The Sun. — 1859-10-19 (London, England)

MANSION-HOUSE.—Geo. Archer was brought up, on remand, charged with assaulting Thomas Aldiss with a red-hot poker. Aldiss on the first occasion was unable to attend, and he now appeared in court with his head tightly bandaged, and. his left eye, or so much as could be seen of it, frightfully contused. He said—l live at No. 8, Sweet Apple-court, Bishopsgate-street, on the first floor, and the prisoner lives in the same house, on the ground floor. On the evening of Saturday week, about seven o'clock, I went home to get a cup of tea, and there was something that did not quite please me. I had a few words with my wife, and she went downstairs. Well, as I Was sitting there, quietly eating my rasher of bacon and drinking my cup of tea, I heard the prisoner abusing my old woman with the most disgusting language, so I went down directly to see what was the matter. He was ',standing at his door in his shirt, and I said, "What d'ye mean by usinn. that using language to my wife ?" 'Without a word he sprung at me, laid hold of me by the toll a- and neck-tie, and with a great jerk he pulled me down two stairs, and threw me on the floor, and tried to pull me into his room. As I said before, he was naked, in his shirt, and as he was pulling me along I laid hold of the tail of his shirt to help myself up, and I believe I wrenched his shirt into two or three pieces. When we got into his room the shirt gave way entirely, and down I went flat on the floor, with him on the top of me. He tried to bite me by the ear, but I stopped that, for I managed to get my thumb into his mouth. I pushed it chuck down 1 his throat, and gagged him, so—(suiting the action to the word). He got away from me, however, but before I could get up he laid hold of me by the throat. I hallocd " Mulder" as well as I could, and a policeman came and knocked his knuckle a with his staff, upon which he got up, ran to the fire, pulled out the poker, and struck at me with it. The first blow missed me, but the second struck me on the head, and I do not recollect any mere about it. I cannot say whether the poker was red hot or not, as it was all done so quickly I had not time to notice, but I know he took it from the fire. When I came to myself it was Sunday afternoon, and I was at the hospital, with only one eye to look out of. I thought I was done for. I can see a little now ; but I have to go back to the hospital when I leave here, as the doctor is afraid of erysipelas. Barrett, 614, said he was called to Sweet Applecourt, and found Aldiss on the floor, with the prisoner clutching his throat. Witness struck him on the knuckles., upon which he seized the red-hot poker from the fire, and struck a blow which witness avoided by stooping, and the poker, instead of hitting his head, struck the panel of the door, and broke it into three pieces, which " fizzed" from the heat of the poker. Witness ran out for further assistance, and when he' got back, found the prisoner still naked at No. 8, but Aldiss had been removed to a house opposite. -  Nelson Baker said, he lived in Sweet Applecourt, and was standing at the corner on th) evening in question, when a mob of children came running towards him crying " Murder," but he took no notice of that, as it was generally the case there ; but when a rccond mob of children ran down the  court with the same cry, he went to see what oval the matter, and found the prisoner ca the top of Aldiss. When the prisoner struck about him with the red-hot poker, witness thought it time to get out of the way, and ran from the house with the policeman. Finding, however, that the prisoner did not follow them, he went back and peeped into the room, where he saw Aldiss lying on the floor insensible, and bleeding profusely from the head. Fearing the prisoner might follow up the blow and kill his victim outright, he rushed into the room, and taking Aldiss by the collar, dragged him into the opposite house. The prisoner was again remanded for medical