The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-17 00:00:00

A COURAGEOUS WOMAN.

On Wednesday last, the inhabitants of the village
of Liddiard Millicent, near Swindon, were alarmed
by the report that the dwelling-house of a woman
who keeps a small shop had been broken into, and
that some violence had been offered to the women.
The police were immediately on the alert, and Mr.
Superintendent. Haynes,, of the Wilts constabulary
force, apprehended Charles Clark, alias Embury,
who resided about a mile from the woman's
residence, on suspision of being concerned in
the outrage. On Monday last the prisoner was taken
before the magistrates at Swindon, and the- case was
heard before the Earl cf Radnor, tha Rev. G. A. God-
dard, Mr.' J. Crowdy; and Captain Prower.'744e na-
ture of the outrage, wad the extraordinary ..41earage
displayed by the woman, will be best shown from iser
evidence. Keziah Prior stated--"'I am a single woman.
I keep aathop, and live in the house by myself. • I
sleep upstairs. Last Tuesday night, about eight o'clock,
no one was in the house but myself. I fastened the dO6rs
and windows. During the night I was awoke by
hearing a noise like glass. crashing. • I thought at
first it was the cat. The next thing-I heard .was the
catch of a bolt. In' about a minute I saw,.a flare of
light come from the room opposite my bedroom. That
room looked out into the road. I jumped ottrof bed,
and went towards my bedroom door. •As I Wal3'going
towards the door a man rushed upon me.He took
hold of me, and we fell ,to the floor together. I was
undermost. As We.were falling he said with an oath,
Deliver your money.' I screamed Murder I' _
had a struggle on the floor., I got from him, and went
into the room opposite my bedroom. The window of
that room was open. It was shut 'When I went to bed.
I screamed Murder!' . The man at. that time was
in my bedroom ; not knowing the way, be could
not get between the rooms so fast •as I could;
and there were two steps between the rooms,
The man followed me into the room ; he was calling
out, Jack, Jack, come here.' I then turned from
the window and met him. We closed together and
struggled. I cannot say whether he struck the
there. He struck me in the bedropi. I bear the
marks on- my face:- My toes were trod to pieces
with his nailed shoes or boots. He got to the window
and he put his right leg up to get out. I put
my hands round his body and helped him up.;
He drew his other leg up, and I put my hand
on his back and struck lain! as hard ",ag could,
and "sea; YOee and.:that's,
whe'ril thee shag go Otii;'' and out ha went.., He 'fell
about thirteen feet, and dropped on the =road:` I
said, You rogue, I hope you will break your neck.'
It was artletie light: I ivatched' him' get up and
scramble away. lam certain it was the prisoner.
I have -known' him for some time, and he has
been to my shop. I did not see a second man.
I dressed, struck a light, and went down stairs
and opened the door, and went to a neighbour's and
gave an alarm." In the room was found a red cap
and a heavy bluigeon ; traces of blood were on the
floor, and the room presented the appearance of st
most severe struggle having- taken place. In the road
was found a hat. 'The prisoner is a tall powerful man,
with long black hair, repulsive 'features, and of the
most ruffianly appearance. It is supposed that, having
entered by the window, a comrade removed the ladder
by which access was gained, the prisoner's intention
being to descend the stairs -and open the
front door, when he was attacked in such a deter-
mined manner by the woman, and, finding that he
could not master her, and alarmed by her cries, he
called for his comrade at the same time making for
the window, from which, however, the ladder had
been removed. The magistrates were engagtd some
hours in investigating the body of evidence produced
by the police, and the pris6ner was fully committed
kr trial at the next assizes.

ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO ROB
AND MURDER BY MEANS OF CHLOROFORM.

KENDAL, MONDAY.—The town has been thrown
into a state of the greatest excitement and alarm by
the report that a diabolical attempt had been made
last night by a man who had secreted himself under
a bed in Shaw's Temperance Hotel, and attempted to
rob and murder a gentleman lodging in the house
by the agency of chloroform. From the evidence
given before the magistrates this day,. it appears that
the Rev. Lachlan M'lntosh, a gentleman who had been
preaching at the Presbyterian Chapel in behalf of the
Baptist Home Missionary Society for Scotland, had
taken up his quarters on Sunday night at Shaw's
Temperance Hotel in this town. Mr. M'lntosh, who
had retired to bed about nine o'clock, was awoke about
twelve by a fellow attempting to suffocate him by
means of a rag steeped in chloroform. Mr. M'lntosii,
who is an elderly man, struggled desperately with his
assailant, but, whether from the fumes of the chloro-
form or the terrible disadvantage. at which he was
taken by his midnight assailant, he felt himself fast fail-
ing, when the sitiea of "'Help, murder I" roused the
house. When Mr. Sheik, of the Temperance Hotel,
made his way into the room, the intended victim was al-
' most powerless, and the assassin, or robber, was lying
upon the bedding, which had fallen upon the floor
in the scuffle, apparently sound asleep. On being
roughly shaken, the latter professed that he had long
been a sleep-walker, and appeared to be astonished to
find himself where he was. A policeman' was, how- •
ever, sent for, and the supposed somnambulist was
taken into custody. What givns'a very dark.appear-
ance to the case is, that a strong smell .of chloroform
was perceived by the parties who entered the
room, upon' the alarm being given; and that the
next morning' a bottle containing chloroform
was found under Mr. M'lntosh's bed, and a similar
bottle' in the cerpet-bag of the prisoner,• who
had been at the Temperance Hotel since Satur-
day evening. The Reverend Gentleman's face bore.
strong marks of the desperate pertinacity of his noc-
turnal assailant. To the policeman
.who took the
prisoner into' custody he said he was a traveller, but
refused to say for whom he travelled, or in what
business. It appears that he had attended tire Me-,
tliodist chapel twice on the day the attempt' Wit's
made, and had also been once at church. On being
asked what he was doing in the room of Mr. Mu-
toshE he declared that he had been a member of a
Christian church fur five years, that he was a sleep-
walker, and knew nothing of any evil intention. He
was fully committed for trial. The prisoner is a
young man of pallid feattirei and a forbidding ex-
pression of Countenance.