The Sun. — 1845-01-08 (London, England)

MURDER NEAR LIVERPOOL.  LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY.—Scarce have the two murderers condemned at our last assizes expiated by their deaths the dreadful crimes they committed, than we are again horrified by the details of another and equally barbarous murder, committed in the vicinity of Rockferry, Cheshire.  If appears that the unfortunate victim of this atrocity, a Mr. Thomas Peacop, of the firm of T. and H. Golding and Co., Rockferry, left his place of business at nine o'clock on Tuesday night last, rather later than usual, for his lodgings, which are situated at Belsington Future, a small village, distant nearly half a mile, with the sum of BL, consisting of two sovereigns, 161 in silver, wrapped up in paper, and about 215., tied up in a small bag, on his person. The whole of the money he placed in the same pocket. Mr. Peacop was known to be in the habit of taking with him every night the proceeds of the business of the day, and on the night in question, on leaving his shop, he observed a tall man, dressed in dark clothes, standing at the corner of the street. He was proceeding along a lonesome road, in the direction of his lodgings, when the same man joined him, and they walked side by side, for some little distance, together. When they had gone about 250 yards from Derby-house, and were within 200 yards of Mr. Scott's cottage, which leads into the Rock-park, two men suddenly jumped from a plantation and made their appearance on the footpath. The fellow who was accompanying Mr. Peacop gave a whistle, and instantly the two others sprang upon Mr. Peacop, and felled him to the ground with a violent blow on the side of the head from a heavy stick or club. While down they struck him several other blows, and rifled his pocket of the 21s. in silver which the little bag contained, but, in their hufry and confusion, left the remaining 71 behind them. At the time a gentleman, named Keyzier, who lives at the Pasture, was going home from the Rockferry, and, hearing the noise, he ran to the spot and found Mr. Peacop weltering in his blood on the ground, and two fellows over him, one in the act of rifling his pockets, and the other attempting, as he thought, to strangle him. Mr. Keyzier immediately cried out "Halloa I what are you up to ?" and attempted to drag one of the fellows off, but he had scarcely uttered the exclamation and made the attempt when he received, from the hand of a third party, who had hitherto remained concealed in the hedge of the plantation, but who was, in all probability, the same fellow who had accompanied Mr. Peacop np the road, a violent blow on the right temple, which caused a deep wound and profuse flow of blood Mr. Key zier, notwithstanding the nature of the injury, struggled resolutely with the fellow who struck him the blow ; but, fearing that Mr. Peacop was by this time strangled, and that, single-handed, he would have no chance in the hands of three such daring ruffians, he made the best of his way to Butler's public-house, called the Farmer's Inn, at the Pasture, where he informed the inmates of what was occurring. Instantly Mr. Butler, together with his hostler, George Deane, and a man named John Unsworth, armed with pokers and other weapons, sallied down the road, but, in the interim, the fellows had made their escape. Mr. Peacop had received several fractures and injuries on the head, and breathed his last at half-past seven o'clock this morning. Mr. Keyzier is rapidly recovering. A man of the name of Jones was arrested on suspicion of having been con cerned in the murder, but we believe the evidence against him is very trifling, and that the murderers have, hitherto, succeeded in eluding the vigilance of the police.