The Sun. — 1828-07-25 (London, England)

MURDER OF A SHERIFF'S OFFICER IN TIIE DISCHARGE  OF HIS DUTY.  Robert Brown, aged 45, was put to the bar, charged upon the verdict of the coroner's inquisition with the wilful murder of Thomas Sherwood, an assistant of a sheriff's officer, at Littleton Drew, in this county, on the 11th of April last. Mr. BINGHAM conducted the case for the prosecution, and before he called evidence to support the charge, stated that the prisoner had, about eleven years ago, obtained possession of a house and premises which were the property of a Mr. Lee, but which the prisoner had refused to surrender to the owner, although he neither paid rent for the house nor rendered any service or acknowledgment whatever to the landlord. Mr. Lee at last commenced against the prisoner an action of ejectment, which ended in the suing out of a writ of possession, which was addressed to the sheriff of Wiltshire, and by him consigned to his officers for execution, on the day when the deceased came by his death. The first witness called for the prosecution was Mr. John Bushe; who deposed to the facts abovementioned. He said that the declaration in ejectment was dated on the I7th of September last year. Cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant MEREIVETIIER —Before the commencement of the proceedings in ejectment, I, as Mr. Lee's attorney, had served the prisoner with notice to quit, which notice would have expired on the following (last) Lady-day. On the 11th of last April I went to the prisoner's house with a Sheriff's officer named Harding. There were also at the place Thos. Thompson, Mr. Lee, and some others. I went to see a writ of possession executed. The door had been fastened, and we were obliged to break it with a crow-bar. I saw the prisoner's goods removed. I then went away, leaving the officer and his assistants, with Lee, Thompson, and the rest, upon the premises. Brown, the prisoner, was there immediately before I went away. This was between six and seven o'clock. During all the time that the goods were being removed, the prisoner was in and out through the house, and gave no opposition. There was nobody belonging to the prisoner in the house except his wife and three young children. The warrant under which the Sheriff's officer had acted was then put in and read, and the officer himself, William Harding, was called.—He stated several facts already mentioned in Mr. Bushe's evidence, and added, that Thos. Sherwood (the deceased) was one of his assistants upon the occasion. After the goods were put out of the house, I, with the assistants, turned the prisoner's wife and children out of doors. After they were put out the next thing I saw was Brown aiming a blow at Sherwood, who immediately after came to me into the house, and said that be had been stabbed by the prisoner. He showed me a stab in his breast, which he said the prisoner had given him. I then gave the prisoner into custody.  James Clarke was present, and saw the prisoner take out of his pocket a bayonet, with which he wounded first a man named Thompson (one of the witnesses), ar►d then the deceased. Brown had one of the children in his arms, whilst his wife and the others were turned out. It was a wet night. 'One of the children was lying upon the floor, but it was not trodden under foot.  By the