The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-10 00:00:00

HAMMERSMITH.—ATTEMPTED ROBBERY.--
Thos. Sweeney, who stated that he had just been
pensioned from the Indian army, was charged with
attempting to steal a watch from Mr. T. Darling,
an engineer, residing at 29, Winchester-street,
Harrow-road.

The prosecutor said that on Saturday afternoon
he was in the Spotted Dog, Harrow-road, and
while •in conversation with some gentlemen, the
prisoner came up, and stated that he had been
robbed of 445. While making the statement he
took out a piece of string, and showed where his
purse had been cut off. Witness ordered him away,
but he persisted in talking, and he then felt a pull
at his watch. He looked, and saw his watch hang-
ing down out of the pocket, and the prisoner's hand
on the chain. When he accused the prisoner with
attempting to steal the watch, he said it was an
accident.

The prisoner said he had Is. per day. He hed
served for 22 years in the East Indies, and this was
the first time he ever stood in London. He arrived
in St. Katharine's Docks on Friday. He should
lose his passage to Ireland if he did not go by the
train that night.
Mr. Dayman—As the prosecutor does not wish
to press the case, I shall discharge you, and you had
better make the best of your way to the place men-
tioned in your pass.
The prisoner then left the court, promising to
obey his worship's directions.

FRIGH7'FUL ACCIDENT IN A CANAL
TUNNEL,--27170 MEN SUFFOCAIED.

BLIS WORTH, SEPT. 7.
To the long list of recent railway fatalities there
sto be added to-day a melancholy and fatal acci-
dent which happened in a tunnel on the Grand
Junction Canal, near 'this village, yesterday even-
ing, whereby two men have lost their lives, arid the
lives of two other mien have been placed in immi-
nent danger.
The tunnel at Blisworth is constructed on a simi-
lar principle to the tunnel on the Regent's Canal
under Primrose-hill, and is sufficiently wide to
allow of the passage of two boats at the same time.
There is no towing-path, and the only means of ven-
tilation is a shaft near the middle of the tunnel,
but this shaft is enclosed by woodwork at the top.
Until very recently, all the boats on the canal were
towed by horses. On arriving at the mouth of the
tunnel the horses are detached and sent on above
ground to the other end of the tunnel, where they
are again attached to the barges. The boats them-
selves are worked through the tunnel by men who
are kept in these villages for this sort of labour.
These men, who are termed " leggers," lie in the
boats on their backs and propel the barges through
the tunnel by means of their feet, with which, so
to speak, they walk upon the roof of the tunnel.
This roof is semi-circular, and is so low that, during
the passage of the boats through the tunnel, they are
compelled to remain as low as possible.
The Giand Junction Canal Company have, how-
ever, within the past few months, made an impor-
tant alteration in the mode of working their barges,
so as to dispense with the services of these "leggers."
Last November they started a barge called the
Pioneer, fitted with a small screw propeller. Since
that time they have fitted other boats with a similar
apparatus. The machinery is very compact, and
occupies but the space of a few feet in the stern o
the vessel.

The particulars will best be gathered from the
report of the inquest.

The following- is a list of those who were killed
and injured :

DEAD.
William Webb, carpenter, of Stoke Bruerne.
Edward Broadbent, boatman, of Braunston, re
siting at Birmingham.

INJURED.
Joseph Jones, engine-driver, severely burned.
-William Gower, engino-driver, severely burned.
John Chambers, boatman, of Warwick, injured
by immersion and partial suffocation.
Webb was only married this summer: The
other man, Broadbent, has left a widow and eight
children, the youngest having only been born on
the Ist inst.

