The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-12 00:00:00

PONTEFRACT HANDICAP.

Lustre ..
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Eidolon .
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Interest

Seven ran.

FEARFUL TRA GEDY 1.-2 V NORTIIUAI-
BERLAND-8 TRE.E2; STRAND.—(This day.)

This morning, shortly before 12 o'clock, the greatest con-
sternation was occasioned in Northumberland-street,
Strand, at the hearing the report of pistols, and a loud out •
cry on the first floor, No. 1, Northumberland-street, occu-
pied by a Mr. Roberts, an army agent, and who, it after-
wards appeared, had fired two ',pistols at a Major Murray,
who was in his office at the time and inflicted two
bullet wounds in the neck. Major Murray, although
thus wounded, finding that Mr. Roberts had
locked the door, and was in possession of an-
other pistol, seized the poker and tongs, and commenced
a fierce onslaught on his attempted murderer, inflicting the
most fearful blows over the head and face, so as to tho-
roughly disarm him and render him insensible. A man
mimed Pomfret first raised the cry of murder; and Mr.
Ransom, who occupies offices in the same house, saw
Major Murray make his escape from the back yard win-
dow into the yard, and as he was bleeding profusely
from the wounds in the neck and forehead, he
at once led him off to Charing-cross Hospital.
In the meantime information was conveyed to the
Police-station, Scotland-yard, where a number
of policemen rushed to the house, and on going up stairs
they found the door locked, and they could obtain no answer.
A ladder was procured, and entering the room from the
back window, they found it in the most frightful state of
confusion, and the floor covered with blood, and in the
corner near the door they discovered Mr. Roberts in a
crouching position, bleeding profusely from numerous
wounds in the head and face, they being fairly smashed,
and on the floor they found the two pistols, one
of which had recently been discharged. Mr. Roberts
was immediately raised up by !the police, a cab sent
for, and conveyed to Charing-cross Hospital, where Major
Murray had previously arrived ; they were both placed
under the care of Mr. Skegg, the house surgeon, and assis-
tants, when their wounds were found to be of the most fearful
and dangerous character; but from the short time that
elapsed since the dreadful occurrence, it was impossible
to learn the exact nature of the injuries, and for the same
reason it is not possible to obtain any reliable infor-
mation as to the cause of Mr. Roberts attempting the life
of Major Murray, further than that Major Mur •
ray, who is the brother of Captain Murray, of 35, Stan-
ley-street, states that there were pecuniary transactions
between them, and that shortly before he met Mr. Roberts
who invited him to his office, and an angry altercation
took place between them, when Major Murray suddenly
saw Mr. Roberts take up the pistol and fire it, finding him-
self wounded, he then in self-defence commenced the attack
on Mr. Roberts with the poker. Both parties are in
charge of the police at the Charing-cross Hospital, and
no hope is entertained of the recovery of Mr. Roberts.

ARMY PROMOTION.

