The Sun. — 1865-08-22 (London, England)

MARLBOROUGH-STREET  THE COLONEL AND THE CABMAN.—John Maxwell, a cabdriver, was summoned before Mr. Knox for assaulting Col. John Constantine Stanley, of No. 40, Bruton-street. Col. Stanley said that on Saturday week he was crossing to Arlington-street with a friend. He had an umbrella up and on the defendant coming along he raised it up, and then, on the pavement, defendant struck the umbrella with his whip. On stopping the defendant he said that he (the colonel) had struck his horse.  The defendant asked whether he struck the umbrella intentionally, and the colonel said he did.  The defendant said that he intended to strike his horse, and not the umbrella.  Mr. Alfred Burton, of 13, Dover-street, said he was with Col. Stanley at the time. The colonel might have raised his umbrella so that it might have touched the horse's head, upon which the defendant struck the umbrella.  In answer to the defendant, the witness said ho believed it was done intentionally. Col. Stanley said the defendant used a sort of threat, but afterwards said as a justification that he (the colonel) struck the horse first.  The defendant said ho had the wife of a major in his cab at the time. Ito called to the gentleman, and as soon as he saw him coming up the umbrella was raised and struck his horse's head.  Hackney-carriage attendant No. 34 said the gentleman asked him to get the defendant's number, and he did so ; and the cabman said the gentleman had struck his horse with his umbrella. The gentleman then said the defendant had struck his umbrella. Mr. Knox said it was a very light matter, and ho should dismiss the summons.  Double Murder at Batley,  Late on Saturday evening the town of BatICY) in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was the scene of a t'errible tragedy, ending in the murder of two womb." and the attempted suicide of the murderer. A young man named Eli Sykes, about 19 years old, living at Batley Carr, and a member of the Dewsbury Rifle Corps, returned to Batley on Saturday evening, from a battalion drill at Drighlington. For some time past he has been paying addresses to a young woman named Hannah Brook, but recently shehas discarded him for another suitor from Wakefield. When he reached Batley on Saturday evening Sykes went 't,o Brook's house, where he found Miss Brook and her mother, Sarah, at home. He demanded to know from the daughter whether she would accept him, and in reply she and her mother told him to go away, as they did not want to have anything to do with him ; and the daughter also added that if he did not go away she would make him. He said he would not go, and told her that he had seen her with another man. She replied that she would have no more to do with him, and he might as well " take himself away." Hardly had the words passed her lips when he took up the rifle which he had brought with him and struck her on the head with the butt end of the weapon, using such force as to knock her from her chair and to break the stock of the rifle. She screamed out "Murder," and Sykes thenpulledouthis bayonetand stabbed her eight times in the breast and other parts of the body ; but not instantly killing her. The mother seeing the murderous assault on her daughter, rushed forward to protect her, when Sykes turned round upon the mother and stabbed her with the bayonet in the breast, and followed up his bloody work by inflicting six more fearful gashes upon her. The shrieks of the two women attracted the attention of two men, named Joseph Peace and William Farrall, who on entering the dwelling found the women lying on the floor weltering in their blood, and Sykes in the act of attempting to commit suicide by stabbing himself in the neck with the bayonet. Peace instantly snatched the weapon from him, and in doing so narrowly escaped being stabbed himself, owing to the determined resistance made by Sykes. Information was immediately forwarded to Police Sergeant English, who arrived at the place in a few minutes. He found the two women on the point of death, and Sykes apparently in a dangerous state, as the blcod was streaming profusely from wounds in his throat. Mr. Bayldon, surgeon, was sent for, but before his arrival both the women had died. Mr. Bayldon found that the removal of Sykes might be safely ventured upon, and the assistance of other police having been obtained, Sykes was placed in a conveyance and taken to the lock-up at Dewsbury, where he was immediately attended to by Dr. W. H. Thornton. His wounds are not likely to be fatal, for the windpipe and large arteries of the neck are uninjured. The murdered woman Sarah Sykes was about 63 years of age, and lived upon the income derived from a small property near Batley. Her daughter lived with her, but obtained a livelihood by weaving at the Alexandra Mill, at Batley. The murderer had been for two years a member of the Dewsbury Rifle Corps, and had made himself conspicuous by his regular attendance at drill. Yesterday (Sunday) morning he had sufficiently recovered to be able to converse. He stated that he considerad himself fully justified in all that he had done, and was perfectly satisfied now that he had had his revenge. The girl and her mother, he said, " had brought it all upon themselves." His father visited him in the course of the day, and a very affecting interview took place. Afterwards the prisoner recovered his usual indifference. The murders have created the most intense excitement in the district, and the lock-up and the house in which the crime was committed were yesterday visited by crowds of people.