The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-30 00:00:00

THE BRUTAL STABBING CASE NEAR

CANTERBURY.

CANTERBURY, SATURDAY EVENING.
At Canterbury on Saturday, the prisoner Edward
Verdon, a labourer, was brought up, on remand, and
placed at the bar of the county police-office, in Watling-
street, before Mr. Edward Foss and Capt. Mackay charged
with having' feloniously stabbed and wounded Henry Har-
low, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm, at the
parish of Sturry, as stated in our paper of the 24th inst.
The prisoner is a small but stout-built man of most deter-
mined character. The injured man (Harlow) was
represented to the bench to be still in a very low and
critical position, from the severe injuries inflicted upon him
by the accused, there being no less than nine different stabs
on the breast and thigh. One of them, an incised wound
of some extent, upon the breast, from three to four inches
in length, taking a slanting direction over the ribs, and
extending some depth over the upper part of the stomach,
was considered extremely dangerous, as was also a deep
puncture in the thigh.

The wounded man's deposition (taken at his bed•side) was

the following effect : I was in the Red Lion public-house
at Sturry on Saturday night last. I went there about nine
o'clock. I had a pint of beer, and a few glasses were given
me afterwards by a person named Hills. The prisoner was
there when I went in, but went out for about an hour
during the evening. I knew him by having seen
him about Sturry. I bad never had any quarrel
with him. After the prisoner bad returned to the
room, be had a quarrel with a man named Uden. They
were not near me, and I had no part in it. The prisoner
after that was lying down on a form on the opposite side to
where I was. He was apparently asleep. I saw him get up
and take his knife out of his pocket, and open it.
His eyes were fixed on me. I thought be was going
to attack me. I got up to defend myself. A man
named Poisin was sitting close by me. The prisoner
came towards me quickly, with the knife in his right
hand. Nothing was then being said about him. When
he came up to me I felt the knife in my thigh. I did not
hear him say anything. He made several thrusts at me
with his right hand. He was taken hold of by the
people about me and taken awby ; I found he had
given me severai wounds, and I was removed. I can
give no reason why the prisoner attacked me. A man named
Hills bad been chaffing and jeering him before be left the
room and after his return. Hills sat at no great distance from
me. There were three or four persons between me and Hills.
I think the prisoner laid for a quarter of an hour after Hills
had left chaffing him. Prisoner had had a " middling parcel"
to drink, and I think he could not have been very sober.
Thomas Ireland, groom in the service of the incumbent of
Sturry,deposed to being present on the night in question,when
Harlow was stabbed. Some wrangling had been going on
between the prisoner and others, but Harlow took no part
in it, nor did he speak at all to Verdon. The prisoner
had been chaffed, and he fought with a man named
Uden, after which he laid down on a form, and
remained quiet for about a quarter of an hour, during
which time his leg was tied to a chair by Charles Hills. The
prisoner then got up, took out his knife, cut the string
round his leg, and, without speaking a word to any one in
the room, went directly across to Harlow and said to him,
" Now, you -, if you want anything of me, have some
of this," at the same time holding up an open knife. Har-
low got up for the purpose of protecting himself, but the
prisoner (bring much shorter) slipped down underneath him,
and began jobbing the knife into his chest and thigh. Per-
sons in the room imu.ediately rushed upon the prisoner,
took the knife from him, and safely secured him, while a
surgeon was fetched to the injured man.
James Jezzard (the landlord) produced the knife that was
taken from the prisoner at the time of the occurrence. (It
is a common clasp knife.
The prisoner having been duly cautioned, declined to say
anything in answer to the charge.
He was then committed for trial at the next Kent assizes,
and:the witnesses bound over to attend and give evidence
aganist him.

SINGULAR PROCEEDINGS.—At the Sheffield Ses-
sions, on Wednesday, a young man, named Charles Eller-
ton, was charged with stealing £33 and other property,
belonging to John Naylor of Knottingley, under very pecu-
liar circumstance?. The prosecutor, a master mariner, left
home for the purpose of joining his vessel and going out for
a voyale; but on his way lie met with an old friend, and
the two adjourned to a public house and indulged in sundry
glasses. This had the effect of causing the mariner
to change his mind about joining his vessel, and
at a late hour in the evening he returned home, when be
hoped again to meet with his wife. He was not a little sur-
prised, however, to find that the house presented the ap.
pearance of having been ransacked, and that his better half
was, along with various other domestic articles, missing.
Ile examined the house, and discovered that a £lO note, a £5
note, and £lB
gold, were missing, as well as a large
quantity of wearing apparel and other property. On the
day following the husband went to Leeds, and in a house
in Briggate, succeeded in finding his wife in bed with the
prisoner. The missing property was found in possession of the
pair, and the prisoner was given into custody on the charge
of having stolen it. This was the charge which the jury had
now to decide. On behalf of the prisoner, Mr. Foster urged
the technical objection, that
adultery had not been
proved; and that if adultery had not been committed,
the wife had a perfect right to do as she thought
proper with her husband's property. Mr. Overend carefully
summed up the whole case, and explained the law to the jury,
and about one o'clock they were ordered to consider their
verdict. After some delay in the box, at their own request
the jury were locked up, and after being alone for about
an hour a strong smell of cigar smoke was perceived.
The officer in charge went into the room to ask if they had
agreed upon their verdict, and he was told that they were
as far off as at first." By some means they had be-
come possessed of a large number of cigars, and
n-hcn the officer entered seemed to be in the full and
peaceable enjoyment of the " weesl." About four o'clock
intelligence was brought into court that Mr. George Cooper,
one of the jurymen, was unwell. :Mr. J. F. Wright,
surgeon, was sent for, and be certified that it would be
dangerous for the juryman to remain. The whole twelve
were then called into court, and, in answer to the question
from the clerk of the peace, " Have you agreed upon
your verdict ?" said, "No ; we are as far off as ever." The
sick juryman was then discharged by Mr. Overend, and the
prisoner was bound over in £2O to appear and answer the
charge at Wakefield on Thursday.—Manchester Examiner.
THE FISHERMEN'S STRIKE AT HULL.—The
fishermen's strike at this port continues. On Thursday a
large number of them attended the arrival of the Vivid
steam-packet from London. Several policemen were also
present to keep order. Two men dressed as fishermen
landed; one of them produced a letter stating that he was
not coming to take any part in the strike, but to take
charge, as master, of a vessel at Grimsby. He and his
companion were allowed quietly to pass; but it was stated
that ten other men—in two parties of six and four—pro-
ceeded in a boat from the Vivid to fishing vessels without
landing, and without their presence becoming known to
the watchers of the strike. No cause for the interference of
thg constAblo