The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-09 00:00:00

THE TRAGEDY NEAR FARNHAM.

On Sat Imlay morning the double crinie of attempted
murder and suicide, is petrated in the wild part of
Surrey known as the !' Devils Jumps," under dream-
stances of great peculiarity, again came before the
justices at Farnham in the examination of the alleged
perpetrator. The crime WILY so nexrly consuilimatesl
that the intended victim wagon Satin, lay scarcely able
to appear Wore the magistrates, and was still in a
very weak condition. She did, however, appear, awl
the evidence was so clear that the case, so far as the
magkiterial jurbidiction is concerned, was concluded.
The prisoner was champs] as William Midway, and
the description given of 111111 fes having been a cavalry
soldier awl as lately conneetel with circus perform-
ances was fully borne out by his appearance. He is a
tall, soldierly-liiiiking loan of about 44, slightly built,
and his actions in the court were theatrical in the ex-
treme. lie requested and obtained leave from the
justices to stand near his sglicitor, Mr. Eve, of Alder-
shott. Ile seemed inelinefl. 11111,01 by the justice, or
the solicitors, to influence the principal witne,-,
by leaking negative and affirmative signs by shaking
and noildingfiis bead ;let he was quietly stopped in
this.counie by the Superintendent of Police, who stood
near him.

After Ann Langley, the cook in Mr. Carrington'
service, William Carrington, a nephew of Mr. Carring-
ton, and Sarah Parry, the housemaid in Mr. Carring-
ton's service, had repeated their evidence, which has
already been published,

. Mrs. Carrington vrniA brought into the court, and this
occasioned much excitement. She is a handsome
woman, younger than the prisoner. She no sooner
caught eight of the prisoner than she became hysterical,
and the prisoner also became much excited, raking his
hands above his head, an I weeping alcuth exclaiming
theatrically, " lb" t bless her." Ile also made a show
•
of bitterly weeping.
The witness described herself en Rosa Cart ing,ton, the wife
of Richard Christopher CitrrilE-ttOn, And dcpo9,ll: I re-
member 411140 well the morning of the Ikth of last month.
I heard the bell of the house ring several times between
twelve and one, and as no one went I got up to answer the
ring. The room I was in and front whielt I went 5525 at the
rear. I saw through a glass In fore I opet,ed the frott it,r
that it was the prisoner, and I said " You bad man for coining
here." I then opened the door, and the prisoner, who had a
stick in his hand. IsClllO,l it gill the ground as he saki "
have rose you from that." He further said "J want the
money you owe fir, tie shawl, the chat. and the little
I said I would pack up the shawl ntlll eloak and send or bring
then, to Itlnt, bet I could not give the dog mall Mr. Carring-
ton returned. 'the prisoner left toe tars 1110111elit Illtll went
round the home and tlieit returned, I had stood on the
steps, thinking he had not aahl all Ile had.to sae, and when
he returned he said, "You are a bad womtui," and thou
stahhed melt, the arm.

Mr. Brown (who appeared for the prosecution): Did he
make some proposal to you lotion, he stablmil you.
Witness No, he did not. Not cunt t can recollect,
Mr. Brown Recollect yourself tot a moment.
titter redocting): Vs. I op ow remcmher ; he asi,ed
me, heiore he bat tiro door at rad, if I would go for a a alh
with Mtn, anti I ref tined, saying that I was SUM he dc.ired to
do Inc all the injury he could. I cannot remember that Ile
made use of any threats, lint the stab followed. That was
with a slurry knife, and was thromob the in-m. I ran into the
1,11 entrance id the house anti fell. I cannot tell whether Ile
stalibed air, I,lleo I was nundait er aficrwaisls, but the only
next 0,1114 I can remember t.s his MIS'S., nrc Sp and taking a
knife from lint of my hick. II 111 stab tee hi the hack, but
I cannot any whether berthd it hefore or after I fell. I can-
not say what caused lite tip fail, for my remembrance fails of
Whio claelly occurred at that moment. After takinx the
knife mit id pry hark the prisoner placed Inioself in a half-
sit tina position and iannunneed gabbing himself. I called to
him ISA tin do tide, not tu throw tin,, linlfe away, and he threw
It away. T.i tire best of my recollection, I their ran out of
the house. I had a wound on the finger, but I think I dirt
that myself In trying to catch the knife. I also caught bold
attire prisoner's whiskers in trying to get hold of the knife,
...mil it was then I cut my lingers. When I ran out of the
Reuse . the prisoner folh mina me, and Ire caught bold
of My hard; saying, "We shall meet in heaven.- I ran
away Ira little ion, and, seeing the prisoner coming, I ran
into the road, whew I saw Mn,. West's servant, and with
her I went into Mrs. West's house. This bodice (a bodice
covered with blood produced) Was wore by me when
stabbed.

