The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-21 00:00:00

DURHAM.

Although we have been entirely free from cholera, our
close proximity to Newcastle and other places where
the disease has appeared, and the appearance in the at-
mosphere of myriads of most troublesome and peculiar
looking flies, which have in other places preceded an
outbreak of cholera, have aroused the local board
of health, and the board of guardians, each of
whom have taken precautionary measures against the
epidemic. District commissioners have been appointed,
who have completed a thorough inspection of every lane
and yard in the town, with a view to the discovery and
removal of nuisances of whatever description. During
Sunday and yesterday, the streets were flushed, houses
whitewashed inside and out, yards and lanes sluiced
with water by the city fire-engine, and to-morrow lime
will be thrown on the surface of the streets, and chloride
of lime gratuitously distributed to the poor, to be used
for the disinfection of privies, cesspools, &c., Hand-
bills and placards have been issued, informing the pub-
lic where, in the event of cholera breaking out, or pre-
monitory symptoms appearing, gratuitous medical aid
may be obtained, and recommending the following pre-
cautions and instructions :—" 1. All persons attacked
with looseness of the bowels, however slight, either with
or without pain, are most strongly urged to apply without
delay for medical relief. Looseness of the bowels is
generally the forerunner of the cholera, and at this stage it
may in most cases be readily and at once prevented. 2.
Keep your houses dry, and your windows and doors
open as much as possible ; remove stagnant water and
all offensive matter from around your dwellings. 3.
Carefully observe personal cleanliness ; avoid wet cloth-
ing and sudden chill ; keep the surface of the body
warm, and wear a flannel belt round the stomach and
loins, as this is found the best preventive of the loose-
ness of the bowels which generally precedes cholera.
Expose bedding and clothing to the sun and air during
the heat of the day. 4. Use plain and wholesome food,
avoiding articles of diet known to produce bowel com-
plaints, such as fruits and uncooked vegetables, espe-
cially abstain from acid drinks, fermented and spirituous
liquors. A careful observance of these precautions and
instructions will materially tend to ensure general good
health, which is the best safeguard against an attack of
cholera." One of the committee reports one case of
cholera as having occurred yesterday in a densely-popu-
lated part of the city, the victim being a man who had
fled from Newcastle to avoid the disease. The borough
magistrates are sitting en permanence, to receive com-
plaints respecting nuisances and order their removal.
LIVERPOOL.

Another case of cholera has occurred here ; but it is 1
satisfactory to know that in this as in all the other cases
we have had occasion to notice, the person attacked had
just arrived from the continent, where the disease is at
present raging. A man reached Liverpool on Saturday
last from Hamburg, and took up his residence at the
Emigrants' Home. On Sunday he was attacked with
diarrhce, and yesterday morning it was found that he
was labouring under cholera. He was immediately re-
moved to the hospital. The general mortality of the
borough continues below the average.
MANCHESTER. _ _

The General Purposes Committee of the Salford Town
Council met yesterday morning, and determined to take
the most vigorous steps to put into immediate operation
all the clauses of the Nuisances Removal and Diseases
Prevention Act, together with all the powers of the local
acts for the samepurposes, in order to secure a proper sani-
tary condition of the borough. A special committee was
appointed for the purpose, with full powers to engage addi-
tional servants and officers, and to take the entire control
within the limit over which the council has jurisdiction.
At present the two boroughs are considered healthy,
and there is less predisposition to disease of any kind
than there was at the last visitation, the people being
tolerably well fed and clothed in general. It is said
that the medical men of Manchester and Salford are to
meet to-day to consider what course they, as a body,

ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE I,

DUBLIN.

Sunday evening a dreadful occurrence took place in a
house of ill fame in French-street. A gentleman at-
tempted the life of a girl living in No. 24 in the above
street, and immediately after committed suicide by
shooting himself. It appears that shortly before 4
o'clock, some boys, playing near the house, which is
kept by a person calling herself Fanny Stuart, were
startled by the sharp report of a pistol-shot, immediately
succeeded by the screams of a woman, and in a few
minutes after by a second shot. They gave the alarm
to the constable on the beat, who immediately pro-
ceeded to the house, and, having been admitted, was
told that both shots had been fired by a gentleman who

was then in the two pair back bedroom. - The constable
went upstairs, and, on entering the room, was horrified
at seeing the body of a man stretched at full length on
the floor, and bleeding slightly from a bullet wound in
the left breast. Although five minutes had scarcely
elapsed from the time the second shot was heard until
the arrival of the policeman life was quite extinct. A
portion of the shirt around the wound, and the left collar
of the waistcoat, which was unbuttoned, were on fire,
so it would appear the muzzle of the pistol must have
been close to the breast when the fatal shot was fired.

