The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-09-07 00:00:00

THE TRAGEDY AT CHELSEA.

Although it was at first conjectured that the bullet
had lodged in the lungs of Paul May. the survivor of
this tragedy, all doubts upon the maSter are now set
aside, as he is able to sit up and converse. He is pro-
gressing as favourably as possible at St. George's
Hospital, London, and when convalescent will be
brought before the magistrates at Westminster Police-
ceurt. and charged with the wilful murder of Hermann
Nagel.
The verdict of the coroner's jury and the summing
up of that gentleman may to the uninitiated have
created some little surprise, especially as the evidence
of Dr. Godrich leaves the presumption that the des !
ceased man not only committed suicide, but shot his
companion, but the holding of the coroner and the !
verdict of the jury are perfectly consistent with the
ruling of some of our greatest judges. As far back as
the reign of James I. a woman was indicted at the Old
Bailey for the wilful murder of her husband. It ap-
peared they were in great distress, and had agreed to
die together, whereupon they both partook of poison in
some drink. The man died. but the woman seized
a flask of oil and drank it off, saving her life. The
judge ordered a verdict of acquittal, as she was the
wife, acting under the control of her husband; and WI
the proposal of suicide was his she was held not to be a
free agent. There was another case, " Rex v. Dyson"
((toscoe's Digests, p. 741), iu which the man was
charged with the murder of his paramour. They
agreed to destroy themselves, and while in a
boat near 'Westminster Bridge it went over and
the woman was drowned. The man got into the boat
again, and then attempted to rave the woman, but
failed. He was convicted, but sentence was deferred,
and as there was some doubt whether the woman
might not have f alien into the water by accident, and
whether the prisoner might not have attempted tosave
her, he was recommended for a pardon.
The last case, however, and the best in point, was
tried at the Old Bailey, April 9, 1833. Benjamin Alli-
aim was indicted for the wilful murder of Emma Clips,
a woman with whom he cohabited. They agreed to die
together, and drank three parts of a cup of
lau lemma each ; the large quantity produced vomiting
in the case of the mau, and he survived. )Ir. Justice
Patteson held that if two persons mutually agreed to
e-mmit sui, ide together, and the meansemployed to pro-
duce death only took elicit in one, the survivor would
he in point of law guilty of the murder of the one who
! died, and he also made come strong remarks upon the
fact that juries were in the habit of returning verdicts of
temporary insanity, and as a lawyer was bound to say
such verdicts were wholly unwarranted by the law of
the land. In this case (Allison) there was no evidence
of insanity at the time ot the would be suicide, and he
directed the jury accordingly. The prisoner was con-
victed and sentenced to death. This ease is reported
in VoL 8. 'Carrington and Payne," page 418. A
similar case was tried twelve months ago at the Old
b it the man was acquitted, as; the evidence
went to show that he was only pretending to bang
himself.