Carlisle Journal October 12th 1855 Cruel Dastardly Act

Cruel Dastardly Act

A circumstance has occurred in the neighbourhood of Brampton which has excited a painful feeling of excitement amongst the farmers of the district.  About four o'clock on Sunday morning, the 26th of September, MR. JOHN FERGUSON, farmer, of Upper Denton, was awoke by dirt being thrown against the upstairs back window of his house.   He got up, and on looking out of the window, he saw a man washing his hands at the pump trough.  The man then took the barrel churn, which was standing upon a frame in the yard, dashed it to the ground, and commenced throwing stones at it and kicking it down the yard.   MR. FERGUSON ordered him to desist, but the man refused, and he then called his brother and nephew Robert.  He told the nephew to use his gun if the man refused to go away, but to fire either too high or too low, so as not to hurt him.   By this time the riotous fellow was in front of the house, pelting the shutters with stones.  MR. FERGUSON's nephew went out, and the man then ran away from the door across the railway.   He followed him and when within fifteen or twenty yards of the fugitive, he inquired what he was there for, and what he wanted;  and threatened that if he did not go away he would take the legs from him.  The man made no reply, but commenced picking up stones, and threw them at MR. FERGUSON's nephew, who cautioned him several times , that if he did so he would shoot.   The man paid no attention to this threat, but continued to throw stones at his pursuer, and when near the Bell's nail-shop, two of the stones thrown by the man struck MR. FERGUSON, who then discharged the gun at him. A man named ROBERT ARMSTRONG, had that night along with three others, been drinking at a beershop in Upper Denton. ARMSTRONG left the house, and was absent for about a quarter of an hour. Hearing the report of a gun, the parties went out of the beershop, and found ARMSTRONG standing at the end of the house, bleeding in the face.  He said he had been fired at by ROBERT FERGUSON, but did not say for what reason. MR. JOHN FERGUSON on the above night had seven milk cows in a field about twenty yards from his own house, and between the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway and the road between Upper Denton and Gilsland. About five o'clock a noise as of fire arms was heard and in about half an hour afterwards, MR. FERGUSON proceeded to the field to bring the cows home.  He found one of the animals standing at the gate, and the others further in the field.  The cows were driven into the yard and put into their byres without anything particular attracting MR. FERGUSON's notice;  but when there he discovered that three of them had wounds in their foreheads. The wounds were shortly afterwards examined by MR. HARRISON, veterinary surgeon, and found to have been caused by the discharge of a gun.  Shot was taken out of the skin and flesh and from the inside of the skull of two of the cows, and also from the skin of the third, which was not so much injured, and is still living, but it was found necessary to kill the others. From the wounds it was clear that the whole charge of shot had gone in a body. Suspicion at once attached to ARMSTRONG, against whom a warrant was issued on a charge of shooting at the cows.  He was apprehended,  and brought before W. P. JOHNSTON, Esq., and JOSEPH COU*THARD, Esq., at the Magistrates' Office, Brampton, but the evidence was not sufficiently clear to convict him of the offence. He was, however, fined 5s and costs for breaking the barrel churn.   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

< Prev		Next >