The Sun. — 1846-02-03 (London, England)

FATAL AND SINGULAR OCCUR.  RENCE.  'We have this week to notice a most melancholy event, by which a young man, named John Brotherton, a farm labourer, from Beckwithshaw, lost his life on Sunday morning, at the residence of Mr. Nathan Atkinson, a farmer, residing at a lune house adjoining to Stainburn Moor, about five miles from Otley. Before detailing the circutnstances of the case, it may be as well to mention that the inmates of Mr. Atkinson's house consisted of himself and Mrs. Atkinson, a maid servant named Ellen Brotherton, and two men servants named Hugh Ingle and John Dickinson. An inquest was held on the body of the deceased at the house of Mr. J. Holaies, innkeeper, Stainburn, on Tuesilay, before Thomas Brown, Esq., of Skipton, and a highly respectable jury, composed of parties residing at Stainhurn, and from the adjoining townships of Lindley and lUghton. It appeared from the evidence of John Dickinson and Ellen Brotherton, that they retired to rest about nine o'clock on Saturday evening. That about half-past twelve Mr. Atkinson was awoke by the breaking of glass in the room window under his bed room. That he went down stairs, came back, and called the men out of bed. They got up, put on their trousers, went down stairs, and gut a light. They found the windows broken and the glass scattered about. They saw the hair of a man's head at the bottom of the window, but could not distinguish any person outside. The person slunk away. Dickinson and Ingle then went out into the garden with a lantern and candle, but could see no one. While there, sticks and stones were thrown at them, and they returned into the house, and locked the door. They fastened the window-shutters again (we may, perhaps, mention that the bar which secured the shutters, inside ones, did not fit tight, as the spring was weak) and they were immediately broken open. This was done several times. At this time the impression on Dickinson and Ellen Brotherton's mind was, that the attacks were made by navigators, on account of some of those parties having attempted to get into Mr. Michael Dickinson's house, in the same neighbourhood, a few days before. Mrs. Atkinson brought the gun down stairs, and it was charged with shot. Mr. Atkinson fastened the shutters again, tied them with a band, and called out, "Now, my lads, if you arn't off, or make yourselves known, you'll be shot immediately ; he alsersaid aloud to Ingle, that if the windows were broken open again, he was to fire immediately. The shatters were broken open. Ingle fired, and all was still. It was dark and rainy at the time. The attacks had been kept up for near an Lour and a half, us it was about two o'clock when the gun was fired. The servants sat up till daylight, but Mr. Atkinson went to bed. The deceas©d was found dead the next morning, in a field about forty yards from the house. Ellen Brotherton also stated that Mr. Atkinson and his men were on the best of terms with the deceased, who gerxe:a:.itireasntagtiooond ofeelingbody, prevailed h them.h had been at the house the Sunday previous, and that the cot liver. I Sponce, of Otley, surgeon, had made a post nzortem Mr. Smith called Mrgeadrnt'n found that the charge skirted the lung, and lodged in 11, was arottmhbeishouse whose landlorde di enf evidence itde drinking public-house at attheße w thsh avwvT from four o'clock in the afternoon until ten minutes eleven at night. The jury returned a verdict of "Excusable Homicide." The deceased courted the young woman Ellen Brotherton, and he knew where her bed-room window was, and he must have been in a gross state of intoxication, or he would not have acted in the manner he did,—Leeds Mercury.