The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-28 00:00:00

MURDER AT SHAD WELL.

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A brutal murder was committed on Friday evening in
a street called Blue-gate-fields, High-street, Shadwell, by
two women of the town, named Mary Long, alias Owen,
and Hannah Covington, on a gentleman, aged 60, named
Thomas Briggs, who had for many years resided at No.
18, Norfolk.street, Turner-street, Commercial-road, and
was the owner of many houses in the neighbourhood of
St. George's-in-the-East and Shadwell. It appears that
the mother of Long had been a tenant of the deceased,
who, a few months ago, distressed upon her for rent,
after she had removed from his house. The daughter
had frequently declared she would be revenged, and on
Friday evening she and Covington attacked him, when
leaving the house of one of his tenants, with such fero-
city that he died in a few minutes afterwards. Both pri-
soners have been known to the police for a considerable
time, and have repeatedly been in custody for outrages
and disorderly conduct. The deceased formerly car-
ried on business in High-street, Shadwell, and was a
remarkably stout heavy man ; he had not even
spoken to the women before they attacked him,
so that the offence was as brutal as it was unprovoked.
When the prisoners were placed at the bar before the
Magistrate on Saturday at the Lambeth-street police-
office.
Thomas Hill stated that he saw Mary Long come out
of a house in Blue-gate-fields, seize an old gentleman
who wore spectacles and shake him violently ; she then
beat him, exclaimincr—" You are the murderer of my
mother ;" he tried to get away but she followed him up
and struck him several severe blows with her fist on the
nose and mouth. Covington then came running towards
the gentleman and also struck him, then took his stick
from him and with one blow felled him to the ground.
Both prisoners afterwards- kicked him on the body, and
he cried murder ; witness went to his assistance and
picked him up, but was driven off by the two women.
Finally Long by a blow of the fist drove the deceased
against the house of a woman named Harvey. Both
prisoners used horrible language to the deceased during
the whole time.

Mary Ann Harvey, of No. 9, Blue-gate-fields,
stated that deceased was her landlord, and had been
for his rent ; he had not left above five minutes when
she heard a noise in the street, and looking out to ascer-
tain, saw Mr. Briggs bleeding dreadfully, and in a very
exhausted condition ; the prisoners were close to him ;
she took him into the house, saw that he was becoming
black and blue, and thinking he was dying, sent for Mr.
Bird, surgeon, of Ratcliffe-highway, but before that
gentleman's arrival, the deceased dropped out of the
chair and expired.
Sarah Burgess, widow, deposed that she lived at No.
10, Blue-gate-fields, and heard the noise ; she looked out
and saw the old gentleman bleeding dreadfully from the
nose and mouth ; Covington hit him on the head with a
stick, and said with a horrid oath—" If that won't do I'll
give you another ;" the blow seemed to stagger him ;
Long also struck the deceased on the face • both prison-
erJ used very bad language, and appeared very deter-
mined in their manner. The deceased was unable to
offer any resistance.
George Malin, a police constable, stated that he was
called by the boy Thomas Hill (the first wit-
ness), and went to Blue-gate-fields, where he found
Mr. Briggs quite dead. He afterwards appre-
hended Long, saying he wanted her for ill-using
a gentleman and causing his death. The prisoner
exclaimed, "Ma ! I know nothing about it."
He found marks of blood on her hand and clothes, which
she accounted for by saying she had been dressing a
mackerel.

John Geary said he heard his sister call out, so he
went into the house and found Mr. Briggs on the fluor
quite dead.
Thomas Squires, a policeman, produced the deceased's
spectacles and stick, which he found in Blue-gate-fields ;
he took Covington into custody for the murder ; she said
she did not do it ; that Long did it, and that she would
not be blamed for it. On her way from the station-house
to the police-office a woman spoke to her, and Covington
said—" What are you snivelling about ? I have only
given the old man a slap on the face."
Samuel Burgess.stated that he saw Long go up to the
old gentleman and give him a terrible blow on the face.
Covington then came up and struck him ; he was imme-
diately covered with blood, and died within four minutes.

Mr. John William Bird, surgeon, of 104, Ratcliffe-
highway, was called in to see the deceased, who appeared
to have been dead about 15 or 20 minutes. He examined
the body, in company with another medical man ; and.
on removing the scalp, a great quantity of extravasated
blood was discharged ; on opening the head he found
more extravasated blood than in any head he had ever
seen. The brain was in a very unhealthy state, the
blood-vessels
.gorged, and every appearance indicative
of a predisposition to apoplexy. There were marks of
violence on the deceased's person ; the bridge of the
nose was broken, and there had been a severe blow on
the eye. He considered that a sudden concussion of the
brain, in the deceased's full habit, had caused the vessels
to give way, and produce immediate death.
The prispn(rs, when asked if they had anything to
say, sobbed loudly, and made no reply.
The Magistrate said he should commit them for
trial for the murder of Mr. Briggs, but would remand
them for the present, as an inquest would necessarily be
held on the body.

