The Sun. — 1837-10-11 (London, England)

DARING ROBBERY AND ATTEMPT TO MURDER.  —lt is our painful duty this week to record a most atrocious outrage, committed in a close, near to the neat little village of Barwell, in Leicestershire, on Wednesday evening, the 27th ult., on a young man of the name of Joseph Barnes, a printer, from Londonderry, by a person of the name of Robert Harrold, alias Moore, of Leicester, formerly of Earl Shilton. Barnes arrived in Leicester on Tuesday afternoon previous, and proceeded the next morning on his way to Hinckley. On reaching the end of Braunstone-gate, and while noticing a newly-built publichouse, kept by Mr. Johnson, Harrold accosted him with " That's my brother's house, young man;" this led to a conversation, in which Harrold expressed a wish to accompany him to Hinckley, which was agreed to, and they forthwith proceeded. They arrived at Barwell (11 miles from Leicester) about six o'clock in the evening, where Harrold was well known, and called at the Queen's Head. It being Barwell feast, they took a little ale with the villagers, but both were quite sober, and after calling at a friend's house in the village, they started about nine o'clock on their way to Hinckley. They took the foot-road across some fields, and before they had crossed the third close Harrold laid himself down, and said he should proceed no further, for lie had lost his way. Barnes then said he would return to Barwell and leave him, which he was in the act of doing, when Harrold sprung from the ground and gave him a dreadful kick in the small of the back, which brought him to the earth ; he then kicked or struck him in the most brutal manner over his head, eyes, nose, and mouth ; the upper lip of which also was completely cut in two. This . demon then left him for dead, first dragging him by his coat from the foot-path, where the deed was committed, towards the hedge, the coat being torn completely off his back. His victim being now senseless, he took his shoes, hat, umbrella, bundle, and about twelve shillings in money, and in this miserable state left the unfortunate man. Barnes remained insensible till the village clock struck one ; he then crawled, in the most dreadful agony, through an aperture in the hedge, into a dry ditch on the other side ; about three o'clock he heard voices coming from the spot he had left, and the exclamation of " He's gone ; I'd give twenty guineas if I was out of the country !' Barnes, in his own words, says, " It's impossible to express my feelings at that time, not doubting that he had come back either to finish his bloody work, if not complete, or to bury me." He lay in this dreadful state in the ditch, more and more exhausted from the loss of blood, until five o'clock, when he was seen by the villagers, who conducted him to the house of a Mr. Harrold, a distant relation of the perpetrator of the dreadful cruelty just committed. The head, as described by a witness, " was more like a mass of putrid liver than a human head ;" and such was the effect upon some females in the house, that he was immediately removed, to Thomas Clamp's, the constable, who, vith the asiistance of a Hinckley constable, apprehended Harrold the same morning at his mother's house in Hinckley, and conveyed by him to Barwell, where he was committed by the Rev. G. Mettam, for trial. Of the prisoner's character we have nothing good to report, and shall therefore refrain from prejudicing the minds of individuals against him. Some months since he kept a beer-shop, called the " Staff of Life," in Belgrave gate, Leicester, and since then has been travelling round the country with his brother, vending fancy bread and confectionery. When apprehended, Barnes's hat and bundle were found upon him, and the shoes were discovered on the road near Hinckley.— Leicestershire Alercu) y.