The dwelling house of Mr. Younger Newton, Sen. of Richmond County, near Laurel Hill, was forcibly entered
on Saturday night the 26th January by some villains unknown, and Mr. Newton, an honest inoffensive old man, 
beaten on the head with a club in a shocking manner, and left for dead. Mrs. Newton, Mr. Daniel Watson and 
wife, and Mr. Philip Parker, (the three last visitors,) were all more or less wounded, but none of them 
dangerously. The ruffians then took Mr. Newton's chest, carried it some distance from the house, broke it
open and carried off his papers, nearly $20 in bank notes, a couple of medical books, &c. From another chest, 
they took 5 or 6 ladies' dresses, two domestic blankets, &c. The crime was doubtless committed by Negroes, as 
Mr. Newton and those in the house with him believed them to be such, and one of the party was seen by a Negro 
who says he was black. Between 10 and 12 o'clock of the same night, some strange Negroes were seen passing
Laurel Hill, and going towards Fayetteville. On Sunday, three persons were tracked from the stage road along 
the turnpike to Mr. Newton's. The same tracks returned the same way, broke out of the turnpike, and crossed 
Jordan's creek on Mr. MacFarland's mill dam, passed through Mr. MacFarland's plantation, and got into the 
stage road some distance south of his store house. One of Mr. Newton's papers was found on Sunday evening, 
nearly six miles south of Laurel Hill. Nothing has transpired to lead to the detection of the perpetrators 
of this most daring outrage; but it is hoped that they may yet be brought to justice. Many circumstances 
induce the belief that they came from a distance. Mr. Newton is pronounced by his physician to be in a fair 
way of recovery.

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