The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-28 00:00:00

TILE MURPHY RIOTS AT ASHTON.

amount
and,
The violeut language used by Mr. Murphy, whilst lee-
tng
of bad feeling between the English and Irish in
Ashton,roia ,
in Ashton and Stalybridge, has led to a considerable
Stalybridge, and Dukinfield and their neighbour-
huo
besides the riots which have occurred, many
persons have been assaulted or threatened. In Ashton every
precaution has been taken by the authorities to preserve the
peace. The same precautions are being takenin Stleybridge,
a large number of special constables having been sworn in
in the latter borough, both on Saturday night and Monday
morning. On Monday morning
the magistrates on the
bench at the borough court, Stalybridge, were engaged
for several hours in taking evidence as to two charges of
assault, no doubt arising out of the existing ill. feeling in
Ralybridge between the English and Irish. The first case
was a charge laid against Police-constable Grundy, of un-
lawfully wounding
a lad named John M`Carty. Mr.
Noah Buckley, solicitor, appeared for the constable. It
appeared that the police had been attracted to Back Castle-
street by healing a
great noise soon after twelve o'clock on
Sunday;
morning, the 19th 'inst., and when they got to the
place they found a large number of Irishmen, women, and
young boys and
girls assembled. The crowd had all armed
themselves, and said that they had met to resist a snob of
the Murphyites who were coming to destroy the houses in
that neighbourhood. A bar of iron, seemingly part of a
rail, nearly a yard and a half long, and a brush-handle,
on which a steel spike formed of a spindle out of a cotton
mill had been fastened, and made quite sharp, was pro-
duced in court, and which all the witnesses both for and
against the defendant proved had been taken by Grundy from
some one in the crowd. A number of witnesses deposed
that the defendant Grundy had struck the lad M`Carty ;
but it being clear that the wound was not pro
duced either by the bar of iron in question or by the
.-
constable's staff, the charge was dismissed.—John Farrell,
an Irishman, was then charged with unlawfully wound-
ing John Ainley, at the Talbot Inn Market-street, on
Saturday night. Ainley stated that lie was in the Talbot
Inn, between seven and eight o'clock on Saturday night.
There was a row near the bar door ; he went to see
what it was, when he was struck by the prisoner and then
kicked, and, he kicked him in return. During the row
Whilst in the room looking for his cap, P
he lost his cap, and got into a room where the prisoner was.
on the left side of the head with a tumbler glass, and
the door of the room,
bled very much. Subsequently open,
'which had been fastened with a poker, was broken_
~.e
and afterwards the prisoner was given into custody_. a
wit-
ness Prisoner struckll
hem
complainant had been cut on the head and face,
vaenrded
with
deposed that the complainant had been 9
The prisoner was
if the door had not been broken open.--7-
cinumitted for trial,
blood, and would have been killed by the menein. the room

ACTION FOR SLANDER.—In the Court of Exchequer,
oefore Mr. Baron Bramwell and a common jury, the case
Df Challis v. Woodin came on for hearing. The plaintiff,
Samuel Challis, entered the service of the defendant, who

kept Woodin's Shades, Bishopsgate, as potman, at a
salary, if he gave satisfaction, of £3O a year, with board
and lodging. After a few weeks, the defendant gave him
notice to leave, and when he had gone, a railway porter
called upon the defendant for the plaintiff's character.
On that occasion the defendant was said to have used

language to this effect : " I will not _ give him a

character ; he is a - scamp, a vagabond, and villain

and the biggest thief that ever stood behind a bar." The
defendant added, according to the testimony of the same

witness, that his barmaid had seen him take some silver
out of the till one morning. In consequence of this
slander, the plaintiff said he had been prevented getting
another situation. The defendant, on being called,

swore positively that he made no such statements.

He said he became dissatisfied with the plaintiff as he

broke glasses and destroyed measures, and did not seem to
be a boy used to his particular kind of business. They
had no quarrel either before or at the time of his leaving.

