The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-07 00:00:00

ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO SHOOT
THE DUKE OF NORMANDY.

_
At Hammersmith Police-court, yesterday, the soi-
&sant Duke of Normandy, accompanied by numerous
gentlemen, entered the Court, for the purpose of publicly
stating the particulars of the alleged attempt upon his
life, on the evening of Thursday last, the 2d instant, at
.Nlulgrave House, Fulham.
The Duke having repeated the statement which has
been already published in The Sun, describing the cir-
cumstances of the alleged firing,
Mr. George Tucker made the following statement :—I
am manager of the Duke's household. On Thursday
evening, about half•past seven o'clock, I was sitting
with Mr. Neuring and my two sons in the library, when
we were alarmed by a tremendous exp!osion. 1 imme-
diately cried out, " There's something happened to the
Duke." The Duke had gone to the workshop about
twenty minutes before, which I was aware of. We
all instantly ran out, and saw there was no light
in the workshop. We then called out ; and, receiving
no answer, called out the second time. The Duke
opened the door, and called out, as we understood, for
water ; and so great was our consternation at the
time, that we were unaware of the mistake for six
or seven minutes. I subsequently saw footmarks in
the kitchen garden, leading to the waterside, and
the marks of hands on the campshading. The grounds
are quite open at the back, and the persons could have
easily escaped. When the Duke told us that he had
been shot at, I looked about to see what was the cause
of his suspecting it, and I then saw the window broken
and the hole made by the bullet through the partition,
and subsequently the ball was found in the garden. My
first impression, on hearing the report, was that it was
an explosion of some combustibles in the workshop,
although I did not know of any being there at the time.
From the examination I have made of the window, I
consider that the instrument used must have been held
so close to it that it shattered the glass, or there would
have only been the hole made by the passage of the
bullet. Even the inside of the framework of the centre
pane was blackened. The dog had been very trouble-
some for a night or two before. For the two nights be-
fore, one or other of my sons had been with the Duke in
the workshop. The Duke had not been alone in the
worshop for the previous ten days.
Mr. Clive—Now the next question is as to the party.
Whom do you suspect?
The Duke—l am sure it is a political party in con-
nexion with the French Government, who want to take
my life.

Mr. Clive here asked Inspector Haynes if he had seen
Mr. Coupellier, and if that person was in attendance?
Inspector Haynes said he had. He had been to No.
33, Newman-street, Oxford-street, where M. Coupellier
lived, and had found him in a miserable attic, and in a
most wretched state of distress. He was, however, so
ill as not to be able to come out at present to that
Court. M. Coupellier, however, stated that if some per-
son could be procured who could write French well ne
would give a statement. That was done on Sunday
last, but there had not yet been time to have a transla-
tion got ready.
The inspector then handed in the statement to the ma-
gistrate. It consisted of two sheets of letter-paper,
closely written in the French language.
Mr. Clive commenced reading it and translating as he
proceeded, as follows:—" On the 19th of last December
being called by some affairs to Regent-street, I met four
of those intelligent individuals who, without having four
legs and two long ears, are"—
The magistrate then stoppe3, and said, really this is a
most extraordinary way of making a deposition; I really
think there is no occasion for me to go on with this.
Mr. Clive, however, continued silently to read the
statement, and then said that it stated that M. Coupellier
further said that he followed those four gentlemen along
Regent-street to the American Stores public-house in
Oxford-street, into which they went, and were joined by
two others; that he went in also, and sat where he was
not observed, when he heard them state that three of
them were going to Belgium and two to Calais, and
that the one wlio was speaking was the only one
who would remain to finish some affairs he had in hand.
M. Coupellier stated that he also heard them say
that they intended to kill the Duke of Normand), and
that it would be done before the 10th of January.
The Duke—l have nu doubt but it was the same party
who blew up my premises in the year 1833, in the Kent-
road.

Mr. Clive—Who is Monsieur de Lot:, named in M.
Coupellier's statement ?
Inspector Haynes here said Mons. de Lotz formerly
lodged with M. Coupellier, and handed to the magis-
trate M. de Lotz's statement in French, with the trans-

lotion :

" I, the undersigned, declare that on Saturday, the
2 Ist of December last, while at the house of M. Coupel-
lier de Credancel, professor, No. 33, Newman-street,
Oxford-street, the experiments recently made by the
Duke of Normanby became the subject of conversation,
in the course of which the professor said to me, 1 have
some important matter to communicate to the Prince, if
I could see him, and which I can intrust to himself alone.
If I knew where he was, I would find him out, and
make known the important matter which concerns him
personally. In a word, I wish to forewarn him of a con-

