The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1854-06-20 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

FRIGHTFUL INTIMIDATION.—AIarMiIIg outrages have recently occurred in the neighbourhood of Sheffield, instigated by trade quarrels. Vengeance is vowed, threatening letters are sent, and assassination attempted, by members of the trade unions, after true Irish agrarian fashion, against those who resist their demands. At Lexley, three weeks ago, bottles of gunpowder were in two instances dropped down from the tops of chimneys at night into the fire, but exploded, happily, without causing loss of life. At Dore, the scene of the last and most alarming outrage, the same thing had been done a fortnight previously.' On account of this dangerous condition of things, Elijah Parker, a saw-grinder, at Dore, who does not choose to succumb to the demands of the trade union, has been obliged for a long time past t 9 fortify his house like a castle :—His dwelling is a new house in about the centre of the village, strongly built of stone, with doors of church-like strength, and shutters of impregnable strength to all the windows. A further means of defence was about to be added, consisting of strong iron grates at the tops of the chimneys, to prevent the dropping down of bottles of gunpowder. He has been obliged further to assimilate his condition to garrison life by keeping a store of arms and ammunition in constant readiness, and to have the assistance of a large savage dog. On the night of Sunday se'nnight, as Parker and his wife were going to bed, they heard a noise on the slates outside. Parker rushed out with a double-barrelled gun in his hand, and suspecting a design to drop an explosive bottle down his chimney, looked up to see if any one was on the roof. He had no sooner raised his eyes, however, than a shot was fired from a plantation opposite, which he received in his shoulder. Rushing up to the plantation wall, he there detected the head of a man, but before he could raise his gun, a second shot from another quarter, shattered the elbow of his right arm, and brought him to the ground powerless. His wife now rushed out with a loaded pistol, which she fired into the plantation as the assassins were making their retreat. Parker's arm will, in all probability, have to be amputated. Since the perpretation of this outrage a threatening letter has been received by another saw grinder, warning him to get rid of an apprentice. The head of the firm of Messrs. T. Forth and Sons received a similar note a few days ago, inwagrn, ienngdhtimhreatotgenetinng'd aofpthee` sonarattack' hue whase i demdplloleytimmediately comply; accompanied by an intimation that the access to their business premises, as well as to their private residences, was well known to the writers. By way of confirming this assertion, during Monday night some person clandestinely. entered the grinding wheel and deposited a bottle containing gunpowder under one of the boilers, causing an explosion by means of an ignited fusee: The explosion did no mischief; it appears that the sole Abject was to show the proprietors of the works that they were within the power of the aggressors." THE MURDER of Six