The Sun. — 1858-11-22 (London, England)

THE LATE POACHING AFFRAY NEAR  BEVERLEY.  Eight men have been apprehended on the charge of being concerned in the murderous affray at Bishop Burton, near Beverley, on Tuesday night, as already reported in The Sun, and they have all been remanded. Four out of the eight are Lincolnshire men, and one of them named Woodhouse Marshall, of Newport Lincoln, when apprehended at the house of his sister, Holderness-court, Witham, Hull, was found to be suffering from about 50 shot wounds in -both thighs, which were bandaged up with cloths containing bran, he not having had medical assistance. On being charged with being concerned in the murder of Mr. Watt's gamekeeper he replied, "I am clear of the murder." At the inquest on the body of Jacques, held by Mr. E. D. Conyers, Geddes, one of the underkeepers, who was shot in the abdomen, was sufficiently recovered to give an account of the affray. He deposed as follows : "I am underkeeper to Mr. Watt. On Tuesday night Jacques, myself, and Robinson, went out together a little before 10 o'clock; We went to the Brogdale Plantation. We had not heard any firing previous to going out. We kept together, and between 10 and 11 o'clock heard the screams of two hares. We came round the side of the plantation, and stood there for a few minutes, when we got sight of the poachers inside of the plantation. I saw one man at first, and almerst immediately afterwards five or six others standing a little lower down. The keeper and myself had each a double-barrelled gun and pistol. I asked Jacques what we were to do. He said, We must go into the field,'and went infirst; Robinson ' and I followed. We should then be about 20 yards from the poachers. Jacques went forward first, when a dog came up to him (there were six or seven dogs, but we had no watchdogs with us.) Jacques said if they did not fetch the dogs away he would shoot them (meaning the dogs). The answer was if he did they would shoot him, and they came forward as if they would attack him. The dogs still kept coming on, and Jacques fired and killed one of them. I also shot one of them. When Jacques had shot the dog some person fired at me, and the contents of the gun hit me in the groin of the right thigh. I fell upon my right knee when I received the wound. Jacques said, Come on,' and the poachers cried out, 'On to the ,' and I saw them fall upon Jacques and Robinson with sticks and bludgeons. I. could distinctly hear the blows with the sticks. They separated me from Jacques. A man came up to me with a stone in his hand—l believe it was Playforth. Six or seven more then came up, and as I reeled round I fired my pistol, and they then went away. I could not see anymore of Jacques or Robinson. They were hidden from me by the poachers. I did not see Jacques knocked down. I then came to the village and was the first person to give the alarm. I was able to get to the house of Thomas Ellerker, the woodman, and told him about Jacques and Robinson. There would be 16 poachers, I should say, in all. It was light enough to distinguish their faces. I have seen some of the poachers since. I can identify those men that have been brought before me. I believe the first man I saw was Macgarth. lam sure about Franklin and Playforth. Johnson had a bludgeon in his hand. They all had sticks or weapons of some description. They had dogs with them —one a black one, another dark and white, aild the others were sandy-coloured." Thomas Ellerker, one of Mr. Watt's woodmen, who was called up by Geddes after the affray, deposed to finding the body of Jacques in a seed field. He lay upon his side quite dead. He afterwards found Robinson, another of the under keepers, a quarter of a mile from Jacques, in a very bad state. A ramrod and a turnip dig with an iron head were picked up near the place. Mr. Brereton, surgeon, of Beverley, said he examined the body of Jacques, and found an immense fracture of the skull, which had no doubt caused instant death. He had also examined Robinson, and had found six or seven severe wounds upon the scalp, most• of them cut to the bone ; he had also a swelling in the jaws, and could not speak ; he was in a very dangerous state. The inquest was adjourned to Wednesday next.  A