WILFUL ATTEMPT TO DESTROY
THE PICTURES AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
An infamous and wanton attempt to destroy several
of the pictures in the present exhibition, at the Royal
Academy, in Trafalgar-square, was discovered on Friday
night last. It would appear that it is the custom of the
officers of this Institution, to visit all the rooms after the
company have retired. In doing so on Friday night, one
of the porters remarked that a picture of Mr. Simpson's,
" Mary Queen of Scots going hawking," had a suspicious
appearance, and upon a closer inspection, discovered
that the eyes in every one of the figures por-
trayed upon the canvas had been removed by
a penknife, or some other sharp instrument.
The detection of this rascally act naturally caused an
alarm for the safety of the other pictures in the collec-
tion, and a diligent scrutiny was at once instituted.
The result, we regret to say, was, in ascertaining th It
the " Italian Peasants," by Mr. Whines, and a " Por-
trait of a Baronet," upon panel, by Mr. Corbett, had
been also injured. Mr. M'Clise's picture of " Hunting
the Slipper" has been injured in like manner ; but
this, together with " the Italian Peasants " and " Mary
Queen of Scots," are not beyond repair, but it is feared
that the work of art by Mr. Corbett is too
much injured to permit of restoration. These outrages
have caused much excitement both out of doors and in
the Council of the Royal Academy, and it has been at
once determined to institute the strictest watchfulness,
and to cause to be punished with all the severity that the
law will permit, any person detected in an act which re-
flects the greatest disgrace upon the country. A rail
should be placed around each apartment, which would
not only assist to protect the works entrusted for exhibi-
tion, but be a focal point for the view of the visitors.

A WOMAN BURIED ALIVE.—On Tuesday
last a young woman, a servant in a highly respectable
family, was seized by an apopletic fit, and, as was sup-
posed, died. On being, a few hours after, carried to the
Greek Church for interment, she was observed to be,
warm, and on a medical man being sent for, was pro-
nounced to be yet living. She is now, according to some
reports, doing well, others say she is since dead. This
is by no means, during a few years' residence in Smyrna,
the first time that we have heard of a similar accident
having happened. How indeed can it be otherwise, when
corpses, of Greeks especially, are hurried to interment
in less than twelve hours after death is supposed to take
place ? Some strong measures should be adopted to
prevent so horrible a circumstance from ever occurring,
by not allowing a body to be carried out till at least
24 hours have elapsed after death.—Smyrna Observer
of May 21.
HORRID MURDER AT KNARESBOROUGH.—
It is our painful duty, as journalists, this week to record
one of the most atrocious and cold-blooded murders
which has ever disgraced our criminal annals, com-
mitted early on the morning of Saturday last, in this
town. The unfortunate victim is Mr. Joseph
Cocker, a respectable and inoffensive old man, land-
lord of the White Hart, near to the Market-Place,
who of late has resided alone, managing his own
honsehold affairs, with the exception of a char-
woman once or twice a-week. On the night of Friday,
three young men named John Benn;son, Henry Nutter,
and Charles Gill, apparently from previous arrangement,
went to the house of Mr. Cocker, with an intention to
rob and murder him • they stayed some time, and had
some refreshment, and as it was very late, the poor old
man treated them with some ale, in order that they might
go away peaceably ; but, awful to relate, it was now
the time when the tragic scene was to be accomplished.
One of the pa.zty locked the door, and Bennison com-
mitted the diabolical deed by beating out the brains of his
victim with a hammer taken for the purpose ; they then left
the house, but thinking they had not perfectly finished their
bloody design, returned, and again beat the deceased in a
dreadfullmanner with a poker and theweapon before alluded
to. Providentially, at this crisis, a woman munel Snow,
the wife of a shoemaker who lives near the place, hear-
ing a moan, thought the deceased might have been
taken ill, and had the curiosity to go and look through
a window, when she was horror stricken to behold Mr.
Cocker lying in his gore at the feet of his assailants, pre-
senting a shocking spectacle ; an alarm was instantly
given, and the fiends decamped, taking with them the
hammer and some silver they had m obbed the house of.
They took the Harrogate road, and threw the hammer
into the Nidd, near to the High Bridge, but finally
agreed to return into the town, where they were appre-
hended shortly afterwards, and admitted their guilt. An
inquest was held on the following afternoon, when the
Jury returned a verdict of Wilful Murder" against
John Bennison as principal, and Henry Nutter and
.r.;iaarles Gill as accessories in aiding and abetting. The
prisoners were conveyed to York Castle at four o'clock
on Suuzlay morning.—York Courant.
Macclesfield is upon its trial. Mr. Samuel
Stock's, actuated, we believe, solely by a sense of public
duty, h• coffered himself as a candidate, and we express
ourselv es conscientiously when We say that he deserves
the con. ldence of the constituency. We call upon the
electors to give him their zealous sur ort. ."0 especi-
ally call i 'F on the friends of Mr. Bro,klehurst, if they
value a character for consistency, to give Mr. Stocks
Cieir hearty- aid, If a single professed Reformer votes
for Grimse Act; he ought to branded as a traitor.—Man-
chester Tin, vs.