The Express.
London, England, 1863-01-30 00:00:00

THE LAmarrs MURDER.

Last evening Mr. Carter, the coroner for East
Surrey, held an inquest at theASsaTreen, Lambeth-
walk, on the body of Catherine wile of James
Harm, a labourer, residing in St. s-pleos, China-walk,
Lambeth, who met her death on the rooming of Tuesday
last, in cousequeoce, it is_suppowed, of widows inflicted by
her husband, who is now in custody.
The jury having viewed the body,
Ellen Wallis stated that the deceased woman was about
SO years old, and had five children living. Witness bad been
?iv* with deceased and her husband. The house consisted
of two rooms and a washhouse, bat they Ist one of the
rooms and lived in theother. The witness then recapitulated
the statement made before the magistrate as to going with
deceased and another woman to the Mothers Tea
Meeting at Lambeth Chapel about six o'clock, and
returning therefrom about half-pant eight. About
half-past eleven o'clock witness went with deceased to a
friend's house, where her husband had bees on
Sudsy night in quest of him, but not boding him time
they returned home. On paring the door of tbe Cock and
Bottle public-house, China-walk, they saw Hagan standing
at the bar, when his wife went in to him. She then recapi-
tulated the circumstances attending their goaag home, Haps
calling his wife foul names, and the wife shutting thedoce to
keep him out, witness opening the door to let him ia, and
the fight which then ensued between him aid dereseed,
which resulted in Hapu throwing his wife of the children's
bed and granting her by the throat with his right hand,
exclaiming ' You —, I'll choke you t'' Be hakl bar thus
for half a minute, when witness pulled him off, and on
lookiag at the woman found that alie was dead. Witness
thee went for a policeman, and when the police arrived wit-
ness said to Hamn, ' Oh, am, you have killed her;" when he
replied that be had sot—ahe had dose it herself.
oormzer—Did she do it herself?

The Witoem—No rsieet;Ock hanaf with nothing. When
she fell down the man pushed her. She had often heard
Hagan threaten hi wife that be would choke her, He was
a very violent mac, and both he and his wife were given to
drink. . . . . .

her hJuryman—If deesamoi bad not thrown the ebair at
usband previous to his mixing her by the throat wit-
Dies believed the quarrel would have eased.
Thomas Smith, pohoe-comiable 39 L, stated that about
twelve o'clock on Monday night be met the last wit me is
Lambeth-walk crying bitterly, sad she asked him to come
to No. 1, fit. Alban 's-buildings, as • man sad his wife were
fightiag violently. On going there he focuidHagan
by the bed,with his wife's head reeti on his right arm,
calling out, " Kitty, speak to me ." He law the woman
was dead, and he told him not to shift her any more, and be
immediately sent smother constable for the nearest surgeon,
ea the arrival of whom Hagan wee hikes into custody, and
Tritium conducted him to the station. He did not speak to
witness on his way thither.
Inspector. Constable gave much similar testimony to the
previous wits. On going to the house he saw deceased
lying on a bed, and some marks upon the Lift side of her
neck. The warless Wallis accused lisps of having choked
her, when Hogan said she had dose it f—she came in
drank ; aad on Wallis describiag bow be had done it, he
said, " Well. I don't care if Igo to the gallows to-morrow
morning." He appeared to be under the influence of drink.
He was taken to the station • and on being charged by
Wallis with having wilfully murdered hie wife, be ex-
claimed, an wits reading the charge to him, " 1. am not
guilty ; I sin as innocent as yen are.
Thomas Hagan, an intelligent little boy, 12 years of ac
wee mat called, and stated that he was in bed when
father came home, and be saw his mother take up a chair
and strike his father with it, when his father struck her in
return. He maw his father throw deceased on the bed, and
lie dowel oe her. He then threw a piece of coke at witness,
who then went out to the yard, and did not see any more of
it Hie mother used to have Its after drinking. He saw
her have one about a fortnight ago.
Yr. John Caffry Constable, surgeon, stated at length the
result of a post-mortem examination of the body of the
the deceased, and gave it as his opinion that the immediate
cause of death was the combined effect of bcemorrhsge on
the brain and congestion of the lungs, from the affect of
external prelims impeding respiration. At the seine time
the congestion of the lungs caused by meant oaths throat
was sufficient to cause death.
There being no more witnesses the meow eirefully went
over the evidence which had been adduced, leaving it blithe
jury to say whether Hagan had struck his wife with the
intent of destroying her life, or whether be had done eo
under the indueoce of the excitement of the moment, es if
they took the latter view of the cam the charge would be
may one of manslaughter.
The jury, after consulting together for about a quarter of
an hour, returned a verdict of " Wilful murder against
James Hagan."
In the course of yesterday Hagan was again brought up
at the Lambeth Polies-court for final examination, and some
farther evidence, which is comprised in that given above,
having been takes he was fully committed for trial, also for
wilful murder.