The girl, Emma Fawcit, a native of England, whom
the unfortunate deceased had attempted to destroy be-
fore terminating his own existence, was found lying
on a sofa, in the drawing-room, bleeding from several
wounds inflicted by small shot, scattered over the right
side of her person from the temple to the knee; the light
morning dress which she wore was all stained with blood.
When assistance was procured she was placed on a car
and conveyed to Mercer's Hospital, where she was re-
ceived by the resident surgeon, by whom she was treated
in the kindest and most skilful manner. Having made
a careful examination of the wounds, which are nume-
rous, he declared that none of them were likely to prove
dangerous. As soon as she had recovered conscious-
ness she made a statement which, if correct, shows
her escape from death to have been almost mi-
raculous. She states that she left deceased sitting
in the bedroom to go down to the drawing-room,
and had been absent but a short time when she heard
him calling her on the stairs. She went out and saw
him on the landing beside the lobby window looking
towards the drawing-room door. She was going up to
him, and had ascended some three or four steps, when
he stepped forward with a pistol in his right hand and
instantly fired at her ; the charge, which appears to have
been of small shot, striking her in a slanting direction
downwards. She immediately turned and rushed back
into the drawing-room exclaiming, " Oh, lam shot !"
and then became unconscious. In the course of 15 or
20 minutes after the tragical occurrence the street in
front of the house in which it took place was literally
blocked up with crowds of persons anxiously inquiring
into the circumstances, or listening attentively to the
various and conflicting rumours that were being circu-
lated on the subject.
The proprietress of the establishment, Fanny Stuart,
gave the inspector the following account of the deceased :
—He came to her house late on the night of the 30th of
August, the day after the arrival of the Queen. He
was shabbily dressed, and seemed to have been some
time in the rain which fell during the night. He asked
for something to eat, and went down to the kitchen,
where he saw a gentleman sitting at the fire, to whom
he said, " I suppose you are on the spree to-night. If
you want money I can give you some, as I have 100
sovereigns." Miss Stuart did not think this state-
ment was correct, as she only saw eight or nine sove-
reigns in his purse when he drew it out. He attached
himself to Emma Fawcitt, and remained until 5 o'clock
in the morning, when he went out, but returned in
about five or ten minutes, and said he would not go,
as he thought he was late for the train ; he lived with the
same girl ever since, seldom going out at first, and lat-
terly not at all, and whenever he did it was in a covered
car. On the 31st of August he went to the King's-
bridge terminus for some portmanteaus he had left
there, and in two or three days after he brought in more
luggage, including a large trunk, which he never opened
in the house, and which is still corded, and so great
is its weight that two men can scarcely carry it ; he ap-
peared to have a considerable sum of money—all in gold
—which he spent in the most lavish manner, purchasing
for the women in the house, and particularly for Emma
Fawcitt, various and costly articles of dress ; notwith-
standing his great extravagance, he has left after him a
bag filled with sovereigns, which was found in a closet off
his bed-room by the police ; he was frequently ques-
tioned as to where he came from, and who he was, but his
replies were often evasive, always unsatisfactory and
contradictory. The night of his arrival, he said he was a
veterinary surgeon, attached to the Queen's establish-
ment, and subsequently he stated that he had been some
time in Australia ; the name he gave was Webster,
which, if not his real name, was one he appears to have
travelled under, for on the railway labels pasted on his
luggage is "Daniel H. Webster, passenger to Dublin."
Miss Stuart stated, in reply to the inspector, that
she never saw the deceased drunk, nor did she ever
know 'him to have any quarrel with Emma Faw-
citt ; that, on the contrary, he seemed very much
attached to her. He bought her several dresses,
and, among other articles, an accordion, upon which
he was teaching her to play. About an hour before

he perpetrated —the dreadful act which so suddenly
hurried him into eternity, he was giving her instruction in
the air of " There's nae luck about the house." Emma
Fawcitt's statement at the hospital differs from Miss
Stuart's in one respect. The latter says she never saw the
deceased drunk, while the former alleges that he was
seldom sober, and that during the last two days he was
constantly intoxicated, and was becoming quite insane
in his conduct and manner. In the account given by
Miss Stuart, she stated that when the first shot was
fired, all the women were in the drawing-room excepting
Miss Fawcitt, who instantly rushed in exclaiming, " Oh,
lam shot ! lam shot !" and then fainted. She (Miss
Stuart) thought he had gone mad, and fearing he would
murder them all she locked and barricaded the door, and
called for help. This had been scarcely done when the
second shot was heard, and she thought it had been
fired at some of the servants.

The police found on the dressing-table several pistols,
and beside them a bag of bullets, together with a quantity
of powder. The pistols are quite new, and of a very su-
perior description ; the maker's name is " Richardson,
Lord-street, Liverpool." A considerable quantity of
wearing apparel, of the best style and quality,
was lying about. The deceased is of the middle
size, slightly made, and of a sallow complexion ;
his face is much worn, and would indicate a
life of hardship or dissipation ; he might be about
35 years of age, but looked somewhat older, from having
lost some of his teeth, and wearing a wig ; for it is
worthy of remark that his hair, which is dark brown,
is slightly grown, having been recently shaved, which
he accounted for to Miss Fawcitt by stating that it had
been done in hospital, where he was treated for an attack
of glanders, which he took from contact with a diseased
horse. A miniature of himself, enclosed in a handsome
morocco leather case, which he presented to the girl
Fawcitt, is a faithful likeness. An inquest was to be
held on Monday on the body by Mr J. E. Ilynclina,n."