The Sun. — 1846-06-03 (London, England)

THAMES. ASSAULT BY AN AMERICAN WITH A. BOWIE KNIFE.— A man of gigantic proportions, rrainea -John Webster, alias Crowther, 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 in the habit of wearing large knives in a sheath, and they have, on many occasions, used them. The practice is attended with very great danger, and in this case it will be seen that the prosecutor had a very narrow escape of hie life..  The complainant stated that he was at the Phoenix public-house in Upper East Smithfield, near the St. Katherine Dock. The prisoner was there swaggering and bullying, and said he eighed 9st. 41b., and would fight anybody of that weight. Witness observed that the prisoner was the biggest man be had seen for a long time, and he must weigh a gond deal more than he had stated. The prisoner then struck an old man in the tap room, and wanted to quarrel with him. Witness remonstrated with the • risoner, who asked him to take up the quarrel and fight. He told him he was a cripple, and had lost the use of both legs, and could not fight. The prisoner said he would take the shine out of any one —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 they went out and had one round outside the public-house doer. -The prisoner got the worst*of 'it, Aral came into-the taproom again, and called for-some beer. After the prisoner had drunk it he threaVtied.to•clo for him. After some further abuse from the prisoner he left the rot.m. The prisoner was absent about an hour, and on entering the room he advanced directly towards witness, and drew a knife from his sheath, which was made fast to his waist, and made a most determined and deliberate attempt to plunge it into his body. Witness parried the blow, and the point of the knife grazed his ;la,•ket, which was loose, just under the armpits, on the left side, cutting the iacket as it slid along. The prisimer was about to make another attempt to stab him, ;Own the people in the room pinioned his arms, and secured him until a policeman arrived. The witness added. that if the stab made at him bad taken effoct, he should have been a dead man.  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 hail, for trial.  JOSEPH ADY IN THE COLONlES.—Yesterday Mr. Bro• derip stared that he had received a letter from Mr. Thomas Mad locks, a g,,ntleman residin = at Liverpool which inclosed one of Joseph Adv's ciroulam addressed to Mr. William Adamson, Barhacfoes, from which it appeared that Ady had not confined himself to Great Britain in the selection of victims, and that the people in the colonies had been led to expect something considerably to their advantage, and with the usual result. Ady forwarded a circular to ,‘lr. Adamson on the 14th of December, 1843, stating that he could inform him of something considerably to his advantage on receipt of 20s. for his trouble. Mr. Maddocks, in his communication to the magistrate, states that his relative in Barbsdoes, never having heard of Adv's practices, was so fully impressed with the truth of his information, that he sent over a power of attorney to receive 1001., mentioned in Ady's note ; indeed such was the credulity of Mr. Adamson, that he presented the money, in case it was received, to Mrs. Maddocks, his daughter. The worthy Magistrate's correspondent, however, was o too sufficiently north" to send Mr. Ady the 205., or to further trouble himself in the matter. Ady's circulars extended to India, China, and Africa, and he annoyed a great many of our countrymen in those distant regions by leading them to expect something to their advantage, and then disappointing them.