The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-11 00:00:00

extended rural districts. It
.might be useful in populous
aces and in towns, but it was too bad to saddle_the rural
rate-payers with by far-the larger part of the expanse.
In the district where he lived there were a few villages,
and a policeman had never been seen in one of them ;
but, even if policemen were to enter the district, they
could be of no use in such a wide extent of country.
Altogether, the scheme had been a failure."
When gentlemen like Sir John Guise persevere in
moving questions of this sort, notwithstanding an anta-
gonist influence so strong as that of the Berkeley fa-
mily in the county of Gloucester, they must be acting
upon very decided cone fictions, and with a very consi-
derable weight of public opinion to support them. That
opinion will assuredly prevail against all that its oppo-
nents of either party can do to counteract it.
On Saturday we had the pleasure of publishing still
more gratifying evidence of the soundness of our views
on this question. Tne freeholders of Durham have for
soave time past exhibited in an unequivocal manner
their dislike of the police feree ; but the magistrates in
that Whig-ridden county have contemptuously set
aside and refused to listen to their petitions, under va-
rious frivolous pretexts. Tue effect has been admirable.
What was before an uaconeerted and desultory expres-
sion of sentiment has now become a resolute and orga-
nised opposition.
On Wednestley last a body of petitions was pre-
sented at the County Court, to which it would be diffie
cult to find a parallel in the provincial annals of the
country. The C turt was crowded, and the audience
plainly testified their sympathy with the wishes of the
petitioners.
" Mr. W. Scruton, the Deputy-clerk of the Peace,
first read the Report of Major Wemyss, the County
Chief Constable, which alluded to the efficiency, &e.,
of the force. He then presented a petition, praying
for its continuance.
" The deputies from the different townships, up-
wards of one hundred in number, then handed in their
memorials. They were from 172 townships (there
being 240 iii the country.) The signatures were en-
tirely landowners and rated inhabitants—upwards of
6,400 in number. Their genuineness and the respect-
ability of the patties were vouched for by the over-
seers and churchwardens of the different townships, and
in many instances the memorials included all the rate-
payers in the parishes. The petitions were all laid on
the table amidst loud and frequent bursts of applause,
which the officers were almost unable to suppress.
There were slight alterations in the wording of some
of the memorials, but the prayer of all was to be re-
lieved from the expenditure attending the police force."
After refe-ring to the printed accounts of the trea-
surer, by which it appe trey that in the year 1840 a sum
of 5,203/. 10s. 1 I d. was -collected on account of the
force, and 4,986/. 6s, expended, and noticing the probabi-
lity of a further increase of expense by the augmentation
of the treasurer's salary, the memorialists stated their
conviction " that the local constables in each town-
ship, if properly instructed and remunerated for their
services, would afford infinitely more security to persons
and property than the present force, dispersed, as it ne-
cessarily was, over a wide extent of country ; and that,
should it be found requisite for the maintenance of the
laws in the colliery and populous districts, it was only
reasonable that such districts should pay for their own
protection."
They, then, for the sake of illustrating the tendency
of flee system to jobbing and extravagance, adverted to a
practice of the Darham county police, in taking per-
sons charged with minor off: aces to the most distant in-
stead of the nearest spot where Magistrates could be
found to act, obviously for the purpose of increasing the
allowance for mileage ; and concluded with a prayer,
" That the force be dismissed; or that the necessary
means be taken to obtain their withdrawal from the
rural districts, and to relieve the memorialists from
being taxed for their fu:ute support."
In the face of these memorials, coming from quartets
so numerous and so respactable, Captain Shipperdsoa,
a termagant Whig-R tdical, addressed the Court in a
laboured eulogy on the system thus emphatically repu-
diated by the re epic, and concluded with a motion iii
favour of its continuance. A large majority of the Ma-
gistrates assearld el (men of similar politics) supported
his motion ; and ss the prayer of the people was by this
" Liberal" body contemptuously rejected. But it was
conceded to the memorialists that a Committee of Ma-
gistrates should be appointed to inquire generally into
the subject of their complaints ; and from this beginning
eve augur well for their ultimate success.
Our readers will not fail to observe that in all these
instances the ground of objection to the new system has
been its inutility and expanse. It is only on great emer-
gencies and under very pacuiiar circumstances that it
would be likely to be resorted to for the purposes of
arbitrary aggression upon the liberties of the people.
The "dig sues vin:/ice nodes" of tyranny does not occur
every day. But there it is, an instrument ready and
most fit for such uses, whenever the occasion may occur ;
and that suelt an instrument should exist in the hands
of any department of the Eeecutive Government, is an
offence against the first principles of the British Con-
stitution.—Thnes.

SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT
SHEFFIELD.

The town of SThe[lisdd has bcea the scene of a very
shocking occurrence, the result of intemperance.
A young man, aged named Henry Vaughan, a
table-knife manufacturer, living in Whitecroft, Lad, it
appears, paid attentions to Sarah Poole, who, with her
two sisters, lived at Pie B ink Bridiehouses. and oh-
tailed a respeet.thc livelihood by dressmaking ; but.
about eighteen months ago, in consequence of his disso-
lute conduct and intemperate habits, she refused any
longer to keep company with him. Soon after this
period, he called upon her, and endeavoured to
induce her to revoke her determination to discard
him as a lover. But finding his persuasions in vain he
drew out a raz and attempted her life. She, however,
with great promptitude and spirit, threw him down,
and got the razor from his hand. In October be had
fired a pistol at the house, and on Monday last he
vis:tcd her and uttered such alarming threats that she
applied to the Magistrates for protection, and obtained
a peace warrant. Vaughan was summoned to appear be-
fore the bench on Friday. The sisters had, in conse-
quence of his violence, been latterly in the habit of fasten-
ing the door and window-shutters in the evening ; but on
Frid ty night unfortunately forgot or neglected to do so.
At about a quarter before eight o'clock they were sitting
at their work, when Vaughan suddenly rushed in at the
outer door, closing it after him as he entered, and cried,
" Revenge ! revene this night, if 1 go out a corpse!'
He then drew his hands from his packets with a pistol
in each. Sarah Pool! immediately rushed to the door,
followed by her sister Harriet, who, perceiving that
be was aiming at Sarah, shut the door, but he fired
one pistol before it was closed. Sarah escaped down
the stairs, but 11 irriet, by closing the door, shut her-
self in with the infuriated man, while the third sister,
Hannah, escaped out at the front door, and ran over
to give alarm at tl:e public-house opposite. Vaughan
essayed to follow :Sarah, but Harriet, with great pre-
sence of mind and wonderful intrepidity, pushed him
backwards and lin fell. At ;his moment she snatched
from him what she supposed to be the other loaded
pistol, threw it dawn, and escaping into the next room,
made for the window. She threw open the sash, and
pushing open the unfastened shutters, was in the act of
jumping out, when 1.11. villain fired at. her.
The bail struck her upon the shoulder, inflicting a
superficial wound, and passed by her cheek. At this
moment the landlord of the Barrel public-house, and
Mr. Palfreyman, a commer,:ial traveller, came over,
upon which the descei-ate fellow fired a third pistollich
through the panne) of the door, the
,ball from which
entered the front of Mr. Palficym4n s trowsers and
tore his shirt, but, wonderful to say, passed over his
thigh without wonodi,g- him.
The door still remained fastened, and they were
afraid to make any further attempt at entering until the
police should arrive. In the interval three other shots
were heard in the room, and when they at length
entered they found the miserable man in his last agony.
He had discharged one of the pistols at his own breast.
Near him lay three pocket pistols, one discharged, one
loaded, and the third with the barrel partially no-
screa ed, as if an attempt had been male a second time
to reload it. Taco or three bullets were found on the
floor, and that fired at Sarah Poole, which had touched
her left temple and raised a small lump, had flattened
against the wall, and fallen down the cellar steps.
An inquest was held on the body of the suicide on
Saturday afternoon and a verdict of Felo de se returned,
after the facts above related had been deposed to before
the jury by the witnesses to the dreadfpl transaction.
The Coroner accordingly gave the usual directions for
the interment of the body at midnight, without Chris-
tial burial.—Abridged from the Sheffield ladependent