The Sun. — 1846-06-02 (London, England)

THAMES.  ASSAULT BY AN AMERICAN WITH A BOWIE KNIFE.---. A man of gigantic proportions, named John Webster, alias C 7 owther, an American seaman, was brought before Mr. Broderip, charged with committing a murderous assault on Edward Connor, a lame man, and attempting to stab him with a knife. The American seamen in the port of London are to the habit of wearing large knives in a sheath, and they have, on many occasions, used them. The practice ~.10 attended with very great danger, and in this case it be seen that the prosecutor had a very narrow escape 0' his life. The complainant stated that be was at the Pbceni public-house in Upper East Smithfield, near the Sg• Katherine Dock. The prisoner was there swaggersnd and bullying, and said he weighed 9st. 41b., and well% fight anybody of that weight. Witness observed lila' the prisoner was the biggest man he had seen for long time, and he must weigh a good deal more that` he had stated. The prisoner then struck an old mall in the tap-room, and wanted to quarrel with him. Wit,l3„,. remonstrated with the prisoner, who asked him to vo,up the quarrel and fight. He told him he was a crifPut and had lost the use of both legs, and could not ng'; The prisoner said he would take the shine out of any et —that he was going to spar at one of the booths in Stepney fair, and wanted to get his hand in. At last the brother of witness agreed to fight the prisoner, and 00' went out and had one round outside the public-house doer. The prisoner got the worst of it, and came into the tar room again, and called for some beer. After the prisoner e had drunk it he threatened to do for him. After 8,4.;,1hie further abuse from the prisoner he left the room room he advanced directly towards prisoner was absent about an hour and and dreg and on entering the knife from his sheath, which was made fast to his waist, and made a most determined and deliberate attempt . plunge it into his body. Witness parried the blow, and : the point of the knife grazed his jacket, which was l te_ just under the arm-pits, on the left side, cutting Teu jacket as it slid along. The prisoner was about to malt another attempt to stab him, when the people in the room pinioned his arms, and secured him until a police' man arrived. The witness added, that if the stab made at him had taken effect, he should have been a dead mall' Gray, a police-constable, No. 204 H, produced the knife, a weapon of a formidable description, with a very sharp point, and said the prisoner threw it away, opposite Butler's-buildings, on his way to the station-house. The prisoner said he was very drunk on Saturday night, and his head had been affected by a wound. Mr. BRoDERIP committed the prisoner, in default of bail, for trial.  JOSEPH ADY IN THE COLONlES.—Yesterday Mr. Bro• derip stated that he had received a letter from O.' Thomas Maddocks, a gentleman residing at Liverpool' which inclosed one of Joseph Ady's circulars, addressed to Mr. William Adamson, Barbadoes, from which it aP; peared that Ady had not conined himself to Gre% Britain in the selection of victims, and that the peoPi. in the colonies had been led to expect something cons!' derably to their advantage, and with the usual res°,;`,, Ady forwarded a circular to Mr. Adamson on the 141:f of December, 1843, stating that he could inform him of something considerably to his advantage on reeeiPt. , 20s. for his trouble. Mr. Maddocks, in his comrouille' tion to the magistrate, states that his' relative in Bar"badoes, never having heard of Ady's practices, ws-5,*; fully impressed with the truth of his information, tes"' he sent over a power of attorney to receive 100/., Leen.; tioned in Ady's note ; indeed such was the credulity 0.: Mr. Adamson, that he presented the money, in case lv was received, to Mrs. Maddocks, his daughter. 01._„(3 worthy Magistrate's correspondent, however, was " sufficiently north " to send Mr. Ady the 205., or t° further trouble himself in the matter. Ady's circuital extended to India, China, and Africa, and he annoyed great many of our countrymen in those distant regions by leading them to expect something to their advantage, and then disappointing them.