The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-04-08 00:00:00

Iht sbire.

EVERLEIGH.—TeLth FOR Husosa.—On Saturday,
at the Wilts Lent Assize, held at Devizes before Mr.
Justice Bytes, George Stocker was placed at the bar
charged with the wilful murder of Ann Hill, at Ever-
leigh, on the 18th August last. Mr. Kerslake, fg.C.,
and Mr. Swayne for the prosecution, and Mr. Cooke
and Mr. Bullen for the prisoner. The accused, upon
being p!aced at the bar, did not appear very strongly
impressed with his serious position, though there was
nothing reckless about his demeanour. He is far from
having the appearance of a man who would be likely to
commit such a horrid crime as that with which he was
charged, I aving a pleasing expression on his counte-
nance and, with the exception of the time during which
his Counsel was addressing the jury on his behalf, and
when the learned Judge summed up, an involuntary
smile played about his mouth, whilst his eyes had a
twinkle in them that seemed more in keeping with the
boon companion than the man who could plot the
murder of • fellow-creature. He pleaded "not guilty,"
in a low but distinct voice. Mr. Kerslake, Q.C., in
opening the case for the prosecution, said that he was
quite certain lie need not bespeak the anxious and
patient attention of the jury to the case which was now
submitted to their consideration, for when they heard,
as they had done, that the prisoner at the bar was
charged with the murder of a fellow-creature, it was not
necessary, he was quite certain, for bins to say another
word upon the subject, ghat a murder had been com-
mitted, be believed he might say at the outset; for
having heard the evidence given on the part of the
prosecntion, they would have no doubt whatever that
Ann Hill met her death at the hand of a murderer.
Whether the evidence satisfied them that she met her
death at the hand of the prisoner at the bar was for
their consideration. He would state the or time of the
1 case on the part of the proisecntion • and when he told
them that no one saw the crime, they would have to
come to the conclusion, if their opinion was adverse to
the prisoner, upon circumstantial evidence. Ann Hi/1
was the wife of a gamekeeper in the employment of Mr.
Charles James Monk, who resided at Everleigh House.
Everleigh was a small scattered village, or rather
hamlet, lying on the high road how Andover to Devizes,
and John Hill with his wife lived at some distance from
the cottage inhabited by the.prisecer at the bar and his
wife. John Hill had been in the employment of Mr.
Monk for sonic time before the murder was committed,
and he (the learned counsel, believed the prisoner had
entered Mr. Monk's service as under-gamekeeper only
a short period after John Hill was engaged by that
gentleman.) It appeared that on the 16th August last,
Friday, he bad received permission from his master to
go and pay a visit to his friends in Worcestershire. He
left Ids cottage on the evening of Friday, and slept in
Everleigli in order that he might avail himself of some
conveyance to the station the next morning. He left
his wife on that occasion in good health, and she was
the sele occupant of his cottage and be never saw her
alive again. The events of 'Saturday, the 17th of
August, were comparatively unimportant, but he
believed that he should be able to show, in the course
1 of the evidence, that Mrs. Hill was pursuing her
ordinary avocations on that day, and be believed on
the nights of Friday and Saturday the wife of the
prisoner slept at the cottage of the gamekeeper
with Mrs. Hill. The cottage was a small four-roomed
place, one storey high, and was situated in the
iniddle of underwood and plantations. He believed it
could not be seen from the house, and it could not be
seen from the road, or the dowse above the house.
[Photographic representations of Everleigb-house were
at this stage produced and referred to by the learned
counsel in explanation of his assertions. His Lordship
having examined the photographs, spoke highly of theni,
and said that such means of simplifying the difficulty
of understanding the locality in which the crime was
committed were very commendable.] The learned
counsel then proceeded to lay before the jury facts
which he intended to substantiate on oath by means of
witnesses called. He said the doctor would state that
there could be no doubt whatever, and therefore they
would come to the conclusiem that murder had been
committed—that deathbed been caused first by strangu-
lation, and even if the strangulation had not entirely
deprived the deceased of life, the knife had been used
afterwards, but when life was almost extinct. Having
fully detailed the points he relied on for the prosecution,
the learned counsel concluded by saying that the
question to be tried was, who was the murderer? It
might be that the evidence would satisfy their minds
that the prisoner was not guilty, and in that case it
would be their duty to acquit him; but if on the other
Land, they should come to an opposite conclusion, then
their duty to their country, he felt assured, would lead
them to act up to their conviction. In either case it
was a matter of life or death for the prisoner, and it
was also a matter of importance for society, and he was
sure that they would calmly and dispassionately draw
