Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1874-02-28 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

DESPERATE ATTEMPT AT TRIPLE MURDER.  At about eight o'clock on Sunday evening the nei bonrhood of Kentish-town, London, was thrown intgo s state of excitement on its becoming known that a desperate attempt had been made to murder three persons under the following circumstancee t- t appe,ars that at No 2 Islip-street, a Mr. Healey Kelly, who carries on hueineu a,l an auctioneer estate ngeat aei carman, resides 'du, Ids wife and family. For some Lima past, his brother, who Is known to the relies as a most dangerous thaw*. has threatened that he would at the fleet opportunity the resented itself murder not only his brother, lent she Piste iu-law. That Mr. Kelly was fearful the thr4'; would be oarrried into execution may be judged from the he. that for some wseks past he has employed a man to meek his premiees at night, and that notwithstauding the ft* that he resides not more than a hundred yaids from 4,1 Kentish-town Police-station. At the time above statei, Mr. Kelly and his family, with the watohn an, a nu, named Davis, were in the breakfast parlour, 14,, they were much alarmed by hearing a noise, and en loik. log out they saw Mr. Kelly's brother on the top of the first flight of stairs. To get there he had clambered up the side walls—the hoese stands at the mm-sec of Frideswide-place.—foreeal the closet window, anal ties gained admission. Before a wen:el-could be said the would. be assassin aimed at Mrs. Kelly, but in the confusioa tie pistol millet} her. At thet -moment the watchman foci' made a mash at him, and then a desperate struggled ea, sued. The man drew a large knife, such as is genera 4 used by butchers, from his breast, and stabbed Davie no fewer than six times, inflicting wounds on the arce, hand, and left side. It may here be stated that he eee at the time vowing vengeance against his brother, and it is said that he levelled the pistol at him, bee was unable to fire it. At this juncture Polics constable Howe, 311 Y, hearing the criee at "Murder ! " forced his way into the house, and saw the fellow in the act of stabbing Davis. The constable was about to interfere' when the assailant, with an oath, said that if he was not off he would do for him, and that he would give him three minutes in which to quit the hons. Nothing daunted, the constable seized a poker, and struck lien on the head, inflicting a severe blow, which knocked him down. Notwithstanding this he continued extremely violent, and it was with some difficulty that he could be got to Kentish town police-station. He was then charge! by Inspector Luscombe, with the attempted murder of Mrs. Kelly and Davis, when he then said he ana veyy sorry he had not done for the lot of thee, for it was his intentian to do so. He further gain, with dreadful oaths, that he had that soy night been on the banks of the Regent's Cued and tried the pistol; and then it went off all right, ,ha that he could not tell how it was at the critical point it did not do so again. When the prisoner was searched& large new knife, such as is used by butchers, was found upon him, as well as a common single-barrelled OK which was found upon examination. by Impactor Harris, to be loaded, and upon his drawing the oharge he found it to consist of paper, COMMA powder, and a slug. The cause of the pistol militia' fire a second time would seem to be that it had bees loaded in haste, and that the paper which formed the wadding had been placed too near the touch-hole. As stated above, the accused is known to the police sea most desperate man, and has been several times in prison, not only for assaults on and threatening his brother, bat also for assaults on other persons. Whilst he was core fined !ea the House of Correction he committed s desperate assault on one of the gaolers, and for that offence he was tried at the Central Criminal Court, anal sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment, with hard labour. That term of imprisonment bas only recently expired, and since then he has been dogging and threatening his brother. When at the police Madam be gave the name of Collin Kelly alias Benjamin Ledier Marks, described himself as a shoemaker, though he is by trade a carpenter, and his address at 424, Oxford-street, Blpomsbury. The man Davis lies in a most precarious state.