the Sydenham station, with a boy in it 13 years of age. After passing at speed some dis-
tance on the railway, the horse was stopped by the
railway police and porters. The poor little fellow was
taken out of the cart bleeding from severe wounds in the
mouth and lips, caused by the extreme jolting of the
cart, and immediately taken to Dr. Gilbert, who paid
instant attention to the case, and dressed his wounds.
B4BNET GREAT CATTLE FAIR, tin
extensive cattle
fair commenced on Monday and terminated yesterday,
greatly to the satisfaction of a large class of salesmen
and breeders of cattle. The above fair is held chiefly for
the sale of young beasts, which are transferred into the
the first
various grazing counties throughout England •,
class beasts, 3 and 4 years old, insisting
of H
Devons, and short-horns. Lincoln and Scot beasts
were in high condition and extraordinary well ch
bred;
flesh being substituted for bone ; indeed, they were the
admiration of all persons competent to judge. The
more inferior beasts and Scotch and Welsh younglings
were a great number of them bought by dealers to supply
the succeeding autumn fairs, and were nearly all sold,
very few being left to supply the great fair on
Saturday
were
at Harlow. The greater portion of the cows
pp
to
bought by London cowkeepers, prices keeping
en
tho close of the fair. Tho horse fair was
mf
favour
00
ff
thoughout the three days, and a vastiwna
business was transacted, prices ruling
and 3-year-olds
buyers. Most of the cart colts boughtwer2esl
dealers, 2-yr-olds averaging about 251.,
ponies were sold
351. each. Many hundreds of
PA ais to 121, by southern
_.. _ each, poTeral beipg beautiful little auimalo.