The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-26 00:00:00

A SHOCKING CASE.

At the Leeds assizes Henry Calvert has been in-
dicted for the wilful murder of his wife.
The prisoner, with his wife and three children,
lived at Hightown village, near Birstall, and for six
weeks before the 16th of October a man named
Richardson lived with them. On the 15th of October
the prisoner had a conversation with a Mrs. Ord, who
lived near. The prisoner said, "Have you seen my
wife?" The witness said she had seen her begging at
Cleckheaton. The prisoner said, I'll find her, and
when I find her I'll get her home as quiet as I can ;
Pm a chap that can 'pause' (i. e. kick) her to death."
He also told the witness if she interfered he would
do the same to her. Fourteen days before this the
witness had seen the prisoner kick his wife in
Richard eon's presence, and Bay he would not have her
any more.
'rids witness, upon being pressed by the learned
Judge, admitted that the prisoner had kicked his wife
because he was jealous of Richardson.
Richardson was called, and said that he went with
the prisoner's wife to Leeds,Wakefield, and Adwalton.
On the 16th of October the prisoner and Ilia wife came
iuto a publiehouse in Adwalton where Richardson was,
and the prisoner said to Richarilaon, " It will be all
right if you will go to Hightown, and live next door,
and she must go home arid tend the youngest child, as
cannot keep it quiet" They all three went out
together to Richardson's lodgings, and the prisoner
and his wife left to go hmue. They were next seen by
a witness in a field in front of Popeley-hall upon a
footpath. The woman was stooping down, and the
man standing near ker. Shortly afterwards the
prisoner lifted her twice from the ground and let her
go down again. Two men then came up and saw the
prisoner drag his wife through a gate and back
again along the ground. The witnesses asked him what
he had been doing, and he said she had miscarried.
'rhere were three pools of blood on the path. Mr.
Seed, a farmer, brought a cart, and the prisoner helped
to lift the woman into it, and she was taken home and
died that day. The prisoner appeared to be distressed
and was wringing his hands and saying, " Pm sloughed
(i.e. put about). This is a bad job. I may as well tell
the truth. I picked (i.e. kicked) her, and she fell over
the walk" The brother of the deceased said that the
prisoner came to his house at about half-past six o'clock
in the evening, and said, "I believe I've killed Ellen."
He kept saying he hoped we would be merciful. A
post•iivertent examination of the body wag made, and
the surgeon had no doul t that the cause of death was
bleeding from a wound in the lower part of the body.
If the woman had been in a stooping position, and had
been kicked with a heavy boot, that would account for
the appearances he had found upon the body. In
answer to his Lordship, the surgeon said that the kick
must have been a very violent one. The prisoner
was wearing heavy wooden boots upon the day in
question.
While the prisoner was in gaol he made the following
statement to a police-constable :
I want to tell you the whole story as to my wife, as I have
not a friend in the woi Id. On the 14th of October my site
r.nt away with a man that lodged with me, and left three
little children in the house. I did not hear anything of her
until It days after. I then went to Mrs. Ord, and she told
me she had eueli my wife begging at Cleckheaton. I thought
to myself I would go round to the pits to see it I
could Mel the man that ran away with my wife. I
found my wife at the top lodging-honse, anal as I w.,nt in
she went out at the hack door. I called out to her, awl said
where she went I would go. I followed my wife across the
road Into a beerhouse, where Richardson was sitting on a
chair, and my wife went and leaned on the chair's back.
They went to the lodgings and were upstairs about tee
minutes. She came down and went out, aml I followed. I
asked my wife if she was goihit home. She said she was
going to get Kelita's Richardson's coat and belt and her own
gown. I said to her, " ThoU host three little children. I
think thou hads't better stop at home with thy children."
She said to me if she thought she was bound to live with me
any More she would poison me. I kicked her on her halt.
She the. said I had callEed her to miscarry. I said, " Oh,
dear, what must I do? or who most I fetch?" She said,
"Thu,, must stop with ine." I did not think I should be the
cause of my wife's death,"
At the close of the prosecution, his lordship said
there was no person who saw what occurred in the
field. It was upon a public path in front of a house.
It was not done in a secret place. The prisoner
seemed to have meant that his wife should go and live
with Richardson if she would take the child with her,
anti he seemed to have no intention to kill her, but
rather an intention that she should live. Then he
afterwards gave her a brutal and violent kick as she
was stooping, but he thought it would not be safe to
ask the jury to find a verdict of wilful murder.
Mr. Shaw agreed in this view, and Mr. Vernon
Blackburn said that lie could not resist a verdict of
manslaughter.
His lordship then directed the jury to find a verdict
of manslaughter, and sentenced the prisoner to 20
years' penal servitude.