The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-09 00:00:00

DESPERATE ENCOUNTER AND

RECAPTURE OF A PRISONER.
It will be recollected that on the sth of March lask
Richard Hackford, an old and desperate offender,
effected his escape from our county gaol, to which he
had been committed for trial on the charge of stealing
a sheep from Mr. Bunning, of Holmer, near this city.
Nothing certain was heard of him till about a month
ago, when Police-sergeant Sadler, of Aberdaire, re-
ceived information that he was working in one of the
mines on the " Hills" near Hirwain Common, about
six miles beyond Merthyr. Upon this common are
" tracks" along which the workmen proceed to their
respective mines for the labours of the day. On Mon-
day night, the 25th ult., Sadler commenced watching
these tracks, and continued doing so, taking one
each night in succession, but did not meet with his
man (of whom he had a full description) until the
early hour of a quarter to five o'clock on Friday
morning last. He then, in the moonlight, saw five
men going up the track to their work. He spoke to
them in Welsh, and some of them answered in the
same language, but Hackford, who was with them,
did not. Sadler, looking at him, said, " You era the
man I want—l am a police-officer, and you are my
prisoner." He then took Hackford by the collar,
who, after going with him a few paces, attempted to
trip him up. The officer recovered himself, threw
Hackford, and then a deadly struggle commenced.
The two combatants were young and powerful,
and sometimes one had the advantage, and some-
times the other. The working companions of Hack-
ford stood by, and he entreated them to turn to help
him. The officer also called upon one of them in
the Queen's name to assist him as a constable, but
instead of doing so he wrenched the staff out of
the officer's hand, and gave it to Hackford, who
inflicted with it several severe blows on the
head of his resolute antagonist. Sadler, however,
recovered his staff, when Hackford drew
forth a large clasp knife, and gave the
officer a severe wound, two inches in length, on
the forehead, which-A bled profusely. At last Sadler,
summoning up all his strength, threw his man down,
and falling upon him, Hackford, with a groan,
said, " I will go with you." The officer, however,
in putting on the handcuffs, still experienced great
resistance ; but a young man, who knew the sergeant,
happening to pass at this moment to his work, as-
sisted him in doing so. The capture was then com-
plete, and the officer having had his wound dressed
(the prisoner does not appear to hare been very
greatly damaged), removed Hackford by mail to
Abergavenny, and thence by conveyance to his old
quarters at our county gaol, where he arrived about
half-past two o'clock on Saturday morning last. The
officer has of course received the small reward offered
for the recapture of this desperate character ; but we
trust that he will receive more substantial benefit for
so courageously risking his life in the cause of
justice.—Hereford Journal.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

AMBERGATE, NOTTINGHAM, AND BOS-

TON RAIL WA T.
A special general meeting of the shareholders of
this railway was held on Friday, in the Exchange
Rooms in this town, for the purpose of considering
the proposal of the Great Northern Company to lease
the line.—W. J. N. Norton, Esq., presided.
The proposal of the Great Northern Company
having been read,
The CHAIRMAN said, the directors, upon receiving
these proposals, again met, and decided on rejecting
them by a majority of thirteen to two, and a circular
was sent to each shareholder, to put them into posses-
sion of the reasons for this determination on the part
of the directors.

Mr. BADGER then rose and said, as he had been one
of the parties who originated this offer from the Great
Northern Company, he should content himself with
moving the adoption of the company's offer, because
he believed it would be conducive to the interest of
the shareholders. He, however, knew that the ma-
jority of votes would be against the offer, and this he
attributed to the letter and recommendation sent by
the directors to the shareholders. He, too, had sent a
letter to the shareholders to put them in possession of
the proceedings of the committee.
Mr. IRONSIDES begged to second the motion. He
was quite sure that the repeated meetings of the
shareholders would have an injurious effect on the
value of their property—(Hear, hear)—and cer-
tainly, from the great majority of rotes by which the
question had been decided at a former meeting, he
did think that it would not be necessary to have
another decision en the same point. That meeting
was pretty significant of the wishes of the share-
holders, and ought to have been decisive. He was
sure the capital would not be sufficient to make the
line, and he would tell them why. Let them look
at the expense of their engineering staff. There was
the chief engineer, Mr. Rastrick, 1,000/. a year ;
Mr. Underwood, engineer, , 1,0001.; Mr. Dobson,
assistant engineer, 4004 a year ; Mr. Johnson, 4001.
a year ; Messrs. Meredith, Kerly, Brown, Beer,
Bate, and Collingford, making together 4,950/.
for engineering staff, exclusive of travelling ex-
penses. Now he had received an official letter
relative to the London and Brighton expenses, and
he found that the engineering staff of that
company cost 1,941/., which was not half the amount
the Ambergate Company paid. Besides, the London
and Brighton had 137 miles at work, had four short
branches, and sixteen miles of line in progress, with
many stations in course of construction. It was
quite clear, therefore, that the capital of the com-
pany would be inadequate to make the line if they
were to spend it in this way on its engineering staff.
The offer of the Great Northern Company took all
the expense away. It guaranteed them a certain per
centage, and found all the money beyond the original
capital. Ile believed, if the offer were accepted, and
the Northern Company allowed to make the works, it
would be to the interest of all parties. There were
other points he wished to notice, hut he would not
now detain the meeting. He would simply content
himself with seconding the motion for accepting the
proposition of the Great Northern Company.
The Rev. MYERS thought it would be a good
thing if the Ambergate Company could come to some
equitable:arrangement with the Great Northern Com-
pany. If in order, he wonid beg to propose that the
directors he empowered to confer with the Great
Northern Company, on the basis of their late pro-
posal. If the arrangement should not go through
standing orders, then he would suggest that the
Great Northern pay the expenses. If it passed
standing orders, then the two companies might divide
the expender between them.