Reading, Sept. 30. On Saturday last a very shocking and barbarous murder was committed by three abandoned villains:-
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Luckily two men seeing these villains dragging something along, their curiosity led them to the spot, where they found the mangled corpse in the shocking situation described. They not thinking it prudent to pursue the murderers without assistance, went back to Road-lane, where they got eight or nine men to join them; and at Rake, near Petersfield, they came up with them, and after a stout resistance secured them all. They were had before justice Fielding, of Haslemere, Surrey, and, after separate examinations, committed to Guildford gaol.—They were all three Irishmen, and one of them had been a shipmate with the deceased.—It is horrid to relate, that one of them declared, that was he again at liberty, he would murder the first person he met; and they all acknowledged, they had agreed to murder a man they met on the road between the place where they committed this shocking deed, and where they were taken, but were prevented by some persons coming in sight.
They were conducted under a strong guard, and on coming to the house, where the mangled corpse of the poor man lay, the guard insisted on their getting out of the coach, to see and touch the body; one of them was much affected and shed tears; but the other two seemed totally unconcerned, and with an unpardonable audacity declared, ‘they would do so again, had they an opportunity.”
The same day a young man was stopped on the road about two miles from the spot where the above murder was committed, by two men, who knocked him down, and stuffing his mouth full of sand, robbed him of half-a-guinea.—He was present at the examination of the murderers before Justice Fielding, but did not think either of them the persons who robbed him.
