The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-05-07 00:00:00

THE GRAVESEND MURDER.

The trial took place on Saturday, at the Lewes
Assizes, before Mr. Justice Hawkins, of Albert Moore,
aged twenty•three, a soldier, described as being im-
perfectly educated, for the wilful murder of Mary
Ann Marsh, widow, of Gravesend, on the 14th of
February last.

Mr. Denman and Mr. Byron prosecuted en behalf
of the Treasury; and Mr. Willoughby and Mr. Gell
defended the prisoner.
Since the prisoner was first arrested a great change
has taken place in his appearance, and he was looking
haggard and thin.
About seven o'clock on Monday evening, the 19th
of February, Miss Burton, who is in the service of the
Rev. R. Joynes, rector of Gravesend, and whose
residence adjoins the house in which the unfor-
tunate woman was murdered, went to see Mrs.
Marsh, with whom she was acquainted. On going to
the street door it was opened by a man whom she had
formerly known by sight, the servant of Lieutenant
Scrivens. Miss Burton inquired for Mrs. Marsh, and
the man said he would call her. The man then
ran upstairs, but was not heard to call, and almost
immediately afterwards came down again and
left the house hurriedly. As Mrs. Marsh did not
come downstairs, Miss Burton went away, but re-
turned, and becoming uneasy about not seeing any-
thing of her, reported the matter to the police,
observing that it seemed suspicious for the door to be
open and no one apparently in the house. Police-
sergeant Goodwin accompanied by two police-con-
stables then entered the house, and on going upstairs
in the front bedroom, on the floor at the foot of the
bed, in a pool of blood, lay the body of Mrs. Marsh,
with her throat cat from ear to ear, and quite
dead. On the top of the body were placed an eider-
down quilt, the pillows from the bed, and also the
sheets, the litter being very much stained with blood.
superintendent Berry proceeded to - Chatham
Barracks, and found that the prisoner was there
in the service of Colonel Barvisell, of the 52nd Regi-
ment, and was in the barracks. On entering Moore's
room blood was found on his coat, trousers, and boots,
which he could not account for. He was then taken
into custody, and brought back to Csravesend, where
he was charged with having caused the death of gra.
Marsh. On being asked, the prisoner gave his name,
and stated that he was a soldier in the 52nd Regiment,
and also that he haa a wife and two little children.
The prisoner was afterwards placed along with six-
teen or seventeen other men, and Miss Burton was
called in. On being asked if she recognised any of the
men as the person she saw leaving the Woodlands on the
previous night, she went straight to the prisoner, placed
her hand upon him, and said, "That is the man I saw
coming out of the house." Prisoner said, "Yes, and
you are the lady I passed when I came out of the
house." Whilst in pi ison prisoner said to Police-con-
stable Gent, "I did not intend to murder the old
woman. I came up with the intention of getting more
money. She refused to give me any, and I tried to get
it from her by force. I then got the razor to frighten
her, when she began to scream. I was afraid some one
would hear her holloa, and I pushed her down and
drew the razor across her throat. I was frightened at
what I had done, and I immediately left the house
without taking anything."

Witnesses having been called to bear out the open-
statement of the counsel for the prosecution, Mr.
Willoughby, on behalf of the prisoner, said he would
not dispute the fact that it was the prisoner who drew
the razor across this unfortunate woman's throat, but
the question was whether the prisoner intended to
commit the crime of murdair. No evidence had been
adduced that there was any intention on the part of
the prisoner to deprive this woman of her life. He
contended that there was a difference between the de-
ceased woman and the prisoner relating to money
matters, and that most likely led to blows and a
struggle, ending in the death of the woman. If that
was the case, he asked that the prisoner should not be
convicted on the grays charge of murder as the law
allowed.

Mr. Justice Hawkins then summed up the case,
after which the jury returned a verdict of " Wilful
Murder," and sentence of death was passed on the
prisoner in the usual form.

- During the trial the prisoner exhibited great
emotion, and appeared to feel his position acutely.