The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-04 00:00:00

DARING OUTRAGE,

On Wednesday night last the inhabitants of Elliot's-row,
Islington, were considerably excited in
consequence of a
daring outrage which took place, and a report that a fellow
named Thomas, a deaf and dumb young man, had stabbed
his sister, and had made an attempt upon his own life, and
that of his father, a poor old man, a superannuated ship-
wright.

The fellow, who is in the habit of drinking to excess, was
frequently in the habit of going to his father's residence in
mot's-row and causing, disturbances, and threatening, with
motions, the lives of the family, ane, ahvays carried a
shoemaker's knife in his possession, with which, there was no
doubt, he intended to (lo some mischief. For seyeral nights
past be returned some, brandiAing about his knife, Ein4
committing assaults upon his 'faiker'and `family' ; and on
Monday night last, while lahourini un4er the influence if

liquor, be made an assault upon his father, to whom he
made motions that he intended to stab him to the heart and
cut his own throat, and lie was seen to pursue the old man
with the knife in his hand, but fortunately assistance arrived
and prevented mischief. The family endeavoured to avoid
him until Wednesday night last, when the ruffian paid them
another visit, and by his violent conduct involved the neigh-
bourhood in the utmost confusion ; he rushed into the place,
and make a most desperate assault upon his sister, about
fifteen years of age, whom he knocked down in a state of
insensibility, and renewed his attacks upon his father and
the rest of the family, who were obliged to seek refuge in
the houses of the neighbours, until Sergeant Russell, P 2, N,
with other officers, who received information that the fellow
had stabbed his sister, repaired to the spot, and found the
poor girl in a Weakly condition, and greatly alarmed in con,
sequence of his brutal violence ; th ruffian was in the
house flourishing his knife. He made a violent resistance,
and it was with the greatest difficulty that the officers pre-
vented him laying violent hands upon himself and others.
They, however, got the knife from his grasp, and took him
to the station-house, where he waslocked up, and on making
inquiries of his father it was ascertained that the prisoner
had threatened to cut his own throat and to murder him,
and that no provocation had been given him except remon-
strances for his dissipated and desperate conduct.
The whole of his family attended, and charged him, and
yesterday morning Ile was taken to Hatton-Garden Police
Office, and placed at the bar, when Mary Thomas, his sis-
ter, proved a brutal assault upon her, and stated that he
was in the habit of carrying a knife in his possession, which
he bad threatened to murder them with.

The poor old father, who was considerably affected,
proved that he pursued him with the knife, and attempted
to stab him.

C 8/.. .ould communicate
Mr. LAING directed that some on
with him through the medium of dumb motions, and an
officer who understood this mode of " conversing," commu-
nicated to him that he was charged with assaulting his sis-
ter, and threatening tQ Out his own throat, and stab his
father, and asked him what he had to say for himself?
The prisoner, with an idiotic stare, touched his stomach,
and then his head, by which the constable said that he
meant to say he was drunk, and did not know what he was
doing.
Mr. LAING convicted him in the penalty of 20s. ; in de-
fault of payment to be committed for fourteen days' hard
labour in the House of Correction.
This was communicated to the prisoner by action, but
ho seemed to treat the matter with the utmost hardihood
and indifference, and was eventually taken to prison.