The Express.
London, England, 1864-08-31 00:00:00

THE ALLEGED MURDER OF 4 WIFE IN

HATTON-GARDER.

iNQUEdT.—(THLS DAY.)
To-day at 12 o'clock Dr. Irinkeeter, coroner for
the central division of Middlesex, held an inquiry at the
Three Tuna Taverns, Crosastreet, Hatton•gsrden, relative
to the death of Eliza Wilkinson, aged 28 years, who is.,
alleged to have been murdered by her husband.
. .

The case appeared to excite great interest in the neigh.
bourhood, group of persons assembling in Crcesatreet to
discuss the particulars. The deceased woman was statLd to
have been a very respectable sober woman.
. . .

,
The jury, having been @worn in, proceeded to view the
body of the deceased, which presented • shocking Ap., •
anoe from the result of the violence to which she had hero
subjected, and also from the effect of decomposition.
1)r. Clarke, M.D., said he was called to see the deem,cd
on Monday last at" o'clock in the morning, and found 1,-r
quite insensible. She died soon afterwards. Witness rou,le
• post-wortetu examination, with the assistance of lir.
Pollock. Externally there was a braise over the right eje.
There was also • mark of violence on the abdomen. Inter-
nally there was a rupture of the spleen, which was the
iw-
mediate cause of death. Besides the bruise on the de.
meased's eyebrow, there was also a mark of violence on tl e
nose.

The Coroner asked whether the prisoner was present. In.
specter Potter said that he was not.
The Coroner said that if he were present, it would rot
be necessary to make application to the Secretary of SiAte
for the purpoee.
Mr.. Jane Freeman, White Horse, Shepherd'.-1,!
identified the body of the deceased as that of her r.
She was either 27 or 2$ yam of age, and she was mallard to
Henry Wilkinson, a stone mason. His father lite;qt t•
Reindeer, at Lincoln. They had been married 10 reamer.' I, ,J
five children, three of whom were living. Two of
were doad, and the youngest was only four yearn of
age. The deceased and her husband were like two
playing together whenever witness saw them. ,Lo,
was sometimes told he deceased that they
words, but witness told her that one was as bad na the •,t..,r
—that was that if one was unkind oc,ssionally the .thier
was about the same. She was sober in her habits, and he
was generally so ; but sometime, when he got esette.l
took more than was good for him, bat he never depr.v.d
his wife of comforts to get drink. She often told • i sa
how kind he was to her after he had been driniorn; "nor.
night. He used to get her hrenkfast, sod do such like
nes& She never made him jealous by being free with n!'et
men. Her husband never threatened to injure her, or have
her life—quite the reverse.

Wm.. CLipperton, A ogel-late, Hammersmith. said that
was a shoeing-smith. He knew deceased and her husband
for six months. Witness met her husband at Sheol:m.6'lo
bush last Sunday, and they had a drop of drink. Witness
went with him and his niece to the house in Crust...trent to
take tea. They had some beer. Wilkinson was not 13,
tOileited, " but had a little drop in." He and his wife were
on excellent terms with one another, and chaffed and pNyol
together. Witness and the niece and deceased and her hut.
band went to the Metropolitan Railway statioe. They went
with witness to see him off. Al they were too early for the
train they got a pot of sixpenny ale. All four then went to
the station, where they laughed and chaffed together.
When the train came up they shook hands, and then Wil-
kiuson kissed his wife's niece. He turned to wimess
and said, " Don't be jealous, old fellow ; kiss my old
woman." Witness accordingly did so. Witmess was kern-
ing company with the niece. Witness did not observe W.I.
kinsion " take on" when his wife wee kissed, but his wife
certainly coloured up when Wilkinson had kissed her niece.
She was very jealous of him. They sometimes quarrelled,
but they made it up. Wilkinson was a high-spirited young
man, and would make up to say woman or man either, but
there was no harm in Inca He and his wife walked nut
of the station on good teems. About 20 minutes after
nese got to Shepherd's-bush Wilkinson came by the trsin,and
said, " I have come because my old woman is blowing me
up." He drank some rum, got intoxicated, and cried,
Wilkinson said nothing about his wife or about being
jealous of her. He Lit at 10.30, and he was intoxicated
then. Witness knew they sometimes quarrelled. Wilton.
son showed him his nose which she had scratched; but
nothing serious ever came of it.
Mrs. Sarah Collier, 9, Creasutreet, said that the Wil-
kinsons had lodged with her for 10 mouths. He never
missed a week in getting drunk, and there were quar-
rels then. She was a good tempered woman. ric
Sunday night deceased sent for witness into Hatton-
garden, and said that her husband bad given her •
blow wader the cheek bone directly after she came
out of the station for having kissed the young man.
She said that she had kissed her niece, and he said, " I will
kiss her too," which he did ; and then he sold the young
man not to be jealous but to kiss his young woman,
Directly after the train left, however, he quarrelled
with her and struck her. She said she would sot go in then
for fear he would knock her about. About 10 o'clock she
came in and looked at her children, and then went to bed with
witness's aunt. About a quarter past 12 o'clock Wilkinson
came in, and he came to witness's door and asked for his wife
and threatened to Lusk in the door, bat witness assured
him his wife was not there. He then went to her aunt's
room, and in a few seconds there was a great disturbance.
Witness went to her aunt's room. He was using dreadful
language, and was swearing. He struck hie wife's bead
three times with his fist. He was sitting on a box. He
then got cip and kicked his wife, who was stooping, right
between the breasts and the stomach. Directly after she
seemed to be in greet pain, and she said. " I am very bad.
He has given me my death blow." She vomited a little
blood, and witness supported her. Wilkiuson become
changed at once. He used no more bad language.
He did what he could for her. She died
within the hour. The children were all in the room—the
eldest of them was only ten years old. Wilkinson fetched•
doctor. He had become sober at once.
By the jury—The deceased had been struck on the mouth
and her lips were swelled. She was on her knees when
she was kicked. Wheu she got the blow on the head she
said, " For God's sake, don't kill me.", She was praying and
begging him not to kill her. After she implored himjhekan
from the box, and gave the fatal kick, saying, " I will give
it to you now, you —." In the struggle deoeeeed's chemise
was torn to pieces. (The garment was produced, and was
rage) Deceased did not attempt to return the blows.
Dr. Clarke said that deceased's liver was enlarged, as was
also the kidneys. The immediate cause of death was
hemorrhage from the rupture of the spleen. She was not
pregnant.

' The proceedinp were then adjourned for the attendance
of the accused.

SERIOUS FIRE AND LOSS OP LIPS.
(THIS DAY.)

This morning a fire occurred in the premises
of Mr. John Watkins, • news agent and tobacconist, 24,
East-street, Newington. It appears that Mr. Watkins, as
was his usual custom, left home for the purpose of fetching
his newspapers, leaving his wife and child in bed in the
first Boor front. Subsequently his wife got up leaving the
child in bed asleep. Mrs. Watkins having opened the
shop, was arranging the periodicals, when she was as-
tonished at seeing men rush out of the street, pass through
the shop and run upstairs. A load cry of " fire I"
was raised end it was found that the bedroom
wee in a regular blaze and the unfortunate child
in the midst of the flames. Mr. Weedoo, the oil
and colounnan, who lives opposite, cod who first
discovered the fire, with the eminence of Mr. Davis, of the
London-road, managed to get the poor child out burnt in •
frightful manner. It was removed to • house in King-street.
where • medical gentleman attended and pronounced life
extinct. The flames were confined to that part of the pre-
mises in which they commenced. The child was 17 months
of age and • girl. There seems no doubt but the little child
upon
th waking
them bedding.