The Sun. — 1830-05-31 (London, England)

MAGISTRATE.  On the night of Wednesday, the 12th of May instant, a most determined attempt was made to murder George Wheildon, Esq., a Magistrate of the county of Stafford, residing at his seat, Cottonhall, in the parish of Alton, in that county, by shooting at him through the window of his dressingroom, as he was retiring to rest. On the night mentioned Mr. Wheildon had been sitting in his study, which is on the ground-floor, writing until half-past twelve o'clock, and, during the time he was sitting there, he several times heard the sound, as he supposed, of footsteps, which he imagined were those of some of the domestics within the house ; and, before he went up stairs he searched the rooms and passages below; but could discover no one stirring, and concluded that fancy had misled him. The window of his dressing-room fronts , to the garden, and has no shutters ; and he had placed his candle on the table, and was admiring the beauty of the night from the window, when a report of fire-•arms was heard, and, at the same instant, the glass of the dressing-room casement was dashed to atoms, and Mr. Wheildon felt himself severely wounded in the face and neck. The whole family were alarmed immediately, and the servants of the house armed themselves, and went off in different directions in pursuit of the authors of this diabolical attempt, but no trace could then be obtained of them. The whole neighbourhood was in a state of strong excitement the next morning, and Mr. Wheildon caused handbills to be published, offering a reward of two hundred pounds for the discovery of the offender or offenders, and promising that every exertion should be used to obtain his Majesty's pardon for any accomplice who would come forward and impeach his companions in the crime. Taunton, the senior principal officer, was sent down ; and Sir Robert Peel, upon the circumstance being laid before him, caused a proclamation to be issued, offering his Majesty's pardon to any accomplice (except the party who actually fired the gun), and a further reward of two hundred pounds on conviction of any one person concerned. The garden and grounds near the mansion were carefully examined, and the mark of footsteps in the mould were of such a kind, as to show clearly that two men at least had been waiting about for a considerable time. The footsteps were traced over a hedge and railing, and across a field which terminated at a row of-palings, enclosing the garden of a small public-house, called the Star, kept by a man named Joseph Ratcliffe. Suspicion at once fell upon him, as he had been several times convicted before Mr. Wheildon for offences against the tenour of his license, and had been heard, in conjunction with a well-known poacher and frequenter of his public-house, named Joseph Harris. to threaten to be revenged upon that gentleman, ' These men were taken into custody by Taunton and the local constables on Tuesday morning last. and conveyed before a bench of Magistrates assembled at Cheadle, five miles from Cotton-hall, where they underwent a very long examination. It was there proved by a number of witnesses, that both these men had been heard repeatedly to declare that they would do for Mr. Wheildon at the earliest opportunity. On Wednesday the prisoners were again taken before the same bench of Magistrates, and underwent a final examination, and the result was, that they were fully committed for trial at the ensuing Assizes for the county of Stafford, for the capital felony in shooting at Mr. Wheildon, with • intent to murder or do him some grievous bodily harm, and the witnesses, fifteen in number, bound over to prosecute.