The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-08-15 00:00:00

A SHOCKING AFFAIR.

At the assizes held at Leeds, James Harris 11.18 been
indicted for the wilful murder of Charlotte M'Ready.
The prisoner and the deceased had been living
together as man and wife in a small house, consisting
only of one room, three and a half yards long by three
wide, containing a bed, table, and chair. They had
one daughter, a little girl nine years of age. The
prisoner and deceased had been in company with two
men during the day, drinking at different public-houses.
They all went home together to have supper, and when
the two men left the woman was quite well, and
the man was beginning to swear at her. The little girl
saw her father strike her mother on the face, and she
ran away to the house of a neighbour. For some reason
she would not tell all she knew, notwithstanding
repeated endeavours ti elicit the truth on the part of
counsel and of the learned judge. During the night
the deceased went out to see a neighbour, Mrs. Garren,
and had twopennyworth of ruin. She had at that
time been drinking. She made a complaint to Mrs.
Garren, who went back to the house with her. The
prisoner was lying crosswise upon the bed. The
deceased said, "Thank God, poor Jenuny ! I'll unloose
ypur boots; it will ease your feet." She the began
unlacing his boots. He jumped up, and said "You
-- you've robbed me !" She said "Never mind,
Jemmy; it's your Charlotte, and what I've got I'll
give you in the morning." The prisoner then struck
the deceased on the face with his fist and knocked her
down. He was then standing on the bed. He next
jumped oft the bed and kicked her three or four times
in the side. Mrs. Garren took hold of him by the coat,
and pulled him away, Raying, "You murdering villain!
are you going to murder the woman ?" The prisoner
then turned to Mrs. Garren, and snatched at a knife
on thetable, crying, "You old—! I will serve you the
same." Mrs. Green ran away to the door, and stood
holding the door in her hand, and saw the prisoner
kick the deceased three times upon the head. At the
third kick the deceased cried out, "Oh, Jemmy, you
have killed me!" After that he lifted his foot and
stamped as hard as he could on her head. Mrs. Gar-
ren then went to look for a policeman, but could not
find one. She then returned and listened at the door,
but all was still, and she concluded they had gone to
bed. A neighbour who came to the house at seven
o'clock the next morning found the deceased lying
dead upon the floor in a IRA of blood, and the prisoner
on the heti with his clothes on, apparently asleep.
This witness woke him, and he said, "Hallo, Jack, is
that you ?" The witness answered, "Aye, to my
sorrow; look here, Charlotte is lying dead." "He
said, "Halls, what is that Jack ?" He then
jumped up and said, "I have done for Charlotte at
last." The witness said to him, "Only look at 3-, r boots,
they are all over blood." He went and wiped them
with a cloth. He said, "oh, Jack, what shall Ido
—what will become of me?" Witness said, "Jem,
it's no use running away, for whatever you do they
will catch you." The witness went away for about
five minutes, and when he returned the prisoner was
gone. He was apprehended the same day, 14 miles
away, at Doncaster. The prisoner, on being taken,
said, "I found her drinking with two men; I went
out and left them; when I came back she was laid on
the floor, and the men were gone. That is how she
was laid when Jack found her; I never touched her."
The boots worn by the prisoner were very heavy ones,
with a great quantity of large nails in them, and from
the medical evidence it was clear that death had re-
sulted from violent kicks upon the head and face, and
not from a fall. Both the prisoner and the deceased
were in liquor. The defence was that the prisoner
did not intend to kill the deceased, and was drunk at
the time. . .

The jury deliberated for six hours, and then found
a verdict of Manslaughter.
The judge sentenced the prisoner to penal servitude
for life.