The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-07-24 00:00:00

MURDER IN BUCKINGHAM.

A most diabolical and cruel murder was committed late on
Saturday night or early on Sunday morning last, on the body
of Thomas Swift, an aged 'chimney sweeper, a recipient pauper
of the parish of Fringford, Oxfordshire, but who residei with
his son, James Swift, Gawcott-load, Buckingham. The particu-
lars are as follows:—The old man was in his 96th year, and
slept in a kind of outhouse on a miserable bed, or rather bed-
stead, at his son's house, which outhouse opened into a small
yard, and not into the house. On Sunday morning he was
found dead by his family, presenting an appalling sight of mu-
tilation; they did not (as appears most unnatural) express any
surprise, or make it known to the neighbours, of whom there
are a great number ; but they took away the sheets, shirt, and
nightcap (all of which were very bloody), and wrapped him up
in a blanket; after putting a clean cap on him, and even pin-
ning up his chin, an old woman was then calledin for the pur-
pose.of laying him out, as was expressed, but who did not see
anything about him amiss, except a very black and swelled eye,
and, therefore, merely threw a sheet over him, and left; they
even sent to the sexton to have the bell rung out for him. From
these circumstances getting buzzed about, it was necessary to
inform the authorities; and, iu consequence, an inquest was
held on the body, before Mr. Thomas, the bailiff and coroner of
the borough of Buckingham, on Monday, the 13th, when the
above facts came out. After a port mortem examination of the
body by Mr. E. Southain, he gave his decided opinion, that the
poor old man had been murdered by some one; it being im-
possible that so many wounds or such extensive injury could
be done by any fall or struggle of expiring nature. There were
three distinct wounds on the head ; the skull fractured in a
frightful manner; the right arm, above the wrist, literally
smashed, it is supposed, while held up for protection; and the
right eye black and much swoln. The walls of the shed were
smeared with blood, as was also the bedstead, in large spots or
sprinkles. The wound presented the appearance of having been
inflicted with a blunt instrument. The son and grandsons under-
went a long and rigid examination, but nothing could be elici-
ted
lix guilt on any particular individual; and, after an in-1
vestigation of ten hours, a verdict was returned of " Murder by
some person or persons unknown." Since the above was writ-
ten, a hammer belonging to the younger brother, who is a nai-
ler, has been found under the bed on 'which the old man was
murdered—the handle was bloody. The son and grandsons at-
tended the funeral, the elder of whom trembled every limb at
the grave, but shed no tears. We learn that this young man
has not been considered of sound mind for some time. The
inhabitants generally of the town are in a state of anxious dis-
content that a further investigation is not set on foot, On
Thursday the grandson, Thomas Swift, confessed that he mur-
dered the old man. When exmined he was perfectly rational.
His trial•came on yesterday.—Bucks Gazette.

LONDON GAZETTE.-TUESDAY, JULY 21.

BANKRUPTCY SUPERSEDED,
John Gadsby, Nottingham, baker.
BANKRUPTS.

Thomas Messenger, Liverpool, provision merchant, to surrender
August 14, and Sept. 1, at eleven, at the Clarendon. Rooms, Liverpool.
Attornels, Mr. Bardswell Liverpool ; and Messrs. Blackstock and
Co., London.
Benjamin Shout and Henry Charles Nicolas, Milbank-street, West-
minster, fish-sauee manufacturer.
John Gray, Wentworth-place, Mile-end-road, Middlesex, linen-
draper.
William Dickinson, Cateaton-street, London, wholesale shoe-
manufacturer.
Richard Rowe, Fulwood's-rents, Holborn, victualler.
John Hobbs, Beaumont-mews, St. Marylebone, livery stable-
keeper.

---
Geprge Wintle Roberts, Adam's-court, Broad-street, London, mer.
chant.

Margaret Bone, South Shields, shipowner.
Charles Meredith, Rochdale, ironmonger.
DIVIDENDS.

August 13, W. Prest and J. Woolmer, Lawrence Pountney-lane,
Cornhill, corn-factors—Aug. 13, G. Scott and J. Tomkinson, Birming-
ham, stationers—Aug. 13, 11. Swan, Great Knight Rider-street, Lon-
don, money_ scrivener August 13, T. West, Grace-church-street;
London, w ale perfumer—Aug. 12, R. Nichols, Wakefield, York-
shire, booksJfitr—Aug. 13, J. Styles, Elizabeth-place, North Brixton,
Surrey, lodging-housekeeper—Aug. 11, R. Hillier, Newport, Mon-
mouthshire, provision merchant—Sept. 4, J. Burton, jun., Wakefield,
Yorkshire, woolstapier—Aug. 13, J. 13. Peak, Market Drayton, Shrop-
shire, tanner—Aug. 12, J. N. Hassell, Shrewsbury, snercer—Aug. 18,
R. Abraham, Ashburton, Devonshire, banker—Aug, 24, B. Heighing-
ton Darlington Durham, wine-merchant--Aug. 11. T. Plunkett,
Wolverhampton' Staffordshire, grocer—Aug. 13, Cross, Halewood,
Lancashire, brewer—Aug. 11, J. Burdon, Bishop Wearmocth, Dur-
ham, ship-builder—Aug. 11, T. Fisher and Co., Ashby-de-la-Zouch,
Leicestershire, bankers—Aug. 18, W. Scott, Bristol, merchant—Oct.
26, T. Langley. Birmingham, /leather-dealer—Aug. 27, D. Roberts,
PwllheH, Carnarvonshire, draper.

