Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1870-06-24 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

SHOCKING ATTEMPT TO MURDER AT DERBY.  A shocking attempt to murder has taken place at Derby. A few minutes berme five o'clock on Saturday morning a man named James Allen, aged twentyone, went to the police station at Derby, and said to P.C. Thorpe, who was on duty there, that he had something to tell him. Thorpe asked him what it was, and Allen replied that he believed he had murdered a woman. Thorpe at once sent for Inspector Fearn and Inspector Green, and Allen then said that he had been into a bedroom in Whitecross•street, that he had struck a woman who was in bed on the head with a hammer, and he believed he had killed her. He also added that "lie had done it because he wanted to be sent off." Allen was then locked up, and Inspectors Fearn and Green proceeded to Whitecross-street, to the house of a married woman named Ann Ebury. They then found that Allen had broken into the house through the back kitchen window, had rushed upstairs with a large hammer in his hand, and struck the unfortuate woman violently on the head. It appeared that Mrs Ebury lay on her left side in bed, with her face towards the wall; that she beard some one down stairs, and thought it was some of her children, but directly etterwarda, and before she could give an alarm, a mate rushed upstairs into her bedroom, and struck her several heavy blows close to the temple as she lay in bed. She strug• gled with him, got out of bed from the opposite side on which be stood, screamed out " Murder" several times, and knocked on the wall to arouse a next door neighbour. Allen then left the room, walked down stairs, unlocked the front door, and went away, but Mrs Ebury thought he might return, and she got to the bedroom door and held it until she was found in a large pool of blood. Mr Copestake, surgeon, was promptly in attendance, examined the wounds, which were on the right temple, and bandaged them up. They were of a very severe character, but there is no doubt the poor woman's life was saved by her taming round in bed to see who was coming into the room, and thus escaped being struck on a part of the head that would have proved fatal. It should be stated that before Inspectors Fearn and Green arrived at the house, Police-constable Collins, who was on night duty in the neiebbourhood, heard of the occurrence and went to Mrs Ebury's house, and on searching the bedroom he found a large hammer smeared with blood. Mrs Ebury said the hammer was not her property. and it was subsequently found to belong to Allen's father, who lives a few doors off. Mrs Ebury and six of her children were to have left their house on Saturday for Hull en route for St. Petersburg, her husband being employed in an elastic manufactory in that city, belong to Mr Holme, of Derby. The accused is a labourer, but has not had any work for some time past, and it is thought that he was in a low way. His father is a respectable man, in the employ of the Midland Railway Company, and had that morning started with the company's workmen's annual trip to London, just before his son attempted the murder. There had been no ill feeling between the parties, and on Friday evening Allen's mother went to Mrs Ebury's house and made her some presents to take with her to Russia.  According to the Scotch newspapers the weather in the neighbourhood of Balmoral during the last fortnight has been wet and stormy, and the loftier mountains have had their summits capped with fresh snow.  The complete returns of membership in the Wesleyan Methodist Connection give a total of 340,359 persons "in society." The net increase in the year is 2,833, and under the head of "net loss Ey removals," is set down the very large number of 16,108. The first sale of Mr Blenkiron's Middle Park yearlings took place on Saturday last, Mr Tattersall being the seller. There were:about fifty lots, and the total sum realised was 16,375 guineas. Four horses fetched four figures each, the prices being 1150, 1500, 1650, and 1800 guineas tespeclively. A cricketer named Summers has died from injuries caused by his being hit with a cricket ball. He was playing at Lords' on Wednesday week, when he was struck on the head by a ball, causing concussion of the brain, from which he died on Saturday last. Such accidents are of very rare occurrence, especially to professional players. A