The Commonwealth. — 1866-12-22 (London, England)

MURDFR AT SUNDERLAND.  One of the quiet little etreets which abound at the west end of the Wearrneuth boroneh has just been the scene of a disgraceful row amongst Irishmen, in which, unfortunately, one life was sacrificed. A number of Irish were in the habit of resorting to the Cottage Tavern, a small ene-steried edifice at the foot of Hopper-street, and three talking over the troubled state of their country. While some 15 or 20 of them were thus engaged on Saturday night the general harmony was suddenly distarbed by the appearance of a tall, rough-looking pitman from the neighbourhood of Moekwearmoutli, who, without the slightest provocation, loudly asserted that his name was Mickey Gorman, and that he was open to fight any man on the north side of the river' or any one in the company who disputed his word. Among those assembled at this time was James Quinn, a teaser, employed at Messrs. Hartley and Co.'s glass works, and he, taking upon himself the duty of p:a;emalter, suggested that as nel_ody present desired to dispute Gormen's powers he had better sit down and make himself comfortable. FaiErg to accept this advice, however, a somewhat noisy altercation ensued, and for fear of more serious disturbances the landlord, John Shea, wisely refused to grant any farther supplies of liquor, and eventually succeeded in sending the whole company to the door a little before midnight. Unfortunately, they were no sooner in the open street than others of the party got excited, and the wordy strife became so violent that a crowd speedily assembled. Gorman, whose fighting propensities were apparently unabated, immediately proceeded to forcibly impress his convictions on one of the" boys" by striking him en the mouth, and this would undoubtedly have re. stilted in a perfect riot between the adherents of the two combatants had not peace been once more restored by Quinn's well-timed allusion to their being "one faith and one country." A move was then made in the direction of Silksworth row, but not many yards had been traversed before Gorman again became uproarious, and, backed by a corspanion, vowed he would fight any man in the company for the championship of the north Eido of the water. This bombast rot being heeded, he tcok offence at Quinn's oft-repeated words, "Go home, Mickey," and replying that he would Eo, ran down the street in the direction ef the railway leading to the river side, followed by the companion above referred to. Returning almost immediately, the couple elbowed their way through the crowd in the direction of Quinn, whom German struck on the back of the head with a brick, which knocked him inseneiblo to the ground. The cowardly acseilants no sooner perceived the mischief they had perpetrated than they escaped amid the disorder that prevailed, while the blood-steined missile—which Gorman had evidently pulled from the ashes on the railway side—was picked op as evidence against him. Qefen was at once cenveyed to his home in Watt r street, where, ivithont having uttered a single wordje died in about ten minutes. The police proceeded to Mork sv( armouth in search of the prisoner, whom they found stripped in a house in Brook street. On being charged with the mut& r, he denied all knowledge of the occurrence. He was conveyed to the station-house-, and subsequently Quinn's wire— who was with her hushaed at the time of the occurrence_teeacd him out from a batch of prisoners amomg-tt whom be had been 'Vaud, Bed charged him with taing the murderer, while sonic five or six other witnesses bore the same testimony. Prisoner—a kiugle man—is well known to the police in consequence of pi evione sets of vio'ence, and when brought from the house in which ho lodged one of his brothers remarked, "The hero runs a long time, but she's caught at last." Deceased is said to have been a respectable, honest, and humane man, and leaves a wife and five children to mourn his loss. He had adopted a poor orphan girl who was left destitute, and clothed and educated her with his own family