The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-21 00:00:00

EXTRAORDE V ARY and FATAL OUTRAGE.
An eutrhge of an extraordinary and daring character
was committed near Manchester at an early hour on
Saturday morning, which, to some extent, met with im-
mediate punishment from the fatal results which ensued
to its lawless perpetrators. On the southerly side of
Manchester, and scarcely a mile from the borough, is a
brick-field in the occupation of Mr. James Farr. It
stands in the rural little village of Birch, in the township
of Rusholme. Crossing, a few fields from the fashion-
able precincts of Victoria-park, a field-path on the
right bank of a rather wide brook and which skirts the
church and grave-yard, you cross the stream by a
foot-bridge at the west front of the church, and
are within a hundred yards of the premises of
Mr. Farr. Mr. Farr has: had the misfortune for these
two years past to contend with the uncompromising hos-
tility of a brickmakers' trades' union, and at frequent
intervals he has been liable to invasions of his premises
by armed bands of men in the night-time, who have dis-
charged fire-arms to intimidate his watchers, have de-
stroyed his property by trampling down his new-made
bricks, and otherwise annoyed him. Last year he sus-
tained losses from incursions of this kind to the extent
of 2501., and the county police when co-operating
to afford him protection were surprised and beaten.
He has been compelled to keep constant watches
upon his premises night and day ; and whilst
his watchmen were on duty, no longer ago than
Sunday morning last, three unionists suddenly rushed
upon them armed with a rude kind of life-pre•
server, and assaulted them with great violence. It Wag
in consequence of this last attack that Mr. Farr deter-
mined to arm his watchmen, and on Friday night they
were each of them provided with an old blunderbuss or
fowling-piece, loaded with bullets and small round shot.
They had in reserve at Mr. Farr's own cottage, at the
south-east corner of the croft, a small cannon, about a
foot long and of three-quarters of an inch bore. This
formidable piece of artillery was charged with three or
four musket-bells and about as many marbles. Soon
after midnight the watchmen were apprized by the bark-
ing of their dogs, by distant signal whistles, the low
murmur of voices, and trampling of many feet, on the
north side of the brook, that an attack was meditated.
They were not kept long in suspense, for by a quarter-
past twelve o'clock about one hundred men had crossed
the bridge and were upon the flats or " butts" on which
are spread out to dry the newly-made and soft bricks,
trampling them down and destroying them.
There were four Watchmen in
11 and the moon be-
ing overcast, they could,
probably, only be very in-
distinctlseen as they awaited the attack under the
kilns; hut, however, they wer© fired at by the
attacking* party, and some random shots whistled
about them and struck the kilns, merely chipping off
pieces of the bricks and leaving traces of their presence.
Two of the watchers discharged their pieces at the as-
sailants, another found that his priming was faulty and
had missed fire, and the fourth, perceiving that the as-
sailants were rapidly approaching, and bearing them
loudly deride the efforts of his companions, saying that
their guns had been discharged, and there was nothing
more to be feared, ran to get out the cannon. The cannon
was placed on one of the walls of dried bricks, so as to
sweep transversely the flats of bricks which the unionists
were destroying. The unionists were now busy throw-
ing down the walls of dried but unburnt bricks, as well
as trampling upon the soft ones. The voice of one of
their leaders was heard encouraging them, and saying,
" Go it, my lads, they've only a gun left; go it, and smash
everything before you." Immediately afterward the can-
non was discharged, and seems to have spread consterna-
tion and panic into their ranks. What injury resulted from
it is not known, but it was followed by cries of pain and
groans, amidst which an instantaneous and rapid retreat
was made. The county police at the neighbouring sta-
tions of Chorlton, Didsbury, Longeight, and Levens-
hulme were alarmed by the report of the fire-arms, and
judging correctly enough what bad happened, concen-
trated upon the spot, but not in time to apprehend any
of the ruffians in their retreat. When daylight broke, or
soon after three o'clock, it was found, however, that the
contest had not been bloodless. Tho lifeless body of a
unionist was found lying in a pool of blood under a wall
of unburnt bricks which ho apparently had been destroy-
ing, a charge of shot either from a gun or pistol having
entered his head a little below the left ear. He appeared
to have come to the attack well prepared, for a cavalry
pistol was found under him, heavily loaded with bullet
and swan shot; and in his pockets were found five other
bullets, a quantity of cans and powder, and a tobacco-
box full of swan-shot. The unhappy man does not ap-
pear to have been the only sufferer among the unionists,
for upon the soft bricks destroyed, and which amount
to about 6,000, there were found numerous traces of
blood; and a private watchman having care of some
new and unfinished houses belonging to Mr. Dove, in
the direction the unionists retreated, states that a party
of them brought a man on their shoulders, who was
apparently suffering great agony from a wound, and
wanted to leave him in one of these houses; he, how.
ever, induced them to take the man away by threaten-
ing to call the police in the Victoria-park.
As may readily be imagined, the intelligence of what
had taken place as day advanced caused. considerable
excitement, and the body of the deceased unionist having
been carried to the Birch-villa Hotel, great numbers of
people went to view it. No one, however, was able to
identity it until Saturday evening, when it was recog-
nised as the body of a man named John Redfern, a brick-
moulder, of Ashtoa-road, Manchester.
An inquest was held the same evening on the body
by Mr. W. S. Rutter, county coroner, at which most of
the facts given above were stated in evidence. Captain
Sheppard and Captain Durk, of the county constabu-
lary, were present, and Captain Sheppard stated that
these outrages last year were carried to such an extent
against Mr. Farr that Government were induced to
offer a reward for the offenders. The surgeon who bad
made a post mortem examination of the body of deceased
said that he found a charge of slugs at the back of the
neck, on the.right side. It had entered under the left
ear, naming with it a piece of thin wadding paper, and
had traversad the base cf the brain, and another large
piece of the wadding-paper had entered as far as the
cavity of the brain. He was of opinion that the gun
or pistol producing this wound must have been fired at
a distance not exceeding five or six yards, and that it
had produced instantaneous death. From other evi-
dence it appeared that the watchers never fired slugs, nor
discharged their guns within 50 yards of the spot,
and the jury, under these circumstences, were of opi-
nion that the wound must have resulted from some
accident by one of deceased's companions, and who,
from the direction in which the bah had come, was fol-
lowing him in the attack, Ultimately they returned a
verdict of " Wilful Murder" against some person un-
known.

