The Sun. — 1839-11-08 (London, England)

FAT HER BY HIS SON, AT LEES.  About seven o'clock, on Sunday evening last, the inhabitants of Lees, near Oldham, were thrown into a state of great alarm and excitement, by a report, which proved but too true, that a man named John Bardsley, a rover in the mill of Mr. Seville, and a man of great respectability in his station of life, had been murdered in his own house by his son, James Bardsley, a young man twenty-three years of age, and of the most abandoned and profligate character. It appears that the young man by whoa: this dreadful act was committed has been for several ;,ears past II an idle and turbulent feilow, the terror of his father's family and of the whole neighbourhood. A few months since he made an attack upon his mother wial h knife, giving her several severe wounds ; and, snc. was her terror of him, that she left her husband and went to live with a daughter in the United States, in order to be out of his way. Since that time, James Bardsley has absented himself from home, returning only to annoy and plunder his relations. On Sunday evening, the father, John Bardsley, was at home, reading the Bible, with his daughter and a boy, when his son, whom he had not seen for some time before, entered the house, and began to help him' to some bread and cheese. His father reproached him for his misconduct, and desired him to leave the house some angry words ensued, on which the son drew f os a sheath, a knife, apparently provided for the p whom and made a desperate attack upon his father, on w he inflicted a number of frightful wounds upon his head and body. As soon as the murderer entered the house, his sister quitted it ; but the boy had remained, and seeing the murderous attack, he ran out to alarm the neighbours and obtain assistance. Several p ersons immediately hastened to the house, and found the old man lying in a pool of blood on the floor, and the murderer just rising from the body, with e bloody knife in his hand. This was immediately wrested from him, and he was secured. A surgeon was then sent for to examine the wounds of the father, who was promptly in attendance, but his assistance was in vain-,for one of the blows of the knife had pierced the apex of the heart, and the poor man bled to death in a few minutes. On examining the weapon with which this murder had been committed, it was found to be a long-bladed clasp-knife, which had , been converted into a sort of dagger, by winding string round the handle and a small portion of the blade, so as to prevent it from shutting, and the point and both edges had been ground extreme'," sharp, as if for some such purpose as that to which it was applied. When the murderer was apprehended, so far from showing any compunction for what he had done, be seemed to exult in the success of his attempt, and openlY expressed his regret that he had not been able to murder two or three other members of the family. When takeo in custody to the neighbouring inn, he immediately asked for some refreshment, and ate and drank with the utmost indifference, though his hands were at the time covered with the blood of his murdered parent. The house in which the murder was committed stsol just within the boundary of the County of York; atlid the Coroner had therefore to come from Halifax to the inquest, which was held on Tuesday. The incli commenced at eleven o'clock, and there were thonsau 0 of persons collected, in order to catch a gliulPsa ap of the prisoner. His appearance was haggard frightful. in the extreme—his hair and beard being, very long. On being asked why he had cornnl the horrid deed, he said he had fully ma e up his mind that if any one interrupted him on enteric! his father's house, he would instantly murder them. ea. knife, which we have already described, was produce. The witnesses examined were the prisoner's brother, tir surgeons who opened the body, and the parties who filrs; , entered the house after the committal of the horrid need' and who seized the prisoner and disarmed him of Or knife, which they identified. After a patient investig!r tion, the jury brought in a verdict of " Wilful murde against James Bardsley," who was then committed t° York Castle, for trial at the next Spring Assizes. •