The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-03 00:00:00

SENTENCED TO DEATH.

At the Stafford Assizes, Christopher Edwards was Indicted
for the wilful murder uf his wife Rosannah, at Willenhall, on
the 3011, of April last.

The prisoner was a locksmith,. living in Church-
street, Willeahall, and was 'named to the deceased
about seven years ago. They hail two children, the
one six years of age, and the other between three and
four years. An apprentice named Marsh lived in the
house with them. For at leant three years the prisoner
and the deceased had lived unhappily. V. hen in drink
he bad locked her out of the house for the night,
and she was then driven to take refuge with her neigh.
hours. A week before the day of her death she had
taken a carving knife and a chopper to her n. at door
neighbour's and left them there. saying that she did so
for safety, and in order that they might be out of her
husband's reach. A few days' afterwards, however,
she fetched back the knife. The day before the mur-
der the prisoner had threatened "to do for nen' On
the day of the murder, from about half-pasa eight
o'clock to a little after nine, a neighbour sport the
time with the prisoner and the deceased in their front
kitchen, and they t diced together in a friendly way.
The neighbour left and went to his home, and
about the same time the apprentice came home
to go to bed. tie met the deceased coming down
stairs after having put the children to bed. She
joined the prisoner in the front kitchen, and
the apprentice then went upstairs, and after he had
been in bed about half an hour he was alarmed by
hearing shrieks and cries of his chriatian name. The
prisoner almost immediately came into his bedroom
with a c mdle said a poker in his hand. The house
conswted of two upstairs rooms and a front and back
' kitehen downstairs. The prisoner's bedroom was in the
1 front of the home, on the opposite side of the landing
to that. of the apprentice. I.lre poker belonged to the
hark kitchen grate. The prisoner just came to the
deor of the nem and tusked the apprentice if he was all
! right, and then returned to his own room. He soon
afterwards mane hack again and further into the room,
and then the apprentice observed that he had blood on
his shirt sleeve and on his working apron and his hand.
Blood was al, on the top of the poker. The apprentice
expreescal his fear, and the prisoner said that it wasnot
I done r,ser him, and he aided that, as his (the ap-
preutie.'s) time was out, be should return home next
day and take Ids (the prisoner's) child ti the pri-
' father. That he was to sell all the things
! and let his (the prisoner's) father have the money,
'1 and that he was to tell Mr. Lloyd, his employer,
that he shoul I make no more long pins for him as
!he was going to die on the gallows. While this was
! going on the neighbour who had spent the even-
' lug with the prisoner had been alarmed by hearing the
cries of the deceased. He had tried the doors of the
house, but found them locked, and then aroused the
neighbourhood by cries of murder. One of the neigh-
bours, before the doors could be forced, saw the re-
flection of a person striking blows in the upstairs bed-
room, and another saw a person lifting some object
from the floor on to the bed. The police value in a ehort
time and the doors were forced, and on Laing upstairs
they found a pool ot blood in the front bedroom and th-
body of the dr. eased lying on the bed. 'nobody WOO still
warm. The pritoner had his child in his aims, and when
char4e.l by the polierman with having murdered his
wife, he sail, "1 have done it; lam the man. She
COtiallelletil it, and I finished it." The poker was
found, with blood on its top. earl the medical testimony
showed that the deceased met her death with such an
instrument. The neighbour, who spoke to acts of ill.
usage by the prisoner of his wife, gave her a character
for being a quiet, decent woman, who was much afraid
of the priermer.
Upou cross-examination it was attempted in vain to
show any provocation from the 118CW/hitrl, or any CAVIse
of jealousy given by her, 80 as to form a ground for re.
during the offence to manslaughter.
His Lordship, in summing up, pointed oust the
absence of may evidence of provocation. and called the
attention of the jury to the instrument with which the
hlows were inflicted which caused the death, and
reminded them that mere jealousy, even if there were
cause for it, Or quarrelsome words, would not awount
to such a orovoeation as would reduce the crime from
murder to manelaughter.
l'he jury in a few minutes returned a verdict of

His Lordahip then, having assumed the black cap,
paseed sentence of death neon the icisocer, awl be-
sought him to apply the period intervehing Le!ore the
execution of the sentence in preparing to meet his
Maker, for, his Lordship said, he could hold out no
hope of a remission of the aehtetnce in such a caw.
'rhe prionner, who had maintained a demeanour of
quiet inclifferer.hethrhughout the trial, 4, the conclusicu
tho esza4n.,:e mutter 4in D. km tour, " Munk you,
, goy Lord," And wai rks removed.