Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-04
Fights That Brought Death
To All the Combatants
Special Correspondence of The Star

LONDON. July ~ $780,.
"7IIHIN few days Of each other .u,o
w hsh's nave occurred as thrilling as
ANYTHING depicted in melodrama
ana each terminating in the death OF bo,
of the combatants
INC h1st tragic encounter took place on
the top MOOR of brewery fronting on tba
names To this floor sacks OF malt uero
peihs hoisted by means of a crane fran
oarses In lpe river below. They were de-
posi'eo on platform. from whence they
were carried through loophole into the
building, and there stored. Three men were
engaged on the work. Two of them wer.
brothers, Henry and Thomas Middiebrook
anu the third was named John BENJAMIN
COX. Cox was sixty years old the two
Drothers were much younger men They
We're doing the job on piecework som,
dispute had arisen because the older man
alo not work fast enough to suit IN.
brothers, who were bent on making All the
money possible.
Thomas Mddlebrook was called Ia tha
ground floor to attend to some sacks there
Exactly what transpired after he left is of
course mystery. for dead men tell no
tales 1t is supposed that the quarrel Was
renewed between Henry Middlebrook and
G oN. oniy minute had elapsed after
Ihomas Middlebrook had left them when
SHOUTS and cries were heard by the work
men below. Even at the distance OF fiftv
feet the sounds of blows and the t~amnjny
or feet plainly told what fierce fight was
in progress above. The lust of ba tile seems
10 nave driven from their minds all thought
Of danger.
with dramatic suddeDne3s came the
finale. Keeling backward from the effect
Of a blow the older man came staggering
out of the loophole, made a frantic effort
to regain his balance on the little platform,
and then fell eadlong to the river he
Meath In his downward flight his head
struck the side Of the barge and he was
instantly killed His body was still i'm mid
air when his antagonist. Henry Middle
brook, rushed through the gate of death
TO the platform In the brief fraction OF
TIME mat mad followed the blow which had
hurled his opponent to destruction his feel
lnss mad evidently undergone change
Terrified at what had happened he leaned
Forward over the platform. with hand out
suetched, urged apparently by some des-
pefate nope that he might yet save the
man. His remorse cost him his life. He
iost ms balance. and with piercing cry
fell 20 the foreShore beneath When work
men rushed to the spot he was stll alive
but terribly injured, and he died few
hours afterward without having regained
consciousness.
Subsequent investigation Of tho top fcor
showed that the fight, though brief. had
been desperate one, for like all corn
portefs The men We're possessed of great
physical strength. In three places ON tns
floor were bloodStains, one of them within
u foot Of The loophole.
The deck of G steam :rawler was he
scene OF the other deadly duel. The vessel
had left Grimsby for the North fishing
grounds. When the vessel was off Spun
Point two of the crew. Edward Townley and
James Lamb, suddenly engaged in a fierce
quarrel. What II was all about nobody
knows. for few words were uttered and
were followed by blows Immediately. Town
ley was the taller man, but Lamb though
much shorter was the sturdier. Rushing
to close quarters he grippad his bigger an
tagonst around the waist, raised him off
his feet and tried to hurl him over his head.
Townley fell the trawler's bulwarks.
but he chung to Lamb desperately. Locked
together the two men poised Toy a moment
on the vessels side. Then wave caused
her to lurch suddenly and the two men top
pied over into the sea They sank. stil
gripping each other Townley never came
to the surface again. Lamb reappeared
after few seconds and began 10 swim,
though evidently much exhausted. The
steamer was stopped and a boat lowered.
but before It could reach him he, too sank.
Neither body was recovered.