The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-08-01 00:00:00

MURDER AND SENTENCE OF DEATH.

At the Eso.., Asbizes, Thomas Ificdonahl, 35, dischareed
marine, hss been tried for the wilful murder of Bridget
Welsh, at Plymouth.

Deceased was married, and had three children, but
had left her husband, and had cohabited for some
time with the prisoner, who two months ago was
discharged from the service on account of bad
health. The accused was an inmate of the Royal
Naval Hospital several months prior to his leaving
the Marines, and he seems to have become jealous
in consequence of what he had heard respecting
deceased's conduct while he was in the hospital.
His jealousy led to frequent quarrels. There was
also scene disagreement between them as to the
furnitere of the house. On the night of Sunday,
the 2;•tli June, one of the deceased's children (a
boy aged 141 banal her and the prisoner quarrellimi.
Thy were on the floor; Macdonald had tile woman
by the throat with one hand and hail a poker in the
other. On the appearance of the boyprisoner released
the deceased. Later in the evening they were seen
talking together in their usual manner, end appeared
ti be " friends," as one of the witnesses said. Mrs.
Welsh was not seen olive afterwards. About eight
o'clock on Monday morning the prisoner went to a
public house and honght lialf.mpint of brandy, half of
which he drank, and returned home. Several hours
later his ro..in was broken into, and both deceased and
the prisoner were found stretched on the floor, the former
dead beyond doubt, the latter apparently so. 'The de-
ceased had two frightful wounds in the head. one just
over the temple, the other on the top of the head, am!
„ . .

the skull woe broken in pieces. Near her head was a
pool of blood, but her dress was not soiled, and the
medical man was of opinion that she was felled to the
ground by a tremendous blow which killed her in-
stantly. 'The prisoner, on being examined, was found
to be alive, though his throat had been cut, and there
were evidences teat he had taken poison. On being
asked what he had done he said, • Justice," and he
repeated the word several times. He also stated that
he killed the woman with a cross-piece of a bedstead
which lay by her side; and added he did it because she
bad been unfaithful to him. Prisoner was removed to a
hospital, and soon recovered. He had cut his windpipe
badly, but none of the main arteries were injured. To
the police superintendent he stated that deceased
had been urfaithful, that they quarrelled 8.,,0ut the
furniture, and that he killed her. In his room were
found some pieces of paper containing statements to
the saute effect, written before and after the murder.
The papers eontained some rigmarole about justice
and vice, and directions as to what should be done with
his money, a portion of which was to go to the Roman
Catholic priest for masses for the souls of himself and
his "dear Bridget."
For the defence, it woo contended that the de-
, meanour and the acts of the prisoner, coupled with
I certain evidence given by the medical man, would
enable the Jury to acquit the prisoner on the ground
, of insanity.
I The summing up of the Judge was against the theory
of the defence ; and
The Jury, after five minutes' consulbation, returned
a verdict of Guilty.
Mr. Justice Brett passed sentence of death, charac-