88 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



[Sept. 



The number of the assailants was 

 eight ; five of them gained ad- 

 mission into the house, probably 

 through the parlour window, and 

 three remained on the outside. 

 Those who entered went to the bed- 

 room door and tried the lock,' but 

 did not attempt to enter by force. 

 They remained in the house about 

 three quarters of an hour. When 

 the family reached the bed-room, 

 Mr. Surridge made his escape 

 through the window, with the 

 manly design of procuring assist- 

 ance under such fearful and peri- 

 Jous circumstances ; but he had 

 ■not proceeded far when he was 

 overtaken and seized by two fel- 

 lows, one of whom presented a 

 pistol, while the other urged hit 

 associate to blow out the brains 

 of their captive. The last of these 

 savage ruffians had a butcher's 

 knife in his possession, with which 

 he made a blow at Mr. Surridge, 

 and cut him dreadfully over the 

 muscular part of the left arm. 

 Mr. Surridge then seized the knife 

 with both his hands, but the fellow 

 turned it in hij grasp, and it cut 

 severely both his thumbs. Mr. 

 Surridge was knocked down in 

 this terrific scuffle, but escaped in 

 a manner which his situation has 

 prevented him from being able ac- 

 curately to explain. He crossed 

 the Pill to the opposite side, but 

 fell down through loss of blood, 

 and remained in a state of insen- 

 sibility for a considerable time. 

 At length, however, he reached 

 the house of Mr. Cotton, where he 

 still remains, and where he has 

 experienced the most humana at- 

 tention from that gentleman and 

 his family, and from the neigh- 

 bours of Mr. Cotton. When Mr. 

 Surridge had escaped from the 



bed-room window, he called out i 

 " murder !" On this, Mr. John- 

 son went to the window, and was ' 

 again fired at, the shots entering 

 his left breast, and the wounds ; 

 inflicted by them depriving him of ^ 

 all power of exertion. The family | 

 remained in this condition till 

 their enemies had left the house. ^ 

 A gold watch and considerable 

 property were exposed to their 

 view, and wholly at their com- 

 mand, but it is not yet fully known 

 that they carried any thing off 

 with them except some keys. At 

 length, one of the Misses Johnson 

 lepaired to the house of Mr. 

 Usher, a magistrate, who, ac- 

 companied by his nephew, Mr. 

 Hewson, returned with her to her 

 father's, and entered most zealous- 

 ly into the transaction which had 

 taken place, and afterwards went 

 in pursuit of the criminals. A 

 servant was despatched to this 

 city, with a request for the im- 

 mediate attendance of Dr. Poole ; 

 and here another feature of this 

 inhuman transaction unfolded it- 

 self. The messenger was en- 

 countered near Cove by the assail- 

 ants, deprived of his horse, and 

 threatened with death if he should 

 dare to proceed. This circum- 

 stance delayed Dr. Poole's arrival 

 at Mr. Johnson's till five o'clock 

 yesterday morning, no information 

 having reached him till four. 

 There were three wounds in the 

 chest, but ordy two balls (slugs) 

 have yet been found and extracted. 

 The knife by which Mi'. Surridge 

 was wounded, and the cuff of a 

 coat, were found on the .spot where 

 the struggle occurred. One of the 

 banditti wore crape on his face; 

 the rest were undisguised. 



56. Yesterday, abput one o'clock 



