Glasgow Courier. — 1853-03-24 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

POLLOCK )  ATROCIOUS CASE OF ATTEMPTED BURRING WITH PITCH  PLASTER.  Samuel North, a labouring man, 40 years of age, married, and who has a large family, was indicted for having, on the 14th of October last, at Yarmouth, feloniously assaulted a female, named Proudfoot, with intent to murder her, by placing a pitch plaster upon her mouth and nostrils. Mr. Palmer and Mr. Bulwer prosecuted, and Mr. Prendegrast defended the prisoner. The ease disclosed great depravity. The prosecutrix was a sersant in the service of Mr. Bunn, a corn dealer, in Great Yarmouth, and appeared to have had several illegitimate children ; she was now pregnant by the prisoner, who was also a servant in the atone employ. On discovering her position in October last she had some conversation with him respecting her confinement, and asked for some money for these arrangements, which she expected would take place in April. The prisoner expressed himself much annoyed. On the 14th of that month, having a holiday, she early in the morning again solicited the prisoner fin' money to carry her over her troubles. Ile made an appointment to meet her in the evening at eight o'clock at the Pudding Gates, on the Danes, a solitary place on the sands, about a mile to the northward of Yarmouth. She went according to appointment. It woo very dark, but there was sufficient light to recognise the prisoner. Having spoken togetb•r, he took her down upon the sands until they reached the oorner of Tooley Mill, where they continued their intimacy. Immediately after he violently placed a pitch plaster over her face and head. She struggled very much, and managed to get away, but he again sprang upon her, and, knocking her down, commenced beating her over the face and head with his fist, or some instrument. She shrieked ' Murder!' as loudly as she could several times, when she became insensible, when it appears he left her, no doubt believing she was dead. A witness named David, who, with others, was playing on the Danes at the time, heard the aoreams of ' Murder!' and told the landlady of the Northumberland Arms of the circumstance. She, with some customers who were in the house,then went in the direetion of the screams, and some 200 yards off they observed a female lying on the ground apparently dead. Assistance haying been obtained, the female was carried into the Northumberland Arms, where, by the application of the usual remedies, she eventually returned to her senses. She was found to be horribly injured. A pitch plaster was hanging partly from her chin and partly from the hair of her head.-Mr. Crowe, a surgeon of 'Yarmouth, who attended on the prosecutrix, on her being broughttothe Northumberland Arms, described her condition to be most dangerous at the time; the tau, nose, &c., were beaten in and swollen, and frightfully disfigured. Both eyes were quite closed, and her face and neck were covered with pitch and dirt. The front teeth and lower jaw weretknocked in, her pulse was very feeble, and her extremities were perfectly cold. It was a very long time before she recovered. The prisoner was apprehended the same evening at his house at Yarmouth, where the officers found him coolly smoking a pipe of tobacco over the kitchen fire, and when accused of the crime imputed to him by the proseentrix, he declared he was innocent.— A number of circumstances, bringing the case clearly home to the prisoner, were also adduced.—Mr. Prendergast addressed the jury on behalf of the prisoner, calling several witnesses to character, after which the learned judge summed up, and the jury, after a few minutes' deliberation, returned • verdict of guilty.--Sentence of death was recorded against the prisoner,