The Express.
London, England, 1863-07-31 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME ClRClllT.—ldinerosz, JULY 30.
(Wore Mr. 13aroa Obarns.ll.)
THI HIM/ MOIL
.

Alfred Eldridge, powaria man, was charged
with the wilful murder of Richard Steed, at Herne, in this
county, on the god of May.
The prisoaer was also charged with the seine offence upon
the coroaer'sinouisitiyn. _ _

Dlr. Russell and Mr. Biron conducted the prosecution.
The prisoner was unprovided with professional assistance,
but at the Tuned of the learued judge, Mr. Barrow kindly
consented to watch the case on his behalf, and be was as-
misted by Mr. Poland.
It appeared from the opening statement of the learned
counsel for the prosecution that the charge against the pri-
soner rested principally upon circumstantial evidence,
although some statements that he himself made were un-
doubtedly of • very important character. A greet number
of witneues were exanneed in support of the charge, but as
their evidence consisted principally of different minute
facts, the nature of the case will be much better understood
in the form of a narrative than if the statements of the dif-
fereot witnesses were given in detail. It appeared that
the deceased war • man about fifty-five years of age, and
that he resided at the village of Maypole, about •
mile sod a half from Herue, our Canterbury, and
that be was originally. a carrier, but latterly he had got
his living by supplying the labourers employed upon
the Hero. Bay and Margate Railway with beer and other
articles, and was constantly passing bickerers's and forwards
between biso* village and the railway works. The ',d-
icier had formerly been • soldier, but since leaving the
service be had worked as a labourer, and he had been for
several months employed as a navvy upon the railway
works at Herne. It seemed that he had formerly lodged at
the house of the deceased, but dissensions arose between
them, and some angry feeling existed, and the primmer,
who us a married man, left the deceased's lodging, and
went with his wife to occupy • cottage by himself in the
came village of Maypole. It appeared that about three
months before the death of the doomed, he bed
made a claim against the prisoner for a debt of a few shit.
liege, which he alleged he owed bim, and which the primmer
refused to pay, and the result was that the deceased took
out a county court summons against him for the amount.
This no doubt exasperated the primmer, and he went to the
deceased's house and offered him a shilling in satisfaction of
his claim, but he refused to take it, and a quarrel took
place, ad the deceased turned the prisoner out of his
souse, sad the latter wee heard to make use of
threats, one of which was that he would do for
the deosased,in • few weeks. Nothing partacular, however,
seemed to have occurred from this time until the day of
the fatal occurrence, which was Saturday, the god of /day
last. Oar that day the deceased had gooe from his own
home as usual to the railway works at Herne, and be was
present when the railway men were paid off about half.
past six o'clock in the evening. The mutter received his
wages with the others, and nothing took place that warn at
all calculated to excite any suspicion of violence being in-
Leaded on his part, and it appeared that the deceased first
left the railway works, and that shortly afterwards he was
followed by the prisoner. The nest that war sees
of them was about seven o'clock in the evening,
when they were both at • public-house bard by called
the Prince Albert, but it appeared that they did not
"have anything to drink at this place, and both the de-
ceased and the prisoner ears perfectly sober, and there did
not appear to be any ill-feeling between them, but on the
contrary the former appeared to have addressed the prisoner
as " Canterbury," which was • nick-uame be went by, and
to have asked him if he was going home, and proposed that
they should go home together. The pioneer consented,
and it appeared that they both went away from the Prince
Albert apparently ou the most friendly terms, about seven
o'clock in the evening, and the deceased was never again
seen alive, or at all events, he was in a dying state when he
war found, sad never spoke again. The distance from the
village of Harm to that of Maypole, where the prisoner and
the deceased resided, was about a mile and • half, and
persons going to the latter would have to keep along
a footpath, and would pass • place called Pooley'apsdens,
which was about • quarter of • mile from Herne,
and at this place the prisoner and the deceased were met
about half-past seven o'clock. walking together, and ap-
parently on friendly terms. What happened after this
wee a blank, except so far se was suggested by the
evidence, but very soon after some persons passing along
the footpath about half • mile from Polley .-gardens found
' the deceased lying in a ditch aloes by the path in a moot
frightful state. The skull was fractured, the bones of one
all of his face were completely smashed, cue of his eye'
was crushed out and was lying on his cheek, these injuries
having apparently been occiaaatied by his head and Noe
being stamped upon by • heavy kali armed boot, and his
brains and blood were scattered about in all directions.
