Denton Examiner, Audenshaw, Hooley Hill and Dukinfield Advertiser. — 1876-07-15 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

THE EXAMINER-SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1876.  CONSPIRACY TO MURDER. SINGULAR CABS.  At the Durham Assizes James Hanley, 59, and Patrick Hanley, 24, father and eon, and both labourers, were charged with a conspiracy to murder John Welsh at Houghton-le-Spring on the 16th of June met. _ _ .  Mr. Greenhow conducted the prosecution ; both prisoners were undefended.  This was a very singular case. It appeared that t, Sergeant Welsh, who is stationed at Newbottle, had ' apprehended Richard Hanley, the eon of the elder prisoner and the brother of the younger, in April of last year, on a charge of being drunk and riotous and breaking windows, and was taking him to the police- ' station, when he was attacked by the prisoners. t Patrick, the younger prisoner, threw a stone a him, I and the old man, James, drew a knife and struck out t at him several times, but the officer warded off the blows with his truncheon. Richard escaped with t, the handcuffs on, but the officer struck Jame., with his ' truncheon and apprehended him, and he WM sentenced to three months imprisonment, while the prisoner Patrick was fined 400. The sergeant was unable to re-apprehend Richard, and the warrant remained us- I executed, but in June last, at the time the prisoners were charged with the conspiracy, he was in prison on some other charge. On the night in question a Mrs. Turnbull was going to bed, when through the open window on the first floor, which looks on to a yard through which there is a public road, she overheard the old man say to his son, with whom he was engaged in earnest conversation, "I'll put a bullet through Sergeant Welsh's skull." Patrick replied, "No, do what I tell you, and it will be sudden death for him." The old man said, "I know that will be sudden death for him, but Fll put a bullet through his skull." Patrick then said, "No, you old ; do what I tell you; it will be the best plan, and nobody will ever know anything about it." The old man repeated what lie had said before, and then both walked away, and Mrs. Turnbull heard no more. Between twelve and one o'clock the same night Sergeant Welsh was looking round a quarry about 300 or 300 yards from Mrs. Turnbull's, when he came to a cabin, and through a broken pane in the window he now both the prisoners ; the elder of them had a knife in his hand, and said to the other, "Pat, I'm an old man now, and haven't long to live. 11l put the knife into Sergeant Welsh's heart, the great fat-headed —, for what he has done to my son Dick. If I can't do it now, I'll do it in the winter, and I'll be hung for him." Patrick said, "The great —; if Dick gets a month, I'll watch him and split his head with a stone, and if I can't do it now I'll shoot the in the winter, the great fat-headed to which the old man answered, "I'll go to Durham to-morrow and see a turnkey, and get to know when Dick comes out, and when the groat is bringing him down the street, I'll put tbis— knife into him. Then Dick and you can take the country for it; it's no matter for me, I'll be hung for the _  —." The officer left the quarry, and about halfpast two was returning with another policeman, when they met the old man, who wished to shake hands with them. The jury found the prisoners guilty. His lordship said it was the first case of the kind he had ever had to deal with, and was of such a serious character, he should take time to consider what sentence he should pass upon them.