The Sun. — 1844-10-17 (London, England)

ASSAULT ON A WIFE BY HER HUSBAND, AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. (Abridged from the Cheltenham Examiner.) On Saturday morning the neighbourhood of Mountpleasant was thrown into a state of great excitement, by a report that a man named Young, a coal-dealer, residing there, hail stabbed his wife and two children, and afterwards attempted suicide by cutting his own throat ; the rumour spread far and near, and the house was beseiged by the populace, who used no very gentle language towards the culprit, and the policemen stationed on the premises had some difficulty in preserving order among the crowd. In the afternoon the depositions of the injured woman were taken, at the house, before W. Gyde, Esq.  The husband, Richard Young, apparently about fortyfive years of age, was lying in bed with his throat bandaged up, quite sensible and collected ; ho took no notice of his wife when she came into the room, and took but little interest in the proceedings. The floor and bed clothes, and several of the articles, were spotted with blood.  Mrs. Young deposed that her husband and herself had frequent disagreements together, and she had separated from him. Four days before the assault they had made matters up. On the Friday night they went to bed on very good terms. About four o'clock she was awoke by a blow in the bowels, and putting her hand to the spot, she felt the blood running from her. Her hus• band, who was out of bed, cried out, " Mother Young, Mother Young." She said, "Oh Richard, lam afraid you have killed me," and begged of him to get a light ; he did so, and went down stairs, leaving her in the dark. She ran into her son's room, calling " murder," and heard her son say, " Oh don't, father, dont't do it," or words to that effect. She then ran out of the home and into a neighbour's, who applied bandages to the wound and stopped the blood ; it bled very much. Henry Young slept in an adjoining room, and about five o'clock was awoke by his mother rushing into the room crying "murder." She told him to run into his father's room ; he did so, and found his father sitting on the side of the bed, and the blood running out of a great gash in his throat. James Spring, police-constable 37, deposed to being called in directly after the occurrence ; he found Young was lying on the bed,covered up in the clothes; he turned him on his back, and found his throat cut, and the knife produced lying beside him, the pen blade being open. Witness assisted the doctor to dress the wounds, and stayed in charge of the prisoner afterwards. He said, "Policeman, we are not our own keepers ; do you think I shall be transported ? I knew nothing of it till my wife cried out I am stabbed.' I then recollected all, and cut my throat, in hopes we might die together. I cut ray throat because I thought I had stabbed my wife." Mr. Henry Taylor, surgeon—On seeing Mrs. Young, and being told what had occurred, requested to examine the wound, and found it an incised one ; it was about half an inch in length and one -eighth of an inch in depth, and was just such a wound as would be caused by the penknife produced. It was not at all dangerous, but might have been serious. This being the whole of the evidence, and the prisoner declining to say anything in his defence, he was fully committed to the assizes. Mr. Superintendent Russell was bound over to prosecute, and the witnesses to give evidence.