The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-11-08 00:00:00

THE DRINK AGAIN!

Al the CAntral Criminal Court, John Brsting, 42, ikHo.
ham boon indicted to tiglooloosly wounding Ufl &sting, hit
wife, with Intent to innedur bag. The trial appeared lonian
much painted Whitish
_

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The principal witness for the prosecution was Eliza
Erstiog, the prisoner's wife. She said, on the morning
of the 19th September the prisoner came to the bed
where she lay with her baby, and, seizing • flat-iron,
beat her about the legs and arms with it. Her little
daughter got the flat-iron from him, upon which he
took up another and struck her again. She fell on the
floor, and while she lay there be seized her with his
teeth and bit ten of her fingers. He then bit three
pieces out of one of her snide with his teeth. As she
was making for the door he pushed her down with
his fi,t, and while elm lay on the floor he threw two
heavy pieces of wood on her bend and prevented her
getting up. He next threw an earthenware pan of
told water over her, and struck her on the head with
the pen. She tried to get up, upon which he took up
a two gallon jar and beat her about the legs with it.
He next tried to strangle her as she sat on • chair,
beating her afterwards with his fists about the head
and face, cutting the upper lip very much. His hands
at that time were covered with blood. They were BO
bloody that they .Upped. He next twined her head
round by the hair, and tried to break her neck, beating
her while he did so. He beat her in the fees until it
, became numb. He next seized her by the nose and bit
part of it off. After be had done that he eald he bad had
enough, and would go away for a time. He remained in
the room, however, and made her pull his bloody shirt
off, telling her at the same time to find him another.
She got him another. She remembered nothing more.
I She had screamed " Murder I" again and again, but no
one came to her assistance until the policeman arrived.
That was on the Friday. On the Thursday even-
big, the night before, she had taken her two children
to her mother's. He came there, broke the door in,
and sated her to go home with him alone. She
refused at first, but at length consented, taking her
little girl with her. They went to bed, and they
never exchanged • word all night. She hat been
married to him nineteen years, and he had been given
to drink all his life. He had been in prison two months
for assaulting her, and had declared on coming out he
would kill her. He mom out on the Bch of September. On
returning home he asked her to go abroad with him and
to leave the children behind, which she refused to do.
Being crces.examined, witness said she had mekkim on
his coming out of prison, and they both Rot drunk to-
gether on spirits. Ile went on drinking day after day.
They had had • dispute the night before the assault
about £2 which her son had sent her, and which he
refereed to give up. T.Tron that she Amick him. At
times, she said, he was "right down mad" and did
not know what be was doing. On the morning
in question be was like a raving maniac. She now
said, as she was leaving the witness-box, that she did
not wish to do him any harm. She had six c.bildrea.
Mr. George Brown. the than house surgeon at Charring.
crone Hospital, said on the morning of the 19th of Sep-
tember the prisoner's wife ins brought there. She had
then two contused wounds on the back of her head, an
Incised wound an inch and • half in length, extending
to the bone on the forehead. Her face was very much
swollen and bruised; she was unable to see; the tip of
her nose had been bitten off. There were some marks
of blood about her neck, her lige were very much swol
len and the upper Bp was cut inside as lilt had been
strack against the teeth. She wee bruised about the
legs, and there was a wound on the left leg over the
shin. Her arms were also bruised; there were teeth
mark, &bout the fingers and wrists. She was then
perfectly sober; she hard lost a great deal of blood;
her clothes were quite saturated. and her life at that
time was certainly in danger. He had to sew op.&
contused wound on one of her legs.
Mr. Griffiths, for the defence, argued that the injuries
Inflicted on the preeecatrix mast have been committed
when the prisoner was in • state of delirium tremens,
or something approaching to it, which for the time de-
prived him of hie mama to such an extent as not to
know what he was doing. He submitted that there
could have been ne intent to kill, on the whole, as
charged in the indictment, and that the most that could
be paid was that the prisoner had been guilty of tine
lawfully wounding.
Mx. Justice Arehibeld, in summing up the case to the
jury, said, referring to the defence which had been set
up for the prisoner, a man who indulged in drink might
at any moment find himself at the bar of a criminal
court, and he wished that men given to drinking would
always bear ihnt in mind. There wan no doubt that
the most serious injuries had been committed on the
proncutrix in this case, and the material question for
the jury would be the latent with which the wounds
bad been inflicted. The law, he said, held no man ex. I
cured for the commission of acts done while in • state 1
of drunkenness. Although that might lead to delirium
tremens, yet that would not excuse him. There was,
besides, this sensible rule of law that • man must be
taken to know the natural consequences of his sets and
to intend what he did, anima he could explain it in some
other way.
The jury found a verdict on the minor count of coin-
gritting the offence with which he was charged, with
intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Mr. denim Archibald, is paining sentence, said no
one who had heard the evidence could have the smallest
doubt of the propriety of the verdict of the jury. The
prisoner's conduct bad been most brutal, and it WY
seriously aggravated by the circumstance that he bad
already had • waening by which be had not profited,
In fact he was barely out of prison before he again in-
flicted upon his wife most grievous and embus injuries,
putting her life in imminent peril. It wag impossible
to deal justly with niche case, except by poising an
exemplary matinee, not merely as • punishment to the
prisoner, but as • warning to those who like himself in-
dulged in the evil habit of intemperance, and a course
of brutal treatment to women. He sentenced him to
ten years' penal servitude.
The prisoner said, "Thank you, my Lord," and left
the dock.