The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-12-02 00:00:00

TRIAL FOR MURDER.

At the Lincoln Assfzes, William Drant, 37, was put upon his
trial, charged with the wilful murder of Thomas Bett Gell, at
Joilemingb), near Horneastle, on the 14th of October last.

_
Mr. Burzard and Mr. Lumley appeared for the prosecu-
tion; Mr. lioraco Smith for the prisoner.
This was a very painful case. The prisoner was a
blacksmith at Hemingby, living with his mother, and
appeared occasionally to have suffered from some kind
Of fits. Upon the evening in question he accompanied,
his mother to the house of alai!khbot*, a Mrs. Gocakal
Re there complained of ilineeis, seine thought he was
dying, asked his mother to kiss him, and wished some-
one to pray for him. This was done, and the prisoner
returned with his mother to his own house about ten
or eleven o'clock, Mrs. Goddard following them.
*Upon arriving there the prisoner lay down on the
sofa and remained quiet for about half an hour.
At the end of that time he began to accuse Mrs.
Goddard of attempting to poison him, and after
some conversation, in which she tried to soothe him, he
suddenly sprang up and shook his fists in her face.
!Hie begged him not to hurt her, as they were old
Particulars." He then called for his mother, who,
taking alarm' had run out to fetch assistance. The
prisoner went out to fetch her and returned dragging
her by the neck into the kitchen of the house, where
L
e flung her on the floor, kneeling on her, taking out a
knife, and threatentng to murder her. Four neighbours,
among them the deceased Gell, entered the house at
this crisis, and two of them, being armed with rails out
of a fence, succeeded, after striking the prisoner a blow
Upon the head, in rescuing the mother and wresting the
Ir4ife out of his hand, though in so doing one of the party
narrowly escaped injury from his violence. At this
)noment, the prisoner being seated on the floor, a rival
blacksmith named Leggitt appeared upon the scene.
The prisoner, catching sight of him, snatched up one
of the rails, unfortunately dropped on the floor by the
arty who had rescued the mother. With this weapon
e.pursued Leggitt, who ran away and escaped. The
Prisoner was then heard by the neighbours, who in
terror of his violence were dispersing to their homes,
using threatening language in reference to Leggitt.
While in this mood he appears to have come across
Gell, and to have attacked him with the rail, striking
hint a deadly blow on the back of the head, which
felled him to the ground. Repeated blows were heard,
sounding as if "striking an empty barrel," and upon
the prisoner retreating to his house the unfortunate
oeeeased was found with his head battered in, and
Latiffeeing from injuries which shortly terminated in
°is death. The prisoner was with difficulty
apprehended, and upon being taken to the lock-up
Horncastle and charged with assaulting Gell
(Whose death was not then known) with intent to
,Inurder, he said in answer to the charge that "they
'Q worked him up so that he could stand it no longer
Zstvatching and peeping about his house, and that he
oad given Gell one." On the following day, being
arged with the murder, the prisoner said, Oh, dear
L'o, dear ! I am sorry. I did not think I had killed
'lt." Some evidence was given of hostile expressions
ileed by the prisoner against the deceased a few weeks
efore the night in question, and it appeared that the
deceased had last year ceased to employ the prisoner
as a blacksmith.
Mr. H. Smith constructed a theory of insanity out
01 the prisoner's somewhat strange conduct on the
eight in question, and out of the alleged fits from which
a Was said to have suffered. He also contended that
there was, under all the circumstances, no sufficient
ibllahoe to constitute the crime of murder, and that the
Low
inflicted on him was a serious one, and the offence
Slaughter only.
ctliis Lordship then summed up. After remarking on
"u,e able defence made by the prisoner's counsel, he
:laid no one could doubt that the deceased came to his
,meath by the hand of the prisoner. The law presumed
killing to be murder, and it rested upon the
,;"I'osed to show that the aft nee was manslaughter
414, or that he at the time he did the act was not
aeaPonaible for his actions. He cautioned the jury
kgahist taking a cowardly refuge in either alterna-
;2e to avoid responsibility. It was not every
`to frantic humour, not every eccentricity or
Znething unaccountable or unexplained which
didrold justify a verdict of insanity. He then
of acted the jury upon that point in the terms
the Judge's answers in M'Naughten's case, and
dwelt upon the prisoner's discrimination of persons as
tinting to his sanity. The real question Was whether
offence wat.xnurder or manslaughter. His Lord-
Went carefully through the facts, and pointed out
ttats though the acts of the de eeased man in rescuing
ste mother would not constitute provocation to reduce
Prisoner's crime, still that .if the violent blow on the
t;rlBozer's head had confused him, and while his blood
mal op he had snatched up the first weapon near him
80 caused the death of the deceased, the offence
'gh,t be manslaughter. sn:
hrilne jury, after 25 minuleg. deliberation, found the
o ner Guilty of murder. .:
Sentence of death was then passed. L • is',

diedfour sets of dimity hangings, and this notwith-
standing there are watchmen in every direction. Said
one tourist to Colonel HollingEworth, the accomplished
superintendent, in my presence, 'Show us the room
where Lafayette died.' 'He did not die here, madam.'
'L:! now, oidn't he? well, somebody did; here, Sarah
Jane, who was it?' Another aeked, 'Do whales ever
come up thus far?' pointing to the wharf. The crowd
has been so great all summer that the regents have had
the ceilings braced by heavy scantling. The house is
in excellent order."