The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1855-07-24 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

HISTORIC SOCIETY, LIVERPOOL—In March, last year, the members of the two leading societies of Liverpool agreed to unite—as our readers know—for the purpose of forming a large and influential society, and the terms of union were generally agreed upon. In the course of the summer, however, delays occurred with one of the societies; supposed to arise from opposition on the part of its council. The Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, therefore, with equal spirit and forethought, took the enlarged position for itself. It extended its objects and operations from local and special to general,—classified its inquiries under the three general heads of Archaeology, Literature, and Science; appointing to each oT these a committee of its council,—increased the annual subscription for resident members,—and gave to the members of local societies and other selected gentlemen the privilege of joining, for a limited period, with entrance fee. We are glad to record the success of these vigorous measures. The first public act of the enlarged society took place exactly four weeks after, when its members entertained the whole of the British Association for the Advancement of Science at a soiree, and enrolled, as honorary members, twelve of those who had long been prominently connected with the association. The Fanssett collection of Anglo-Saxon Antiquities was publicly exhibited on this occasion for the first time, and a lecture on the subject was read by Mr. Thomas Wright, which the Historic Society are printing with copious illustrations. The Seventh Session of the Society, or the first since its enlargement, has just closed, and a very useful and interesting session it has proved. The meetings, 21 in number, were held in St. George's-hall ; and' 35 papers, of greater or less extent, were read. Of the meetings, 5 were devoted to archeology, 6 to literature, 6 to science, and 4to miscellaneous subjects. The members are now about 420 in number, and the society is bound to furnish to each of them an annual account of its proceedings and of the papers read.—ilthenteum. MURDER BY Bovs.—On Friday and Saturday the Borough. Coroner was engaged in investigating an extraordinary case, which resulted in a verdict of wilful murder being returned against two boys, about ten years of age, John Fitzpatrick and Alfred Breen. Their victim was James Fleeson a lad about seven years of age. A boy named Hawkins said that the prisoners and the deceased,awenandnoatllived in the same locality (Saltney-street), were playing together eady., t Tvhheenfo 7hoendinsecuesnasodme brick-fields, erpo armdiser. puts atrhoeseLbeedetnaTaenn FidLtzirp atricolk taking up a piece of brick, struck the deceased on the temple with it and knocked him down. He then struck Fleeson again while the latter was on the ground. Fleeson's hands andfeet epamrhe fewisirme present minutes, unetts che, ase, n,v time,ha la and andds a ad thennt hhd ; witnessedeawn would sank. i m moved convulsively, but he did not resist or cry out, and ape teAi nl number FhTu eimhe occurrence; ee°rurno, poorsf. peared indeed insensible. Both the prisoners then seized the l reo; deceased,atdill ceer struggled;baoym sdo rn agg wereftgo he dr mother what had happened, and that he would inform his own father and mother also. It appears, however, that although the fact of the murder was known in the street where the boys lived, there was a sort of combination entered into to and it was prevent the matter getting to the ears of the police, with great difficulty the boy Hawkins could be induced to come forward and give evidence. When the prisoners were taken into custody, the father of Breen threatened one of the police-officers to ' rip him up." The body of Fleeson was found on Thursday morning, floating in the Stanley Dock, with which the canal is connected takingb locksj and when the policeman who discovered it was it out, the father of the boy was passing and recognised the features of his murdered child. A surgeon gave evidence that the deceased had received two severe wounds in the head, but that the cause of death was evidently suffocation from drowning. This evidence was given on Friday, and on Saturday the only fresh evidence was that of a woman named Mary Pratt, who said that she saw the prisoners and the deceased playing to. gether on Sunday, and Fitzpatrick strike and kick the deceased, and hit • him in the face with a brick; she also said that a man came up and separated them, but this was denied by the boy Hawkins. The jury returned a verdict of " Wilful murder" against both the prisoners, who were removed to Xirkdale, where they will be detained till the assizes, •