The Sun. — 1852-04-12 (London, England)

POLICE INTELLIGENCE. WESTMINSTER. ATTEMPTED MURDER.—FeIix 'Gee, a furniturebroker, who hes been in custody since the 12th ult., charged with feloniously shooting Michael Collins, with intent to murder him, under went a lengthened examination. The unfortunate victim of the prisoner's deliberate attack has been ever since an inmate of the Westminster Hospital, where, in consequence of the severity of the injuries he had received, but little expectation existed of his recovery. He was, however, sufficiently convalescent on Saturday to attend at this court, a circumstance at which Mr. Broderip, the presiding magistrate, expressed his gratification, admitting that, from the perilous position the unfortunate sufferer had been in at one time, he had hardly expected to have seen him. Michael Collins said that he resided at Buckingham Cottages, yt a, taken prisoner acd others in a progressive teetotal premisessociety, for holding the meetings of which had es'Rochester-row, and was associated with the been in York-street, Westminster. Although c t the key of the place had been handed to the treasurer of the society for the body, prisoner set up a claim to be considered the landlord, objected to a piece called Sir John Barleycorn, showing the folly of people drinking, being acted, was frequently called to order at the and made himself very offensive. At about seven on the evening of the 12th prosecutor found that prisoner had taken possession of the premises, and refused to let his brother members in ; meetings,h - pas t uponw wch h pistol C nith a piece of quartering, The prisoner was standing with' aoin se partially broke the door in hand and a drawn sabre in e(ill the other, and they repeatedly asked him to come out, but he refused, and swore he would shoot the first man who crossed the threshold of the door. He then hi on struck at prosecutor with the sabre, declaring that unless he removed his arm, which was resting on the half-shattered door, he would cut it off; but prosecutor removed and avoided the blow. Prisoner repeated again and again that whoever entered should pay for his temerity with his life, and prosecutor then told him that he had no more business in the premises than the rest of the society, and no right to have armed himself in the way he had, and while in conversation prisoner fired the horse-pistol he held in his hand at him, and the charge entered his abdomen. He deliberately raised the pistol and fired it, and prosecutor was then carried away. Prisoner and his solicitor both questioned the prosecutor in a most irregular way—the former repeatedly interrupting his advocate—and endeavoured to elicit that the pistol bad gone off by accident, but received the reply that be had raised it and fired as described. They next, in the very face of this, questioned the prosecutor in order to show that he had exasperated the prisoner by some offensive epithet, which prosecutor admitted ha had applied with reference to a meeting about the wrongs of Ireland, which prisoner wanted to have held at the hall. William Sherman proved that some of the shot with which the pistol was charged also struck him. Mr. Miran, an inspector of the B division, stated that having heard what had occurred he went and found the prisoner armed in the room, and when he told him his determination of taking him into custody he put down the pistol and sabre and surrendered. The inspector found two pistols loaded and a quantity of shot, ponder, 'c. Police-constable Saunders, 192, B, proved that he and two other officers were present while the prisoner stood for some time in the menacing position described, when he fired and while he reloaded, and admitted in reply to Mr. Broderip's question, that they made no effort to disarm him. A clerk from the office of Mr. Games, for the prosecuticn asked for a remand, owing to the surgeon being unavoidably absent. Prisoner was remanded for a week.