The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-25 00:00:00

N, OCTOBER 25, 1851.

ATROCIOUS BURGLARY AND AT-
TEMPTED MURDER.
OLDIIURT, OCT. 24.—The inhabitants of the iron
and mining districts of East Worcestershire and
South Staffordshire have, during yesterday and to-
day, been considerably excited by the occurrence of
a daring burglary and attempt at murder in the
neighbourhood of this town.
A maiden lady, named Nichlin, resides at a small
farm house, situate at Portvvay, between Oldbury
and Hales Owen, and about three-quarters of a mile
distant from the former place. The only other resi-
dents in the house are her brother, a bachelor, about
forty-five years of age, and a niece, between thirteen
and fourteen. Miss Nichlin was understood to be a
lady of considerable property, and, as usual at this
period of the year, after the receipt of her Michaelmos
rents, in the possession of large sums of money. Her
brother is in an infirm state of health, and, although
her assistant in the management of her property, not
capable of much physical exertion, and, as may be
conceived, unequal to the efficient resistance of a
daring gang of burglars. The house in which Mr.
Nichlin, Miss Nichliu, and their niece reside is close
to the turnpike road, and not more than from forty to
fifty yards (if so much) from other houses. It is not
absolutely lonely, nor does its exterior appearance in-
dicate the wealth of its residents.
About two o'clock on Thursday morning, Mr.
David Nichlin, the brother, when in bed, was awoke
by a blow inflicted by a bludgeon, and, so soon as
he could recover himself, saw two men with a dark
lantern standing close to his bedside. One of them
had his face blackened, and both of them were
liataited from the shoulder downwards in white over-
dresses. From subsequent examination, it appears
that these over-dresses were the chemises of the elder
Miss Nichlin, which they had taken from the kitchen
before they proceeded upstairs. Mr. Nichlin, upon
the attack being made, rose from his bed with the in•
tent to resist the attempts of the assailants, and an
encounter ensued. It was, however, of short con-
tinuance. One of the burglars almost immediately
drew forth a pistol, or pistols, and shot Mr. Nichlin
in the head. The unfortunate gentleman who still
lives to tell the tale, says he believes that ;twee shots
were fired, but there is reason to suppose that the
gun or pistol used was a two-barrelled one, and that
two shots only were discharged. Mr. Nichlin re-
ceived the contents in his right cheek, arm, and side,
and fell upon the floor of his bed-room. He became
insensible, and it was supposed that his assassins
deemed him dead, for, without further consideration,
they proceeded to ransack the drawers and boxes
placed in the room. From these they abstracted two
Dudley and West Bromwich bank-notes for 51. each,
six or seven sovereigns, a quantity of silver tea spoons,
an old-fashioned watch, &c.; but a large sum of
money, of which, it is supposed, they were in search,
escaped their hands.
From Mr. Nichlin's room the robbers proceeded to
that of Miss Nichlin, the entrance to which was
through the former apartment. Miss Nichlin, with
whom her niece slept, states that she heard two or
three blows given, but no discharge of fire-arms ; and
upon being first disturbed she supposed that another
brother, who had for some time been absent, had re-
turned home. Her previous ideas were speedily dis-
sipated by the appearance of the burglars in her bed-
room. They demanded her money, and upon her
refusal, threatened to blow out her brains. Miss
Nichlin, in answer to these demands, replied that the
only money of which she was in possession was in her
pocket, on the chair. The pocket was soon rifled, the
contents taken, and the thieves left the apartment.
On returning through Mr. Nichlin's room, that gen-
tleman still lay upon the floor, but they apparently
took no notice of the sanguinary outrage they had
committed. The burglars descended into the lower
rooms of the house, and proceeded to regale themselves
with meat, fruit pies, wine, &c. Mr. Nichlin, during the
period they remained in the house, managed to crawl
into his bed; but it was not until about five o'clock
in the morning that Miss Nichlin and her neice
ventured to give an alarm to their neighbours. On
more than one occasion the burglars shouted out from
below, at the top of their voices, " If you ar'n't
quiet we'll murder you." The state of terror in
which the inmates were placed for three hours cannot
well be imagined. The burglars entered through a
front parlour window.
So soon as the family were satisfied that the bur-
glars were departed, the young niece ventured out of
the house and communicated with Mr. Morris, a
neighbouring farmer, and by six o'clock Sergeant
Walden and Superintendent Overend, of the Wor-
cestershire police were on the premises. The bed-
room of Mr. Nichlin presented a dreadful appearance.
The floor of the apartment was deluged with blood,
and the unfortunate gentleman himself was com-
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Nichlin's jaw and teeth, while the shattered state
of his face showed the desperate and murderous
treatment to which he bad been subjected. Slugs,
which apparently had not taken effect, were also found
in the room.
Miss Nichlin, although somewhat nervous, exhibited
great strength of mind, considering the dreadful cir-
cumstances in which she had so recently been placed.
Mr. Cooper, of Oldbury, surgeon, was promptly called
in, and he pronounced the injuries inflicted upon Mr.
Nichlin to be of a highly dangerous character; but
up to this afternoon (Friday) he was still living.
The assistance of the Birmingham police has been
called in, but there is reason to believe that this ex-
traordinary burglary has been committed, not by
" professional,',' thieves, but by parties residing in the
neighbourhood, who had knowledge of the premises
as well as of the property of Miss Nichlin and her
family. Mr. Glossop, the head of the Birmingham
detective force, has the matter in hand ; and Mr.
Martin, in company with Sergeant Walden, is hourly
engaged in pursuing the strictest inquiries in the
neighbourhood.
Miss Nichlin and her brother are related to highly
respectable families in Birmingham and the neigh-
bourhood. A reward of 501. has been offered by the
family for such information as will lead to the convic-
tion of the guilty parties. Application has also been
made for the assistance of the Home-office.

