The Sun. — 1855-08-14 (London, England)

MARYLEBONE. ATTEMPTED MURDER, OF A POLICEMAN WITH A BUTCHER'S KNIFE.—ATROCIOUS CASE.—Dennis Daly, a young man of very determined appearance, was brought before Mr. Broughton on the e:targe of having attempted, with a large knife belong. on„ 4, a pork butcher, to etab rolice:conatAble Leveret;  68 S, by whom he had in the first instance been taken into custody for another offence ; and it will be seen from the subjoined evidence that, but for the resolute conduct of a female, the officer's life would probably have been sacrificed.  Leverett, on being sworn, said—Between 9 and 10 o'clock on Saturday night, as I was on duty in the Hampstead-road, Isaw the prisoner with his band at the pocket of a woman who was looking in at a window. She almost immediately exclaimed, " You good-for nothing blackguard, you have been robbing me." She then gave him in charge, but on ascertaining that she bad not lost anything, she refused to go to the station-house to make a complaint. I saw that her handkerchief bad been partly drawn out of her pocket. While conveying him along Henry-street, he resisted, and struck me a violent blow ; and a large mob, amounting to no fewer than 200 persons, speedily collected at the spot, and many of the mob endeavoured to effect a rescue. The prisoner struck me and we fell, and while we were buth struggling together upon the ground, he kicked me several times with all his might upon the legs; he also knocked do an a butcher, who, upon my calling to him in the Queen's name, came to my assistance. I got him into the butcher's shop which was close by, there to await further aid, when the mob, consisting no doubt of a great many of the prisoner's companions, tore down the window-board, upon which a large quantity of pork was placed, and threw nearly the whole of the joints into the road. Most of them were picked up and stolen by some of the lawless parties. The mob swore that they would pull the shop to pieces if I.did not let the prisoner go, upon which he (prisoner) seized from the counter a large knife, and tried therewith to extricate himself by cutting his necktie. I laid hold of the handle to prevent him from effecting his object, when he said, "You —, if I can't get my tie off, I'll stab you," when he contrived to draw the blade through my hand, thereby inflicting cuts, although not serious ones, upon some of my fingers. The butcher's wife, Mrs. Somers, darted forward and wrested the weapon from his grasp. He then, in a great rage, laid hold of another knife, again swearing that be would stab me and be made an attempt to plunge it into my chest. In this sanguinary endeavour he would perhaps have succeeded, had not Mrs. Somers arrested in some measure the fearful force with which he was about to use the said formidable implement, and managing by a dexterous effort to disarm him as before. In proof of the narrow escape which I have had, it will be perceived that there is a cut in the breast part of my coat, where the knife entered. (The. cut was here shown to the magistrate.) Other officers came to my assistance, and the prisoner was ultimately conveyed to the station, and locked up.  Mrs. Somers, and William Somers, her husband, gave evidence for the most part corroborative of that of the officer. Somers said that he was repeatedly struck and kicked by some of the mob while upon the ground, and that he could ill afford the loss which he had sustained through the outrageous conduct of the multitude. Mr. Broughton said he should make a remark on the charge.sheet as to the firm and good conduct of the constable under the trying circumstances in which he was placed. Much credit was also due to Mrs. Somers, and he thought it only right that the commissioners should be advised to make some compensation to Somers for the loss of meat.  The prisoner, who said that he was merely trying to cut his neck tie, and denied having attempted to injure the constable, was committed for trial for "actempting to stab."  He was then locked up.