The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-09-12 00:00:00

A LIFE GUARDSMAN CHARGED WITH
WILFUL MURDER.

A private in the Ist Life Guards, named Richard
Robins, who is now on furlough at Northampton, has
been taken before the borough magistrates lin a charge
of having been concerned in the death if a young
woman, named Eliza Shields, with whom he had kept
company for more than a year past, and who had been
found in the river Nene early on Sunday morning last.
After the examination, he was rematole,l.
_ _ _

On Monday the inquest was held before Mr. Beck,
coroner, and from the evidence taken before him it
appeared that the deceased wilt, a shin-fitter, and lived
with her mother and step-father. She was twenty-
two years of age. For some weeks past Robins
has been at home, and during his furlough
he has been out with the deceased a good
deal at night. On Saturday she and a companion
w.nt to a public-house t i find It bins, apparently ac-
cording to app•Mtment, but at that Weir (nine o'clock)
he told }WI' he was p•ii g tt take his pleesure till
elev. n, us Win he would se • hr. Until that time she
could go where she had been-- ti a music halL She
im Robins again at elev n, awl the comp tad in left
the m, after acting them gui iuts public-house tu•gether.
Robins was next seen by a p•dieeman near the music
hall about five winut• a to twelve, but dere were
so many people about that he did not know whether
a woman we with him. About tat-sty minutes
past one on Sunday morning he saw Robins and a
woman at the corner of Silver-street, but he could
nut identify her as the vi sing woman who Lad been
murdsred. He also S,VN the two again stoiffisrbr past
twit o'clock. The wour.nhad on a black jiteket awl black
hat, art fetes w•rresp•wdingt• those won by the dece iced.
Robins was in undress unifonn. Anoth r police officer
sac,- the woman, but could wit identify the deceased as
Use same person. At half-past two o'clock three
screams and a plunge into the water were heard close
to the river Nene, which is about ten or fifteen
minutes' walk fri an Silver-street. A man and a boy
who heard the shrieks ran to the spot, and the latter
stated he heard footsteps as of a person running away.
The man sent the lad for a policeman ; and although
he himself could swim, he never offered to get the
woman out of the water, though he saw her moving,.
He rattled at a Weise, but could make no one hear,
and so he went back to the spot. As the body was
then quiet, he started off for a police officer. The
body was not got out until twenty minutes past
three o'clock, and then no medical assistance was
called in till about six &chick. After the body was
identified Robins was apprehended by Detective
Kemp, when the following conversation took place,
after the officer had eautioued Robins : •

Kemp Do you know a girl named Shield, living it. the
Kettering-road?
Robins I ho is it right ? Is she drowned?
Kemp: Yes, she in. When dhl in 50e her last?
sc. miii, i.e last.

Kemp then askeil hint What time he left her, and Inc
said about ten minutes pod 0110 aCIOCk :It the tip of
Silver-street. Robins denied that Inc said he was with
the young woman "lagt ; " he stated that Inc add he
was with her n last-night." There were no marks of
violence on the is sly, but from the post mortem exa-
mination it appeared that the woman was two months
advanced in pregnancy.
The coroner summed up at length, and b.ld the man
who had seen the WOllllll.ll moving about in the water
(a shoemaker named Garley), that if he were not
ashamed of himself, every pi ruin in iourt was - a
rebuke which received the hearty applause of every-
body in court.
The jury rethed to deliberate ; and in about half an
hour returned with a verdict of " Wilful murder
against some person unknown."