The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1842-12-06 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

BURGLARY AND ATTEMPTED MURDER.  (From the Newcastle Journal.)  A very great sensation has ceen produced in this neighbourhood by a most daring act of house-breaking and attempted murder, which occurred on Sunday morning last, at Gateshead Low Fell, about three miles from this town. The situation of the premises is somewhat retired, lying more than a quarter of a mile from the Turnpike-road leading from Gateshead to Durham, in rather a wild mountainous district, overlooking the vale of Ravensworth. The only inmates of the house were an aged maiden lady, named Miss Robinson, her servant, Ruth Lawson, and a companion, named Miss Clarke, aged and very infirm. Miss Robinson is a lady of independent circumstances, nearly sixty years of age, living in Kell's-place. The house was one of two built together, with gardens in front, the back yard wall adjoining a field. The family retired to bed as usual at an early hour on Saturday night, Miss Robinson's bed-room being on the same floor with that occupied by the servant girl and Miss Clark, who slept together. It appears from the statement of the girl, Ruth Lawson, who has lived with Miss Robinson for about two years and a half, that at about four o'clock in the morning she was awoke by a noise in the house, when she heard her mistress crying out, and thought she was unwell. She answered, "coming, coming," and instantly jumped out of bed, and went on to the stair-head. She then saw a light in her mistress's bed-room, and heard the voice of a man talking to her mistress, telling her to " hold her tongue or it would be worse for her." On hearing this the girl was alarmed, and ran back into her bed-room, and closed the door after her. She then heard her mistress cry out " murder, murder," as loud as she could, and, summoning her courage, she again ventured out, and entered her mistress's room, having heard the men, as she thought, go down stairs. On entering the room she found her mistress on the floor with her head in a pool of blood, and apparently in a dreadfully mangled condition. _  Miss Robinson's account of what occurred is as follows : she states that about a quarter to four o'clock she was awoke by a noise in her bed-room, and when she looked up she saw a light, and two men were standing one on each side of her bed. One of them had a candle in his hand. The men had their faces blacked and their persons were disfigured by sacking or canvas wrapper tied over their clothes. On looking up, one of them assumed a menacing attitude and said, " Y're money or y're life." Miss Robinson was horrorstruck, but she maintained her self-possession, and replied, " Oh, give you all the money I have," and she was in the act of getting out of bed, when one of the men struck her behind the head with an iron pinch. She shouted out " murder " as loud as she was able, and it is probable that the men had beard the servant girl upon the stair-head, as they then left the room and made their escape from the house. On examining the lower apartments it was found that every place had been ransacked. Drawers had been examined, the silver candlesticks and chimney-piece ornaments removed, the piano-forte opened, and, indeed, every place searched where it might be supposed money would be placed. The only money they appear to have got was in the servant's box which stood in the kitchen, and from thence they took one sovereign, half a sovereign, and three shillings and sixpence in silver. _ _  Two men are now in custody charged with the offence.