The Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1866-05-26 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

ATTEMPTED MURDER.  ?Inwood Barracks, near Preston, have narrowly escaped hying the scene of another outrage slmillar in character almost to that which was perpetra,e I there a few year. ago, when two officers of the garrison were brutally and deliberately murdered by a private soldier named MiCatfery It seems that a few afternoons ago a private of the 21st Regiment, the depot of which is stationed at Fulwood Barracks, went into the canteen, got drunk, and was afterwards placed in the guard.room by the direction of Sergeant Sweeney, of the 21st Regiment, who was on canteen duty. This circumstance came to the knowledge of Private Hayes, of the 2nd battalion of the 21st Regiment, who was companion of the man taken to the guard-room  at the  for being drunk, and who .---„ conduct of the sergeant,. bit .npon ' the diaboReal idea of shodtiag him for the exercise of his anthority in, the manner indicated. Knowing that the non-commissioned officers would ha-se staff inarade ip. the large .squate of the-barracks at half-past 9 o'clock the same night, RAPIN appears to have made up his mind to then -carry out his wicked intention. At the Lime named the -non-commissioned /officers paraded in the squeze,-and by the lights from the different quarters of the garrison, which all shine in gin direction of the partial, reflection of the moon% their figurea could be diectamd.witt moderate distinctnea., but it w4B .impossible, at any distance, to recognise the featurep of any of them, , As soonna-they mwle their appearaasce Hayes, with. a loaded rifle in, his hand, proceeded out. of his quarters on the western aide of the square, walked down one of the lobbies leading to, the front, aitd then deliberately took aim at one of .the 'men in the Aquare; whoM he took- to be Sergeant Sweeney, but who, was. in reality .Sergeant Rodgers, of the 2nd battalion of the 25th. Rodgers was standing alone, about.2o yards from Hayes, whilst the general hody of non-commissioned officers were about as far wait from him.. When Hayes-discharged the rifle he woe heard to %ay something to the effect that he had "done it for the slow." The bullet with whieh the rifle was loaded passed int.!, over Ser.' geant Hedgers' head, ancLcLeared the general body on non-commissioned officers by about a foot and a half.' It was picked up next morning on the opposite side of the barracks yard, baring linentiompletely flattened by coaling in contact with the wall there. The noise occasioned by the discharge of the rifle at that time of night naturally created great excitement in the garrisen; but there was no difficulty in learning who had been the cause of it. .  _ Hayes, after firing the rifle, stood still, and being at once seen was seized by Sergeant Sloan, who with as istance conveyed him to the guard-morn. Hayes, who appeared quite cool when arrested, was taken before one of the captains next morning, and on being questioned as to why he fired at the non-commissioned officers in the square, he deliberately intimated that his intention was to shoot Sergeant Sweeney, and no one else. He is now under close surveillance, and will be brought before a general court-martial, r the county magistrates. Hayes is known as a coarse blackguardly fellow. He has been in he array about a dozen years: Once he was drummed nut of the Marines for some offence, and he has aloo been guilty of desertion. After being arrested his rifle was examined, and it was found to be "sight-sit" for 400 yards. He appears to have aimed at the head of Rodgers, but the wrong sight of Hoe rifle necessarily changed the altitude, and in accordance with the ratio of oiotance, canoed the bullet to pass over the heads of the whiile part3o in the square. If they had been at a greater distance the level would have been more perfect, and there can ha no doubt that several of them would have been sluff.