HEROIC CONDUCT OF A MINER.—On Saturday
week, as a miner name William Lester was engaged " put-
ing in a shot ", in a pit at the Willingsworth colliery, a
quantity of coal fell upon him from the roof, which
knocked him off the ladder, and he fell to the ground
insensible. The match was burning but a few feet above
him, and an explosion instantly expected. Two men who
had been working close to the spot declined to render
any assistance. At this critical juncture the " doggy,"
William Turner, who had been engaged in another part
of the workings, hearing of the accident, ran to the
spot. A single glance was sufficient to show the danger,
and without further hesitation, he rushed into the gate-
road, and brought the poor fellow out. He had not
gone more than four yards when the shot went off, told
upwards of thirty tons of coals fell upon the very ground
where the injured man lay but a few seconds before. We
are happy to state that Lester's injuries were but trifling.
Turner, who acted so nobly on this occasion, is the man
who stands committed to the next assizes on a charge of
manslaughter, a boy having been killed in the same pit in
March last, through some alleged neglect.—Birmingham
Mercury.

GALLANT CONDUCT.—On Wednesday evening last
a girl, aged about 17 years, with a baby two years old in
her arms, was standing at the entrance of the lock at Cum-
berland basin watching the departure of the Juverna steam-
packet to Cork. Suddenly, it is supposed in consequence of
a fit, she fell with the child from the edge of the lock into
the water, a depth of about thirty feet. The screams of the
baby attracted the notice of the fireman of the Juverna,
named John Bateman, who, without a moment's hesitation,
jumped from the vessel into the water, and grasping the
child by its clothes saved it from being drowned. James
Arnold, a seaman on board the same packet, jumped over-
board and rescued the young woman from what else would
have been inevitable death. A rope was thrown to each of
the brave men, who sustained themselves thereby until a
boat came to their assistance. We understand that the above
is the sixth person that Bateman has saved.—Bristol Mer-
cury.

POOR AND COUNTY RATES IN IRELAND.--P!!!
Saturday a Parliamentary paper was issued, from" which itappears that the gross amount of poor-rate collected in Ire.
land last year was 1,359,6961., and the county-rate waa
928,3761. 17s. 3P.

COUNTY RATES.—On Saturday, according to a re-
turn,, there was expended of the grants made by Parliament
in aid of the county-rates for the years 1849 and 1850 the
sum of 455,6471. 145., of which 382,4831. 149• 6d. was for
counties, and 73,163/. 19s. 6d. for boroughs and liberties.

.vearpool,in reply to a
A following is the copy
of SallEettejrOrliecNeivFedßAbityxlthieNM. vessel might be
petition to the Admiralty, praying
:ry
sent in search of Sir John F
"Admiralty, July 14, 1851.
Lords
commanded
by the Commissioners of
" Sir,—l am you that they have received and
the Admiralty to acquaint —synor of
that
have had under consider
consideration the memorial signed by you
and and certain of the merchants
t inhabitants of the city: of
mending thata 8 eam-vesel should be =-
Liverpool,
dispatchedrecommending
to the Arctic Se
mediately . John Fre kr as to explore Jones's
.search of ir n in and his party. My
Sound in a. , e .
NCI= La humane motives which have in-
Lords fullypp
er hants and i h •
n inhabitants of Liverpool to bring
duced the in c.
befor th
• bject agaT e e Board of Admiralty, but feeling
this su
that every exertion for the general object in view has been.
tmade, they are of opinion that they cannot comply with this
reqst consistently with their sense of public duty and the
responsibility in which further expeditions would involve
them. - 1 am, sir, your most obedient humble servant,
"The Mayor of Liverpool." J. PARKER.
".
ME a ROFOLITAN BUILDINGS.—The Bill brought
into the I-louse of Commons by Lord Seymour and Mr.
Cornewall Lewis, "to regulate the construction and the use
of buildings in the metropolis and its neighbourhood," has
been printed. It contains 148 clauses, and extends over 84
pages. The immediate object of the Bill, as stated in the
preamble, is effectually to secure the proper construction of
buildings in reference to their stability, and to their security
against fire originating either therein, or in buildings or
premises adjoining thereto, or in the vicinity thereof, in re-
ference to public safety, and also to provide other and more
effectual means for administering the law relating to metro-
politan buildings, &c.

At Posen a Polish schoolboy, 17 years of age, who
lately shot another boy of 13 in a duel, has been condemned
to eighteen months' imprisonment. Three be-
other boys,
tween 13 and 15, who had acted as seconds and umpire, were
acquitted.

The first execution of capital punishment in Prussia
has just taken place in conformity with the prescriptions of
the new penal code, which excludes publicity. The sen-
tence was carried out in the prison court, in presence of per-
sons deputed to witness the act.