There sae not the slightest appearance of any struggle
having taken place, and the suggestion on the part of
the prosecution was, that the unhappy man bad been
suddenly struck down as he was walking along,
and that while he was lying upon the ground, he was
stamped or jumped upon, sod by this means the other
injuries were inflicted upon him. He was removed to his
own cottage, where be remained insensible tor a few home
and then died, and it would seem that suspicion at mice fell
upon the prisoner as being the author of the deed. On the
following morning, therefore, Superintendent Walker, of
the couuty constabulary, went to the cottage of the
prisoner, accompanied by one of his men, and finding the
prisoner there they proceeded to question him as to the m-
iniumse of the previous evening. He was first asked where
the boots were that he had worn, and be said
they were is the cupboard, and the policeman
book them out. It was then noticed that he
had a pair of clean stockings on, and be was asked where
the dirty ones he had taken off were, sod he said they were
somewhere about ; but although strict search was made for
them, they have never been discovered, and thin induced a
belief that they had stains of blood upon them, and that
they had purposely, therefore, beep destroyed. At the
bottom of the trowsers worn by the prisoner there were
several red marks, ad his bouts, which were stiff and
hard, as though they had been recently soaked in water or
wombed, presented similar marks. The boots and the trow-
Sell were submitted to the scientific examination of Dr.
Taylor ad Dr. Perry ; but it appeared that, with regard to
the former articles, owing to the time that hsd elapsed
1 and the washing to which they had been subjected, they were
unable to say puitively whether the red marks upon them
were made by blood, but with regard to the temente they
gave a very confident opinion that the marks which appeared
upon them, and which were at • spot to which they would
is all probability have sported from the head of the de-
ceased as he was being trampled upon, were marks of blood.
Lies the boots tot the "1Y war made,
prisoner, how
ar tleravneturePre'enne".
the
clip of iron and the sole there were found a number of small
hairs, of a brown colour, tinged with grey, corresponding
exactly in colour with the hair of the dummied. It also ap-
peared that at the time he met his death the demised had a
red woollen comforter round his neck, and some small fibres
of red wool, of the same description es that of which the
comforter war composed, were found smote the ham under
the iron clip of the prisoner's boot. When the police bad
toned these articles they told the prisoner that Steed
was deed, and that he was the last man who had
been seen with him on the previous night, and they
asked him whether he wished to say anything as to what
had occurred, and he replied that he was desirous to do so.
Hs then said that it was true that he and the deceased had
left the thins of Herne together, intending to go home to
Maypole ; but he mid that after they had gore a Mort
dietetic. he left the deceased, and went home by another
route, and he declared that he did sot pass by Ponley'e
gardens with the deceased. There did not appear to be any
reason why the prisoner should have gone home by the
I route be referred to, which was stated to be • mach further
dishiness than the usual route between the two villages ; but
it appeared that the prisoner was seen at one portion of the
route, near a place celled Larkin'e forge, but this was et nine
o'clock at night, and he gave no explanation where he had
been between that hour and ball-put seven o'clock, when he
was last seen by the witness, in company with the deceased.
The above fact., it will be amen, were well calculated to
make out a strong case of suspicion, if not of positive
against the prisoner ; but the statements that were subse-
quently alleged to have been made by him appeared to
afford almost conclusive evidence of his being guilty of
the crime bud to his charge. It appeared that when the
prisoner was before the magistrates, after being maimed
in the usual manner, he Trade a statement similar in effect
to the one he had told the superintendent, and said that
he parted with the deceased after they had gone • short
distance, and that he did not know that he was dead or
that anything had happened to him until the following
worming, sod he concluded by making the follow-
ing extraordinary expressiou—" I do hope that some-
, thing will be found out to clear me of the
charged murder, or if not to lighten ray crime." It also
appeared that when he warin custody in St. Augustin's
Poi. Canterbury, while he and mother prisoner, a soldier
named Charles Watson, who was charged with stealing •
carpet, bag. for which offence he was tried and acquitted on
the first day of the arises, were in the exercising yard to-
gether, the prisoner seked Watson what be was in for, and
' he told him, and then Manfred what be was charged with,
and he replied "murder. Waterer asked him who be was
charged with mardernig and be replied " a man." He then
inquired whether it was true, and the priumer was repro-
'opted to have replied, "It is too true forme." The prim-
per then asked how it cams to be found out, and he said
that it was known he was the last man who wee seen with
and the police came to his house sad made in-
quiries, and found blood cm his clothes and m his boots,
and took them away. The primmer was thee asked by
Watson bow he did it, sad his reply was, "I kicked his
brains out ;" and he west on to my that it was thought at
first that the man had bees killed by • plongbebare that
was near the spot, but this was not true, aa he had kicked
him to death. In addition to this it appeared that while