The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-18 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBEIt 18, 1844.

WANDSWORTH.

On Monday Richard .115cholson, a commercial tra-
veller and commission agent, residing in Isabella- street,
Lambeth, appeared, in discharge of his bail, to answer
a charge of attempting to drown Margaret Nicholson,
his daughter, aged six years, on Tuesday evening last.
The prisoner was first brought to this Court on
Wednesday last, and on that occasion it was proved by
two young men, cabmen, that in consequence of hav-
ing been informed by some women, on the previous
evening, that the prisoner had attempted to drown his
child in Vauxhall-dock, they followed him towards
Battersea-fields, believing that he would carry his
purpose into execution somewhere in that locality.
When the prisoner reached the Mill-pond-bridge,
he lifted the child in his arms, and placed
her on her belly on the parapet. One of the
men, believing that he was about to plunge his child
into the water, especially as it cried very much, ran
up, snatched the child out of its father's arms, and
knocked him down ; after which he was given into
custody upon the charge of attempting to drown his
child.

The defence set up was, that the prisoner never had
had any intention of destroying the child, and he only
wished to cure it of its timidity for water; and he ac-
counted for being in so lonely a place, at such a late
hour, with a young child, by proving that he was on
the road to meet his wife, who had gone to Battersea.
Mr. PAYNTER did not feel altogether satisfied with
the defendant's conduct, especially as he was drunk at
the time, and ordered him to find bail to answer the
charge on the following Monday (yesterday). The
magistrate also directed the police to make inquiry
respecting the first alleged attempt to drown.
Monday a woman named Joyce Colcet was called
as a witness for the prosecution, and identified by the
cabmen as one of the women who had recommended
them to look after the prisoner, as he had attempted
to drown his child at Vauxhall-dock. The witness,
upon being examined, told a widely different story;
she said a gentleman had told her that the prisoner
had ill-used his child, but she saw nothing unkind in
his conduct; he gave her oysters, and bought her
cakes, and no parent could have been kinder.

Mr. PalmyEa asked the prisoner what answer he
had to make to the charge ? The prisoner said that
on the day in question he transacted business in the
City to his satisfaction, and there were a few pints of
ale drunk over it. He then went home, and, as he
had to meet his wife, took his child with him. As
the child was timid of the water, he thought he would
show her it, and explain to her that there was nothing
to fear, and he took her up in his arms for that pur-
pose. She cried and he set her down and was walk-
ing along with her, when he received two tremendous
blows on the head which felled him, and he was after-
wards kicked in the side. He had been ill ever since,
and unable to do any business.
Mr. PATISTER—YOU could hardly expect any other
treatment, after getting drunk and ill-using your
child. It is a very extraordinary thing that you should
have put your child in so dangerous a position, and it
is not a little suspicious that you should have been
complained of doing a similar act in an earlier part of
the evening. You were intoxicated, or probably you
would not have done so. I shall discharge you now,
and, as you have been so much injured, not inflict the
fine for drunkenness, which I otherwise should have
done.—The prisoner was then dischirged.

ASSAULT BY A POLICE CON-
STABLE ON HIS SERGEANT.

At an early hour on Sunday morning a circum-
stance took place at Winchmore-hill, Middlesex,
which has created considerable sensation in that dis-
trict. About four o'clock, Sergeant Hannan, of the
N division of police, in going his rounds, missed
police-constable Harvey, of the same division, off his
beat, and after looking about for him for some short
time, he observed him milking a cow belonging to
Mr. Risley, a dairyman in the neighbourhood. Han-
nan crept stealthily along the field in such a position
that Harvey had not the slightest knowledge of his
approach until he was alongside, when he charged
him with his improper conduct. Harvey made some
trivial excuse, but the sergeant told him he must do
his duty and take him to the station-house, and then laid
hold of the left handcuff of the prisoner's coat with his
right, and they walked together some short distance
through the field, when Harvey, unperceived by his
captor, drew his truncheon from his pocket with his
right hand, and in an instant gave the sergeant a
desperate blow on the head, which felled him to the
ground. He then made an effort to escape, but was
unable to do so, and repeated the blows on the ser-
geant's head, actually shivering his staff to pieces.
The sergeant, notwithstanding, still held him, upon
which the ruffian drew from his pocket a gouging
chisel, and jobbed it into the head, face, and the arms
of the sergeant, inflicting no fewer than thirteen or
fourteen frightful wounds on his person. Hannan,
with a death-like grasp, still held him fast,
and his cries of " murder" brought to his assistance
two men from the farmhouse of Mr. Risley, and alio
a farrier in the neighbourhood, just in time to prevent
the sacrifice of his life, and Harvey was secured.
The sergeant, who was reduced, from exhaustion and
the loss of blood to insensibility, was removed to the
farmhouse, and Messrs. Creswell and Ward, medical
gentlemen at Southgate, were sent for, and promptly
attended. A special messenger was also- dispatched
to the private residence of Mr. Johnson, the superin
tendent of the N division, who lost not a moment in
repairing to the spot, where he found every attention
paid to the sufferer by the medical gentlemen. The
sergeant remained in a dreadful state of suffering the
whole of the day and night, but yesterday morning he
appeared much better, and went on favourably
throughout the day, so that there was strong hope of
his ultimate recovery. After the prisoner was cap-
tured a pocket handkerchief full of apples, and with
which was also tied up the lantern used by Harvey
on his duty, was found in the field, not a great dis-
tance from where he had been milking the cow, so
that there could be no doubt the apples were the
produce of some of the numerous gardens in the
neighbourhood. His house was subsequently searched,
when a great variety of the choicest fruit, onions of
the finest quality, and also miscellaneous property, all
the produce of plunder, were found Some idea may
be formed of the sensation which the circumstance
-has created in the neighbourhood from the fact that
the officiating clergyman at the Edmonton chapel of
ease, Winchmore-hill, alluded to it, and asked the
prayers of the congregation for the recovery of the
injured man. Monday, Harvey was taken before a
bench of magistrates at Edmonton, and after a very
brief examination, the injured man not being able to
attend, was remanded to a future day.