their own inferences from the evidence, and the
country would be satisfied with the inference they drew.
A large number of witnesses were then called in support
of the case.—Mr. Cooke then addressed the jury for the
prisoner' and he said he would not conceal from himself,
nor did he wish to conceal from them, the onerous duty—
the fearfully responsible duty which dfsvolved upon
him. That responsibility would be much greater to
him than it was did not he know that it was shared in
with his Lordship, who sat upon the Bench, and did
he not know that upon them a much greater respon-
lability rested than upon any one else; because what
'ory had to try that day was nothing more nor less
In
* the solemn issue of life or death. He did not
eeal-from himself that the present was a case where
was the duty of counsel to place before the fury the
particulars of that which would be either murder or
nothing. If guilty at all, the prisorer was guilty of
murder. He did not for one reoment ask or suggest
that the unhappy woman who had met with her death
had not been the subject of frightful murder. He did
not suggest that she had committed self-destruction—
but that when lying in the builerhouse she was un-
doubtedly dsprived of her life, and painfully deprived
1 of it by some person or other. The question they had
1 to consider was not one such as it was for the jury on a
coroneec inquest to settle; but it was whether that
young man at the bar was to be led from that dock and
consigned to a public scaffold as being a person properly
charged with that most horrid of crimes, the wilful
murder of the wife of his own friend. He would
avoid, as ever should be avoided in criminal matters,
appealing to the passions of the jury, but did they,
having the evidence before them, consider the charge
proved or not? Let them allow him to make only one
observation, that it was the duty of the prosecution to
make out the charge fully and completely to the satis-
faction of the jury, who, having the result before them
would use their own opinion in the case. The learned
counsel then proceeded to combat the evidence that had
been adduced against the prisoner, ins remarkably clear
and unimpassioned manner, urging at the outset the
apparent amity that existed between the Hill's and the
prisoner at the bar, for five years, as he considered the
testimony of the witneeses as to the ill language med.
use of by Stocker as little more than idle village scandal.
He should bring forward &gentleman named Dark, who
would state that the prisoner was in his employ as a
woodman, and he did not wish to part with him. The
learned counsel dwelt at considerable length upon the
absence of any real motive on the part of the accused
to commit the murder, and held that the alleged
I one of robbery was not proved in such a
1 manner as to convince a jury, as if he con-
temp ated the lesser crime he could have easily
effected his object 'without having recourse to murder.
In respect to the blood on the clothes, time learned
counsel did not think that a tittle of evidence had been
brought forward to show that Stocker wore on that
Sunday morning any portion of the clothes produced.
The evidence of Mr. Herapath was commented upon, ,
Mr. Cooke remarking that he was pressed by Supt.
Stratton to say_whether or not there was blood upon
the knife, but although at first there seemed to be a
spot or two of blood, he, as a man of high reputation in ,
regard to analytical chemistry, said that what was con- '
sidered blood was not so at all. There was a deep rust,
but not blood. The learned counsel referred to the law I
of evidence as regarded medical speculations, and then
drew the attention of the jury to the fact orthedeoeased
being &strong made woman, and was there a possibility
of its being able to place the whip twice round her
neck? The fact of the prisoner haying adhered to the
statement that lie made at the commencement of the
jury would give such a verdict that when the present
sides and each say, "I did my duty to my own conscience,
tetas affair,cl a
sehhvnaleidricl naeeht eooderi tfMueechcrtleroewe:uscamCnsoi:: minutelynnofficials.)
n'le
i:pote::hoYnltr thought
eoa:;:nllue{dradPea i;:beeshouldconsiderable e,taajti
:iyendiynggwemniwhichietiagihsdgh
alhwttm
gine': shbmoneyi gthttd Ir i theiru bins.
t,
checked:i
um t e de
np dj ufiltttr: ebhlhymi yeeeel
jury retired to considerkteheiwr
hvaeardhiicts,atbeakeinogyirwodituh.thdeimn
holphceleraarieisswullopineiTheunlr-rse of the trial. After an absence of more than
It
occupants
uuanrnodtt I: g
ueryi
prisoner,
returnedguilty."
tnye.
riwTi:: into
avte r
da
iCourt,n:i::an:edrecedotnoi
received
tieldemnice:
being called, the foreman said they had found the
court without any manifestation on the part of the
seemed
ygirnlaedaf dream.
tuta
il
ily dt 0.
c 'ski:a onTytteil
irise thetrialcourse
u ii e
occasioned oo
ff
aifse fwa
theminutescul t andigreatestie
interest amongst the inhabitants of the town, the
(kart-house being surrounded by dense masses,
who, utterly unable to obtain room inside, waited
anxiously the issue of the proceedings. The
prisoner's mother sat near him during the whole of the
trial, which lastad nearly eight hours and a half,

WILL BE HELD AT DORCHESTER,
ON THURSDAY, JUNE 12th, 1862, when
the following PRIZES will be offered :