became the tenant to a farm, the property of Cap-
tain Lanphier, and from which several tenantry had
been ejected, and a bad feeling was since that
period displayed towards the new occupant, and
those acting under him in tilling the ground. Yester-
day the Rev. Mr. Drapes went to the lands from Lit-
tleton, and remained on them till near dusk, when he
got into his gig in order to return home, accom-
panied by his bailiff, a man of the name of James
Donnelly, who is married and has a large family.
They had driven but a short distance when it became
very dark, and when close to several houses by the road
side a shot was fired from the hedge, and at the side at
which Mr. Drapes was driving. That gentleman at
the moment was stooping down to arrange a portion
of the harness, and was thus providentially saved from
the aim of the assassin, but the ball entered the back
part of the head of Donelly, and, traversing the base
of the skull of the unfortunate man, came out in front.
No further shot was fired, and the moment Mr.
Drapes arrived in Littleton the police turned out, and
in consequence of what they heard several persons were
arrested and are now in custody. Several of those
who lived quite close to the scene of this dreadful
occurrence were also arrested, and one and all deny
that they heard the report of any firearms, although
this could not have been possible. Dr. Bradshaw
came from Thumes and rendered every possible at-
tention to the bailiff, but the wound is mortal, and
before this he is dead. An investigation is now being
held, and some very important facts have been ascer-
tained."

OUTRAGE'IN DEAN FOREST.
A violent outrage has recently been committed at
Mitcheldean, in the Forest of Dean, on an inoffensive
ot turnpike-keeper, rhnips i
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stolen,w ho whose offencedtht
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against the thief before the local magistrate. The
gatekeeper (whose name is Hartland) was shot at by
some villain and dangerously wounded in the lower
part of his person, so that he is not expected to sur-
vive the dreadful injuries. Five men have been ap-
prehended
on suspicion of being concerned in the
outrage, viz., William Young (who was the party
suspected of stealing Hartland's fowls, and who was
at large on bail), his two sons Amos and William
Young, his son-in-law, John Williams,V and another
man named Joseph Probyn. These parties have un-
dergone three examinations before the magistrates at
the Littledean House of Correction, and the inquiry
has just terminated in the committal of two of them.
The evidence was very voluminous, and for the
most part of a circumstantial character. It was
proved that some parties were seen together
on the night of the outrage, but the elder prisoner
William Young, and his son, were sworn to posi-
tively as having been seen under a tree near Hart-
land's house only a few minutes before the shot was
fired, and another witness saw the same men running
away from the direction of the turnpike almost im-
mediately afterwards. A gun-barrel was found in
the pocket of a man named Gwilliam, who deposed
that he picked it up near Young's house, and was
about to hand it to Mrs. Young, when a policeman
was observed approaching, and she prayed him " for.
God's sake to put it out of sight." The gun had re-
cently been discharged, and proved to be one that a
man named Critchley had lent to Amos Young. Some
slugs were found in William Young's nail-shop, with
some percussion caps and gunpowder. The iron
work, screws, &c., belonging to a gun-stock, were
also found in the ashes at Young's house, while a dis-
guise was found in his garden. A servant at a pub-
lic-house also proved that when W. Young was
charged with fowl-stealing, he threatened to serve
out Hartland. The result was, that William and
Amos Young were committed for trial. The others
were discharged.

MANSLAUGHTER AT MAIDSTONE FAIR.
Yesterday an inquest was held by Mr. William
Payne, at Guy's Hospital, on the body of Christian
George Ford, aged 43, whose death, it was alleged, had
been caused by violence in a booth at Maidstone fair.
John Copeland said he lived at Maidstone, and was a
general dealer. On the 19th of August last, between
two and three o'clock in the morning, he was in a
booth erected in th 3 meadows, near the Gibraltar
Tavern, Maidstone. It was fair time, and the booth
was erected for drinking. The deceased was there,
and was sitting on the front of the bar in the booth.
Witness was engaged in argument with soms north
countrymen, and one of them handed to him a pot to
drink. One of the party made some observation, upon
which a quarrel ensued. A man named Trice, who
was sitting by, struck witness, upon which the de-
ceased, who witnessed the blow, said it was a shame
to strike a man who was old enough to be his father.
To this Trice inquired, " What have you to do with
it ?" and immediately afterwards struck Ford, who
was sitting down, several times with his fiat. He
struck him several times on the body, and once under
the ear. After this he took him by the heels and
threw him violently over the counter. He fell on the
other side and never rose afterwards. He was thrown
across the bar head foremost. He was not aware whe-
ther deceased was sober, but Trice was quite sober.
The deceased was conveyed to the hospital. Mr.
John Davies, house-surgeon, said he saw the deceased
shortly after his admission to the hospital. He com-
plained of extreme pain in the back part of the neck.
He was affected by paralysis on the left side, affecting
the arm and leg, and was unable to lift his arm. He
went on tolerably well for some time, but the paralysis
continued to increase, and he died on the 21st instant.
He made a post mortem examination of the body, and
found in the neck a fracture of the fourth vertebrae,
with a displacement backwards to the spinal canal.
The injury of the spine was the cause of death. The
jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict of
manslaughter against George Trice.