The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-28 00:00:00

MURDEROUS ATTACK AT

BLACKWELL, SOMERSET.
The inhabitants of the usually peaceful villages of
Blackwell and West Town were thrown into a state
of much excitement, yesterday week, by a report that
John Wall, a labouring man, and of most inoffensive
character, residing in Blackwell, had been shot
whilst standing by his fire-side. Upon inquiries
being instituted the intelligence proved to be substan-
tialy correct. It appears that on the afternoon of
Friday, Wall, whose cottage adjoins the main road,
was in the act of cooking his dinner (his wife being
from home), when his attention was attracted by the
breaking of a pane of glass in the window. Upon
looking up to discover the cause of this unexpected
circumstance he was:horror-stricken to perceive the
muzzle of a gun deliberately introduced through the
aperture. The contents of the gun were almost instan-
taneously discharged, and lodged in the poor man's
thigh. Wall then noticed a fellow coolly looking through
the window, evidently in expectation that the shot had
taken a fatal effect; but upon being hailed by the
wounded man, the ruffian became aware that his mur-
derous act was not completed, and hastily decamped.
Upon the event being made known, proceedings were
set on foot for the capture of the party engaged in this
infamous transaction, and a lad of about 16 years of
age, who, in company with two others, had been seen
running in a direction from the cottage with a gun
in his hand, was, by the active exertions ofMr. Thomas
Day, constable, of Nailsea, taken on the following
Monday morning. Upon being confronted with the
wounded man, Wall, he identified the prisoner as the
person whom he had seen standing at his window after
the gun had been discharged. The prisoner, whose
name is Charles Manfield, a resident at Nailsea,
was subsequently taken before William Conn-
sell, Esq., a magistrate of the county, when a lad
deposed to having seen three young men run-
ning on the road leading from the cottage, who told
him that they had been stealing Christmas boughs
from an adjoining orchard, and were fearful of being
overtaken by the owner. Manfield admitted to have
been one of the parties present, but said the other
two must be caught, us he did not fire the gun. The
depositions of Wall and the other witness having been
read over, the prisoner was committed to Shepton
Mallett gaol to take his trial at the next assizes. We
regret to hear that the wounded man still lies in a
very precarious state, though not without hopes of his
recovery. Had the shots penetrated the inner side of
the thigh, there is but little doubt that the result
would have proved fatal. The other boys are known
to be bad characters, and it is to be hoped they will
not escape from justice. It is supposed that had the
shot taken ar fatal effect, the cottage would have been
plundered by these juvenile assassins. We heard yes-
terday that poor Wall was somewhat better, and that
Mr. Massey, his medical attendant, gave hopes of his
recovery.—Bristol Mirror.

ROYAL GENERAL ANNUITY SOClETY.—Yesterday
the annual general meeting of the subscribers to the
above institution was held at the London Tavern, Mr,
J. P. Hayward in the chair. The secretary having read
the report of the society during the past year, it was
unanimously received. It appeared that the society had
progressed exceedingly well during the past year, and
the directors had been enabled to increase the amount
of the annuities to the full extent allowed by the rules,
besides making a considerable addition to the funded
stock. It was proposed, at the next election of an-
nuitants, to make the number to be elected six instead of
three, as heretofore. The chairman then stated, that
during the past year the directors had thought fit to re-
vise the rules, and they would then be submitted, in the
altered state, to the meeting, subject, of course, to the
approbation of the larger meeting, which was to be held
in January next. Mr. Heeles said, that before submit-
ting the altered rules to the meeting he should suggest
thefformation of ladies' committees, an auxiliary society,
and juvenile committees, for he found that the ladies and
the younger branches of families collected more money
than any of the committees of men. The Chairman andl
several other gentlemen objected to the proposal, as it
had not been found to answer in those cases where it had
been tried; and, besides, ladies of sense would see that
it would be more fitting for them to attend to their
domestic affairs than to go about begging for a public
body. Several alterations in the rules were then read
and agreed to. The alterations extended the operations
of the society to tradesmen and manufacturers, increased
the amount of annuity from 1/. 12s. for men to 21. ss.
per month, and for women from 11. 4s. to 1/. 10s. per
month. Various alterations were made as to the number
of votes to be allowed, and as to the circumstances which
rendered candidates eligible. These alterations were
then put generally and carried, subject to confirmation
at the next meeting. The officers of the society wore
then re-elected for the coming year, and a vote of thanks
having been given to the chairman, the meeting ad-
journed.

ABOLITION OF CAPITAL PUNISIIMENTS. -- The
Liverpool Albion of yesterday
in says:—" An address to
the Queen, praying for the remission of the capital sen-
tence recently passed this town on two individuals
left for execution, is now in course of signature. In the
case of Speed, the memorialists point to the absence of
malice, and to the fact of his being a sober and industri-
ous man, who was impelled to the act by the desire to
save his children from misery. The case of the other
culprit, for the murder of his wife, is not alluded to. The
memorialists say, That to the depraved portion of the
witnesses of the execution (and it is to be feared that
this class is particularly attracted to such scenes) your
petitioners feel that the sacredness of human life is
rather denied than affirmed by its deliberate public ex-
tinction, and that familiarity with violent death feeds
the brutality which would lead to the commission of
murder.'"