The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-20 00:00:00

DIABOLICAL ATTEMPT TO MURDER

AT SHEFFIELD.

SHEFFIELD, TUESDAY.
A most alarming outrage has this morning been
committed in the Wicker, whereby the life of
one man will in all probability be sacrificed.
The scene of the outrage was on the premises of
Mr. Fewsdale, the extensive joiner and builder in
the Wicker, and the man whose life has been
perilled is Henry Grayson, a journeyman, in Mr.
Fewsdale's employ.
For some time it would appear the whole of the
men in Mr. Fewsdale's employ have been in an
unsettled state and much dissatisfied with the fore-
man, Thomas Champion, the author of the outrage
we are now recording. So much was the man
disliked that it appears, in order to keep the men at
their work, Al r. Fewsdale found it necessary to sus-
pend Champion, and he was suspended all last week.
On Monday morning his employer permitted him
to start work as ajourneyman, and he went to the
" Farm" (where Mr. Fewsdale has a good number
of men employed) for that purpose. As soon as he
got there, however, the men refused to work with
him, and gave over accordingly, and also sent
word to the men at the workshops in the Wicker,
where they also desisted from work in consequence
of Champion having commenced. In consequence
of this Mr. Fewsdale had no alternative but to tell
Champion he would have to leave altogether. This,
it would appear, satisfied all the men, and this
morning they resumed their work. About half-past
nine o'clock they were surprised by seeing Cham-
pion enter the shop, where there were nine or
ten men at work. He first went to a man
named Womack, and after a few words, asked
him if he had anything to say against him. He
then turned to Grayson, and said, " Have you
,any-
thing to say against me 9" Grayson said, "No ; '
but immediately Champion drew out a six-barrelled
revolver, and placing it under Grayson's right car,
fired it ; the ball with which the pistol was charged
entered just at that point. Champion next turned
to another workman named Kenyon, and presented
the pistol to him in the same position, but the pistol
missed fire, and Kenyon, who had felt something
at his ear, instantly turned round and laid hold of
Champion, who was soon secured by the assistance
of the other workmen. The whole affair was the
work of an instant. Poor Grayson was found to
be dangerously wounded, and lost a very great
quantity of blood. Mr. Haxworth, Mr. Chessman, and.
Mr. Booth, surgeons,were sent for, and severally ar-
rived. The ball, it was found, had lodged in some
part of the man's head and could not be extracted,
and there is not the slightest hope of his recovery.
Grayson is a married man and has a daughter 15
years of age. He is much respected by his em-
ployer, and had worked for him 28 years, meluiing.
his apprenticeship. Champion lived in Rodney-
lane, Suffolk-road. When he was secured by the
workmen the police were sent for, and Inspector
Linley and Sergeant Marsland were shortly on the
spot. The pistol, on being taken from him, was
found to be a six-barrelled revolver ; one barrel, of
course, had been fired, the other five were found
still loaded; and from the way in which the man
commenced the outrage there is every reason to
believe that he intended to make deadly use of
every barrel.
At the moment we conclude this brief account
the wounded man still remains at the workshops,
as the doctors have pronounced it unsafe to remove
him. A magistrate, accompanied by Mr. Thorp,
Mr. Albert Smith's clerk, is also in attendance
taking the dying man's deposition, in the presence
of the prisoner. •