The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-09-11 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

ADMIRABLE CONDUCT OF THE CAPTAIY OF A RIVER STEAMER.—A few evenings ago, as the Birkenhead steamer,. the "James," belonging to Mr. Willoughby, got to this side of the water, and the passengers were making their way across another steam-boat to the slit, at George's pier, an elderly man, apparently a farmer, and his wife, of whom he had hold, fell together from the plank between the two vessels, into the water. A strong tide was running at the time ; the night was very dark ; and they got under the paddlewheel, to the great alarm of the passengers. The captain of the boat, Thomas Bennett, a fine-looking, tall young man, who was standing at the gangway handing out the passengers, immediately, and at great risk to himself, got into the water, and succeeded after great exertion in saving the parties, who but for his prompt assistance would have been drowned. They were hauled up through the paddle-box, to the great satisfaction of all who were present, and who loudly cheered Bennett for his praiseworthy conduct. He received a contusion of one of his legs in saving them; and though the circumstance, which he makes no boast of, and the particulars of which we derived from another partv,ja.aome days old, its authenticity can be vouched for; and we trest*the Humane Society will give it their best consideration, with a view to the encouragement of similar exertions in future on our river, in which human life is often almost unavoidably placed in peril.  DREADFUL MURDER NEAR BRISTOL".—On Tuesday last an inquest was held at the Dolphin, Marlborough-street, on the body of James Pearce, employed as a watchman at a garden at Upper Easton, who met his death from injuries received at St. George's, where a prisoner was rescued (rota him by four men not yet in custody.—Andrew Gough, jun., son of the proprietor of the garden, deposed—On Sunday, 'the 16th of August, about two o'clock in the morning. I caught a man named John Thomas, a brickmaker, who lives at Easton, stealing apples from my father's garden ; having taken him, 1 procured' the assistance of the deceased, who was a night constable in the neighbourhood, and we went to St. Philip's police station, where they declined to take hint in, as the offence had been committed in the county of Gloucester, and they had no room. Intending to take him to the rianham station, we proceeded that way, the prisoner, not handcuffed, walking between us. We were near the school at Redfield about four o'clock, when two men, James Porter and William Thomas came up. Porter took up a large stone, and struck the deceased several times on the back of his head, saying, he would dash his brains out if we did not let him go. William Thomas also struck the deceased with his fists about the head. The deceased was twice knocked down by the blows. Then the prisoner's father came up and took the deceased away from the prisoner. Witness continued to hold him, and Porter, who had kept the stone in his hand, came up and struck him on the face, as did Thomas also with his fists. -They continued to beat them till they were near , the George and Dragon, when Henry Fussell and George Underhill came to their assistance, and drove away Thomas and Porter ; the deceased then again took charge of the prisoner; but the prisoner's father came•up and dragged him away and he escaped. The prisoner's father then caught hold of the deceased and threw him on his back, beating his head repeatedly against the ground. Deceased was then in a very sickly state, but did not bleed. On the following Tuesday I saw him again ;he was then very ill, and continued to get worse till be died.— Several other witnesses having been called, the Jury returned a verdict of WILFUL MURDER against John Thomas, the elder, William Thomas, and James Porter, and against • John Thomas, the younger, as an accessory. The parties are not Net in custody.  rmt