Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1867-10-12 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

SHOCKING ATTEMPT AT MURDER.  On Saturday morning • ahoeking attempt at murder and self Llestruction was made in Eyre-street, Chesterfield.  The attempted self-murderer is a man named Lee, formerly a staff-sergeant on the militia, and the victims are his wife and daughter. Lee ami his wife have lived unhappily for some time past, and a short time age his wife orenght him before the magistrates for assauliing her, and he was erdered to find sureties to keep the peace for six months, or in default to go to prison for that time. Being of a very peculiar and exc table temperament, eapecially when under the influence of liquor, he failed to find bail, and WAS sent to prison in defiselt. While there he succeeded in obtaining hal and was liberated, but his situation on the Militia Staff, said to he a good livelihood for him, being worth from He. to He. per week, was lost, and he was therefore out of employment. He afterwards obtained work as a clerk in the office of a builder, and remained there for a short time, when he ran away, the loss of his situation and the miseries of his family affairs very much affecting his mind. He then threatened to destroy himeelf, and would frequently burst out in tears as though his mind was overburdened with grief. Since his incarceration he had lived separate from his wife and the three children she had when he married. On Saturday morning Lee went to the premises and concealed himself in the privy until he had observed a man who was lodging with his wife leave the premises. He then went into the house and accused his wife of unchastity, which led to high words, when he took out a knife, and laying hold of his wife he pointed the knife to her throat. She raised an atom. when her eldest daughter, a girl fifteen or sixteen years of age, laid hold of her mother, putting her arms round her throat. Lee then inflicted a gash on the girl's throat, and her hands were also cut in protecting her mother from her father's violence. Lee, finding that he had seriously wounded the girl, rushed upstairs and inflicted two immense gashes in his throat, baring the windpipe and carotid arteries, but not wounding them. The gashes extended from ear to ear. The alarm which Mrs. Lee had raised brought in the neighbours, and aJnesaener was immediately despatched for a surk-on, who was immediately in attendance. He foiled the girl being supported in the anne of her mother, while Lee himself was laid on a bed upstairs bleeding to such an extent as to caws a pool of blood under the bed. He was also surrounded by a number of persons who were praying rimed the bed, they believing that he had wounded himself so seriously that ie would momentarily depart. 'the surgeon sueceeiled in stopping the bleeding and dretaed the wound.; of Lee and his daughter. The daughter has been removed from the house. Her wounds are not consi.ered dangerous, but Lee lies in a precarious state, but as no vital part of the throat has been seriously endangered, it is expected that he will in all probability recover. The tragic circumstance has created great excitement in Chesterfield.