The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-03-06 00:00:00

At Durham Assizes, John Dolan has been tried on the
charge ,J the wilful murder of Hugh John Ward, at Sunder-
land, on the 4th of December last.
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It appeared that the prisoner had lived for three
years with a woman name I Keeshan, who kept a
lodging-house in Sunderland, and in her house the
deceased man had been a lodger for the five weeks
previous to his death. There was no proof of any
quarrel having ever occurred between the two men,
and on the night in question they went out together
to drink at about eight o'clock, returning at a quarter
to one. Before going out, while washing himself
amid a number of bystanders, who were talking of the
Jarrow murder, which had recently occurred, and
was about to be tried, the prisoner said, as though
muttering to himself, there was time for two or three
more murders bed ire that would be tried, but when
he returned to the hi use in the middle of the night
he seemed still quiet, and proposed that Keeshan
should go out for a quart of ale for them, which she
did. He was then much in liquor, however, and could
' not drink ids share, and when the decease-I pouricl
out a glass for t he woman he seemed to object, and said
"That will do for me" more than once. The woman
described him as then sitting with his heal on his
breast, sullen and stupid, and said that he VIM a man
who could take a great deal of liquor without being Off
his legs, but very daiiireroue when he had had much.
He rose up, and laying hold of her by the hair and
shoulders, said, "Now I've got you, I'll hold you!"
snit dragged her towards the bedroom. She called on
Ward for assistance, and when be renionstrateil the
prisoner said he was not going to hurt her, but only to
pit her to bed. She, however, cried to the deceased
and asked if he was eiiing to see her murdered there,
and Ward then came into the bedroom, and the priso-
ner, letting the woman go, laid hold if him. The
woman at once ran out and called "Police !" and
returned almost immediately with four constables,
but they found the men quiet and sitting by the fire.
and they refused to take the prisoner into custody,
although the woman urged them to do so, and said
there would be murder. They went away, and
the prisoner immediately locked the door behind
them, but the woman jumped out of the window at
the same moment, and they returned with her, Ward
opening the door. They still, however, refused to
take the prisoner, alleging that they had not seen any
assault, but they threatened that if they were brought
hack again they would give him no more chances, but
lock him up. On this occasion the prisoner was trouble-
some and violent, and he was twice struck by one of
the constables ; lint they nevertheless departed, saying
that there were three of them, and he could hard'y
murder all three, and they would be close by. Imme-
diately upon their going the prisoner said he thought
he would go to bed, and he went into his bedroom,
but the woman heard him rummaging in a box, called
to Ward to take care of himself, for the prisoner WitS
searching for a weapon, and rushed out again for the
pelice. They came almost immediately, but before
they could reach the room the prisoner had wounded
Ward SO severely in the abdomen with a cobbler's
knife, which he kept in a box in the bedroom, that his
bowels were protruding, and he died a few days after-
wards.
On this case for the prosecution the defence was that
the provocation received during the interview with the
police, acting on a mind impaired and made sullen by
drink, was sufficient to reduce the crime from murder
to manslaughter, more especially as the prisoner had
shown nothing but a friendly feeling for the deceased
up to the time of the entry of the p dice, bat
After the summing up of his Lordship, and a very
short absence of the jury, the latter returned into
Court with a verdict of Guilt!'.
His lordship then passed sentence of death in th e
usual form, and on concluding with the words, "The
Lord have mercy upon you!" the prisoner said,
" Amen ! and may He forgive them that have sworn
my iife away. 111 had had an able counsel to defend
, me this sentence would not have I seen passed upon
me." His Lordship : You have hail a most able
counsel." The prisoner: "lie slid not defend Inc at
all. If I was allowed to epeak—which I was not—l
could tell different." The prisoner was then removed
the gaol.