The Sun. — 1865-09-11 (London, England)

THE ATTEMPTED DOUBLE MURDER AT HASCOMB. —On Saturday afternoon a special county bench was held at Guildford, when James Oliver, labourer, aged 64, was placed at the bar before the Hon. F. Scott, the Hon. W. Brodriek, Mr. D. Macdonald, and Mr. A. S. Mathison, charged with attempting to murder Wm. Underwood, and of Thursday last, the 7th inst. no proceeunigb wife, at Tfiew.omb, on the night Marry Ann preliminary and merclyformal character, the wounded persons being unable to attend, owing to the severity of the injuries inflicted on them. Superintendent Parr, deputy chief constable of:Surrey, applied for a remand, stating that she still lay ina very precarious state. Mr. Smallpeice, the clerk, asked the prisoner if he understood the nature of the charge against him—if he understood he was charged with attempting to murder two persons whom he had seriously injured, and whose lives were despaired of. The prisoner, who is a man of somewhat wild and peculiar demeanour, made no answer, but looked about him vacantly, and appeared to take no interest in the proceedings. He was remanded for a week. It appears that the prisoner Oliver has been for some years under-gardener in the service of Mr. Hockley, solicitor (of the firm of Hockley and Russel/1 of Guildford), at the Itaswells, Hascomb ; and that he was in the habit of taking his meals at the house of Mr. Underwood, who keeps one of those little establishments known in country villages,under the generic term of "general shops." Oliver was always regarded as an ill-conditioned, peevish sort of fellow; but he was esteemed thoroughly honest, trustworthy, and not unskilful in his peculiar capacity. On the night of Thursday last he was having his supper at about half. past 8 o'clockat Mr. Underwood's, when hemade some observation of a rather disparaging character respecting his employer. Mr. Underwood immediately checked him, and said that he shouldbe the last man to say a word against one who had always been a kind master to him—the fact being that Mr. Hockley and his family were always particularly indulgent to the prisoner. Without further parley Oliver jumped up and, rushing at Underwood in an infuriated manner, stabbed him several times about the throat with a gardener's large clasp-knife. Alarmed by her husband's cries, Mrs. Underwood ran to his assistance, when Oliver darted upon her with equal ferocity, and inflicted a fearful wound in her neck, almost severing the jugular vein. She fell instantaneously as if dead, on which Oliver again turned on Mr. Underwood and renewed his attack upon him, aiming a blow direct at his heart, which, however, his victim warded off with his arm. Underwood and his wife then succeeded in running out of the house, screaming and bleeding as they ran. They were closely followed by Oliver, knife in hand, who had nearly come up to them, when Mr. Hackley's coachman fortunately came up, and, perceiving in a moment the state of matters, felled Oliver to the ground with one blow of his fist, and after considerable exertions succeeded in wresting the knife front his grasp, and handing him over to the police. The injuries are very serious, and it is extremely doubtful whether Mrs. Underwood can survive.  [