OUTRAGE AT FOOTSCRAY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1171, 30 April 1872, Page 2

OUTRAGE AT FOOTSCRAY.

;;The^bench ! 6f magistrates at Fobtscray were.ocscupied for several hours, on the XQlhljiifi^jinheaiingJlie^videjicejagainsfc a young man named fames' Jackson, ~a laborlr/ "wfib "wUs^fchaipa with robbiug ,"JM£ss Setibra Rule, anTelderJy 4«jdj, residing at '^a^pno,i\l|>f>iJL3 ! 10s, |>n the morning of the.3 rd of December, and with committing a criminal offence upon her at the same time and place. The s.tatemeittskrf Miss Rule, /what isibetween sixty and seventy years old, were to the effect th'atahe\liyed'iri'"a House by heraelf^ and that bejjwpen.twjßlve.and one o'clocfT in.the^mQr^fn'g^silil^a^pic^Miion to open .her jCfpoiiJ^| t flaw.the,BsM.oger with jn^o^-ibla&oft-klQSftiUi^^hisShand. He entered the. house,; thriawher on the floor, and-placing the i knife at her. throat, 'swpre 1 he>w.6tild; take-her lifM if -she re^ sisted. She struggled neverjflieless ; but he accomplisHed- his 1 object^' and allowed, her to got up. -She was greatly alarmed, and offered^hint^a sovereign to leave the premised. •/'' He; t^ok- the money, and wentotftSMe'tHefdpor, but returned Buddesyf' ;: .^ offence in'tjie^skiliion^ag^iiti'p^ at !^Mj:B*veHnog^ jKer.if Bsl|b entreaty* he permitj^d-lherjto/Tiipe^lint he .jsubsequently, j threiwd-her^doviin^^Tiolently HRon.'a.pUce ©f hpop f .iron, iWhich^cHt her baoli, and committed ithe offence a-third .timis. yThe prisoner afterwards asked her how old she was. Witness replied that -she -could not tell', -butf ahe-thought she was near, 70. .As far as .witness could ■jtfdgjj, th'eprispher'waßm' r %e'^ altogether'about half ait hohrV^Biifdre leaving, -t^-*pViSbMr~SMdnievwo"uia''have > l^ in addition. 't3: ? jwhat;:fenl had given him. He then rushed into her : bedrojojUj and rfie'ized 'a^tib. b'ox'from which I Ub M h|d seen hersstako. r the sovereign^ 'and, naving examined^ it,, he .took therefrom two sovereigns, which he put in his pocket. W itnefesiinissed a half-sovereign, but she jdid not dee, him ,take>it. ,He -then left, telling her tha^t he^was a bushranger, and that he would return her the money by >'nine- J -6NBlock^n---tb» ; fc^ifrihg;^"^lonclay night. Witness^ house 'Ws ab"out 60 -y^B-fwm;tntrirearestTii3ighijo«r-.When tlie.ijrisoner fir^t aeized/h^jsjie screamed _as 'loud', as she could. '-C)wing to the vio^. ilende -she^ had 'tefeived' witness wisis-ill for a considerable time, and she had x nst yet , recovered^ -> 'Witness^ Was not undressed at the time of the outrage,,. On tha <foHsWing\^ty!itne*Hc;alieaon Neighbor • and told -hefhw sn"e*nad been attacked.. Told other neighbors $lap\'pn.tijiQ;sth and (iGthDecembefJiJ w^^wed- cuts. lind bruises she had received, and on th&

following Saturday Witness gave information to the police at Footscray, but in the meantime the prisoner had left the district, and could not be found. Witness never showed her wbnh'da to a doctor, as she was ashamed to do so. Last Friday week witness accompanied Constable Fitzgeral to a building in course of erection at Footscray, and there identified the prisoner among four or five other men. When the prisoner first attacked her he sharpened his knife on the table, saying he would kill her. On being cross-ex-»amined by Mr Gillott, witness stated tbat she had never seen the prisoner before, and the reason she was up so late on the night in question was that she was engaged in boiling meat to prevent it from spoiling. Three female witnesses were also examined, who stared that Miss Rule had called on them on the days stated

by h^ aid hatffihdWilibera her hurts. She had bruises on- her shoulders, arms, legs,.. breast, and a cut on her] back as if mode' by Jwmo rough instrument. Charles DaviW, *a quarryman, on jbeing , examined, 1 |said he was in coragtiby with the prisoner from the 2nd td Jhe Wm . January last seeking employment. Wf^ journeying frdin 1 Gisliorne *o Ridddllil Creek they had a conversation uiider a j tree, whep -the prisoner said he. had robbed Miss Rule of L 3 10s., and after leaving her house be lost:. 3oa of the money. Ho searched for : it the next day and found a sovereign, ,but he was unable, to find the half-sovereign. Three, weeks afterwards the prisoner and witness 1 were going through the BnllattWk Forest^ and being short of funds, prisoner said to witness, "I say, Charley, wouldn't sdtog of Miss Rule's money go high now T* T6e apprehending constable stated that ifter ■ • the arrettv and while on his way to jgaol, • the- prisoner remarked that he " thought he would get fonr years for it ;" and on his return from Melbourne, on the 10th inst, he said -to witness that he thought he wonld^etefeht 'years. The prisoner, who reserved his defence, was committed to take his trial ou .both charges at the next Criminal Sessions, to be heldJu . Melbourne on the 15th May. :> , The Bench said, they would accept, bail, in fop sure- . tijesof JU2SO each, apd' the prisoner's, own ' .recognisance in LBO0.;