Railway Outrage

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 38, 1 September 1883, Page 3

Railway Outrage

A new terror has been added to the perils of the Englishman's annual trip across the Channel. During the small hours of Thursday 28th June the Rev. G. F. Whidbourne, of St. Pancras, London, was nearly murdered (as priveously reported in our English telegrams), in a railway carriage between Calais and Paris. A man had entered at Boulogne, and as the train started began a conversation. He spoke in broken English, and, not liking his appearance, Mr Whidbourne did not encourage him to talk, but shutting his eyes, began to doze. He supposes they had just passed Abbeville, when he was aroused by three or four heavy blows on the temple. As he opened his eyes, he saw his fellow-passenger in the act of striking at his head with a carpenter's chisel. Mr Whid bourne at once closed with his assailant, and wrenching the implement from his grasp, flung it out of the carriage door, which he now discovered to be open. Finding that he was more than matched, the man drew from his pocket a revolver, but, seizing the muzzei, the cleryman kept it at a distance from himself. After a prolonged struggle, the man tried to throw Mr Whidbourne out of the carriage door; but the the latter got on to the footboard, and made his way along it until he was admitted into another carriage. The wonld-be assassin leaped from the train, but was caught shortly afterwards and taken to Amiens, having attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself. He gives his name as Cochois, and when he was searched a number of travellers' purges were found upon him. There is therefore ground for the luspicion that he is the author for the robberies which have lately taken place on that line between Boulogne and Paris.