The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-03-07 00:00:00

The LATE MURDER at BIRMINGHAM.

At the assizes held at Warwick Thomas Marlow, William
Beesley, and Louts Bee have been indicted for the wilful
murder of Mary 3filbourrie, at Birmingham, on the 210 t of
January. Mr. Eters and Mr. Ewing Bennett conducted the
prosecution ; Mr. Waddy defended Marlow; the lion. E.
Chandos Leigh appeared for Beealey, and Mr. Buzzard was
for Bee.
- - - • —•

It was proved that on the day of the murder Miss
Milbounie was seen to go into her house at half-past
four in the afternoon. At half-past five or twenty
minutes to six the same evening she was found lying
on her back at the top of the cellar steps quite dead.
The body was fatal warm, and there were marks of dis-
coluuration on the front and nidesof the neck. The bridge
of the nose aLso was broken. A post-mortem examina-
tion showed that the death was in all probability due
to strangulation by pressure with the hand.
The chief evidence to connect the prisoners with the
murder was given by one Mack, who stated that, on
the 14th of january he met Marlow and Bee at the
house of a Mall , not in custody, who lived at Deritend.
Marlow said his mother-in-law worked for an old lady
who had had money left her, and in turning over an
old oak chest had found 12000 in sovereigns, some
Bank of England notes, and 200 or 300 spade ace
guineas. Bee said they would see about that on
another occasion. On the 10th they all met again at
the same place, and Mallow proposed that they should
get some woman to inquire if the old lady had a
house to let, to ascertain if she kept any servants.
Marlow proposed that the wife of the man not in custody,
who was identified as "the absent man," should go; but
"the absent man refused, saying that his wife was a
hard-working woman, and he did not mean to let her
know anything about it. Marlow then proposed that
Bee's wife should go, and Bee said lie would see about
it. A day or two after Mack and 'the absent man"
went to Bee, and asked Mrs. Bee if she had been. She
said she had, and that the old lady had only one
house, which was let; but she added, that the old lady
had taken her over her own house, and she had seen a
pistol plated with silver lying about, that there was a
cross bar to the back door, and a catch inside the back
window shutters. A day or two after, Bee and his
wife, "the absent man," and witness, met again,
when Mrs. Bee refused to go to the old lady's house
any more. On the 21st the witness, "the absent man,"
and the three prisoners all met, and tasing opposite
directions, met again in front of the house at 5 o'clock.
"The absent man" went up an entry called Bullocks-
entry, and Marlow followed. The next thing witness
saw was Marlow opening the front door of Miss
house, on which Beesley went in. Half
an hour afterwards the three prisoners all came out
of the entry. Half an hour after that the five were
again together at the house of Beesley's brother,
Joseph Beesley. Marlow said to "the absent man,"
"You have not put the old lady's light out ? " " The
absent man" said he did not know whether he had or
not. Marlow said, "Well, its a bad job ,• I expected
there would be a deal more than this ; the old lady
must have banked her money." The money was
divided, and each had 325. On the 3rd of February
the witness saw Beesley, who said that he had been
at a publichnume next Miss Milbourne'fr, and a man
there said that he saw him there on the 21st, and he
expected to be locked up for it, adding, " I mean
over this here murder." Aftr rwards the witness went to
Bristol and saw Marlow there, and said to him, "This
has been a bad job—about the old lady being dead."
"Oh," answered Marlow, "I knowed it that night."
The witness said, "Well, George (the absent man)
must have got hold of her very clumsy." Marlow
replied that he was satisfied that he did not intend to
kill the old lady, but very likely he squeezed her too
tight.
On cross-examination the witness admitted that
he had previously been convicted of house-breaking,
and made some statement as to minor particulars,
inconsistent with the evidence he had given before
the magistrates. He was corroborated, however,
by evidence that Mrs. Bee had called to see Miss
.Milbourne, that Marlow, -Beesley, and himself
were seen 4,n the 21et in the places in which he had
described them to be, and that OD the everting in ques-
tion three men were seen to come over Miss Mile
bourne's wall, one of whom said, "There's a woman'
she'll tell of us."
For the defence it was contended, as to all the
prisoners, that Mack's evidence could not be relied on,
and was not sufficiently corroborated, and an alibi WM
also sought to be set up on behalf of Beesley and Bee.
, The case lasted all day, and a great deal of evidence
was given which has already been before the public,
and after able addresses had been made by the counsel
for the prisoners, the whole of them were acquitted
. upon the capital charge.
• The same prisoners, with Joseph Beesley, 21, shoe-
, maker, and :fame Smith, 21, hawker, were then indicted
; for breaking into Miss Nlilbourne's house, and stealing
I £B. The seine counsel appeared. The prisoners,