FEARFUL ENCOUNTER IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 98, 7 October 1863, Page 5 (Supplement)

FEARFUL ENCOUNTER IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE.

On Friday last a murderous assault-was* 1 made in a railway carriage on the London and North- Western line by-Mr Michael Lyons, National School teacher, of Bampark, Ballymasnallan, near Dundalk, upon two fellow passengers. The assailant had taken a return excursion ticket for a month from Ireland to London. As the 9.T2 express train was about to start from Liverpool 16 London, he,.Mr Peter M'Lean, and Mr James Worland, of Plaistow, Essex, entered a second-class, carriage, in which there was previously an elderly lady. After the train had started, the prisoneiywho had" ] a large carpet bag, placed himself close by the window. He was heard to say something incoherently, but almost in a menac- i ing sort of way. Mr Worland and Mr M'Lean, who were conversing, looked towards him, as did also the lady, who was J seated near the window on the opposite, side of the carriage. The prisoner, how-' ever, sat down quietly, and continued so until after the train had passed the fJletch- ! ley station. Then he suddenly jumped up from his seat, and, with a large open claspknife in his hand, rushed at Mr Worland, and stabbed him in the forehead, causing ! a most frightful wound. He was in the act of striking another blo\^pt Mr Wor- ! land, when Mr M'Lean knocked him back onto the seat. This had the effect of infuriating him the more. He started from his seat, and was about to strike another blow at Mr Worland, when Mr M'Lean seized him by the throat, and clutched the knife in his right hand. A fearful struggle ensued, and the prisoner drew the weapon through his antagonist's hand, cutting some of the fingers to the bone. Mr Worland, who all this time had not been idle, although, shockingly wounded and weak from loss of blood, managed to get behind the prisoner, and throw him down. The lady in the compartment, after screaming for assistance for some time, fainted away. The struggle must have been a desperate one, for the prisoner, who was shouting loudly, endeavored to rise and shake the two gentlemen off, at the same time striking and stabbing both of them. Fortunately the oil lamp in the carriage was alight, and this enabled Mr WorJand anri Mr M'Lean to wrest the knife out of the prisoner's hand, and to keep him down till they arrived at Camdentown station. When the tteket-collecior entered the carriage he saw the wounded men covered with blood holding the prisoner. The sides, seats, windows, floors, and every place in llie carriage were covered with blood and finger-marks. Prisoner was at once conveyed to the station, where he made a statement to the erfect that he believed the gentlemen who were with him to be thieves, who intended to iob him. He saw them talking lo one another, and making motions towards him, and he 1 hough t he could not do better than defend himself, if only for his dear little ones at home, M r M'Lean's hand is frightfully cut, and he is also seriously injured in other parts of the body. Mr Worland has been dangerously wounded, as stated in the medical certificate which appears in the Marylebone police report of this day. The prisoner has since been taken before Mr Lowndes, one of the magistrates at Bletchley, and remanded on the deposition of Mr Maclean till Thursday next. Tie volunteered no statement in reply to the charge, and was then taken to the county gaol. On searching the prisoner's carpet bag a prize metlal was found awarded to j him by the Society of Arts, besides various j books and papers, and he states that he j came up from Dundalk to be examined as a schoolmaster at the forthcoming exami--1 nation at Turlington Houss — Dublin Paper, July ].