The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-05 00:00:00

DREADFUL MURDER OF A POLICEMAN AT
HUDDERSFIELD.

The town of Huddersfield was thrown into a state of ex-
citement on Tuesday evening last, by the murder of the prin-
ciPal police-officer, William Dukes, by a man whom he had
in custody. About four o'clock in the afternoon of that day
a man, usually known by the name of Sandy Al`Keen, a
Scotchman, who has lately resided in Halifax, where be work-
ed as a daily gardener, went to the market stall of Mr. Le-
nard, of Huddersfield, and asked the price of a particular
plant, and was told it was ls. 6d. M'Keen said to Mr. Le-
nard, " Will twopence do?" Mr. Lenard said, " Yes; but
not for the plant." M'Keen then threw down twopence,
and was walking away with the plant, when the police-officer
No. 2 (Danson) was called, who asked M'Keen to lay the
plant down ; but he refused. Mr. Lenard then ordered the
policeman to take him into custody, which he did. After
being in custody in the station-house about an hour, Mr.
Dukes heard a great noise at the prison door, and went to
ascertain the cause. When he opened the door, M'Keen
rushed upon him, and struck him with a pruning knife, which
he had ready in his hand, and wounded him so dreadfully
that he died in about a quarter of an hour after the attack.
Danson hearing Dukes' cry of " murder," ran to his assist-
ance, and endeavoured to pinion M'Keen's arms. In the
struggle both fell ; and, while on the ground, Danson receiv-
ed several severe stabs in the back and hip, and now lies in
the infirmary in a dangerous state. The third officer (the
town having no other than these three), we believe belonging
to the metropolitan police, whose name is Dalton, having
come up, rushed- upon the prisoner, and disarmed him with
a blow with his staff, which took effect upon the right hand,
and broke one of the fir gers. Some persons having by this
time got admittance to the lock-up, were disposed to inflict
summary chastisement upon the prisoner. A scuffle ensued;
but ultimately the man was replaced in confinement. An
inquest was held the following day (Wednesday), at the
George Inn, on the body of Dukes, before the coroner for
the district and a respectable jury, consisting chiefly of the
principal manufacturers, and a verdict of " wilful murder"
was returned. The prisoner, whose real name, it appeared
from letters found in his possession from his wife, who re-
sides at Stirling, is not M'Keen, but Alexander Strachan
Smith, was immediately committed, under the coroner's
warrant, to York Castle, for trial at the next assizes. Smith
manifested the greatest hardihood and recklessness. It is
said, that shortly after his murderous attack, he said, in the
lock-up, that he only wished he had done for some more of
them. While being conveyed, in an open car, from the lock-
up to the George Inn, to be present at the inquest, he laugh-
ed, and manifested by his gestures and conduct the most
brutal indifference. The crowd displayed a strong feeling of
abhorrence of the crime, by hissing and hooting Smith as
the vehicle passed. The unfortunate deceased was about
fifty years of age : he had held the situation about four years,
and was esteemed an active and intelligent officer. He leaves
a widow, but, we believe, no family.

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