The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1842-12-30 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

MURDER AT SPERNALL, NEAR REDDITCH.—We have the painful duty, this week, of recording another murder, which was committed, on Sunday last, (Christmas-day,) at Spernall, near Studley, in' the county of Warwick, by a young man, named James Crowley, the son of a respectable farmer in that village. It appears that his father had two sons, of whom one was dutiful, affectionate, and industrious, whilst the other (James) was wild, idle, and dissipated, though possessing considerable talents. He had often threatened to beat his father, and had carried his unnatural violence so far as to menace his life, and bad, consequently, been bound over to keep the peace towards him. The father, however, at length became so terrified at his desperate behaviour that he was compelled to have some one to reside in the house capable of protecting him from the violence which he apprehended, and-the party selected 'for this duty was one of his labourers, a fine young man, named Tilsley, standing six feet in height, though not more than twenty years of age ; and, in order to give him additional authority, he was regularly sworn in as a constable. Mr. Crowley did not, however, enter into these arrangements without making conciliatory overtures to his son, who was to receive an allowance of £1 per week, together with a saddle horse, and keep for the animal, on condition that he resided away from the farmhouse, and did not come to annoy its inmates. As the present festive season approached, the prodigal, not content with his punctually-paid allowance, demanded more money of his father, to spend in folly and riotous living, than he chose to provide him with, upon which he gave vent to his passion, and swore that he would shoot him. On Sunday last the unhappy young man proceeded from his lodgings in the neighbourhood to the farm, apparently with the intention of carrying his awful threat into effect, as he took a double-barrelled gun with him. As he approached the house, the inmates, apprehensive of a disturbance, locked the door and went up stairs ; and the young man, finding that he could not gain admittance, began breaking the windows ; upon which Tilsley, and two others descended, and Tilsley told him that if he did not desist he should take him into custody, and convey him before the magistrates on the following day ; and on his approaching to arrest him, he suddenly turned round, and, fiercely exclaiming " D—n your eyes, I'll shoot you I" raised the piece to his shoulder, fired, and in an instant Tilsley' fell to the ground a frightful corpse, the contents of the gun having entered the skull at or near the eye, and the blood and brains being scattered about the court-yard in all directions. As soon as he had consummated this appalling deed, the murderer walked round the mangled body of his victim, dared the bystanders to come on and receive the contents of the other barrel, went to his lodgings and untied his horse, mounted the animal, rode off in the direction of Coventry, and has not been heard of since, though every exertion has been made to trace him. As soon as assistance arrived, the body was conveyed to an adjoining building, to await the coroner's inquest, which was held yesterday (Tuesday), by W. 0. Hunt, Esq., of Stratford-upon-Avon, one of the Warwickshire coroners, and a respectable jury. The public sympathy is increased by the fact that poor Tilsley, though so young, was a married man, and has left a widow and two children to lament his untimely end. It was stated at the Bromsgrove Petty Sessions yesterday, that the murderer bad been apprehended, but our latest accounts from the scene of the tragedy do not confirm the statement, and the last report received at the County Police Station, in this city, also states that he has not yet been taken.—Worcester Journal, Dec. 29.