The Sun. — 1865-07-26 (London, England)

JEALOUSY AND ATTEMPTED MURDER AT PRESTON. —At the Preston Police-court yesterday a labourer, named John Snape, was charged with attempting to murder a widow woman named Rachel Taberner, living at No. 14, Stanley-street, Preston. Snape is about 45 years of age, and has been in prison 22 times since November, 1843, for various offences. He has a wife and four children in Blackburn, but ho has not lived with them for several years. Latterly he has been cohabiting in Preston with the woman abovenamed, and his passion for her appears to have run to a mad and ridiculous extreme, At the inquiry yesterday at the Police-court Mrs. Taberner said that on Sunday afternoon she went into the Stanley Vaults in Stanleystreet, and had a glass of ale with a man named Simpson. The prisoner afterwards went into the same place, and she refused, when he asked her to go and sit beside him. When she was about having a second glass of ale the prisoner got behind her, threw his left arm round her, and then drew a table knife across her throat. He cut her, and she screamed " Murder !" The man Simpson then seized the prisoner, and she afterwards fainted and fell upon tho floor. For a few months she had " kept company" with the prisoner, but she had told him many a time to leave her. On being cross-examined by the prisoner she said that he had often abused her, and that on Saturday she gave him 2d. to get something to drink, to " cheer up his spirits." John Simpson, a millwright, deposed that he saw the prisoner draw the knife across Mrs. Taborner's throat, that he knocked the prisoner down, and that he believed if he had not done so the prisoner would have killed her. Wm. Ireland, landlord of the vaults named, said he saw the prisoner cutting across the woman's throat with a knife, and heard her shout " Murder," and that he kept the prisoner until a policeman came. Police-constable Wiggins apprehended the prisoner, who, when charged with attempting to kill Mrs. Taberner, replied "It was all through jealousy. I might as well do it and hang myself." He was in drink and excited at the time. Dr. Moor deposed that he found a cut six inches in length on the front of Mrs. Taberner's throat. William Forrest, of Back Stanley-street, said that on Sunday, about noon, the prisoner asked him for a knife to cut some tobacco with. He gave him a table knife; the prisoner afterwards sharpened it twice, and then went away with it. In his defence the prisoner said, I have never been my own self since I commenced with her (Mrs. Taberner) in May lascwhen I came up to join the militia. We talked together for a fortnight, and then we stayed together at her house. 1 have never had any pleasure since then. I took up so much with her that I had no pleasure—l could neither work nor play, nor rest night nor day. People said I was out of my reason in thinking so much about her, and she was the cause of it. Sho would go among other men. He was then committed to take his trial at Lancaster Assizes. When the prisoner left the court-room he had to pass the woman whose throat he had attempted to cut. In passing her ho held out his hand and she slightly smiled and then shook it, to the astonishment of all present.  PLYMOUTH, Tuesday.—The ship Mornington, 948 tons, Captain J. Jones, belonging to Mr. J. Owen, of Carnarvon, passed up Channel yesterday with a full cargo of guano from Callao, April 11. She rounded Cape Horn May 8, crossed the Line June 16, and spoke on the 18th, in lat. 7 10 N., long. 29 W., the Danish bark Doris Broderson, 40 days from Sunderland, for Rio Janeiro; July 20, lat. 48 15 N., long. 9 0 W., the English ship Dunrobin Castle, five days from Swansea, for Valparaiso; and July 23, 130 a.m., off Berry Head, the ship St. Lawrence, from London for Calcutta. Very heavy weather was experienced when rounding the Cape, from May 3d to the 9th ; wind, from W.N.W. to S.S.W.; barometer on the 7th and Bth at 28.38. The British Empire was clearing out of Callao for Cork when the Mornington left.