The Potteries Examiner : — 1875-04-24 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

ANOTHER THROAT-CUTTING CASE AT CARDIFF.  ATTEMPTED SUICIDE ON BOARD SHIP.  After an immunity for some months from crimes involving bloodshed and loss of life, Cardiff is again , plunged into the vortex of murders, attempted murders, . and suicides. The period of quietude was broken a short time since by the crime of a coloured seaman, William Weaver, who, it will be remembered, attempted the life of a woman named 'Macdonald, in Charlotteatreet, and received as the penalty of his offence seven years' penal servitude at the hands of Baron Cleasby. Then followed the terrible wife-niurder and attempted saicide in Bute-road, charged with which, only on Wednesday, the wretched man George Richards ap. peered before the Cardiff stipendiary and was remanded. Quietus succeeding this was the suicide of Geo. John. son, landlord of the Royal George Inn, in whose case the jury on Thursday returned a verdict of "Temporary insanity.- While the jury in this case was de. liberating upon the evidence rowdier crime of a similar nature was in progress in Cardiff. and though it is hoped that the life of the would-be self-murderer may be preserved, the ease, so far as the circumstances have transpired, disclose a very shocking state of affair,. As the steamer Arno, of Sunderland, under the command of Captain Stevenson, on a voyage from one of the Irish ports, was in the Roasts. proceeding to the Reath Basin, the carpenter, a man named John Stevens, cut his throat with a razor. This was about four o'clock is the afternoon, and the vessel did not come to her moorings in the Booth Basin until mist six. Meanwhile Stevens, whose wound was a frightful gash, exterultug the whole length of his throat, and front which there poured forth a large quantity of blood, only received such rough surgical treatment as the captain could bestow, aud lay in his berth pallid, faint, and to all appearances dying. Immediately the vessel drew up in the basin the police were communicated with, and Sergeant Wines arrived without delay. Dr. Pratt was also sent for, who soon came on board the ship. After an examination of the man, ho expressed his opinion that with care he might recov or and gave orders that be should be conveyed to the liamadryad Hospital Ship:As Stevens was too weak to stand the jolting of a vehicle, a stretcher was procured, sad on this he wao carried with all care to the Hama. liryttd, where he was placed under treatment. He is a mart between :30 and 40 years of age, and it is supposed that before he joined the vessel in Ireland he had been .trinking, to caress, a conjecture which is strengthened by the circumstance that shortly before he shipped he VW in possession of a considerable sum of money, most of which has since disappeared. The man, though seiffering great pain and very faint front loss of blood, never became unconscious, but was able to answer the questions put to hint by Sergeant Wines. though in a very faint voice and with evident difficulty. It may be ,tated, as a somewhat remarkable fact in connection with the cases all.led to that the throat was the part always chosen, and that in all but one instance the weapon used was a razor.