Glasgow Courier. — 1864-12-22 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

HORRIBLE AFFAIR AT NEW YORK.  John Donovan, a man suffering, it seemed, from delirium . tremens, was recently committed to the prison, known as the Tombs at New York. He seemed perfectly harmless, and was put into a room with about fourteen men who had been committed for drunkenness. On the morning of the 21 inst., the night watchman,Mark Finlay, heard an alarming cry, followed by persons shouting " Murder 1" "Help !" " Police !" &c. Finlay hurried to the spot, and, looking through the grating of the door, saw Donovan in the act of assaulting several of his fellow prisoners with the poker, an iron bar, some three or four feet in length, and weighing six or seven pounds. Donovan was called upon to stop his bloody work; but he paid no attention to the night watchman. Those prisoners who had not been disabled were running from him and screaming for help. Being unable to cope single-handed with Donovan, Finlay ran to the Sixth precinct station house for help, when Captain Jourdan instantly despatched Officeri Barr, Crane, Curley and others to the prison to assist in securing Donovan. On entering the place where the prisoners were confined the most sickening sight was presented. There lay dead on the floor two prisoners, named M`Donald and Kennedy, with their skulls crushed in, and the brains scattered about the room; while near them was the prostrate form of William George, with his skull fractured, and apparently in a dying condition. The lunatic, who was still flourishing his murderous weapon, had upset the stove, on which he had pulled two or three benches for th 4 purpose of setting the prison on fire. Donovan was called on to surrender: but failing to do so, Officer Crane fired several shots at him, but without effect. One of the bullets, however, lodged in the right shoulder of George Henry Hill, inflicting a serious wound. At this juncture Donovan attempted to run up a flight of stairs in the east end of the room, when all the officers present rushed upon him. They applied their locusts ;freely, and soon succeeded in disarming Donovan,who was;taken into a cell, and thus prevented from doing further harm. —New York Herald.  Baron Halthuber, formerly Austrian Commissioner for Jutland, has been appointed Civil Commissioner for the Duchies. Herr von Leder has returned to his post in Hamburg as representative of Austria at the Rause Towns.  It is rumoured in clerical circles in Paris that the Archbishop of Pat is is putting himself at the head of a movement among the clergy, the ultimate object of which is to sever the Galloan Church from the Roman; or, in other words, to establish a national Church somethlng on the model of the English. A large number of persons assembled on Monday ftt, the Crystal Palace, to 'assist" at the first public reception of General 'qt Thumb and his Lilliputian party, Welt consists of the General himself, his wife and child, Commodore Nutt, and Miss Minnie Warren, sister to the General's lady. We understand that the promoters a the railway extension from Orieff to Cowie have rejected the offer of 22%000 worth of shares from the Scottish North-Eastern and Criefr and Ifethven Junction Railiyilys, and have accepted the same xurn from the Scottish Central Railways Which is to work the line. 1:111310CAS OF