The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1853-11-08 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

MURDER OF A. POLICEDIA.N.—On Tuesday last, 9.-melancholy and tragic event occurred in Scotland Ward, in which a police-constable, named Richard Sunderland, was barbarously murdered. The unfortunate event arose.out of the municipal election for that ward, although it had no necessary ,connexion with the contest or its result. The facts briefly stated are as follow :—ln the course of the day a crowd assembled round a public-house at the corner of Scotland-road and Edgar-street, kept by Mrs. Shaw, in wiaich several voters connected with the ward had assembled. This crowd, composed chiefly of riotous and disorderly characters, became more and more unruly, demanding drink, and threatening violence to the inmates of the house; until at a little before two o'clock it was deemed necessary to call in the aid of the police. Several police-constables, including the deceased, went to restore order, and disperse the crowd, which consisted principally of ten or twelve -"roughs," among whom was Thomas Copeland, a youth, seemingly about 19 years of age, who was notoriously the most active and violent of the rioters. On being ordered to disperse, they generally obeyed, but Copeland refused, and behaved in a very riotous manner, threatening and striking at the police. He was seized by Constable Walsh, to whose assistance Sunderland, the deceased, came. The prisoner, who resisted very much, was held by Walsh by the left collar and left wrist, while deceased held him by the right collar only, leaving his right hand at liberty. At the mouth of the court, leading from the public-house, as they were bringing out the prisoner, Sunderland suddenly relinquished his bold of the prisoner, and exclaimed, "I am destroyed," or words to that effect, and it was perceived he was wounded near the groin, on the inner side of the left thigh ; the blood rushing out in great profusion. Sunderland was immediately conveyed to the dispensary at Rosehill, but expired within two or three minutes after his arrival there, and not more than seven minutes after it was perceived be had been wounded. The prisoner was conveyed to bridewell, and on being searched, no knife or other weapon was found in his possession ; but, from the position in which he was relatively to the deceased, no room exists for doubt that the wound was inflicted by Copeland ; indeed it is said a girl saw him take a knife out of his pocket and stab Sunderland with it. On Wednesday, an inquest was held before the borough coroner, at which numerous witnesses were examined, the prisoner himself in an impudent and callous manner crossexamining several of them. After a protracted inquiry, thejury returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder" against Copeland, who did not appear moved by the result, but maintained the same sullen and impudent demeanor he had exhibited throughout the day. He was under the coroner's warrant committed to Kirkdale gaol for trial at the assizes. At the conclusion of the proceedings, Mr. Superintendent Ride stated that the prisoner's relations had been threatening to take away the life of the mother of one of the witnesses, Ann Turner, living in Bentstreet, if she permitted her daughter to give evidence. The coroner, after requesting the police to take the necessary precautions in such a case, observed that if any persons attempted to carry out this threat, they would place themselves in precisely the same position as the prisoner, inasmuch as they would become what was termed in law accessories after the fact. Deceased was a married , and has left a widow and three children.