The Sun. — 1861-12-30 (London, England)

FATAL AFIIZAI NEAR PLYMOUTH.  (From the Plymouth Journal.) A murder has been committed at the new fort at Tregantle, which is the westernmost and one of the principal forts of the new line of fortifications for the harbour and arsenal of Plymouth, and the dockyard at Devonport. It is on the coast of the west of Whitsand Bay, and will, when complete, be one of the strongest fortresses in England, with a barrack attached. The contract is in the hands of the London firm of Kirk and Parry, and the works are now in an advanced condition. There have been for many months past and still are some hundreds of men employed on the works. Amangst these, of course, there are, especially as ravvie3 and hod-carriers, a number of Irishmen. Christmas is pre-eminently a time of peace and good-will, but too frequently men's passions and evil habits make it a season of quarrels, strife, and too often of bloodshed. On the works of Tregantle there are two blocks of huts, one of which, erected by Mr. Rice Mennie of Plymouth, is principally occupied by Irishmen engaged on the works. This block of huts was the scene of the occurrence we have now to record. It appears that the Irishmen engaged on the works, from affection or other circumstances, made up parties to celebrate Christmas. One of these parties on Christmas Eve assembled in the hut of a man known as Johnny Sands, and amongst the party was a man whose Christian or common name was Allen. This party had made themselves jolly with good eating and potent drinking, and had brought themselves to a dangerous and excitable condition, when some difference arose between different members of the party, Johnny Sands and Allen involved themselves in the debate, and the foul words in the then condition of the men soon led to blows. Johnny Sands, forgetting the sacred laws of hospitality, and all regard for human life, in his maddened rage caught up the poker and struck Allen on the head a ferocious and terrible blow, by which he was stunned, and, as the event proved, death-struck. The others present, possibly familiar with shillelah blows and fights for love, thought the poor fellow badly struck, but had no doubt that, through an Irishman's tenacity to life, and his power of sustaining blows, he would get all right again presently, and they therefore did not send for a medical gentleman, or make the policeman of the works acquainted with what had taken place. There is a policeman stationed on the works. The contractors, in order to have civil help on any emergency, have made an arrangement as to the payment of costs, by which a member of the Cornwall coup -- constabulary is always at hand. The policeman n this occasion was no more consulted than the doctor. The unfortunate blow does not seem, so far as we have been able to ascertain, to have broken up the party. What was deemed best was done for the wounded man, and with the hope that all would be well, the remainder of the party continued their joll'fication. Time wore on, and Christmas-day was passed; but between 12 and 2 on Thursday morning the poor sufferer was released. from his mortal woes by the arrival of death. Ott this sad termination of the event of Christmas-eve coming to the resident policeman's ears, he communicated to his superior, Mr. Superintendent Stephens, at St. John's, and Sergeant Foot, of Torpoint, was despatched to 'Tregantle. The man Sands was apprehended on the charge of murder, and about 3 A o'clock on Thursday he was brought into Torpoint by Foot, and was placed in the lock-up there. So far as we have been able to ascertain, the blow by which the fatal result was produced was not premeditated. It does not appear that there was any ill-feeling between the prisoner and deceased before the unfortunate drunken wrangle on Tuesday night.