STOKE BRUERNE, Sept. 9.
An inquest on the bodies of Webb and Broad-
bent was held here this afternoon before P. E.
Hicks, Esq., the coroner for this division of the
county. Mr. Anderson, the chairman of the Grand
Junction Canal Company, Mr. Rogers, the secre-
tary, Mr. Fulton, the traffic manager, and Mr.
Lake, the engineer, were present. The company
was also represented by Mr. Arthur B. Markham,
solicitor, of Northampton, who attended to watch
the case. Mr. Richard Howes, solicitor, of North-
ampton, was present on behalf of the surviving re-
latives of the deceased men.
The jury having viewed the bodies, the inquest
was adjourned to the school-room of the village,
where the following evidence was taken :
Joseph Wickens—l live at Stoke Bruerne, and
am a " legger" in the canal tunnel at Blisworth.
I knew both the deceased. They were in the com-
pany's employ. On Friday evening last I was
legging" a boat belonging to Mr. Fellowes
through the tunnel from this place to Blisworth.
We met a steamboat in the tunnel, but the smoke
was so strong that I could not see any one on board
of it. That was between 1,200 and 1,300 yards in
the tunnel. The steamer was coming towards
Stoke Bruerne, and had another boat which it was
hauling. We became entangled in the rope of the
second boat. I called to the men on board as loudly
as I could, but I received no answer. Some one
unloosed the rope or it would have pulled us
back. Owing to the smoke I could not get on
with my work. I laid down on the deck until the
smoke had blown
by. There is always smoke in
the tunnel, and it depends upon which way the
wind is as to its clearing off. On this occasion it
blew towards the steamboats. On previous occa-
sions when passing through the tunnel I have been
affected by the smoke from the boats, but I never
felt so bad as on Friday night. There is one ven-
tilating bhatt in the tunnel at the distance of 1,760

the country who had similar travelling licences, it
was thought necessary to proceed against the pri-
soner as a caution to others.
Mr. Traill convicted the prisoner under the Va-
grant Act, and sentenced him to the full term of
three months' imprisonment with hard labour.

MARYLEBONE.—DARING ROBBERY OF THE
RECORDER OF LIVERPOOL—John Gilderoy, who
described himself as a tailor, but refused to state
where he lived, was placed at the bar before Mr.
Mansfield, charged with a daring robbery of jewel-
lery, &c., at the residence of Gilbert Henderson,
Esq., Recorder of Liverpool, 24, Hyde-park-square.
Prosecutor, on being sworn, said—On Saturday
afternoon last, between 2 and 3 o'clock, I went to
my bedroom on the second floor, and found that the
door was fastened on the inside. I called out
" Fanny," meaning my wife, but receiving no an-
swer I tried again to open the door, but could not
do so, and I then went down stairs, when I saw my
wife in the breakfast room on the ground floor. In
consequence of what I said to her she went up, and
I followed her, and on the first flight I met the
prisoner coming down. I said to him " What do
you do here, and whom do you want ?" to which
he replied " I want George. I remarked " Who
the devil's George ?" upon which he turned and
went up stairs again, and then upon getting near
the top of the first landing, where there is a large
French sash window, which also served as a door
leading on to the balcony over the portico, he
turned round,andlifting up his arm smashed a large
pane of glass, by which means he dropped down to
the ground, the height, which I have since measured,
being 16 feet. I saw him running away along the
north side of Hyde-park-square. I cried out " Stop
thief," and observed a body, whose name, I believe,
is Alfred Wilson, strike at him with a stick as he
passed him. I rushed into the street, and found that
the prisoner had been captured, and detained in
Cambridge-street. On being searched at the station
numerous articles of je wellery were found upon
upon him, which were now produced by the police
and identified by the prosecutor.
Mr. Mansfield (to the prisoner)—Have you any-
thing to say to the charge ?
Prisoner—Nothing.
He was remanded for a week.

WANDSWORTH.—RUFFIANLY ASSAULT UPON
A FEMA LE.—A respectably attired young man
named Joseph Sykes, gun case-maker, was placed
in the dock before Mr. Dayman, charged with in-
decently assaulting Miss Rose Stacey, a younc, lady
residing at No. 9, Priory-road, South Lambeth.b
The complainant stated that about 10 o'clock on
Sunday evening she was proceeding along the South
Lambeth-road on her way home, :she having just
left some friends, when the prisoner suddenly sprang
out of a gateway, clasped her round the waist, and
said he would kiss her, upon which she boxed his
ears. The prisoner then tried to strike her, but she
escaped the blow. He then seized her round the
waist and threw her violently into the road, and
behaved in a most indecent manner. She screamed
out loudly for the police; a constable came up, and
she gave the prisoner into custody. The prisoner
was quite a stranger to her.
Police-constable Peabody of the V division having
given confirmatory evidence,
The prisoner in defence said he stopped at the
gate to light his pipe. He did not succeed, and he
might have staggered against the complainant. He
also said that he had been drinking.
Mr. Dayman said it was a very unmanly and
ruffianly assault, for which he fined him £5 and 10s.
costs, or two months' imprisonment.
The prisoner was locked up in default.