The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-07-27 00:00:00

SENTENCED TO DEATH.

At the Maidstone Assizes, Thomas Moore, I orty-two,
labourer, has been charged upon an indictment, and also by the
coroner's inquisition, with the wilful murder of his wife,
Mary Anne Moore.
---• • • • •

The prisoner was a labouring man, and resided at
Ashford, and he had been married to the deceased
woman for several years, but they separated about
three years ago, and the wife went to live with her
father, who was a labouring man, at a village called
Kennington, not far from Ashford. The prisoner ap-
peared to have been very desirous that his wife should
return and live with him, but for some reason or other,
and principally, as it was alleged, in consequence of the
manlier in which he treated her, she refused to do so.
and the prisoner was very angry on that account, and
repeatedly was heard to utter threats against the de-
ceased, one of the witnesses for the prosecution stating
that in her presence upon a particular occasion the pri-
soner produced a knife and said that this weapon
should be the cause of the death of one or the other.
The fatal occurrence took place on Saturday, the lot of
June. On that day the deceased took some dinner to
one of her brothers, who was at work upon a farm in
the neighbourhood, and she set out on her return home
about one or two o'clock, and she was never again seen
, alive; but on the following day her dead body was
found on a barley field at Kennington, the head
being in a ditch. Upon an examination bring made it
was found that the deceased had been subjected to most
brutal violence—her eyes were blackened, there was
a large wound on her temple, and a portion of her skull
appeared to be broken, this injury, according to the
medical evidence, having been occasioned by a kick
with a heavy boot. The evidence for the prosecution
went to show that as the deceased was on her way
home she met the prisoner, and they were seen walk-
ing near the spot where the dead body was found, but
there was no direct evidence to show that any quarrel
or act of violence took place between them. The
immediate cause of death, it appeared, was atran-
gulation by throttling, and Dr. Thurston, a surgeon,
from Ashford, expressed his opinion that the de-
ceased had been seized violently round the throat
by some person with both hands, and that this was
the way in which she met her death. The pri-
soner was apprehended a day or two afterwards
by Inspector Noakes, of the Kent constabulary, and
upon his being told the charge against him was the
murder of his wife on the lit of June, he said he had
not seen her on that day, and that lie bad not seen her
for a considerable time. It was also proved that a
handkerchief belonging to the deceased, and which
was in her possession on the day of the murder, was
afterwards found upon the prisoner, and in addition to
this there were some walks of blood upon his clothes,
and these, and the other facts mentioned, were the main
points relied upon by the prosecution in support of the
charge.
The jury retired to consider the verdict. They were
out of court nearly 20 minutes, and when they came
back they pronounced a verdict of Guilty.
The prisoner, when called upon, said he was not
The learned Judge then proceeded to pass sentence
of death upon the prisoner, adding, he said, no words
of his own as to the case. 'Draw no hope," he said,
• "from my silence, for it is my practice in all cases."
• The learned Judge then passed sentence of death in the
usual form.
The prisoner, who is a rough looking, powerful fellow,
did not exhibit any emotion during the trial, and when
he was leaving the dock he exclaimed that he was not
guilty.