Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1861-10-04 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

FEARFUL MURDER AT NEWCASTLE.  The whole of Newcastle-upon. Tyne was on Tuesday morning thrown into a state of the greatest excitement by a report which ran through it like wildfire, to the effect that Mr Mark Frater, a well, known and much respected collector of income-tax, had been barbarously murdered as he was proceeding to his office in Biackett, street. On inquiry, the report proved to be too true. At present it is of course impossible to go into the details of the sad event, as far, however, as they can be ascertained, the facts of the case are as follows:— Mr Fester has, for some time past, been the proprietor of the omnibus which now runs regularly 1 between the Monument and Bulman's Village; he was in the habit of riding to and from business upon it. lie left his residence at Batman's Village by it at nine o'clock on Tuesday morning. He got out opposite Dr. Neshain's residence, in Northumberland-street, about half-past nine. Seeing that the 'bus required some repairs, he turned to the conductor and gave him some trivial orders respecting it, and then at once turned away to his office, which was the first or corner house in Blackett-st reet, above the shop of a hairdresser. As he reached the door, he met a friend, and stood a few moments talking to him. Just as he was going into the house, a man ran up to him, with a long bright knife in his hand, and before he could escape or take any precautions whatever for his safety the assassin thrust the deadly weapon with great violence into his face The blade touched the right cheek near the mouth, then slanting off from the bone plunged into the neck, where it severed the jugular vein. The unhappy victim of this diabolical deed did not seem at first to comprehend the fatal nature of his injuries. He walked upstairs to his room, when he suddenly exclaimed, 6 I fear I'm done for," or words of a similar nature,  and fell upon the ground, and in a few minutes expired Medical attendance was at once sought for, and in a few minutes Drs. Rayne, Liddle, and Lightfoot were upon the spot, but life was quite extinct, a great quantity of blood having flowed from the frightful wounds inflicted upon the neck. The murderer was at once secured and taken into custody. He proved to boa man named George Clark, 45 years of age, a cabinet-maker, who formerly carried on business for himself in Nicholas'-square, but he has latterly been working for Mr Easton, in Pilgrim-streetThe knife with which the fatal deed was committed was found on his person. It is a common table-knife, but it has been recently ground down to a very sharp point; it is also rather jagged at the sides, se that it is a most formidable weapon. Upon being seized, Clark exchtimed, " He sold me off, and now I'll be tried for murder," and a few moments afterwards, he said, "This will be strand business for the penny papers." On inquiry we find that some three months ago a seizure had been made upon Clark's premises, under Mr Frater's direction, for a dog tax, which he would not pay. He seems ever since to have cherished a feeling of deadly, revenge, and if we may believe the reports which have reached us, he has often giveu expression to the same.  An inquest has been held upon the body and a verdict of "Wilful Murder's returned against the prisoner.