Two letters were produced and shown to the witness.
One she identified CO in the prisoner's handwriting, the other
be said she could not say 500 his. Neither was read.

utol,a P.Laipined by Mr. Eve (for the rrisrat( 0, the witties
End that she *end not ext tel whea ate saw the prisoner, IF
was he excited, and this Unexcited condition of him was Ml-
itsuAl with him. The stabs were intentional, and neither

the first nor second was accidental. She was certain he did
not confluence 'Gibbing himself before he stabbed her, awl
she was certain that she did net attempt to take the knife
from his hand before he stabbed her in the hack. She did
not reniember his putting his aims rand her waist.
•

• .. ...
The prisoner got much excited here, end tried to catch the
witness's eye, hot she avoided looking at him.

. - a
The cross-exammation then proceeded,—l have lived with
the prisoner no his wife. The last time I Saw him before the
Both was when I returned from Scotland, ahout is month ago.
I then met hint near Westminster-bridge, at a house there.
Its had something of mine ,and I went to get it. I promised
hits to semi him Wale money which I need him. I have
made no appointment to meet him in London. I did not
write to make an appointment with hint, nor did 1 make
such nu appointment by word of mouth. The prisoner doting
our intimacy has taken two houses as much for himself as any
one else, one at Clapham and one at Battersea, and they were
furnished with fuy furniture. It is under two years duce I
lived with him, but I cannot say how long. I have not
written to him, hut I sent to him a bill for two pairs of touts
which he had had, the account of which was sent to me. I
have had no letter from the prisoner lately.
Mr. Brown objected to these matters being gone into, and
the subject was, after a time, dropped.
Mr. Williams, a surgeon in the town, stated that he was
called to go to a house at the Devil's Jumps. He saw the
last witness there, half undressed, and evidently suffering
(rum loss of blood from wounds. She had two punctured
wounds, one in the haek was an Inch and a half deep and an
inch long. The .titer was nu the left arm, had penetrated
the arm gone through the armpit, and had entered the chest
between the fourth and fifth ribs. The wound in the chest
Was, no dolllit, (I dangerous one. It was a stab wound. She
also had cuts on the tiw;er. The ivotiodS had all the cha-
recto ist b..; of stab wounds. The Wolliel in the hack was not
likely to b.- produced by a fall on a knife as suggested by Mr.
Eve, and he should certainly say it wail a stab WllUild.

Cross examined by Mr. Eve : The witness said that the pri-
soner hot seven slight wounds. Ile did not say it was im-
possible that the back wound could be smile by a fail on a
knife which another person was holding with the point up-
wards, but it was not likely; for the wound then would have
had a more lagged appearance than this w.,uimd had. The
wound was caused by a knife having a directing force.
Mr. Andrews, another surgeon of the town, corroborated
this evidence.

It was then given in testimony that the primner had
lodged the previous night at the village ion, when lie
begged to be permitted to stay, and that in drinking the
previous evening with a farmer's son in the neighbourhood,
he dropped a huge new clasp knife, awl in picking it up he
said, '• That's the -- I mean to tine; I'm going to use It at
Carrington's Usilisrrow." lie was also loam to go to the
Carrington's house by a pensioner and the landlord of the
publichouse, and was seen to come from there covered with
blood, hi which condition he was taken into custody. The
landlord of the putniehouse soul lie was no "scollard " on
beitog asked to Identify a letter which the prisoner had
asked him to post after the crime. In the testimony given
after were some statements that the prisoner said his should
not have •• done it "if •• " had nut prevented him from
killing himself.

Nothing was Mai d in efence, and the prisoner Wag
fully committed for trial.

LORD ELCHO AND THE BARNSLEY
MINERS.
•
On Monday, the largest gathering of colliers which
has been witnessed in the north of England assembled
at Barnsley. 1. pwardsof 10,000 persons, accmnpaided
by more than 20 bands of music, walked in procession,
with Hags and banners, to the Queen's Grounds, where
a public meeting was held, at which more than 20,000
wero present. The chair was taken by Mr. Norman-
sell. and among the speakers were Lord Eleho, Mr.
11Ellonald, of Glasgow ; Mr. Crawford, of Durham ;
Mr. Brown, of Lei Is, &c.