What Le said to the rallwa,y porter was this— that he could

Lot give the plaintiff a character as he was so careless in

doings, and that Ins barmaid had said that on two oc-

casions she had missed money from behind the counter in
the' morning. TI e railway porter observed, " Then, I

suppose, you call him a— thief ?" and he replied that he
could only say he was a careless fellow.—Upon this evi-
dence the jury found a verdict for the defendant.
ALLEGED INFRINGEMENT OF PATENT.—At the Sittings
in Banco, in the Court of Exchequer, before the Lord

Chief Baron and Barons Martin and Channell, the court

gave judgment in the case of Platt and others v. Higgins
and others. It has been repeatedly before the public. It
was an action for the infringement of a patent for certain

improvements in the machinery used in carding wool,

and at the trial before Mr. Baron Martin in Middlesex the

lury found a verdict for the plaintiffs. Subsequently a rule

. _
was obtained for a new trial, and it was argued at con-
siderable length on both sides. Their lordships were of

opinion that no good grounds had been shewn for a new
trial, and discharged the rule.

STEALING COATS FROM THE GENERAL POST

Henry Brown, 40, Cagle-street, Red Lion-square, mail•

cart driver, was brought up before Sir Robert VT. Carden,
at the Guildhall, charged with stealing coats from the pas-

sage leading to the letter-carriers' kitchen in the General

Post Office.—James Pinch, a sorter in the Gene-

ral Post Office, said that on Saturday he received
a coat from Smee, and he hung it up in

a passage leading to the letter-carriers' kitchen.—
'William Smee, a constable attached to the Post Office,
said he gave the coat produced to the last witness to hang
up in the passage, which he did about five o'clock, and
about twenty minutes to six o'clock he met the prisoner at
the foot of the stairs, leaving. He was then putting the

coat on. He said to the prisoner " Is that your coat you are
putting on?" and he looked up frightened, and said " No,sir."
Witness took the.prisoner into his private room, and left
him there in charge while he went and searched a cart
which prisoner said he drove, and found another coat that
had been taken from one of their sorters about a month