CERTIFICATES.—AunusT 11.
W. Braithwaite, Grafton-street, London, stationer—G. Bryce, Man-
chester, pawnbroker.

LIVERPOOL BANKRUPT BTISINESS.

FRIDAY. JULY 24. noun
BENJAMIN PARNIIAM, sail-maker, Pool-lane, final dividend, at
the Court of Bankruptcy, London, at
SATURDAY, JULY 25.
JOJIN LminiE, broker, Ist meeting, at the Clarendon Rooms, at 1

MONDAY, JULY .27.
JEREMIAH TnoltrsoN, of New York, merchant, proof of debts,
and to elect assignees in the room of the late Richard
Dobson, deceased, at Messrs. Ratcliffe and Duncan's
office, Exchange-street, West, at ll
TUESDAY, JULY 28.
JOHN SERJEINT, window-blind-maker, Ist meeting, at the Cla-
rendon Rooms, at ll
GEORGE LILLIE and JOHN PArransoN, 2d meeting, at the Cla-
rendon Rooms, at l2
WILLIAM TAYLOR, apothecary, 2d meeting, 'at the C arendon
Rooms, at
WEDNESDAY, JULY 99.
WATKIN.MEYRICK JONES, of Mold, maltster, audit, at the Ch.
rendon 'looms, at,
Final Dividend, at
THURSDAY, JULY 30.
GEORGE Locx.wooll and WILLI,SM WILSON. merchants, audit,
at the Clarendon Rooms, at l2
Final Dividend, at 1

A FITTING SPEECH-CRIER.— On Tuesday morning last,
when the speech-criers, on all hands, were so busy proclaiming
the death of Bell the.murderer,we observed, among the number,
a man with a very broad brimmed hat, a stick in one hand, and
the narrative in the other. On narrowly inspecting his shaded
countenance, we recognised the individual, who, only two
weeks before, had been indicted for the wilful murder of
his wife committed at Pathhead; and who, as our readers
will recollect, made but a hair-breadth escape -from the gallows
hirnself. The fellow seemed nothing loath in crying the full
particulars of the untimely end of the murderer.—Correspond-
ent.—Edinburgh Evening Post.

Jonathan is as eager in the acquisition of new settlements as
we are in getting rid of our old ones. We have not forgotten
the promptitude with which he pounced on the Falkland
lands, and, fur sonic real or imaginary offence, earried off to
New York an unhappy Don, with his wife and children,_ his
men-servants and his maid-servants, and the whole patriarchal
establishment, which constituted the whole population of the
islands, not forgetting as many of the flocks and herds as he
could conveniently stow, salted or fresh. We are informed by
the Athenaurn of this day that our " brother"—a step-brother is
he, and more rightly to be called Jacob than Jonathan—has
with no less alacrity taken possession of the African settlement
of Delagoa Bay, from which the Portuguese were driven!—
United Service Gazette.
. .
THE.DISSENTIisiG MINISTRY:—In a pamphet recently pub
lished, entiled "Ecclesiastical Establishments not inconsisten
with christianity, &c., by William, Hull,"
the following illus
trative passage occurs. The writer, we believe, is a dissenting
minister :—"•Dependent for his election to office on the suf-
traces of persons who are proud of a power which they arc sel-
doiia....qualified to exercise with wisdom; dependent for his daily
breilatton the voluntary contributions of those, who, while they
are.tioctuTstruned to sit in judgment on the preacher, boast that
they -cati'at any time cashier and ',eject the wan of their choice;
dependertf-for,a..favourable reception of his public services on a
series of private attentions, which, under the imposing name of
pastoral visits, are for the most pert only the sacrifices of -time
to frivolous gossip and idle calls; the pastor of an independent
church is of all ine.n the mast dependent ; and, therefore, to
maintain his standing with aplebeian constituency, must of all
men be ,the most servile. This,servility.is inculcated by the dig-
nitaries of dissent under the alitised'imine of chri4tiati humility;
and to cut ,ancl shortie and creey; is perversely denominated,
hecoirfing all things to all men. But he has his revenge; he
stoups to conquer. He maintains his ascendancy by arts of fa-
naticistn, or by cherishing the passions of sectarian bigotry and
hate, and surrounds himself finally with the factitious dignity
and questionable influence of a partizan.