The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-12-13 00:00:00

CHESTER ASSIZES.._YESTERDAY.

;;(lefore
_Mr. Justice Blackburn)
TILEK n .m
E BTOcyoT ultnEß-LACQUITTAL OF THE
r. •.—PitIsONEA; „ •
.Tohn.Howard (71), deseiibed -in the colander ae a
weaver, who could read and` Wt li' bid ini'Pei'leetly; was
nlacedjn the dock charged . with the nintder: of gory
Lut gp,v,lard, his,wife, Stockport, on'tbe 16111 of Sep-
tember last..
,Thie ppioner, wbo . is an infirm; feeble ul
man, was accommooatid4ith chair. The
to excite great interest amongstassemblage in
which consisted of a large number *di persons from'
41171,
Stockport and the immediate neighbourhood, as Wdll as'
elan'' of the inhabitants of the city. Mr. Bevan, with
whom Wag. IL Lloyd, appeared to prosecute ; and
Mr. M'lntyre defended the prisoner.
The circumstances of the ease as they appeared in
'evidence are of a most clistrating and heartrendity,
diameter. The deceased, who was a Stott-built robust
Wodan; and who was some twenty years the prisoner's
jeuier, was Oddicted•to dissolute and intemperate habks,
.whiCh Wae"thiY &Use: of many quarrels between her, and
her husband; a Well o,6:Using a portion of her fainily,
which consisted of tiel4e. tv6ifii up persons, to separate
themselves from her, and go intPoidginr. For about
a fortnight previous to the occhriren‘e Or. \Well the
prisener now stood upon his trial, the deceasd4
.incessaitlydrunk from morning tonight; and on the nigirt:
preceding the raVrder, returned home at a late hour,.in a
state of inebriety and trade, a lend noise to be admitted,
although the door might ha,:e teen opened by merely
,lifting the " sneck." A few minutes aft'ef atriiim at the
door, which was reached by ascending Aka 'l!iaffeet- •
Steps, she was heard to fall down on the faVe.-
m'ent.by- a *Ontatt named Robinson. She got up and
again commenced likfring,gt the door, loudly crying for
achAsicaii Which her'h6b'arid not refused to give her,
whereupon slue went ;iiiiitad. to' . the Nett pArt of the
house and began brealiiik the Witi'do\VS, and efeutnally
succeeded in effecting her °b led. TrainediatelY,..ou
entering she slapped her husband over the race with' her
hand, which was covered with blood from the intend
54e,,,ba4 received in her fall at the door, and afterwards
picked a quarrel with her daughter, Priscilla, whom she
ultimately turfed'Otif of the' house, and who was com-
pelled to remain sitting uphiti the dep until about three
o'clock the following morning, when.ste.Was admitted
by .her brother, and finding her mother lyin;cf Open the
table she removed her to tie bedroom of her father, Who
was asleep in bed. at this Ime, and then retired to rest
h'er'self. About half-past five o'clock the same morning
the deobaso4 arid her husband roused, and she prepared
breakfast or her son arid daughter, who were going to
their Work at The deceased at this time
was noticed bir the hate a Wild a'p'pearance, and
walking the room as though she. Was, insane. The son
and daughter 'Went to their vtdrk, leaVing their mother
sitting upon a chair near the brealddst table,- With her
head on her hands. The prisoner and the dec'ed*d Were,
left together in the house, the prisoner being engaged
winding, at a wheel. About a quarter to eight o'clock
he called Upon a neighbour, named Samuel Harrison,
and W4.01'1144 hini that he thought there was something
amiss 13,s h,odse,7--that she had done something to
herself. Harrison. inquired, "Why do you think so,
John ?" to which he answered, "There is so much blood
upon the floor." lie then left, and; proVeeded -to the
mill where his son was employed, and *de a similar
statement to him. The son left his work, Ali acconi-
ponied his father back to the house. He entered, add
folincl his Mother lying dead upon the bed, the fore part
of her. Veing extended over the bedside, a large
pool of blood ilVen the floor, and a knife placed as
though it had fallen od et: the unfortunate woman's
hand. The son immediately &U.' on f and" apprised the
neighbours of the horrible spectacle' fit' had beheld.
Severll persons were soon upon the spot, arid assisted
in. washing the body, which was still warm, fcre the
inspection of a medical man, who, on making an
examination, discovered two wounds, about an inch
in length; upon the left side of the neck, which
had Venetrated the windpipe ; and also :found several
wotinds on the left side of the head; causing
extensive fractUre of the.boites beneath. The prisoner
was, during this time,' obter#eci bl'&male who was
present, to have spots of blood tipaii his face, whereupon
she ordered him to get it washed. He said t was
caused by her having struck him across the face the
prettlAts night, and then went and cleaned it off. The
following day, as he was coming out from the first
inquiry into the depend's:death, he expressed an opinion
that it was a very good " job' th 4 she had told him to
wash his face, or he might have get.wrong: He was,
however, taken into custody, and made a statement to
the' effect, that on the morning of the alleged murder,
his wife went up stairs soon after the family went to
woik, and after she had been there a short time, heard
a noise resembling a person &Bing on the floor. His
clothes itefe subsequently submitted to a close examina-
tion"), a 'medical man, but nothing was discoVered
tending to corroborate the belief that he had been
guilty of the murder. Search was made through the
lease by the police, when an nib was found in the coal-
hole, besmeared with human hair and traces 'Of blood.
At the conclusion of the evidence for the prosecution,
Mr. M'lntyre addressed the ivy for the' prisoner. . ge
contended that the prisoner was'not gttilty of the charge
imputed to him, but that she had committed snieide,
Which act she had frequently threatened to do previous
to the present occurrence.
His Lordship* -In summing up, said the only question
for the- jury to consider 1. as, whether the prisoner was
guilty of, the charge preferred against him ; if they were
not satisfied upon that point, it wotild bre their"-duty to
acquit him, as there was no, middle course for them to
pursue.
The jury retired, and after an absence of three-quarters
of an hour, returned into court, and'delivered a verdict
of "Not dailty."
The announcement was received with applause, which
could not be suppressed until his lordship threatened to
incarcerate any person found 'repeating the Offence.