A MURDEROUS ASSAULT IN PARRAMATTA GAOL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1112, 5 September 1871, Page 2

A MURDEROUS ASSAULT IN PARRAMATTA GAOL.

The Sydney Morning Herald, says :•—*■ On a recent morning the startling newq spread through JParraniatta thst a, murderous assault had been made in the gaol upon the foreman of the stonecutters, Mr William McLaren, by a prisoner under his charge named Kelly. The particulars af the affair, as far as can be gleaned, are as follow ;-—A Fewminutes after nine o'clock, as Mr £.aren entered the yard, he called Kelly's attention to the fact that some stone he was breaking was not sufficiently reduced in size. It does not seem that addressed the prisoner in any very harsh manner, or said anything that can at all account for th,e extraordinary act that followed. As McLaren turned to leave the spot, Kelly, without a word of warning, swung aloft the heavy stoneb.reaker's hammer he "was using and struck McLaren with it upon the head, inflicting a frightful v,ound, and, pi course, at once felling him to the earth. .As the unfortunate man was in the act of falling, Kelly struck him a second heavy blow upon the lower part of the face, completely smashing in the jaw. Any further violence on the part oi" the murderous wretch was prevented by one of his fellow-prisoners, who secured hjm until the warders came up. On being accused of the deed, he made no denial, but appeared perfectly callous. He gave no definite reason for it. Mc? Laren was at once conveyed to his residence, which is fortunately not far from the gaol; and Dr Fringle, who was promptly in attendance, has continued to exert himself to the utmost on his patient's behalf. The wounds, however, are of such a dreadful nature (more especially the one penetrating the skull) that the poor fellow lies in a most precarious state, It is difficult to understand the motive that could have prompted ICelly, unless it was mere brute hatred for one in authority overturn. McLaren, who has been a resk dent in Parramatta for many years, is a young man, a little over thirty, uni-r versally and deservedly respected, bear? ing an unblemished character, and spoken very highly of in his department. His manner lias always been peculiarly quiet and inoffensive, and altogether he is one of those men more likely to make friends of all they meet than enemies of any. He holds the position of color-sergeant in our local Volunteer corps, the members of which all speak ot him in the warmest terms of appreciation. He has a wife and young family who, together with a large circle of relatives and acquaint? ances, are plunged into the greatest grief at the cruel blow that has thus fallen upon them The man Kelly is a young liHiman, convicted sometime time back of highway robbery.