The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-24 00:00:00

being understood by the multitude, were believed to be
cries of distress and protestations of innocence.
Lagaoa was brought up next, and no sooner had Le
been placed near his fellow-culprit than his voice was
raised in protestations to the Virgin Mary and all Use
a'endar of saints. Terrible as was the scene un to
this point, it was infinitely more painful when Bir-
baalo appeared on the drop. The wretched youth
was greatly excited, and could not be induced to
submit himself quietly to the executioner. Ile appealed
to the priests, and these reverend men, in their
anxiety to give the dying man consolation, placed them-
selves in positions which obliged Calcraft to call upon
them to remove, or it would be impossible for him to
perform his office. This was done in a tone loud enough
to be heard by the crowd below, from whom a murmur
of" shame" arose, probably as much from the length of
time already occupied in affixing the nooses and splicing
the ropes round the cross beam—a clumsy operation,
which, with the improved example of the metropolitan
prison of Newgate open to them, is a disgrace to all the
county justices who tolerate it—as from any other cause.
At length, after 13 minutes bad elapsed from the period
of Pietrici appearing on the scaffold, during the whole of
which time the culprits were exclaiming in Italian, at the
top of their voices, and in tones which created the meet
painful excitement among all who heard them, the drop
I tell heavily, and in a few moments the bodies of the
wretched men were drifting lifeless in the morning breeze.
There were very few spectators present, probably at
no period more than 1,000, and as soon as the drop fell
m at of them dispersed.
Tae bodies were cut down after hanging an hour, and
bemire noon they were buried in one of the courtyards of
the gaol.
Celcraft's nerve was unshaken throughout the trying
daty, but it is confidently believed that had any amateur
undertaken the office some frightful disaster would have
happened.
The visiting justices, with Lord H. Cholmondeley in
the chair, had a meeting at 10 o'clock this morning. It
is understood that one of the subjects under discussion
was the great inhumanity of requiring a culprit about to
be executed to descend between 70 and 80 steps, which
is the number from the basement of the entrance gate-
way is the drop at Winchester. Anything mere disgrace-
ful to humanity was never insisted on, and the cruelty of
it was shown this morning by all the culprits eagerly
asking for draughts of water on their arrival in the press
room, which is some 20 or 30 steps from the drop.
It may be interesting to add that Pietrici was a Dal-
matian, and has been in England before, having sailed
in a vessel which traded between the Levant and Liver-
pool. Lagaoa and Barbaalo were both Sicilians. The
former sailed in both French and English transports
during the late war, and was flogged while in the Eng-
lish service. Lagaoa, it should be stated, is an assumed
name ; his real name is Francesco Libreste, but, having
deserted from the Sicilian service, he changed his name
to avoid detection. Barbaalo was of better birth than
his emarades, being the son of a law agent. He was
brought up in the Marine School of Naples, and carried
good certificates of seamanship.

AWFUL MURDER AT BIRKENHEAD.

LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY.

It is with much regret that we have to report the com-
mission of another awful murder, perpetrated this morn-
ing in the township of Birkenhead. The victim on this
occasion met with his death while in discharge of his
duty, and in its execution he was acting towards the
ruffian who hurried hini into eternity in the most humane
and lenient manner. Indeed there ea•..not be any pallia-
tion for the atrocious deed. The particulars, as at pre-
sent ascertained, are as follow :

It appears that at a quarter before one this morning;
Thomas Smith and Michael Breen, two young men;
dock labourers, residing at 9, Eldon-place, Birkenhead,
went t.) the public-house in Chester-street kept.by Mrs.
Softly, and knocked at the door in a very boisterous
manner. Mrs. Softly asked who was there, when the
two men demanded to be served with some drink, which
was refuied them, however, and after making consider-
able disturbance they went to the next door, a beer
house, kept by Mrs. Carr, and there Smith kicked in
the panels of the door. Mrs. Softly, hearing the
disturbance, sent her man servant out by the back
door to fetch a policeman ; and the deceased man,
Vaughan, No. 8, was brought to the spot, and led
the men away down the street. When in Bridge-
street, police-officer Whitehead came up, and Vaughan
having told him what the pri-oners had done, asked
them their names. Smith at once showed fight, and
Whitehead saw him strike his brother officer several
times. In a moment poor Vaughan cried out, " He's
got a knife. I'm done, I'm done ?" and fell down in the
street. Smith then ran away, but he had not got many
yards when Policeman Clarke coming up from the oppo-
site direction, took him into custody, Whitehead having
the other prisoner Breen in his charge. A- struggle with
Smith ensued, and after a severe fight the fellows were
taken,to Bridewell, when it was found that Smith had
a very severe wound between the forefinger and thumb
of his right hand, caused no doubt by the shutting of the
knife with which he killed the officer Vaughan. On re-
turning to the place where the murder was committed,
close to a pool of blood was discovered a large pocket-
knife, the blade of which was covered with blood, and
this knife is identified as belonging to the prisoner
Smith. A shandry, in which some persons had been
, brought down from Bilston to Woodside Ferry, ap-
proachtd the scone of the murder, and into this vehicle
Whitehead put his injured brother offieer and had him

conveyed to the police-station, where Dr. Jeannette, the
police surgeon, was very promptly in attendance, and
rendered every aid possible to save the life of the sut•
ferer ; but medical skill was of no avail, for Vaughan
died at a quarter to three, three quarters of an hoar
after his arrival at the police station, and without say
ing a word. The wound of which he died was just be-
low the heart. Superintendent Birnie, who used every
effort to alleviate the poor fellow's distress, informs us
that he died without a groan.
Vaughan was 25 years of age, stood 6 feet 1 inch, was
of a very spare habit of body, and had been in the Bir-
kenhead force since October, 1853, having coma over
from the Irish constabulary to join it. He was a very
promising young officer, remarkably civil to everybody,
and most conscientious in the discharge of his duties.
We regret to state that he has left, totally unprovided
for, au aged widowed mother, and a sister who has been
much afflicted for many years. He was their main
support.

