The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03 00:00:00

CHARGE OF MINUAML

William Brown. 54, a man of colour, was charged
at the Sheppey Union Hospital, before Lieutenant.
Colonel Tyler, J.E. for Kent, on Saturday, with the
wilful murder of his wife, Elizabeth Brown, 48, at
Sheerness on the 17th of January last.
The inquiry was held at the hospital owing to the
serious illness of Alfred Rump, the principal witness,
who was stabbed by the prisoner on the day of the
occurrence.
Alfred Rump, a labourer, said that he had resided
with his mother and the prisoner (who was her second
husband), at 8, Ehenezer•place, Sheerness. About
half-past four on the morning on the 19th of January
his little brother Thomas aroused him, and he found
the room was full of smoke. He ran immediately
in his night clothes to his mother's room and found
the bed empty. He then ran downstairs into the
back room and found the cupboard under the stairs
all ablaze. He put his hanci on the 11,ur and tu...L.11:d
his mother, who was lying there, and found that
she was dead. Brown was in the room undressed.
He caught hold of witness round the waist and
attempted to throw him into the flames. He struggled
with him, and after the third attempt he got away
from him and went into the front room. During the
struggle he felt a knife, which prisoner had in his
hand, go into him. He broke two panes of glass with
his fist, and shouted, "Fire ! Murder ! " He saw a
man named Husson at the railway station opposite,
and called him. He came across the road with a
scaffold pole, burst the door open, and let him out.
He went about seven or eight yards and then fell down
unconscious. His uncle (Mr. Baker) picked him up
and took him to his house. He afterwards found that
he had been stabbed in the lung, on the hip, in the
side, and on the shoulder. The hatchet produced
was the one in ordinary use for chopping wood, and
was generally kept in the cupboard in the back room.
Witness also recognized the razor produced, which
was usually kept in a box in the back room. Prisoner
and his mother were in the habit of quarrelling about
the children and about money, and about a week
before the occurrence he said " I'll do for you yet."
Dr. Arrol, M.D., M.B.i a Burgeon practising at
Sheerness, deposed that he made a post-mortem ex.
amination of the body of the deceased, and found
eight facial and six scalp wounds. One of the wounds
especially attracted his notice. It extended half way
across the base of the skull and must have been in-
flicted by a heavy weapon. such as the hatchet pro-
duced. This alone was sufficient fo cause death.
Dr. George Bland, surgeon, practising at Minster,
deposed that he assisted Dr. Arrol in making the
post-mortem examination, and could corroborate his
evidence. The prisoner was brought to the Work-
house Infirmary on the day of the murder and had
since been under his charge. He had a large gash in
front of his throat, a little higher and deeper on the
left than the right side. It had severed the larynx
and caused a large wound n the pnarynx at tne back.
He believed the wounds were self-inflicted.
The evidence being complete, the prisoner said he
would reserve his defence.
Prisoner was then committed to take his trial at the
Kent Assizes on the charge of wilfully murdering his
wife Eliza beth Brown.