The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-13 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

DANGEROUSLY WOUNDING A MANAGER.—At the
Durham Assizes, Jonathan Woodmass, a labourer, was
indicted for wounding Percy Gibson, the manager of the
Skerne Ironworks, with intent to murder him. On the
7th of July the prisoner and another man offered them-
selves for employment to the prosecutor, who
acceded to the request of the other person, but
refused to give any work to the accused, who
had previously betn employed on the premises. This
treatment irritated the prisoner, who went away and got
intoxicated. lie then returned, and with a knife stabbed
Mr. Gibson several times, though, fortunately, without
seriously injuring him. The jury found the prisoner
guilty, and he was sentenced to five years' penal ser-
vitude.

VERDICT FOR ONE SHILLING.-At the Oakham Assizes
the case of_Fryer v. Palmer was heard. The parties are
both farmers residing at Hambleton, and it was alleged
that the defendant called the plaintiff a " rogue and a
thief, and ought to be transported." It seemed that the
parties had previously quarrelled about a house. The
jury gave ls. damages.

SHOCKING CASE OF MANSLAIIGHTER.—At the Leicester
Assizes, William Dilley Was indicted for the wilful
murder of William Jones, on the 3rd June. A girl, named
Maria Webster, who was the sweetheart of the deceased,
said they were returning from a feast, when the pri-
soner, with another man, came up and used some
disgusting language. This irritated Jones, who struck the
accused with his flat hand. The prisoner then struck the
deceased with a knife several times, and caused such injuries
that death ensued. The jury found Dilley guilty of man-
slaughter, and he was sentenced to fifteen years' penal
servitude.

ATTEMPTING, TO UPSET A TRAIN.—At Marylebons
Police•court, James Folke, aged 15, was charged with
attempting to upset an express train on the London and
North-Western Railway. A platelayer was coming from the
Kilburn end of the Primrose-hill tunnel, when he observed
the prisoner stooping down on the main line, and on examin-
ing the metal witness found that the screw bolt had been
placed on it. Witness took the bolt off, and did not pursue the
prisoner, as an express train would have to pass in a few
seconds. It was explained that at this spot the " guard"
of the engine would have thrown the obstruction from the
" wing rail" to the " check rail," the effect of which
must undoubtedly have been to throw the train off the
line. Mr. Mansfield remanded the pr'sor.er fr a week.

THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE TROUPE.—The Impe-
rial Japanese Troupe, under the direction of Mr. Risley,
had the honour, on Tuesday last, of exhibiting before her
Majesty the Queen of Spain and the Spanish Court, at the
palace at Madrid. At a subsequent performance upwards
of five thousand persons were present, and the success of
the Imperial Japanese was very great, loud exclamations
of surprise and pleasure accompanying each feat. At the
expiration of this Court engagement at Madrid, the
Japanese Troupe, with their manager, return to England,
and make a tour in the provinces.

FIRE AND EXPLOSION AT SOUTHAMPTON. —On
Sunday morning, at half-past four, a very loud explosion
was heard at Southampton, which arose from an explosion
of gunpowder, ball cartridges, signal rockets, and paraffin
on, from the back premises of the business place of
Mr. Stebbing, the mayor of the town, situated almost
opposite the dock gates. The mayor is an optician,
nautical instrument maker, and purveyor of various
kinds of ship's stores. The back premises were
blown by the explosion almost to pieces, the
adjoining premises were seriously injured, and the
windows of houses in the neighbourhood were broken.
Fragments of the blown-up building were thrown to great
distances. Immediately after the explosion smoke and
fire issued from the spot, the dock engine was brought out,
and measures taken to extinguish the fire. The promp-
titude of these measures prevented it from extending, and
after a time it was subdued. It was conjectured that the
explosion was caused by lightning. The damage done is
estimated at £5,000. The premises were insured in the
Royal.

NARROW ESCAPE. —The Western Morning News
says that as a yacht named the Ida, during a match a day
or two since, was passing about ten yards west of the target
at Bovisand, at which a party of men belonging to the Royal
Artillery were firing, a shell burst quite close to her, and a
piece of iron, supposed to have been about eight or nine
pounds weight, struck her boom, cutting it completely
through, and carrying away a portion of the mainsail. One
of the crew, named Pengelly, observed the piece of sheli
coming towards them, and raised an alarm. The owner of
the yacht, Mr. Hocking, was on board, and was lounging or
the platform, when Pengelly sang out that a shell was
coming, on hearing which he immediately jumped off the
platform, otherwise he would probably have been killed. The
men on board the yacht signalled to those at the fort, but
they took no notice of it. There must have been great
oversight on the part of those in charge of the firing party
at Bovisand, as it appears that the men who should have
been on the look-out could be distinctly observed from
the Ida lying on the grass, and not taking any notice of
what wa tanspiring. • The Ida was becalmed at the time,
and had be• n in very much the same Er,lition for more
tha o h ur.