The Enquirer

On Thursday last, Thomas Littlepage, of the county of King William, was riding on the road which led from the Piping Tree to Hanover town in the county of Hanover, in company with a Mr. Whitlock: when the latter suddenly checked his horse, and addressed his companion in words to the following effect: "Yonder is King. Take care, he'll shoot you." "Oh no;" was the answer, "he is too d--d a coward." The prediction, however, was too true. Mr. Littlepage turned the head of his horse towards Mr. King, when the latter levelled the gun which he held in his hand, and discharged it with too true an aim. The horse on which Mr. L. was mounted, immediately dropped and soon expired. Three buck-shot entered the breast of the unfortunate rider. That the wound must have been mortal, appears from the declaration of the surgeon, who examined and probed it: but death did not immediately ensue. Mr. L. appeared at first only stunned by the wound, and was recovering, when Mr. King, who had been hitherto standing on the other side of the fence, immediately crossed into the road, and drawing a pocket pistol, completely executed his purpose, by presenting it to Mr. L.'s head, and discharging it in that situation. The ball penetrated one side of the skull and came out at the other. Mr. King made no effort to escape the investigation of the law, and surrendered himself into the power of the civil magistrate.

On last Saturday his examination before the magistrate took place. No effort was made to disprove most of the preceding facts: but the plea, on which he rested his defence, was justification. Many witnesses were produced to prove the hostile designs of Mr. Littlepage towards him. It was proved that on the 4th of this month, Mr. Littlepage had met Mr. King on the same road, had assaulted him with a cudgel and would have probably terminated his existence, if his head had not been sufficiently protected by his hat. Several witnesses were adduced to prove, that Mr. L's resentment was not as yet subdued; that he had threatened to cudgel Mr. K. on the very first occasion when they met, and that if he made the least resistance, he was determined to shoot him dead: that Mr. King had heard of these menaces; and that on the very morning of their interview. Mr. L. had expressed a resolution to make use of a stick which he held in his hand, and a pair of loaded pistols he had in his pocket, for the consummation of these designs. The circumstances which led to such fatal hostility, are extremely voluminous, many of them delicate for a public paper, and very few relevant perhaps to this melancholy catastrophe. It is sufficient to add that Mr. King has been committed to jail by the magistrate: that he will be tried next Saturday, before a called court: and should he be committed to further trial, that he will be bro't up to the district court, which is to sit in this city on the 1st of next month.