The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-07-06 00:00:00

roaRIBLIC MURDER NEAR KNARESIIROI

One of the most deliberate and cold-blooded murder; that
has ever been committed within the recolleCtion of man,
took place last Saturday morning, between the hours of
twelve and one, at the above place. Three young men, two
under the age of twenty, the other twenty-three, were the
perpetrators. The victim of their prey was a poor, inoffen—
sive, harmless, good-natured old man of the name of Joseph
Cocker, who kept the White Hart, a small public-house in
the market-place : he lost his wife in November last, and
since that time has lived alone. It appeared by their own
confession at the coroner's inquest, that they had intended
committing the horrid murder the previous night, but a
neighbour happenin to come in, their black deed was frus-
trated until the following night, when, at about eleven, having
watched the company out of the house, the three went in and
had five pints of ale. It was then getting late. They wanted
more, which the old man refused them, saying it was. after
twelve, and time to go to bed. The oldest lad made no
more to do, but without any hesitation took a hammer out
of his pocket, with Which they had provided themselves, and
struck him violently on the bead, which knocked him on his
knees, when he cried out, " Don't kill me, lads ; and the
blows being quickly repeated, he fell, groaning awfully. The
blows and the groaning were heard by a Mrs. Snow, whose
back premises adjoin, who was up, and who went into the
yard and looked through the window, and -saw three men
standing over him. She tried the door, and cried, " What
are they doing with you, Cocker ?" Fortunately the door
was fast, or there is no doubt she would have shared the
same fate. She then went to call her husband up. The vil-
lains went out when the door was tried, and consulted in the
street for two minutes, when they thought they had not
killed him, so they all agreed, and returned, according to
their own words, to kill him out. By that time the husband
of Mrs. Snow had got down, when he saw the murderers.
They, hearing him, blew out the candle, and ran away about
a mile from the town, but one of them proposed that they
should return, which they did. In the mean time the police
and constables made the most active search, and much to
the credit of their activity they succeeded in taking the whole
of them by three o'clock, one by the water side, another in
another part of the town, and the murderer himself lurking
about the house with the intention of robbing it. The de-
ceased's pockets were turned out, but only some 3s. 6d. was
taken from him ; every other step of the stairs was marked
with a footstep of blood ; there was £6 or £7 up stairs, which
the villains had not time to get. The house had the appear-
ance of a slaughter-house. Never was beheld such a sight for
a. jury to view. The men went through the inquiry with the
greatest calmness, stating here and there additional facts.
They likewise stated that they thought he had saved a little
money, and it was not malice or revenge, for, as we have be-
fore stated, he was certainly the most harmless man in the
town—but plunder was their entire object. It is said, that
had they succeeded, there were four or live others marked
out for the same fate. Never has Knaresbro' been the scene
of such a horrid tragedy ; that one of Daniel Clark by Eugene
Aram was not near so daring, as this is in the middle of the
town, in a narrow space entirely surrounded by houses. The
names of the prisoners are—Burliston (the oldest), who struck
the fatal blow ; Nuttal, the former one's accomplice the pre-
vious night; and Charles Gill (the youngest), a lad not more
than.l7 or 18. The first is committed to York Castle for
wilful murder, and the others for being present as alders and
abettors.—Leeds Intelligencer.

DESCRIPTION OF HER MAJESTY'S SHIP
TRAFALGAR.

She is a perfect man of war; has good space between her
ports on every deck, clear of hanging chocks to the beams
against the side, having no projections or obstructions in the
way of fighting the guns ; has great space on her orlop deck,
the beams being continued all fore and aft, with a good flush
three-inch flat, presenting at her sides a strong trussed figure,
beautifully arranged with wood and iron, each standing in a
different direction, the materials being so distributed as to
give the greatest strength to the fabric ; and, having no wing
pillars nor officers' store-rooms, as formerly, gives a spacious
acomrnodation for taking troops in time of war, or an oppor-
tunity of messing her crew, keeping her guns on the lower
deck clear and ready for action. This deck can be lighted by
tube scuttles through the side between the beams of the gun
deck, giving ventilation for the benefit of the health of the
crew, in addition to light, similar to a frigate's lower deck.
The trussed figure is continued below in the hold throughout
with strengthening pieces on the floor-heads, the size of the
keelson, in the same direction, all fore and aft, instead of the
old cross or thwart-ship riders formerly used in the ceiling,
and the diagonal trussing being better distributed, not only
adds considerable strength to the vessel, but greatly increases
her stowage. The wings, which were formerly on the orlop,
are now in the hold at the sides, which affords an opportu-
nity of stopping a hole seven feet lower under water, and
causes a circulation of air around the ship's side in the hold
which was never obtained before. Her main powder maga-
zine is designed in midships, with platform in the hold for
store-rooms, and a grating platform in midships for the
hempen cables and a third tier of thanks, which keeps them
in a position to allow of every one being nsed without re-
moving any from their places, as well as increasing the
stowage of water. The shot lockers are taken away from
the well, and shot-racks are fitted at the sides of the
ship, by which the shot are placed single all round on both
sides, keeping them free from corrosion, and always
ready when required for action, and that immense weight
removed from pressing down the vessel at the main-
mast. She is fitted with safety keels, which add much
to the strength of the ship as well as her preservation
from shipwreck, should she get on shore; the keels may
be carried away and the safety of the ship not endan-
gered. She is built with a strong internal round stern,
well adapted for fighting her guns, and externally a square
stern, presenting a perfect and pleasing appearance, al-
though unadorned with carving work, preserving the form and
beauty of the ship withcut depriving her of the advantage
of fighting her guns. The top sides are clear of any protec-
tion, no trunks being required to carry off the water over
the sides from the several decks as formerly, each deck being
delivered of its water by pipes leading into the common
gun-deck scupper, by which the water is passed overboard,
preserving the side from decay and preventing the necessity
of cutting scupper-holes in each deck. The head may be
fitted with a copper pipe at the side of the stem, instead of
the disagreeable appearance of wooden trunks, as usually
fitted in men-of-war, which will keep the head perfectly
clean, and the pipe so fitted cannot be displaced by any
accident. The rudder is fitted very securely, and so re-
markably safe, that it could not be easily carried away as
formerly ; even if all the pintles were broken off, the rudder
would keep in its place and work on the braces (an instance
of this occurred to the Flamer when in the West Indies.)
The Trafalgar has an iron flange on the rudder-head, with
three holes to receive au iron powl-pin, by which the rudder
can be secured in midships or on either quarter, and the ship
laid to in case of accident to the tiller. She has pipes in her
quarter galleries, conducting the water from every stool by
one hole only. The dead lights in the stern are made to
slide behind the blank sash, so as to be always ready for
closing in an instant if required, saving the difficulty of
hanging them over the stern, as usually done in square stern
ships. Tube scuttles are designed to be fitted in the ship's
sides on the lower deck for light and air, over the seamen's
mess-tables, when the guns are housed and ports closed in
bad weather. Her sides are more substantial than usual, in
consequence of there being no chocks under the beams; the
inside stuff is thicker and more capable of resisting an ene-
my's shot than the old sides were, and the chocks being
taken away, the danger of splinters is removed. We have
no time to give a further description at present, but will state
her dimensions as follows :

