The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-04 00:00:00

THE LATEST IRISH OUTRAGE.

There seems to be very little doubt that the attempted
assassination of the two policemen at Askeaton was the
work of Fenians, the victims of the outrage, Sub-con-
stables Doyle and bi•Conaghy, having, bytheir zeal and
activity, made themselves obnoxious to that party. It
appears that, at a late hour on Thursday evening, the po-
licemen were on duty; but, not anticipating that the quiet
of the locality would be disturbed, were unprovided with
firearms. At seven o'clock they went into a butcher's stall
and remained chatting with some people there. About
twenty minutes after they had entered the shop, two or
three men were observed to pass and repass, evidently
casting inquiring glances towards the police. No notice
was taken of the matter; but after a few minutes one of
the men stopped before the stall, and, drawing a pistol
from his coat pocket, fired at one, and then at the other
of the constables. An accomplice also fired, and both of
the policemen fell severely wounded. Several shots were
subsequently fired in different directions by accomplices,
it is supposed, to help the escape of the assassins. It
appears that a horse-pistol or blunderbus was used by
one of the miscreants ; for Ccnstable Doyle was found to
have been wounded by three slugs, which, entering from
the back, are supposed to have lodged in his lungs. One
account states that he died in the course of the night, but
in any case it is believed his wounds aro mortal.
111`Conaghy received a bullet in his arm, and was removed
to Limerick.

ROBBERY BY A RtiRAL LETTER CARRIER.

At the Hertford County petty sessions, on Saturday,
William Phillips, a respectable-looking lad, sixteen years
of age, employed as a letter carrier in the Welwyn postal
district, was charged with stealing several letters the pro-
perty of the Postmaster-General. The evidence offered re-
ferred to one particular letter, posted at Tottenham on
October 21, and addressed to a lady residing at Welch's
Farm, near Welwyn. The letter was never delivered, and
the same thing having happened before, complaint was
made at the Welwyn Post Office. The lady to whom the
letter was addressed questioned the prisoner, who at first
denied that he had had a letter for her; but afterwards
said that ho had put one in his pocket, and could not
find it when he looked for it. The lady thereupon
told him that she had a letter in her pocket, which she
was going to send to the Post Office authorities in Lon-
don; but that she would not send it if he told the truth.
It also appeared that the local postmistress told him
it would be better for him if he told the
truth. Upon this the prisoner said that he had
destroyed the letter, and he afterwards made a similar
admission to the policeman who took him into custody,
saying that he destroyed the letter because he must have
gone a long way round to deliver it. It was stated that
Welch's farm was about two miles out of the way the
Prisoner had to go with his other letters, and it came out
in the course of the inquiries that his salary was Cs. a
week, and his daily round (Sundays included) about ten
miles. He was committed for trial.

A medical correspondent of the Glasgow Herald
reports the death at Govan of an old woman who com-
pleted her 103 d year on the " shortest day," and till with-
in a few days of her death, which took place on Friday,
was able to go about as hale and hearty as man/ who have
not lived half her years. She was twice married, but sur-
vived all her family.

MICA FOIt SPECTACLES.—Mica, for spectacles, is
rapidly coming into use in America, for workmen exposed
to the heat and glare of iron furnaces. Complete masks
of this material, and even cylinders surrounding the entire
head, have been made so as to form a more perfect defence.
It has been attempted to give a blue tinge to the spec-
tacles, by applying the colouring matter directly to the
surface of the mica, but this expedient failed. Another
plan has been more successful ; this plan consists in inter-
posing a plate of transparent blue gelatine between two
layers of the mica.

AIIINZINGEII.—We earnestly trust that the
Government will not neglect an appeal which the Cologne
Gazette has just made to it, on behalf M. Munzinger,
late British Consul at Massowah. All who know
anything about the Abyssinian Expedition know how
invaluable were the services he rendered to it. It
would not be easy to name any one subordinate
officer in Lord Napier's force to whom a greater share in
its success could justly be ass!gned than to M. Mun-
zinger. Ile is now lying, wounded and seriously ill,
at Keren, and the Cologne Gazette declares that, in con-
sequence of the insufficiency of the reward which
the English Government made him for his services
in Abyssinia, and which consisted partly in depriving
him of his Consulship, he has hardly money enough
io procure food for the next three months. A vast deal
has been said and written about the prestige which our
management of the Abyssinian Expedition acquired for us
in the eyes of foreigners, and which has been declared
"cheap at ten millions." Will not this prestige somewhat
suffer if such an appeal by the foreign press on behalf of
a foreigner is made to, the British Government ir vain?
A PEETTY STOnY.—A.German paper gives an
account of a strange incident which occurred lately on the
occasion of a marriage before the civil authorities in
Algeria, The efficial required the consent of the mother,
sad asked if she were present. A loudbass voice answered,
"Yes." The mayor looked up and saw a tall soldier be-
tore him. " That is well," he said, "let the mother
come here—her consent and signature aro necessary." To
the astonishment' of all present, the soldier approached the
mayor with long strides, saluted in military fashion, and
said—" You ask for the mother of the bride, she stands
sir," replied the may el.
before you." Very well, •
" then stand back, I can take no proxy; I
,must
see the mother, the mother, I tell you "And
I repeat," rejoined the soldier, "that she stands
you. My name is
Maria
17—,
I have
been thirty-six years in the service ; I have beenthrough
igns, and obtained the rank of sergeant
u.s, the permission to wear uniform, and
sergeant-major." The mayor carefully
iuments and found them perfectly correct,
e marriage of the bridal pair, the mother
:ervoutly with her deep bass MO t 44) 411
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