. -
The Chaim:Lc stated that the South Yorkshire
Miners' Association had pail during the het year to
members, for accidents, widows, and other purposes,
KO7l IS.. thi.; the total expenditure having been
:id. The income had been 1-20,013 3a 31.,
ao that during the year they had gaved

_
The first r,olution wws propeied by Mr. Wilkinson,
and seconded by Mr. Balk It was: --

'•That the menden.' of this meeting. having heard the
statement of expenditure for the past twelvemonth, ant the
increase of funds, together with the present state of affahl
in the mining district of N.attli Yorkshire, are of opinion that
the mmclation Is in a prosperous iolotitlon, and rejoices to
hear that the employers, managers, mot wit knien are, at
nearly every rollimy in the distitet, on good terms with each
other, and expresses a hope that a proper understanding
lotween the employers and their v. orkpeople may always

The He.cond reAdutk,n•was propo,ed by Air. Capey
seconded by Mr. Walker, and supported by Mr. Craw-
ford.

Lord Elan, who was received inogt enthusiastically,
said he desired to express the great pleasure he had ex-
pel ienced in being present at the stupetulens gathering
that day. Two ii irs ago they honoured hitn with an
invitation to be present at a similar meeting, but he
was then unable to Le present Ile was fertuuate in
havii'es witneLseil that day the grain!l powession, tab no
much for those composing it as for the approiniate
mottos on the flags, hitch n " God defend the right,"
" Education for the young and protection for the old,"
with others in favour of the weighing of coal and of
care for the widows. lie was also glad to be present
la-canae he had been mixed up in Parliament with
matters connected with the interests of the mining
body, and he felt perfectly certain that the result of
the meeting would make them better friends
Polities at such meetings were sabl to be out
of place, but for a member of Parliament to make a
speech without touching upon politics would be the
same as if Pharaoh had asked the Egyptians to make
bricka without straw. its would nut enter into the
questionfla to whether Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Disraeli
were the descendants of an angel, nor woulil he go on
to inquire whether they came from above or Mow.
After alluding to the breaking of his windows in
Loudon because he dared to give expressien to his
views on in important question, hie Lordship p 1..,
eroded b, a k whether great itteoest was not felt
reg 1 to mini lio n slidwing that
I. oh masters abil urea it, re 'at. ke de bons ot siring
iL 700.1 Iflell,11:1, ye.e !. heard of those fear-
tut catasineelic, i 0 L . ,111123.1 death
taut errs ue b ,edief mg the sympatbitis of all classes,
from the lincea ,lowewards, he felt that P`mething
should he done to prevent the recurrence of such
calamities. The representatives of the neetterg and
the men had brought forward a measure for that pur-
pose ; therefore it was not their twat if proper means
weie not taken for insuring sufficient ventilatioa and
the pitting down of b wometers and thermometers
for indieating ',reliable atmospheric changes. They
askol for legislation to make their occupation as
safe and healthy as it was possible to make it. Were
those unto:imolai& deniand.s? Such was not the
case, for he was happy ti say, and he should be borne
out by their representatives, that meetings had been
hell at Ida house where both masters mid men
hail been represented, and where both had agreed to
certain propositions with refereace to the Mines' Re-
gulation bill. It could not, therefore, be the fault of
the masters nor yet of the men that legislation hail been
delayed, it had been his duty to ask the Home Secre-
tary when the Mines' Regulation Bill would be brought
forward, and to be told by him that he himself was
answerable for most if the waste if time. Now, he
was a non-uni .... ist in Parliament and liebalged to
neither party, and a Miuistry was not justified in re-
fusing to give information with regard to a measure in
Parliament, and he had only uaed the right he had by
the (*.institution in seeking to obtain certain infor-
tuatien. It had been propoi-ed to refer the Mines' Re
gelation Bill to a committee of 40 membets, but he re-
commended them not to allow it to be SO arranged. but
to letit stand over, for they :should not and would not
allow another year to pass over without their, having
that legislative protection given them by Parliament,
.14,1 to render their perileus labour less perilous and
healthier than it was. • Parliament, he was+ more, was
desirous of giving every sanitary reqnirement neces-
sary fir the public, and for dealing with all social
questions relating to their lives of industry, basing them
on the true principlee of political economy. They
certainly lived in times when strange doctrines
were atliat, some of which Jack Cade ought be
said to lie the founder and Proudhon the disciple, and
it was held that all property was theft. Philosophy
much arm that seas contrary to all that was planted
in their hearts, as it set capital against labour, al.
though capital was not only the mother but the nurse
of industry. liis Lordship then referred to what might
be done by arbitration and co-operative associations,
such as that of Messrs. Briggs, and coneheleda forcible
address by assuring them that he would do all he could
to promote the well of the miners, as Ids heart
and soul wetilil be in the great work ; and he hoped
that when his time come to depart from this worbbhis
children would be able to say that the life of their
father hail not been wholly without benefit to his
fellow-men.