The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-10-30 00:00:00

CHARGE OF "KNIFING" A HUSBAND.

Martha Bagf7B, on remand, waft brought up at the
Borough Petty Sessions on Monday, charged with on'
lawfully wounding her husband with a knife—The
Curt was very fulL —The man Baggs appeared with
his head bound up. and looking rather weak.—The
magistrates were the Mayor (Mr. Lundie) awl Mr. B.
Hopkins —The prosecutor was accommodated with
seat, and he appeared to suffer much pain; but his
wife kept her lip' finnlv get, and averted herface. In
answer to Mr. Arden, Beggs said he NM well enough
to give evidence.
John Tiaggs was then sworn, and RAM that on We /-
nesday night, the 24th, when he CAMP home about 3
quarter to seven, he wanted to go before the kitchen
fire, to dry his clothes, when his wife asked where he
had been to? He asked where she had been to, and
she replied by telling him to go away from her fire, or
she would wash him away. On this he pot his hand.
and pushed her back. and told her to leave him alone,
when she took off his hat and put it in the fire.
then she took hold of the teapot, and he took it
away from her; she then took up the flat iron
bnt thin he also took away. She neat took the piker,
and struck him across his arm, and he took that away.
Next she took a long-handled sweeping brash to strike
him with, which he took and broke it across his knee.
Then she ran and got a table knife, and kept no
beating the knife on the table, following him round
the table with the knife. He was afraid of her
stabbing him, and ran away. but on his turning round
she stabbed him in the head. He had turned round
towards the fire, and she struck him on the side of the
head with the knife. He had a cap on at the time,
and the knife must have gone through the cap. [The
cap was prighweil with a rut in it about three-quarters
of an inch long.] Prosecutor then cried out that he
was stabbed, and ran into the adjoining room No
one was there, and he ran down-at-airs into the back
place where the water is.—ln answer to Mr. Arden,
prosecutor said the two wounds must have been done
very quickly one after the other; he thought the cap
mn-t have been knocked off. The two wounds were
inflicted before he left and went down-ntsirs ; both
wounds were on the lef t gide of big head, near each other.
He went into the back kitchen where thera is a water
pipe; a man named Bolt was there and washed
prosecutor's head. He wan persuaded to go for the
doctor, and iliil an, his wife not assaulting him any
more. Could not tell whether he lost mach blond, he
wag very weak, and lost somewhere about a pint before
he got to the doctor. Ho went to Mr. Gregory's, and
hardly knew hwy he got to the doctor. Did not know
if anyone went with him. Felt better now at times,
but sometimes felt very weak. Had not had any
oparrel that afternoon with his wife, he came ia to
rest in hi" work, and his wife flew at him without any
provocation. She was not sober, and is accustomed to
drink.—Prosecutor spike of the knife with which he
was stabbed ; a small black-handled table knife, which
he considered was the one with which he was stabbed,
because the point shawl up.—By the Mayor: They
had quarrelled before, and she had threatened him
once or twice a week, she had said she would murder
him, she would be the death of him some day. She
often got drunk ; in fact he did not believe
she was ever sober, and he was afraid for his life of
her and had been no before; times out of number.
She is not only violent; but also threatens him, and
he did not wish to live with her any more; he would
not if he could help it. The stab was given while he
was trying to get out of the room. He gave her on
an average about a pound a week, sometimes leas,
sometimes more. They hail been married 15 years.
Prisoner said that her husband ',truck her. He hail
been drunk ever since he had been on Chapelry, last
Saturday he came home drunk and beat her, and hail
been knocking about with other women, and for 15
years he had served her badly. When in Southampton
he brought home a lot of prostitutm. and as to having
the money he said sometimes he brought home
She would not want to get nil of her things if she hail
the money he said, and she was quite willing to leave

Mr. Arden : Very likely you will not have to live
with him for some time. .

Mr C. A. Colmer repeated the evidence given on
Thursday. Mr. Colmer continued that one of the
wounds was healing, but the other was "sloughing,"
matter was chming from it. Prosecutor was progress-
ing favourably; but he was still weak, and with the
discharge going on, prosecutor was not out of danger.
Could not say how long it would be before Baggs
would be out of danger, it might be a few days, or
might be a week. The knife produced might have
produced the wound, and the bending of the pint
might have been caused by the knife coming into
contact with the skull The doctor then put the
point of the knife to the cap. showing that the cut was
equal to the breadth of the knife.—ln answer to Mr.
Arden, Mr. Colmer should say that Beggs was sober,
when he came to the surgery; he did not detect any
influence of intoxicating drinks, though the man bad
had a little drop of brandy to revive him.
Sergeant Apsey also repeated his evidence. The
sergeant produced the black-handled knife, which he
found in a corner of the room near the door, in the
front kitchen, where they lived. He could not
discern any blood thereon. The knife was found
where the struggle appeared to have taken place, and
two feet from that was blood. He also took possession
of the teapot; but it did not seem battered at all.
Witness also produced the blood-stained cdlar which
M had worn.
R: Magistrates remanded the case for a few days,
until the man was out of danger—Prisoner said her
husband was always beating her about, and
she did this in self-defence—The Mayor said
Well she knew what her remedy was ;
she ought to have sought the protection of the
law, instead of taltiag it into her own hands. There
was no excuse for a wife using a knife on her husband
under any circumstanses, and what her husband had
stated WWI true, she was a very dangerous person.
She w uld be remanded for a week, without the option
of bail. The Mayor hearing from Mr. Colmer that he
might be at Winchester on Monday next, told the
prisoner she would be brought up on Friday, and if
the evidence was not then complete, would be further
remanded until Monday.
The Superintendent, on behalf of Beggs, made an
appplication for some money which was in the woman's
possession, amounting to El 14s. He said Beggs had
nothing to eat, and could not work, his wife had taken
his watch and chain, and she had the pawn tickets.
Beggs found also that he was two months' behind hand
with his rent—The Mayor: Surely the money is his
already.—Mr. Vickery: I did not iike to give it up,
your worship, without a magistrate's order—The
Mayor: Most certainly, the money belongs to the
husband. Give it up to him.—A considerable crowd
followed the woman, as she was removed downstairs.