ago.—W. T. Chamberlain, a sorter, identified that coat as
his, which he had lost about a month ago. He gave
nobody authority to take it away.—Stephen Hirge, a mail-
cart driver, in the employ of Mr. Bolton, a contractor for
the Post Office, produced a coat which had been stolen
front John Hall, a sorter, and which he (witness) had pur-
chased from the prisoner for 2s.—The prisoner was fully
committed for trial.
ROBBERY OF PLATE.—At the Central Criminal Court,
Henry Sturges, silversmith, pleaded guilty to an indict.
ment which charged him with stealing a quantity of spoons
and other goods, the property of Henry Holland and an-
other, his masters. The prisoner was a finisher of plate,
and had been for three years in the employment of the pro-
secutors, who carried on the business of manufacturing sil-
versmiths, at No. 16, Jewin-crescent. On the 7th January,
Mr. Holland attended a sale at Messrs.Debenham and Stores
and purchased eighteen silver spoons, which he found to
bear his own marks, and which had passed through the hands
of the prisoner. It was afterwards discovered that the
spoons had been pledged with a pawnbroker in Sloane.
street for £3 75., in June 1866, and not being redeemed
were sent f( r sale. Duplicates for other property were also
found at the prisoner's house, and the property was
identified as having belonged to the prosecutors, from
whose premises it had been removed without their know-
ledge.— He was sentenced to nine months' hard labour.
ATTEMPT TO DROWN A THAMES POLICE INSPECTOR.—
At the Thames Police-court, Michael Lannon, a well-
known pugilist, was charged on a warrant with having
attempted to drown Daniel Taylor, an inspector of the
Thames division of police. A few days ago a prize-!ight
took place in Long Marsh, which was attended by many
members of the ring. The party started from the Temple
Pier. Upon the arrival of the steamer at Tunnel Pier,
Wapping, Inspector Taylor, accompanied by other officers
of the Thames police, rushed on board and warned the
captain that he had prize-fighters and thieves on board, and
that he was assisting in an illegal act. Inspector Taylor was
in official unifcrm. A cry was raised by several of the
fancy of " Drown the ; throw them overboard," and
Taylor was surrounded by the prisoner and others, who
actually made an attempt to throw him into deep water
some distance from the pier, and while a large
steamer was going up the stream, head against
tide. The captain and a prize-fighter interfered
when Inspector Taylor was partially over the rail and
his legs in the air. The steamer was backed astern, and
the inspector and his men forced out of the steamer. In
answer to Mr. Benson, the inspector said he was literally
thrown out of the steamer after the:attempt made to throw
him overboard. The steamer was going ahead when he
was hanging over the rail, and if he had fallen into the
river he would have been cut to pieces by the .
paddles. Other evidence was given, from which
it appeared that Sir Richard Mayne had given instruc-
tions to stop the fight if possible, and that Inspector
Taylor had received instructions at the last moment to go
on board the steamer and proceed to the place of meeting.
Last night Inspector Silverton, of the C division, went to
the Old Friar, Friar-street, where there was a doo•-show,
and captured the prisoner among 160 of the fancy.' Mr:
Benson remanded the prisoner for a week.
EXTRAORDINARY POISONING BASE.—A very strong:'
case of poisoning is reported from North- Shields.
An old sailor, named Reed, got a bottle of medicine.
from the Dispensary, and having taken three table-
spoonfuls of it, was seized with an attack of rigidity,
and shortly afterwards died. Medical evidence given
at the inquest showed that the man had been poisoned.
It was stated by the surgeon at the Dispensary that
deceased had been given a bottle containing four
ounces of chlorodyne in eight ounces of water. The
contents of the bottle are to be analysed, and in the
meanwhile the inquest stands adjourned.
ALLEGED EXTENSIVE DEFALCATIONS. —Yesterday,
at the Warrington Borough Court, George Parry,
who, for some years past, has been managing clerk in
the goods department of the Great Western Railway
at Bank Quay Station, was charged with embezzle-
ment. The prisoner absconded about a fort-
night ago, and the audit clerk of the Com-
pany, in subsequently examining his books, found
defalcations to a considerable amount. Infor-
mation was given to the police, and the prisoner
was arrested in London on Friday, and brought back
to Warrington on Saturday evening. He was re-
manded until this morning, bail to the amount of
£4OO being accepted for his re-appearance.
TnE MURPHY RIOTS AT ASHTON AND ;ITALY-
BRIDGE.—Mr. Murphy's lectures in Ashton and Staly-
bridge have caused much bad feeling between the
English and Irish populations,
and apart from e
riots which have already been reported many persons
th
have been assaulted or threatened. In Stalybridge
a large number of special constables have een
with
sworn in. At the Stalybridge Police-court, yebster-
day, Police-constable Grundy was charged
wounding a lad named John 111‘Carty. It appeared
that the police were attracted to Back Castle-street
by a noise soon after twelve o'clock on the morning
of the 19th inst. When they got to the place they
found a large number of Irishmen and Irishwomen
assembled. The crowd bad all armed themsfelvhes,
and said they had met to resist mob ote
Murphyites, who were coming to destroy the
A bar of iron,
houses in that neighbourhood.
a yard and a half long, and a brush handle, on which
a steel spike had been fastened, were taken by Grundy
from some one in the crowd. A. number of witnesses
deposed that the defendant struck • M`Carty, and
though none could swear with what, some of them
believed he used the bar of iron. Several police-
officers swore positively that Grundy bad not struck
the lad. The charge was dismissed.
ANOTHER FORTUNE-TELLING SWINDLE.—At the
Chesterfield Police-court yesterday, two gipsy women
were charged with fraudulently obtaining money
and goods from Mary Baker, a domestic servan, at
Moorgate, Rotherham. The prisoners gave their
names as Selina Smart and Rachel Lockett. One day
last week, Baker met the prisoner Smart, who said
she should like to tell her fortune. - Baker asked what
the fee was, and Smart said Gd if told by the hand,
and is by the cards. Baker forthwith raid a shilling,
and she was then told there was much happiness in
store for her. On Sunday she would meet a young
man, whose complexion was described, but Smart could
not say whether or not she would be married until she
" made the charm." A day or two afterwards, Smart
said she could not make the charm without some
other articles, and she thus obtained a dress, shawl,
skirt, and a pair of boots. On Sunday Lockett re-
turned with the boots, and said her companion could
not complete the charm, as the clothes were not good
enough. Baker then gave her another dress and
cloak, altogether clothing of the value of £2 10s, and
3s 8d in money. These facts having come to the
knowledge of her employer, Baker was required to
give the two women into custody. They were
delivered into the ouotoßdy of tko llothosllow Nu*

10;7

-

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, Jan. 27.
The Queen walked in the grounds this morning,
attended by the Duchess of Roxburghe.
The other members of the Royal Family walked
in the grounds.

LATEST INTELMGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION.

SUEZ, Jan. 27.

On the 18th the advanced posts were pushed for-
ward and occupied Goom Gooma, 12 miles beyond
Senafe. It is probable that Sir Robert Napier will
in a few days advance with the leading troops to-
wards Autalo..