The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-29 00:00:00

MURDER IN SHEFFIELD.

An atrocious and cowardly attempt to take the life of a
man was made on Thursday morning, opposite the' General
Post-office, Sheffield. William Wilson, a brass-turner, who
lives in No. 8, Court, Fitzwilliam-street, a few minutes
before one o'clock, was opposite the end of the Harts-
head, and was proceeding homewards, when an unprovoked
attack was made upon him ; and, from the nature of the
injuries which he sustained, there can be little doubt that
the object of the assailants was to destroy his life. Accord-
ing to the wounded man's account of the transaction, three
or four men, who came out of a passage opposite the Post-
office, which is known as the Hart's-head, ran at hin., and
one of them plunged a knife or some other'pointed instru-
ment into his abdomen. The men immediatety ran away.
From the effects of the stab the man fell to the ground,
and lay totally incapable of moving. At that moment
there were no other persons near. He retained con-
sciousness,:and called out to the best of his ability for assist-
ance. Two or three persons who were passing that way
went by without taking notice of his appeal, believing
that he was under the influence of liquor. Ultimately
a man named Peter Ross, attracted by his moaning,
went to his assistance. Th© injured man requested Ross
help him; and Ross accordingly raised him from the ground.
He found that he was covered with blood.ri-: JRo bslsatro-
shall, a compositor, who was passing, assisted
carry him into the post-office archway. Ross unfastened
come of the injured man's clothes,
as
h laii.slsdaowfno
thisunindt
hhteehear,atarnehtoi
to
bowels were protruding. As soon g
ve
the Town-hall for assistance, leavin .
Mr. Marshall, who was alicene.s:caorndsstajbolieneGd
s.Owen, the
market watchman, and p
his return Ross found that the persons in care of Wilson
were preparing to carry him to the Town-hall, and he ac-
cordingly assisted. On the arrival of the injured man at
the Town-hall, messengers were sent for surgical assistance.
Mr. Bland, of the Brunswick Hotel, Haymarket, hearing
of the occurrence, very kindly went in search of a surgeon,
but was unsuccessful in five or six.instances. In the mean-
time, however, information was sent to Mr. W. H. Booth,
Pari;dise-square, who was promptly in attendance. He
found the man lying at the Town-hall in a very exhausted
condition, and on examination ho ascertained that the in-
testines were protruding from a punctured wound on the
right side of the abdomen, just over the region of the liver.
His clothes were completely saturated with blood. After
the necessary surgical treatment, the man was removed on
a stretcher to a room in the building where he would be
more comfortable, but he died in the course of the day. He
was a married man, in the employ of Mr. John Lambert,
in Charles-street.

LIVERPOOL BOROUGH BANK.—In the Liverpool
Borough Bank case of " Scott v. Dixon" the application
for a new trial has been refused. This decision will, of
course, bear fatally upon the prospects of the Directors of
the Western Bank of Scotland in their attempts to escape
that civil responsibility which the shareholders—after
having observed the determination of the Government to
interpose a screen against every other kind of process—
have resolved, if possible, to establish. It may likewise
lead to some new movement in connection with the liqui-
dation of the Northumberland and Durham District Bank,
which seems at present to be most adroitly kept from public
remark, although it is generally alleged to have involved
features such as have not been exceeded in any analogous
affair. In this respect, therefore, the result may
.be hailed
with the greatest satisfaction. Regarded on strictly per-
sonal points, however, the case is one of hardship. Mr.
J.
Dixon, the defendant, who, as director of the Liverpool
Borough Bank, has now been condemned to
on faith
oni
loss sustained on a purchase of shares effectedn entered the
blish
opposition of his colleagues in endeavouring
toescted c
the doubtful state
e
akethe good the
of the last report of the board, had longde
sound management. When he ed
a full report to the
of the bank's accounts ho prop_
manednt at last
induced to agree to the issueo
shareholders, but was resistedf aanmdeod
th. inese. avoided that
without absolutely concealing
Nifined"usltedate
heh he himself
broad description of the desired, anthesubsequen meeting of the shareholders he
admitted this fact, and it was only upon such admission he
was made
ception. At a
which could alone have pr
ception. the possibility of miscon-
Fable to damages. The circumstance of his
being singled out for attack, while the other directors, who
might hare saved the bank if they had listened to his re-
monstrances, have thus far been left unscotched, will there-
fore, on equitable grounds, be a subject of regret.