The Daily Times. — 1861-01-29 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO MURDER A WARDER IN CHESTER CASTLE.  On Saturday last Thomas O'Brien, an ill-looking fellow, who is imprisoned in the Chester Castle, was brought up before the county magistrates, in the chaplain's room at the Castle, upon the charge of attempting to kill a warden named Thomas Dunning. It appeared that on Tuesday morning Dunning was in charge of the prisoners at exercise in No. 6 yard. After they had walked once round, the prisoner (Thomas O'Brien) and another prisoner named Thomas Kaster, commenced talking and laughing Dunning called them to order, but no attention was paid to him, and he told Kaster to fall out of the ranks and go to his cell. O'Brien immediately stepped forward and said, " The man is not in fault, I caused him to laugh." Kaster then went to his cell, and O'Brien joined the men at exercise. Having gone round the yard a second time, O'Brien said : "You may as well send to my cell." Dunning said, " I shall do nothing of the kind ;" but he went out of the yard towards his cell. About eleven o'clock the same morning, Mr. Manning went to the bottom of the stairs of No. 6 ward, and told Dunning to bring O'Brien and Kaster to the governor. Dunning then opened O'Brien's cell and said, " Now., O'Brien, this way." He then turned round to unlock the door of Kaster's cell, which is nearly opposite that in which O'Brien was confined, and he had no sooner done so than he was struck from behind on the left side of the head with a piece of iron, which was hurled at him with great force by O'Brien. Dunning turned quickly round, when he saw that O'Brien had something in his hand (a stone), and was in the act of picking up the piece of iron which had bounced towards where he stood. Dunning, with great presence of mind, shouted, " Mr. Manning," and ran in the direction where he had seen him standing. O'Brien followed after with the iron and stone, threatening to knock his brains out, saying be would not be content until he had his life. Dunning, at this time, was quite giddy, through loss of blood. Mr. Manning called to O'Brien to desist, and desired him not to commit himself. The prisoner raised the iron, stood in a menacing attitude, and said, " Only I have some respect for you, I would knock your brains out." Kaster, who was in the passage, said " Don't strike him ;" when O'Brien called him a "skulk," and ran him along the passage for the purpose of striking him. Mr. Manning seized the prisoner by both arms from behind, some of the officers came to his assistance, and the prisoner was safely secured. When the governor charged him with wounding the officer, he said " I 'did it, and I'll not deny it;" he then turned towards Dunning and said, "Whether it is here or after I am discharged, your sacred life I will have." Dunning is still under medical treatment. The iron the prisoner used for his murderous design is the " catch" belonging to the loom in his cell, which weighs 211 b. Upon being asked if he had anything to state, he replied that there was no mistake about his wanting to take Dunning's life, and if he could do it, he would at that moment. Committed to the assizes. At the last assizes he was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for committing burglaries in Birkenhead and Liverpool, previous to which he had been committed for four years' penal servitude.