The Sun. — 1854-03-15 (London, England)

GILL V. PULLAN. This was an action for a trespass, and for a libel, in Publishing some doggrel verses of the plaintiff in a newspaper called Burniston's Northern Luminary and Knaresborough Independent Press. The defendant pleaded " not guilty." Mr. Knowles, Q.C., and Mr. Addison, appeared for ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE AT BIRMINGHAM; the plaintiff, and Mr. Sergeant Wilkins and Mr. Price —A frightful event took place in this town on Monday for the defendant. a young man named Taylor, a shoemaker, residing It appeared, from the opening statement of counsel, with his widowed mother in Sherlock-street, after at- that the plaintiff is a highly respectable attorney at tempting to take the life of a young woman named Knaresborough, holding various public appointments, Walton, cut his own throat, and almost immediately and the defendant is a farmer, living at Hay Park, near expired. Mrs. Taylor and her son were weekly tenants Knaresborough. For some time the plaintiff had acted as of Mr. Walton, a respectable tradesman, carrying on the professional adviser of the defendant's late father, and business in Moor-street, and it was the custom of Miss had since beenconcerned, professionally, for other branches Walton, by the direction of her father, to collect this of the defendant's family. Some disagreement had, howand other rents every Monday. The Taylors were ever, arisen between the defendant and the plaintiff, and highly creditable people, and met their weekly payments in consequence the defendant had gone to the plaintiff's regularly ; nor does there appear to have been the least offices for the purpose of annoyance and insult. This discause of disagreement between the parties. Between agreement had arisen in consequence of some proceedings 10 and 11 o clock on Monday morning Miss Walton rendered necessaryunder the will of the defendant's father, called at the house, and, as usual, Mr. Taylor discharged and the defendant had applied epithets to the plaintiff, the rent. The son was pacing backwards and forwards in October last, showing a strong feeling in his mind in the room, and Miss Walton, who was seated on a against the plaintiff. Two or three weeks after that a chair, knowing that for some time he had been labouring circumstance occurred which had given rise to the preunder occasional if not continuous indisposition asked sent action. Early in November, at a fair which is held if he was any better ! This inquiry was no sooner made at Knaresborough, the defendant had hired a black man, than Taylor, :firmed with a razor which had hitherto i who played mountebank tricks at fairs—swallowing hot been concealed, darted upon her, seized her round the , pokers, and performing other feats—and had gone with neck, and drew the razor across her throat and face, him to the plaintiff's house, where they had forced themMrs. Taylor, the mother, ran to the assistance of selves into the plaintiff's kitchen. The black man then Miss Walton, but not before that young lady had jumped upon the chimneypieee, and, pretending to be received severe wounds on the face, arms, and body the Devil, had performed various feats of mountebankism, was she able to rescue her from the murderous attack to the great terror of the plaintiff's maidservants. A Mr. of her son. A large gash, no doubt intended for the Vickerman, the constable of Knaresborough was sent for, throat, extended across the lower part of the face, and and the black man was given into custody, the defendant so fierce and determined had been the attack that Taylor offering to bail him. For this outrage the black man had succeeded in cutting through the stays, and indicted had been sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment as a vaseveral severe wounds on the body. Before Mrs. Taylor, grant. An account of this proceeding was published in a who, in her attempts to rescue Miss Walton, was herself local newspaper called Burniston's Northern Luminary, severely cut about the arms and wrist, could wrest the and appended to it was some doggrel verse, which the razor from the hands of her son, he inflicted a long and defendant had offered 51. to the editor of the paper to deep wound upon his own throat, which caused his publish. Before the publication the defendant had read death in a few minutes. The assistance of the neigh- the verses to a select audience at a public-house. He bours was obtained, and the surgeons gave it as their did not seek for vindictive damages, and would now opinion that Miss Walton's recovery is far from hopeless. accept such a verdict as would simply carry coats, if the Taylor was a steady, industrious young man, but all who defendant would make an apology for his conduct. knew him agree that his mind for some time past had The case had not proceeded very far, when been considerably impaired. ' Mr. Serjeant Wilkins, for the defendant, agreed to a