The Sun. — 1848-04-03 (London, England)

CRESSWELL.) William Tuberfield, l7, was indicted for mall. ciously stabbing, cutting, and wounding Wm. Holder, of Bishop's Cleeve, on the 23d of January, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm, and prevent his lawful apprehension. The prisoner was seen leaving the premises of Mr. John Holder, a farmer, and the prosecutor, who is a constable, had his suspicions aroused from hearing a noise in the fowl-house and the fluttering of wings, and also from seeing the prisoner coming from that direction. He followed him and felt in his pocket, in which he felt a fowl. He told Tuberfield he had been robbing his brother's fowl-house, and must go with him ; on which a struggle took place, and the prisoner cut Holder severely about the right hand, dividing the tendons, and according to the judgment of Mr. Gregory, a surgeon, depriving him of their use for the remainder of his life. After the commission of the offence the prisoner absented himself from the neighbourhood, and was not heard anything of for eight or nine weeks. He was found Guilty, and sentenced to be transported for ten years. Frederick Dodge, 22, was brought up by writ of habeas corpus from Bristol gaol, on an indictment charging him with cutting and wounding Sarah Turner, with intent to kill and murder her. Mr. Skinner prosecuted the prisoner, who had no counsel in this case, the facts of which are as follow : On Sunday evening, the 13th of February, between six and seven o'clock, two men rang the bell at the house of the Rev. Mr. Strickland, in Great Georgestreet, Bristol, and the prosecutrix, one of his female servants, went to the door, at which she found two men who inquired if the Rev. Mr. Strickland was at home ? She told t hem he was not, did they want to see him particularly. They said they did, and she then asked them to walk into the kitchen and wait, preceding them to that part of the house, but she had only gone a few steps when she received a violent blow on the back of the head. The poor girl screamed out, " Lord have mercy on me. Don't murder me," and looked up, when she saw one of the men (whom she believed to be the prisoner), with something in his hands, which were uplifted, and immediately she received a second blow which would, in all probability, have been increased by a third, had not Ellen Rice (a fellow servant) attracted by the noise and cries, then run down stairs, and called out " Sarah, what shall I do ?" The poor bleeding creature exclaimed, " Call out for help." Miss Rice ran into her own bed-room, threw up the window, and cried " Murder." One of the men then said, " Open the door quick," and both the men im mediately escaped into the street. They ran off, and were seen no more that night by Clark. William Boulton, a policeman, saw the prisoner and a man with him, in Great George-street, shortly before the commission of the outrage. On hearing the screams of the servants Mr. Lambert, who lived opposite, and Mr. Green, a medical man, went to the house, and dressed the wounds of the injured woman, the scalp from whose skull had been torn down by the violence of the blows inflicted on her, and the poor creature's life was for some time in immediate danger. On the landing of the stairs a large woodon mallet was found, with which the blows had evidently been given, and the prosecutrix had observed it by the prisoner's side just after she had admitted him into the house. Her fellow-servant also noticed some knives in the hands of the prisoner's companion, whose personal identity was not proved, and who had not been apprehended. The prisoner Dodge was taken into custody on the Monday week afterwards, and then made an attempt to get away, by trying to jump into his father's cellar, calling out at the same time, " bring me a hatchet." He was, however, secured and prevented from offering any violence to his apprehenders. The prisoner, in his defence, declared that he was innocent, but too poor to call witnesses, as he could not pay their expenses. Thejury found him Guilty. The JUDGE told him he had been convicted on the clearest evidence of a most cold-blooded attempt at murder, and he hoped he sheuld not be violating his duty to the public, in recommending the Crown to spare his life. His Lordship then directed sentence of death to be recorded against the prisoner, who exclaimed, "The Lord will be with me wherever I go, for I am innocent, and it will be found out