The National Register. — London, England, 1814-09-18 00:00:00

AP .$ Err. 19. ► Mitchell being called upon for his defence, declared, that it had .always been far trout his intention to _murder Miss.Welchutan. ,ticgr the pistolsnor the hat were his, nor bad they been proved to be so. lie denied that be asked for supper, and at,serted that he . . i • out through the street door. • Mr. Justice Heath addressed a le i w,ohservations to the Jury. It was quite clear, tint; the deceased, Ann Welchman, had come un lawfully by het death, and murdered. Positive evidence as to the prisoner having been the perpetrator of the murder could not be. expected, for men seldom committed crimes in the presence of 'others. A combination of coircortling facts was, however, equally Stroll, and, perhaps, a more unequivocal evidetsco. The testi ' nanny of an imlivitlual might be influenced, but a series and coin *Menet of facts were less open to error and perversion. In the recapitulation of the evidence, the Learned Judge dwelt upon the eircumstatices of the hat, as connected with evidence that there were no male lodgers in the house. The Jury, without hesitation, found the prisoner Gility. • The Recorder, after silence bad beet' proclaimed, then pro *ovum,' the sentence 4if the law, which was heardt by the prisoner without the slightest symptoms of emotion. 'lke prisoner. aftei flO.l and impartial trial, had been convicted by an attentive and in. teilig - eht Jury •of the horrid crime of murder. Odious as this crime was in the right of God, and to The feelings of Man, it was in this., instance accompanied by every circumstance•of . iggravation. Ht had,. in the gratification of his. blood thirsty viageance, taken away the life of an - tmottending female, with whom be had ptoPostd to: enunect himself in marriage. Where nature had called aloud for kindness, he had exhibited enmity; where he Should have appeired in the character of a protector, he stood her murderer and -gsroyer. - lii relation to an offence of such magnitnik and mar silky. human laws concurred with the divitie precept, Whosoever sheddeth man's blood. by man shall his blood be shed.' The sen tence of the law was,, that he shall be taken back to prison, and on Monday morning taken to shine place of execution, there to ho hanged anti) lie shall be dead, and that liis body be delivered to the surgeons for dissection. William Henry Hollings was indicted for the wilful murder of • Alizabeth Pitcher, on the 4th of July last. •., Mr. Cartwright proved, that the deceased lived servant in his &Ouse, in Lower Grosvenor street before and at the- time When the murder was committed. On the evening of the day mentioned in the indictment he heard the report of a pistol. -He went down stairs, and found Elizabeth Pitcher on the ground, and bleeding. He likewise saw a man, from whom he took a pistol, and shortly itterwards gave in custody to a watchman. Elisabeth filcher was , hot then dead. W. Martin, servant to the former witness, deposed that the pHs` setter came to his master's house about a quarter past ten o'clock. and asked for Elizabeth. He sent the deceased td the door, who drew it gently after her without closing it. The priaoner,he believed had been an exciseman. He went into the parlour. and soon after wards !lewd the report of a pistol: It was preceded by a female scream. On going to the dour he found Elizabeth still standing, and supported her in his arms. Under her right arm he perceived a large black mark resembling the impression of gunpowder. She said something, but it was not intelligible. The prisoner followed ti.em up the passage, whilst. he led the deceased into the parlour, and placed her is a chair. Her cloth's were then tore down, and he saw the wound, which bled but little. She was taken up stairs, and lauguia!led till the Sunday fullowing, when she died. On cross cu.- mieation he stated, that the prisoner made no resistance, and that he saw a broken glass on the steps, containing a white liquid, he believed arsenic and water. Samuel Lohb, a !wrote, heard the report of a pistol, arid took the prisoner into en4ody n the passage of the house. Prisouer said, " dont seize me, I shall not go away " He likewi.e asked "if Eli sabeth was dead, and if he mixlit kiss her cold lips.