The Sun. — 1847-08-07 (London, England)

ALLEGED MURDEROUS ASSAULT  AT NE NPORT.  On Monday evening last, about nine o'clock, a large mob of men and boys came down Iligh-street and on towards the station-house, yelling vociferously ; and in their midst, guarded by two men, was pushed onwards a poor half famished Irishman. At the last step from the street into the statioc, some gentle Christ'.an bestowed a curse and a heavy blow upon the unlucky Irishman's head, as a farewell token of popular favour. In an hour atter down came the mob once more, absolutely frantic, and shouting more than ever. "Here are the other two murderers F' they cried ; and in their midst, tightly hemmed in by the mob, were two other Irishmen, in rags, and very pale. To the station they were also taken. And then rumour, with her thousand tongues, cried out that these villanous Irishmen had almost murdered a poor inoffensive navvy ! On Wednesday, it was rutnouted that the navigator died ! On Thursday, accordingly, the examination was ordered to come on. But the charge was only against one, John Sheehy, the person who was said to have committed the murder.  The first witness examined to-day, however, was the murdered man himself, stout and strong. Aaron Goss, sworn, stated as follows :—I am an excavator upon the Pontypool line of railway, and on Monday evening last was coming down the Marshes-road towards Newport, about seven o'clock. I went to a fire on the side of the road near the toll-gate, to light my pipe. Three or four men, amongst whom was the prisoner, were sitting against the wall, near the Sre. I asked them to allow me to light my pipe. I stirred the ashes about to see if there was any fire. The prisoner said something, and made a motion with a knife and fork he had in his hands, as if to cut my boot, and I put my hand to his arm to prevent it. I believe the fork was in his left hand, and the knife in his right. He stuck the fork into my head on the left side. I believe he struck me twice in the head with the fork. The knife and fork produced by ThomasMe dlam, constable, c.re the same. He held the 4nife pointing at me, as if to stick me, and he gave me a stroke with it, which cut my right hand little finger. The blood from the stabs in my head ran down the side of my face. My finger bled much. I caught hold of the prisoner by the arm, and seeing I was cut, I got away from him. I came to Newport, and went to the doctor. I am sure I did not push myself against the Enifo or fork. The prisoner struck at me in the he ad with the fork. Prisoner said he would cut me when I first went to the fire.  Cross-examined—I was not drunk. I did not ask you for tobacco. I did not follow you to the farmer's house or to any other house. I did not strike you. You said you would cut my boot. I did not pull you down on your back, because you would not give me tobacco. You did Strike me with the knife and fork. I did not see you eating anything.  Mr-. Win. Bi•wer, surgeon, sworn, said, on Monday evening, somewhere about seven o'clock, the last witness was brought to me. On examining his head, I found a wound, which I am certain had not been done with a fork. There was an incised wound on his finger. He was very drunk. The cut on his finger might have been done by seizing hold of the knife.—The case was dismissed. [lt is said that the " navvy" grossly insulted those homeless people, while eating their miserable meal, kicked out their fire, broke up their cooking apparatus, and with drunken brutality gave them kicks and oaths. and dragged a feeble old man along the road on his back. If this be true—and it is stated to be—we cannot ww,der at the case being dismissed]. Henry MacMahon, surgeon in the 87th regiment, was taken into custody under a judge's warrant, for forging a receipt for 271. 14s. 2d. on Luke Homer, theshoemaker,station:f Pill.—He was removed in custody to Monmouthshire Merlin.  _