ft. in.
Length on gun deck 205 6
Length of keel for tonnage l7O 5
Breadth, extreme .. 55 71
Breadth for tonnage 54 9k
Breadth, moulded 53 114
Depth in hold

Burden in tons, 2721 20-94.
In conclusion, we have to add, this noble and splendid man-
of-war has been built wholly on the improved principle of
Mr. Oliver Lang, the builder, whose experience during the
late war, and since the time of peace, has given him the
opportunity of performing for his country what has not been
equalled in any kingdom.

SINGULAR SUICIDE AT STAPLEFORD ABBOTT

A case of suicide occurred last week in the parish of Sta-
pleford Abbott, in this county, under circumstances of a
very romantic character. A labourer, named James Ram-
sey, about 20 years of age, having visited Jane Hills, a re-
spectable young woman in the service of Mr. James Dixon,
for many years as a suitor, in consequence of her refusal to
marry him, quitted his house, and enlisted on the 9th ult.
He, however, became dejected and miserable, and five days
afterwards was found lifeless, suspended from a tree in Mr.
Dixon's garden, at four o'clock in the morning, close to the
window of the bed-room in which the object of his attach-
ment slept. An inquest was held on Tuesday, before C. C.
Lewis, Esq., coroner, when it appeared from evidence that
Ile was considered to be in his right mind, but that he was
habitually sad. lie had been connected with the girl Jane
Hills for about two months, and was disappointed at her re-
fusal or backwardness to marry him. A sheet of foolscap
was found in the deceased's hat, under the tree on which he
hung, and upon it was written in pencil as follows ;-
0 My Dearest as God gives me leaf to write
these few words to yow what I do tell you it
certainly is trew for what I done you caused me
to do so what i tell you bear easy in your mind
for i love thee so well i cant leave thee behind
So my dearest Jane ive come again
as you may find he here
no tongue can tell I know it well
i have been so sewere
hut when to the tomb its there fore to remain
I hope you will not lay to heart
so heavy a load of pain
for its when that i do go
i hope its kind you will behave
as i loved you and you loved me
you will follow me to the grave
so its now to all my friends
and my relations far and near
i hope unto these lines
you will lend an eare
so its now fore to conclude
and finish all my rime
i think within my own
mind i am jest in my prim
so now my dearest Jane
i hope its kind you
will behave
and its when that
homewards i do go
you will follow
me to the grave
Whoever finds this pray read it to my dearestbelovedJane hills
God bless you my dearest Jane
for my dearest beloved Jane hills pray read it to her for my sake
The jury returned a verdict of " temporary derangement."
—Abridged from the Essex Herald.

It is confidently stated in thehis city that Lord John Russell
eeyof Commons notres o
ilal
tee allowedd
t o
ie toii
House
seat, but that a petition will
be presented
re-
turn and that of Sir M. Wood. mnons both against his
that the whigs have polled a number The conservatives affirm
consequently a scrutiny before an
iof bad votes, and that
have the effect of unseating both. election committee will
John being only nine above Mr. Att The majority of Lord
expected that the latter gentleman wood, it is confidently
will be declared duly
elected.
CLIMATE OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. much has been writ-
ten against the climate of Australia—chiefly
whose brief residence could ill entitle themiellY by persons
to form an
opinion—although of the healthy character
we do not presume a doubt remains. Theof the climate
purity of the air,
e indeed, and the continual mild temperature
beyond the ranges, and during nine '
monthsof the districts
of the year,
from February to November, in the Adelaid e
been found, in asthmatical complaints particularly, an abso-
lute specific. Numerous instances could be given
duals who, in the most favoured counties of England,
of indivi-
duals
martyrs to this distressing disease, but who are completely
gland, were
cured. In all pulmonary affections—in those
especially
where the disease is not far advanced or deeply
mild pure air of South Australia has been found seated—the
of signal
advantage. Diseases peculiar to the climate or the
ou
there are none. Few instances of ophthalmia have
eir3itry
heard of for the last two years, and such cases were almosteen
invariably confined to those emigrants who, arriving during
the warm summer months at the now almost disused landing
-
places, were occasionally exposed to the influence of the
night air after having been out in the glare and heat of the
day.—South Australian (Adelaide) Almanack.