ASSIZE INTEL GENQE.

HOME CIRCUIT.—LEWES, DEC. 23.
(Before Mr. Baron Bramwell.)

Chalks Hendrick, aged 18, described as a gentleman,
was indicted for feloniously cutting and wounding Julia
Payne Blundell, with intent to do her grievous bodily
harm. _

Mr. Hurst conducted the prosTention, Serjeant Bsllan.
tine attended specially, with Mr. Johnson and Mr. Creasy;
on behalf of the prisoner.

The learned counsel for the prosecution, in opening the
case to the jury, said that the inquiry they were about to
enter into was one of a somewhat unusual and extraordi-
nary,
and at the same time distressing character. The pri-
soner was a young man occupying a position in life among ,
the higher classes, and ho was charged with the very
serious offouco of maliciously stabbing a young woman
named Blundell, at Brighton, with intent to do her griev.
ous bodily harm. He said there would be doubt that the
prisoner had stabbed the prosecutrix, and he believed that
the only question the jury would have to consider in the
result would be with what intent the act was inflicted.
The learned counsel then proceeded to detail the facts of
the case, and the following evidence was adduced :
Charles Henry Harvey, a Brighton police constable,
said—l was on duty in Church-street, Brighton, about one
o'clock on the morning of the 17th December, and I saw
the prisoner come out of the Volunteer public-house. Ho
addressed me, and said, " Hobos' old boy, I am if I
don't know you." I said perhaps he did. He then said he
had been to the Casino, and if he had Knight, the keeper
of the Casino, there, he would stab him to the heart.
1;-hile he was saying this he appeared to be in the act of
opening a knife, and I said to him, " Nonsense, you must
be joking," and took the knife away from him and shut it,
ant gave it him back again, and told him to put it in his
pocket and go home. The prisoner then turned round, and,
I believe, he opened the knife again, at the same time say-
ing that he would carry it open, and ho would stab any
one he met who interfered with him. I was about to take
the knife from him, but before I could do so he made a
stab at the prosecutrix, who was standing close by. At
the time he did so he made use of a foul expression to her
and said, " Holloa, old girl, I think I know you," and she
replied, " I don't know you, sir." The prisoner then said
to her, " How would you like this ?" and made a thrust at
her groin ; and in a minute or so afterwards the prosecu-
trix said that she was hurt, and put her hands under her
dress, and when she withdrew them I saw they were co-
vered with blood. I then took the knife from the prisoner,
and told him that ho must go with me to the To wn.hall,
upon the charge of wounding the prosecutrix, and he said
that ho was willing to accompany me. He had been drink-
ing, but could talk very well, and seemed to know what
he was about. The prosecutrix appeared to be very much
hurt, and seemed to walk with great difficulty. and when
she had gone a short distance I and another constable mi-
ned her to the Town-ball, where the charge was taken
against the prisoner. He did not at any time express re-
gret for what he had done.
The constable then produced the knife with which the
injury was inflicted. It was a very dangerous weapon,
shaped like a dagger, and when opened was secured by a
spring.
Cross-examined—The prisoner appeared to be perfectly
thunderstruck at what had occurred. As we were goirg
to the station-house the prisoner exclaimed that he was a
drunkard and a blackguard.
By the Court—The prisoner stabbed at the prosecutrix
with some violence, and after he had inflicted the blow he
made a step back ward and then stood perfectly still, appa-
rently looking at the prosecutrix.
Julia Payne Blundell, the prosecutrix, said—l was stane•
ing at the corner of Church-street on the morning in ques-
tion, when I observed the prisoner and the policeman ap-
parently talking together. The prisoner was an entire
stranger to me, and I do not think I had ever seen him
before. The prisoner addressed me, and said he thought
he knew me, and I told him I did not know him. I ob-
served that the prisoner at this time had a knife in his hand,
and he came up to me and said, " How would you like
this ?" and at the same moment he made a thrust at me
with the knife, and stabbed me in the groin, and directly
afterwards I felt blood running down my leg, and I was
also in great pain. I was cut through two dresses, and also
a cloak. The prisoner was then taken into custody by the
policeman.
Cross-examined—l had never seen the prisoner before In
my life. I observed that he bad a knife in his hand before
he stabbed me.
The prosecutrix, who still appeared to be suffering se-
verely from the injuries she bad received, was carried out
of court when her evidence was concluded.
Mr. R. Penfold, a surgeon at Brighton, proved that he
examined the prosecutrix after the occurrence, and found
that she had received a severe wound in the left groin. It
was three-quarters of an inch long, but he could not state
the depth. It was a dangerous wound, and such an one as