Glasgow Courier. — 1853-07-07 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

DARING BURGLAY AND ATTEMPTED MURDER AT BRISTOL.  ----BRISTOL, THURSDAY.—One Of the most daring burglaries end attempts at murder that has happened in this city and its ocighbotirliood for many years, was committed 1,1,4 night at the house of a gentleman named Williams, in Cotham Vale. Mr. Williams, who is 8.5 years of age, is a single gentleman, and happened to be alone in his house when it was entered by four ruffians armed with 'jemmies,' and other housebreakers' implements. Mr. Williams had retii ed to bed at his usual hour, leaving his house safe, and the back, which opens close upon a field, safely fasiened, with bells annexed to the different doors and shutters. At about one o'clock in the morning he NVIIR alarmed at hearing his bed-room door forcibly opened, immediately upon which four men rushed into the room. One of them, whose face was muffled, jumped upon the bed, threw himself across the old gentleman's chest, and seizing him by the throat told him to lie quiet, as if he dared to give any alarm he would murder him. The other three fellows began to ransack the room in search of plunder, and the one upon the bed called upon Mr. Williams to tell him what he had done with his money. The old gentleman struggled with him, and called out for assistance, upon which he forced one hand over his mouth, and with the other heat him violently about the face. In some way Mr. Williams got off on to the floor, and crept under the bedstead, from which hiding-place his assailant insisted upon his coming out, and, in order to compel him to do so, seized his hand with his teeth, and bit it completely through. The poor old gentleman was then grossly maltreated, and becoming exhausted, it is supposed that they thought he was dead. Upon his corning a little to himself he heard, as he lay on the floor, the voice of a man down 'stairs say, Ready,' and immediately they all decamped. Hearing all quiet, he, upon regaining a little of his strength, went out of the house in his shirt and alarmed the neighbours, and a next-door neighbour, named Hill, speedily went to his assistance, and succeeded in arresting the attention of a policeman, who was on an adjoining beat. An examination of the premises showed that the thieves had possessed themselves of a valuable gold I watch, a silver watch, and some loose cash, and the appearance of the place indicated that they were not amateur burglars, but adepts at their business, and that they had gone about their work in the most bold and daring manner. They had first broken into a cow-shed in an adjacent meadow, from which they carried a short ladder into the front garden of the house, and with its aid attempted to enter by means of a front window on the first floor. Finding that they could not get this open, they went again to the cow-shed, from whence they obtained a very long ladder, by which they climbed to the top of the house, and made their way through a top story window. ',Having effected their entrance, their next business was to remove all the bells from the doors and windows, 80 as te limit the chances of alarm; after which they opened all the doors, so as to be prepared for flight at any moment, and from any part of the house. The police are engaged in prosecuting diligent inquiries, but as yet they have found no traces of the offenders.