The Sun. — 1847-08-16 (London, England)

ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE IN THE CITY. A most deliberate attempt at murder took place on Saturday afternoon, between the hours of three and four, in Mark-lane, City. The following particulars connected with the dreadful affair were obtained from parties who were eye-witnesses of the same, and may be relied upon as being perfectly free from exaggeration : It appears that the person whose life has been placed in danger is Mr. George Crawley, a, highly respectable wine merchant, carrying on business in the lower part of the house numbered 12, Mark-lane, just above the New Corn Exchange, on the opposite side of the way. The intended assassin is named John Ovenstone, and has for some considerable time past carried on the business of an upholsterer in Great. Titchfield-street, Marylebone. From what could be learned from the friends of both persons, it seems that an execution had been sent into Ovenstone's house, which had greatly exasperated him. Mr. Crawley having been the plaintiff in a suit, the accused went, at the time above stated, to his place of business for no other purpose than to murder him. Upon arriving at his offices, he saw one of Mr. Crawley's clerks, of whom he inquired whether or not his employer was within. Having been answered in the negative, be expressed his regret that he, was not; and desired the clerk, if he could, to send for him, as he bad business of great import. ante to transact, which could not be delayed. Unfortunately Mr. Crawley was at a friend's house in the City, and the request of Ovenstone having been made known to him, he at once returned to his offices. Upon entering he inquired of• Ovenstone what his business was, when he saved out in a great passion, " What do you mean by doing what you have done ?" The unfortunate gentleman only had time to reply, " Why, Mr. Ovenstone, you know that I have only done—," when Ovenstone cried out, " Take that !' at the same moment discharging the contents of a loaded pistol at Mr. Crawley. A cry of " Murder 1" was immediately raised, and Mr. Crawley ran bleed ing into the street. A great crowd soon congregated round the wounded man, who took him to the surgery of Messrs. Harris, Duplex, and Co., in Fen. church-street. Upon an examination being made, it was ascertained that a bullet had entered the cheek of Mr. Crawley, and had tern away a portion of the roof of the mouth, but the ball had lodged in the cavity. Seeing the dangerous state he was in, Mr. Harris advised his removal to the hospital, which was forthwith done. When Mr. Crawley's clerk saw his master was wounded, he closed the door and locked the attempted murderer in. He had hardly done so before a second report of fire-arms was heard to proceed from the place. A party of the City police immediately repaired to the house, and Constables Strickland and Edmonds entered, and found Ovenstone sitting in a chair, with a couple of pistols near him, and blood flowing in copious streams from his head and face. They immediately secured both the pistols and Ovenstone, and, having placed him in a cab, they took him to Gay's Hospital. Mr. Cocks and Mr. Wilkes, two of the house surgeons, were in instant attendance. They found that the injuries he had inflicted on himself were of a most frightful character the ball appeared to have entered at the mouth, passed in an oblique direction, and lodged over the left temple. From the fact of the bullet remaining in the head very little hopes are entertained of his recovery. Mr. Crawley made the following statement respecting the affair, which, it will be perceived, fully substantiates the report :—" Yesterday afternoon, about half-past three o'clock, whilst conversing with a friend in the wine trade, my clerk came to me and said that Mr. Ovenstone, of Great Titchfield-street, wanted to speak to me. I immediately went into my room, where I found Mr. Ovenstone, to whom I said, Well, Mr. Ovenstone, I understand you want to see me.' He replied, Yes, Sir, I do: I inquired what his business was with me, when he shouted out, ' What do you mean by doing what you have done ? you are a pretty fellow, I think.' My impression was that he was alluding to a sale that bad taken place at his house. I told him that I had nothing to do with it; that I had left my case in my solicitor's hands. I had no sooner uttered these words, than he put his hands into his pocket, for the purpose, as I imagined, of drawing out his handkerchief, instead of which he pulled out a pistol, presented the mouth at me, and before I had time to get away he discharged the contents in my face. I immediately ran out into the street, and cried Murder,' and afterwards went to Mr. Harris's surgery, and thence I came to this hospital in a cab. When I ran out Ovenstone was in the room, and I understand from my clerk that he locked him in to prevent his escape. What afterwards took place I do not know of my own knowledge, but .1 have been told that Ovenstone shot himself the moment after I ran into the street." It is understood that the medical gentlemen have been successful in extracting the ball which had lodged in Ovenstone's head, and that it is now in the care of Edmonds, the officer. There seems to be no doubt about its having been the intention of the wretched man to kill Mr. Crawley, and then destroy himself, as, in addition to the fact of his going to that gentleman's counting-house with two heavily loaded pistols, a written statement was found in his coat pocket, which was evidently drawn up so as to give a full explanation of the several reasons that had actuated him to attempt the commission of the crime. In it he states that he is after detailing his tired of the world, and, many misfortunes, expresses his desire to die. It appears that Ovenstone, in conjunction with a Mr. Cremer, was the assignee of a bankrupt, manager of an inn in Holborn, to whom Mr. Crawley had supplied wine and spirits, but OvenI?, Mr. Crawley proceeded at stone's co-assignee failing, law against Ovenstone for the amount due to the estate, about 150/.