* William I)eaue was the constable of the night, and recollected the prisoner bring broil:id awl committed to his custody. During the night he drank a great quantity of water, and vomited consider ably. Mr. Cartwright swore to the pistol, which appeared to him to have been loaded with small shot almost to the muzzle. Mr. Heaviside was called, and stated that he sew the young woman after her wounds : she lived till the Sunday following the Monday on which night she received the mortal blow. I7pon exa mination, he found about two hundred small shut in her lungs, and nearly as many in her liver. The prisoner, in his defence, stated that he had always felt the greatest respect for the deceased, and loved her as if She had been • • - THE NATIONAL REGISTER. hi s own child. He knew nothing almt the unfortunate job by ninth she came to her death. __ _ Mr. Gurney then called several witnesses to skew the prisoner's insanity. Richard Stone lived at No. It, Swan-place, in the Kent.rnad ; be was a journeyman carpenter, and the prisoner had lodged with hire nine months before' the commission of the murder. He bad always appeared to be of unsound mind. The carpet in his room was often drawn atid rolled up in a strange manner. lie often heard him singiti,g at night, and his wife was frequently much alarmed. He wa, some times sunk in melancholy: and for the six weeks previous to the sumo der, had exhibited many marks of derangement. On the night lanes. diately preceding it, be appeared inure deranged then - ever. • Emma Mason was .the daughter of a publican in that neighbeer. hoed, and the prisoner was in the habit of taking his breakfast at hee father's house. She lied always looked upon him as deranged )u his mind, from his incohettnt conversation, and occasional depression of spirits. Sometimes he scribbled on paper in a strange way, and she was generally afraid to stay in the same room with hint. James Cohen, a calico printer, lived near the Kentooad ; knew the 'prisoner:three years ago, and then considered hies at dines to be in sane. He wits often Incoherent, but not always sober. Robert Cooper lived in_ Lock's fields ; knew the prisoner twelve months ago, when be .appeared much deranged. At that time he !Aged in Witness's house, and WAS sometimes found shrieking, and „biting the *heels, exclaiming, 6 Oh,Betsity; alluding probably to the • deceased. He had been suspended from his place he believed, twice, and was tesnoved about two months ago. Mrs. Bennet had attended the father of the deceased, wit) was its. 'tans, sad Believed that the prisoner was certainly deranged ; he had "filename paid his cuurt . to her, and appeared occasionally to be int.' brieted. was again examine 1 , and deposed, that he hatliteen the pri. 'Mier several times with Elimibeth Filcher, and never observed any thing remarkable in his behavi ur. Mr. Ilaron Graham summed up the evidenewto the Jury. The maim question for Ihent• 'to decide Ives, not whether the prisoner., 4hO had been, clearly proved to be the peruse who • gam: Elizabeth Pitcher her death-wound, had been, at times labouring under a privation of reason, but whether, at the time of committing the murder, he was incapable of distinguishing what was morally•:right from what was morally wrong. It was for them to consider whether this kind of plea, which might be set up in excuse for any crime, had been so supported as to establish a Sufficient exculpation for the prisoner whether he was, its perpetrating thi. shocking outrage. under the dominion of malady, or the influence of an intemperate heart and mind. In a short time the Jury brotight in a verdict of Guilty. The prisoner then addressed the Court. He acknowledged that he had been fairly tried, and most justly convicted Ile hoped his fate would furnish a warning to all who heard the case against the indul. genre of violent passions. Ha had loved—he had fervently loved the unhappy girl whose lite he had taken away. God be thanked, how ever, he was now prepared to die, in the firm assurance of the forgive• ness of the Almighty. The Recrirder then passed sentence of death, which was l,eatd with composure by tie prisoner, who withdrew, bowing to the different parts of the Court. Johan de Silva (a Portuguese sailor) was tried on the charge of being accessary to a murder committed in December, 1810, upoe Thomas Davis, a waterman, in Nightingale-lane, East Smithfie ld. "The circumstances of this case have already been before the pub. lie, on the trial of Cardoza, who was executed for the murder. The deceased and his brother, being in liquor, jostled against sonic girls ofThe town, and an affray began. Two of the girls struck the mess. and were themselves pushed aboat in consequence, when one of them fell in the 'mid ; one of the girls immediately cried " fiend for Cardoza ;' and a message was sent to a public house to tall him that the girls were ill-treated. Cardoza, attended by the prisoner and two other men, immertiately rushed from the public-house, and commenced a scuffle with the deceased amid his brother, during which Cardoza killed the deceased by stabbing him with a clap Lillie, for which he was convicted and executed, Hannah Brown, nue of the girls, who was proved to have said, " Don't leave a 1)4 Of life in him," was also convicted of manslaughter, in being the oc casion of the man's death. Search was made for the primmer at die time, but be had gone on a voyage to China. James Davi,, brother to the deceased, detAiled the circumstances of the allr,ty. He waiositive that the prisoner %vas one of the tour who came out from p the puti!ie house. Ile hal colt:net' the witness, and both fell in the scuffle; but the witness afterwards found that he had beau cut iu the urn:. lie had afterwards , solo .;