Charge Of Murder.
The Times, 1824-11-22T00:00:00

(Fromn the Leeds Afercurfl.) On Thursday se'nnigfht, an inquest was lhed by James WVigles. worth, Esq., of fHalifax, one of tlhe Ooroners for the West-Riding, at the house of -Mr. Pearson, the Star inn, Rastrick, on the bedy of James Dliggles, domnestic servant of John Armitage, Esq., of Wood- house, in Rastrick, who had died on the preceding Tuesday, in consequence of wounds received en the night of the 6th instant, The following gentlemen were sworn of the j ry :-Ar. George Crowtber, of Fixby,. fbreman:; Ar. John WilkinsoDi, Nlr. Tho. mnae Bottomley of fastrickt .?r. 1enasoLamnbert,of tlandihall Mr. WDillam f sultass, Mr. Wnr. WMisnitn, of Elland M I}r. Abrarn, Crowtlher, iMr. John Barber, M1r. isanc Thwaites, of Soathowrani; MIr. ?4lartin Mlanley, Mr. Willlam Middop, Mr. William Schole- field, of Brighouse. This important investigation commenced at ten o'clock In the morning, and was continued until midnight, when an adjournmenit teok place until the following day.. The inquiry was resumed In the forenoon of Friday, and did not termiintte until eight o'clock that evening, wshen the jury returned a verdict-of WitL Ad Mn der against Anthony and John'Bray, James and Christo. pher Tifrmtny, James Ellis, John Dyson, ienry Nuttalli andJohn Dason, chargirrg Anthony Bray as the principal, and the. other seven as accomplices, aiding and abettinigin the rnurder. From the great length of these proceedings, it Is impossible for us, in the crowded state of our columns, to enter into the detail or the evidence given lay the different witnesses, nor will this be necessary, as all the material facts elicited by this inquiry may be sitted tn a very moderate compass. No difficulty existed as to one very principal objeet of the inquiry. It was perfectly clear from the evidence of the surgeonn who attended the deceased, and who afterwards examined the body, that his death wat occasioned by violence, the skull being fractured, and the portion of the lock of a gun actually protruded upou the brain. It appears that on Friday, on the fth of November, John Stott, gamekeeper to Sir G. Armitage, of Kirklces, BarL ; Emanuel Brook, gamekeeper to John AraiAi4ge, Esq., of Woodhouse, in Rastrick; James DlIggles, footman to the saine gentleman: and Enoch Garside, an assistant, had been rang- ing the woods, &e. in the manor of Fixby, and came about eleven o'clock at night into a public-lhouse at the top of Bradley- lane, kept by Richard Ilepwotbh, where they found the following petson3 :-Anthony and John Bray, James and Christopher Tiffa. ney, James EUis, John Dyson, Hienry Nattall, and Jobn Dawson. An altercation alniost immedliately commenced between this party antI the gamekeepers occasioned bg some former-grtdge entertainecd by Ellis against the keeper of Sir George Armitage, towards whom. lie tised Very violent language, and threatened to kill him. The quarrel afterwards. became more general, and a fight ensued.between Ellin and Brook,. in which the latter had the advantage. The land- lord. with the view of preventing any fitrther violence, prevailed upon the keeperg to go into another room, where they remained three qu&rters of an hour, when they quitted the house about inid- niglt. The other party had gone about half an hour, before, but It appcars that they remained near thc hoboac, and!assoonwas Diggles an hi nompanions went out, they assailed them with stotles.; It is material here to state, thar the keepers had three guts loaded,- vhich they had deposited in a holly-bush near the public-hwuse, and ott being thus attacked, they ran to seeure their pieces. Theias- sailants continuing to throw stones at them4 Brook was twice struck, the latter time just after he liad tecovered his gn, and -with Bo muchi violence that he was knocked down. This so much:irritated him that lie fired ofh his piece, and slightly wounted Authon-y Brayin the head and hand. The gan was loaded with.shot No. 4, 'ad 'shot of this description was afterwards extracted frotn t.headof-, Bray. The firing of the gun by Brook induced the other-partytt;co1ase to close quarters. Stott, the gamckeeperof Sir Gforge Artit-agi and Enoch Garside, the assistant sought safety In flight, ahd Brook and Diggles had to stistain the whole weiglht of the encouhter. At-ter a short struggle, they were disarmed, ana the assailants made a most cruel useof theirvictory, bybeating them withthe but-endasrfthleguns in the mosteavage manner, leavingthicm, as the;ysujposedjdeAdou the field; and oneoftlieprisonere(A.Bray),perceii ngtb3t.Dgglc.rnoved: turned back and struck him twice on the head with -the but?end of his gan, saying he would quiet him. They then thretwthe body which appeared lifeless, over the fence into the lane, and wenfti*ay!. The other two keepers novr returned to the assistance ;of their wounded companions; and Diggles, though so dreadfully hur; corittived to valk to tEie public-house, from which, indeed, they bhd hdt pr6ceed- ed more than 2O? yards. The whole time osctpled-initle aray did not exceed a quarter of alt hour, Dirggles wees afterward 'conveyed to M1r. Arsiltage's ehottse where he.was 4sttendedhyJJr>AleaUer of Halitax; AMir Pryer, of Rastrick, and Qlir. -lbfiktinonj ofr-Brig- house, surgeons; but he expired onTuesday moranig. :.Thxiunf0ttu- nate-man was in his 34th year, and-haid been in the faiiily.Jft-r. Ar. rnatage, by whom he wa tnushresprcted, ever aineghe *ansa-bo)y!Alf. Armitageisniostdeeplyaffectedby thismelancholvl catastrbphe.! Botlh the guns were broken; the piece wbicliBrookfire wasfoiindneaTthe place wherd Diggles had been knocked down, and the other wasifoandh in a,adiilning field on Friday. - Al the prisoners -ere younanfn,. sonme of them not more than 13 yearsofafe' anl' dne of tls is married, and they all reside witlin two htllCe of thc placi_he're this dreadful occarrence took plac, -in the -haalets of;Dlighton, Sheep- ridge, smd Netheroys-hill. AII the prisonere, with th4ti ) i'on, of John Bray and John )DawsoaL wero removad toYb'd e et' Monday. Bray;w wibias-not-0pprehended till TuesB ng' j L custody. at HalWlaitc ; ht #d 'Mwpor,w ha a endar ta ment, as it ii 'mainly drawn from, the evidcnce - all the, persions. likely tohpl liivbgiven aoor- vourebleco-n t of CHARGE OF MURDER.