The Express. — 1866-12-07 (London, England)

COURT OP COMMON COUNCIL.  ATTEMPT TO MURDER A SERGEANT ON BOARD HEK MAJESTY." SHIP DONEGAL—OH Wednesday evening, about'] o'clock, shortly after the lights had been extinguished on board her Majesty's ship Donegal (the coastguard ship at Liverpool), a private of marinea, Thomas Townley, fired his rifle at Sergeant Urquhart, the senior sergeant of the marines corps attached to the ship. Urquhart's escape was little short of miraculous. He and another sergeant were sitting talking at their mess-table on the lower deck, and Urquhart was leaning with his head resting on Lis hand. Townley, it appesrs,when the lights were extinguished, went to the arm rack, took out his own rifle, and proceeding to the mess-table next to that at which Urquhart was sitting, placed his rifle over the breech of a gun and discharged it point blank at Urquhart, who was facing him at the moment. The other sergeant was sitting with his back towards Townley. The bullet passed close to the ear of this man, and then took off the tip of Urquhart's forefinger, and crossing his lip, deprived him of one of his moustaches, then passing through the breech of the gun behind Urquhart, was flattened against the iron. Immediately after the report Townley stood forth and said, "You need not look, I am the man who did it." He was at once seized and placed in irons. Captain Paynter is absent on leave, but the first lieutenant (Cooper) immediately summoned a court of inquiry. From the evidence adduced it appeared that Townley had nourished a feeling of resentment against Urquhart for upwards of a year in consequence of his belief that the sergeant had prevented his obtaining leave of absence, and that a desire for revenge had prompted him to make the attempt on the sergeant's life. It also transpired during the inquiry that on Wednesday afternoon a party of twelve men, including the prisoner, went out for rifle practice, and during this practice the prisoner teenaged to secure a cartridge. One of Townley's comrades saw him hunting about for a cap, and asked him what he was doing. Townley replied that he was looking for Gd. It was also stated that after the firing of the gun Townley said, " I have done it for revenge for stopping my leave twelve months ago." A report of the affair Mu been forwarded to the Admiralty, and stela' will be taken for the prisoner's trial. FATAL RAILWAY ACClDENT.—Yesterday afternoon painful excitement was occasioned among the large staff of officials at the Reading station of the Great Western Railway, by a fatal accident which occurred to Ambrose Webb, one of the oldest servants of the company. Webb had been employed on the line for about 25 years, and his duties were in connexion with the maintenance of the permanent way. Yesterday afternoon he was either measuring or cleaning one of the crossings immediately opposite the booking-office of the up station, but on the opposite side of the line, the points being close to some trucks that had been drawn into the yard by the pilot engine from the West Junction. While thus engaged he heard, it is believed, the trucks commence moving, and raised his body with the view of clearing the train, but at this moment his head was caught between the buffers, and jammed in such a dreadful manner that death must have been instantaneous. The train was stopped almost immediately, but of course the assistance rendered was of no avail, and the body of the poor fellow was removed to an singadjoin building to await the coroner's inquest. Webb was y steady, well-cooductod man, and much respected by his follow Imbue.  A Omit qf Connnwi t'011:: ell o;« held yesterday, at Guildhallt at which the Lou) Ide:roa (Alderman Gabriel) preatded.