;piracy against his person, fur I have learned from good
authority that, since his last experiments, a plot has
sprung up against him ;' and he added in conclusion, ' If
I could write to him, and could let him know all my
fears, and of the necessity of taking precautions, for I
have been a long time aware of an intention to attempt
his life, and I have also learned that, Ets the Prince in-
tends to make public experiments, that will be the time
chosen to kill him publicly.' On the same day I commu-
nicated these assertions to the Count de la Barre. I have
to-day seen M. Coupellier de Credancel, who was in bed,
and informed him of the attempt upon the life of the
Prince yesterday evening, and asked him whether what
he told me on a former occasion was the truth ? He re-
plied, lam ready to repeat all I said before a justice of
the peace, and I will give every assistance in my power as
respects the matter.' " H. DE LUTZ."
Mr. Clive said it was rather singular that the Duke
should suppose that the same weapon should be fired
with the intention to shoot him as well as set the place
on fire.
The Duke--I am quite confident that, in addition to
the bullet there was some combustible matter in the
instrument, from the great light I saw. I have no doubt
they thought it would communicate to what combustibles
there might be in the workshop, and blow it up.
Mr. Clive—It is also singular that five of the six
persons mentioned in M. Coupellier's statement should
be about to leave England that night. It is rather a
contradiction, but perhaps that will be explained when
M. Coupellier is able to attend. Now, all that remains
is for M. Coupellier to point out the parties he speaks of.
Inspector Haynes—M. Coupellier told me that he
could only identify one of the men.
The Count de la Barre was then called forward, and
made a statement in the French language, after which
Mr. Clive read a letter from the Abbe Duriel, which was
alluded to in the Count's statement. It was addressed
to the Duke, and was dated the 26th of December. It
stated, " I have to inform you of a plot, which I think
it necessary that you should know. I have also to con •
gratulate you on your late reconversion."
The Duke—That relates to my reconversion to the
Catholic faith.

Mr. Clive then directed that the police-officers engaged
in the case should make inquiries without delay at the
American Stores, and all other places which had been
named, as to the truth of the statements, and when they
were prepared with more evidence he would go further
into the case.

The Duke and his attendants then left the court,
which during the inquiry was crowded in every part.

MURDER NEAR LIVERPOOL.

LIVERPOOL, SATURDATeISCEtTCe have the two mur-
derers condemned at our last assizes expiated by their
deaths the dreadful crimes they committed, than we are
again horrified by the details of another and equally
barbarous murder, committed in the vicinity of Rock-
ferry, Cheshire.

If appears that the unfortunate victim of this atrocity,
a Mr. Thomas Peacop, of the firm of I'. and 11. Golding
and Co., Rockferry, left his place of business at nine
o'clock on Tuesday night last, rather later than usual,
for his lodgings, which are situated at Beleington Pas-
ture, a small village, distant nearly half a mile, with the
sum of BZ, consisting of two sovereigns, Si. in silver,
wrapped up in paper, and about 215., tied up in a small
bag, on his person. The whole of the money he placed
in the same pocket. Mr. Peacop was known to be in the
habit of taking with him every night the proceeds of the
business of the day, and on the night in question, on
leaving his shop, he observed a tall man, dressed in dark
clothes, standing at the corner of the street. lie was
proceeding along a lonesome road, in the direction of
his lodgings, when the same man joined him, and
they walked side by side, for some little distance, toge-
ther. When they had gone about 250 yards from
Derby-house, and were within 200 yards of Mr. Scott's
cottage, which leads into the Rock-park, two men sud-
denly jumped from a plantation and made their appear-
ance on the footpath. The fellow who was accompany-
ing Mr. Peacop gave a whistle, and instantly the two
others sprang upon Mr. Peacop, and felled him to the
ground with a violent blow on the side of the head from
a heavy stick or club. While down they struck him
several other blows, and rifled his pocket of the 21s. in
silver which the little bag contained, but, in their hufry
and,confusion, left the remaining 7L behind them. At
the time a gentleman, named leeyzier, who lives at the
Pasture, was going home from the Rockferry, and, hear-
ing the noise, he ran to the spot and found Mr. Peacop
weltering in his blood on the ground, and two fellows
over him, one in the act of rifling his pockets, and the
other attempting, as he thought, to strangle him. Mr.
Keyzier immediately cried out "lialloa ! what are you
up to ?" and attempted to drag one of the fellows off,
but he had scarcely uttered the exclamation and made
the attempt when he received, from the hand of a third
party, who had hitherto remained concealed in the
hedge of the plantation, but who was, in all pro-
bability, the same fellow who had accompanied Mr.
Peacop np the road, a violent blow on the right temple,
which caused a deep wound and profuse flow of blood
Mr. Keyzier, notwithstanding the nature of the injury,
struggled resolutely with the fellow who struck him the
blow ; but, fearing that Mr. Peacop was by this time
strangled, and that, single-handed, he would have no
chance in the hands of three such daring ruffians, he
made the best of his way to Butler's public-hoase, called
the Farmer's Inn, at the Pasture, where he informed the
inmates of what was occurring. Instantly Mr. Butler,
together with his hostler, George Deane, and a man
named John Unsworth, armed with pokers and other
weapons, sallied down the road, but, in the interim, the
fellows had made their escape; Mr. Peacop bad re-
ceived several fractures and injuries on the head, and
breathed his last at half-past seven o'clock this morning.
Mr. Keyzier is rapidly recovering. A man of the name
of Jones was arrested on suspicion of having been con -
corned in the murder, but we believe the evidence against
him is very trifling, and that the murderers have, hither-
to, succeeded in eluding the vigilance of the police.