The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-07 00:00:00

CLERKEN WELL.

On Saturday Ann Saunders was charged with severely
wounding a young man named Wm. Pipkin. It appeared
that the prisoner had on the evening of the previous day
been drunk in the streets, and was followed by a mob of
boys, who hooted and called her names. She at last
rushed into a public-house in Vine-street, St. Andrew's,
Holborn, when the complainant happening to go in for
his supper beer, she exclaimed in a violent manner,
" This is one of the
lifting up a large knife, three feet in length, with which
she had previously wounded some boys, made a desperate
chop at his head. He retreated and held up his arms to
ward off the blows, but she continued chopping at him,
and swearing to have his life. His arms were dreadfully
mutilated. The instrument was very sharp, and one eut
which she made at the poor fellow actually cut a large
piece of flesh from his shoulder. The young man called
for assistance, when the landlord and several other per-
sons seised the prisoner, took the knife from her, and
kept her until the arrival of policeman, 209 G, who
took her to the station-house, where she gave her name
Ann Saunders. She was locked up, and in the morning
she was taken before a magistrate, when Mr. Pipkin at-
tended in a weak state, with his arm in a sling. He gave
evidence confirmatory of the above particulars. He posi-
tively swore that he gave the prisoner no provocation for
the attack upon him. He never saw her before in his life-
time. He bled profusely from his wounds, and he was
taken to the house of Mr. Dalton, surgeon, of Leather-
lane, who dressed them, and he was put to bed. After
giving his evidence he was conveyed home in an ex-
hausted state.

In answer to questions, he said that the prisoner de-
liberately chopped at him, and had the instrument struck
his head, he would inevitably have been murdered.
Mr. Francis Dalton, surgeon, of 52, Leather-lane,
said that the prosecutor was brought to his house bleed-
ing from several severe wounds, which might have been
inflicted by such an instrument as the one now pro-
duced, about three feet in length, and five inches broad,
with a very sharp edge, and such as is generally used by
chaff-cutters and skin-dressers. One of the wounds on
the prosecutor's wrist was a very dangerous one.
The police-constable who took the prisoner into cus-
tody saw her flourishing a large knife at a crowd of chil-
dren who were following her. He heard that some of
them were injured. Saw her lift up the knife in both
hands and chop at people, and he cautioned her to be-
ware of such conduct. Shortly afterwards he was called
upon to take her into custody, when she went quietly
to the station house.

The prisoner, in her defence, said she had been
drinking freely, when she was lollowed, beaten, and
kicked by the mob, when she threw herself under the
protection of the police, as she felt her life to be in
danger. She thought the prosecutor was one of the
party when she struck him with the knife. She was
very sorry for what had happened.
She was fully committed for trial for the felony, when,
in the course of the day, she was conveyed to Newgate
in the police van.