" Time works wonders," they say—but nowhere
so frequently as at the Horse Guards. Let but a
Sear or two elapse, and you may possibly see an
officer who barely escaped being tried by court
martial, not only purged of his offence, but pro-
moted and rewarded. The public have scarcely re-
covered from their surprise at the colonelcy be-
stowed upon General Eden, when they are startled
by the intelligence that General Windham, of
Cawnpore fame, has been rewarded with a Colonel's
allowance for life. It is difficult to believe that the
War Minister can seriously approve of these Horse
Guards' extravagancies. It is rather to be feared
that circumstances hardly permit the Minister to
exercise that control over a headstrong military
clique which is so imperatively needed.
No one, surely, has yet forgotten the siege of
Lucknow. For months the gallant band of
English, men and women, had been shut up in
that beleaguered town. Early in the war Sir Henry
Lawrence had perished, and even Havelock and
Neil had only succeeded in entering the gates to
be shut up without the possnility of delivering
either themselves or those whom they came to
rescue. It was a terrible trial to those who had
friends and relatives within those frail defences.
But at length the news came that Sir Colin
Campbell was advancing to their relief. With the
utmost anxiety and the utmost promptitude
every available man had been collected, for the
enterprise was full of hazard. It was lot
simply to relieve a mere garrison of soldiers,
but to bring back in safety through a crowded city
and a country swarming with an armed host of
Indians, a great company of women and children.
Now, there was one thing upon which the success
of the whole depended. Sir Colin might succeed in
penetrating into Lucknow—he might succeed in
bringing out every woman and child alive—he
might even succeed in protecting the long line of
march, cumbered with helpless creatures, from the
surrounding hosts until he reached the bridge of
Cawnpore. But unless that bridge was held in per-
fect safety—unless when he reached it the means of
crossing the river were secure, so that he might
place his precious charge in safety within the lines
of Cawnpore—all his elaborate preparations, all the
promptitude of his officers and the gallant endurance
of his men, would be utterly useless. To secure
Cawnpore, therefore, and the bridge across the
river from the attacks of the rebels, was the vital
point, it was a service of the utmost moment. But
the task was comparatively easy. All that the
officer left in charge had to do was to remain upon
the defensive, to repel any attack that might be
made upon him, but to risk nothing—to keep stea-
dily within his entrenchments. The officer selected
to hold Cawnpore was Major-General Windham,
whose conduct at the Redan, although it had occa-
sioned a lively controversy, certainly greatly con-
tributed to place him in Parliament, and to procure
for him a command in the East. His orders were
distinct to maintain his position—to keep the
bridge safe, and to await the return of Sir Colin.
But this did not suit the spirit of Gen. Windham.
He would go forth to meet the enemy. But instead
of success, he was compelled to fall back within his
entrenchments—his men became demoralised, the
communication across the river was in peril, and
had it not been for the opportune presence and
activity of Sir Colin, the whole army, with all the
women and children under their protection, might
have been driven into the river and drowned. At
the critical moment when the gallant old Scotchman
had all but succeeded in his perilous task, the mis-
guided activity of a subordinate almost robbed him
of success. :History does not report what passed
between the Commander-in Chief and Gen. Wind-
ham when they met on that anxious night. But
from that moment until the end of the Indian cam•
paign we do not remember that Gen. Windham ever
took part in any active operations. He was sent
away to take the command of a district where
everything was comparatively quiet. The salary
of £4,000 was hardly enough to satisfy a soldier's
pride, but assuredly it was more than enough to
satisfy the claims of General Windham. If at the
moment of this failure it had been proposed to
confer upon him a regiment, even the House of
Commons of these degenerate days would have
interposed to cancel so gross an appointment.
At that time, therefore, nothing more was at-
tempted than an indignant protest from the Duke
of Cambridge in behalf of an absent officer, and
soon after an elaborate defence by an artillery
officer who took part in the Cawnpore disaster.
But " time works wonders ;" years have passed ;
the story has been partly forgotten. The General,
we shall now be told, behaved with the utmost
gallantry in the affair of Cawnpore, and since that
time he has of course exercised his command to the
perfect satisfaction of his superior officers. In addi-
tion to all this, we shall be told that according to
the Horse Guards' regulations he is next on the
com
list
for a regiment, and as he must soon vacate
hia
mend in India, the only thing towbiendloonsee isbyto mthaoksee
up the emoluments which he
atteched to a colonelcy.
Snuisctheraarngudmthenetcs
Commando
na
di:ru - bi
nt - pCr he Telf f t eTrhh g
il. e
War
Mi
proved, as of course, they easily may prove, that the
rules of the service, made for the benefit of such
men as General Eden and General Windham, have
been strictly followed, may possibly wax indignant
at the idea of being supposed capable of doing an
injustice to the Generl in order to avoid the abuse
of acrid political fanatics. But clear-sighted people
will readily perceive that sinecure colonelcies were
intended as rewards for those who
aorhndaesv e made them-
selves notorious, not by failure, but by success. And
the appointment of General Windham, like the
appointment of General Eden, f of
the incapacity of the Horse
military patronage.—Daily News.
F L more
oordeipstrroiobute

REE JIBRARY IN THE CITY.—Yesterday, a re-
solution to carry out Mr. Ewart's Free Library Act was
agreed to at a numerous meeting held in the Guildhall,