The Bremen Gazette has an article from the Po-
lish frontiers, 3rd Sept., which states that the Emperor
Nicholas has approved of the plan of the Minister of
War for very vigorous offensive operations in The Cauca-
sus ; and that he is resolved, if not to make the cam
paign in person, at least to be in the vicinity of the
theatre of war. Count Nesselrode is shortly expected
to return to St. Petersburgh. It is affirmed that he has
communicated to the English Cabinet the decided inten-
tions of the Emperor respecting the war in the Caucasus,
and has obtained the assurance that the assistance sent
to the rebels by English agents from Constantinople
shall cease.—Hamburgh Papers, 15th Sept.
AYLESBURY RAILWAY.—On Monday the half-
yearly meeting of the directors and shareholders in this
railway was held at the White Hart hotel, Aylesbury,
William Rickford, Esq., in the chair. The report, which
was read by the secretary, stated that surveys were now
in progress for the formation of a line to Worcester
from Banbury to join the London and Birmingham Rail-
way. It had been proposed, in order to save a distance
of about two miles, to cross the Aylesbury line and to
join the Birmingham Railway at another place. This,
if carried out, would not only entail an enormous ex-
pense, looking to the nature of the country to be tra-
versed, but would render the Aylesbury Railway almost
a dead letter. It was necessary, therefore, that some
steps should be taken by this company in the matter.
After the report had been read and adopted, Mr. Pigott
suggested that the Aylesbury line should be offered
to the new Company,
or to the London and Birmingham
Company, for sale at the original cost, which was
60,0004 or, in case they should decline that offer, that
iected line t
the acquiescence of the Ayo Worcester should be lesbury Railway Company in
the newly-pro
con-
tingent upon the promoters of that line agreeing to make
the Aylesbury line, the line of junction with the London
and Birmingham After some discussion, a resolution
empowering the directors to enter into negotiations
with the Birmingham Railway Company was agreed to,
and it was arranged that a special general meeting
should be called as soon as the negotiations had ceased,
in order that the result might as early as possible be
laid before the proprietors. A dividend of eight shillings
per share, or four per cent. on the paid- up capital, was
than declared and made payable on the 29th inst. In
seconding the resolution for a dividend, a proprietor
said he supposed this would be the last dividend that j
would ever be declared in this company. Thanks were
then voted to the chairmain, and the meeting separated.
DREADFUL CASE OF BURNING.—On Friday morn-
ing last a young man, about 18 years of age, named
Parradine, a farm-labourer, was found in a ditch, op-
Ix)cinder.site th e
It Phoenix public-house, in Staple Claydon,
Buckinghamshire, nearly lifeless and burnt almost to
is supposed the poor fellow got drunk
on the preceding night, and rolled into the ditch
with a lighted
pipe in his hand, or had some lucifer
matches upon his person, which ignited, thus destroy-
ing all the clothes on his body, and burning his
frame to a complete cinder, the lower part of his person
being entirely destroyed, and the interior of his frame
being visible as if he had been flayed alive ; indeed, the
poor creature presents a most horrible spectacle, his
body being thus mutilated, while ho is in possession of
his reason. Several individuals have been summoned
becore the borough magistrates this morning (Monday),
on suspicion of having some knowledge of this frightful
calamity. The poor fellow has a father and mother
with a large family
somewhat dependent on his exertions 1
for a maintenance.