The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-01 00:00:00

SATURDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 1, 1862.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

THIRD COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)
Stephen Keefe, 39 labourer_, was indicted for feloniously
killing and slaying Klima Keefe, his wife.
Mr. Sleigh and Mr. E. Beaky appeared for the proseen-
tion ; the prisoner was undefended.
It appeared in this owe, the riartic.. alms of which have
already been made public, that the prison's, who is a blind
man, and obtained hi living by playing the bagpipes. at
public-houses, and in addition to which has a pension
of 81, per annum from the Ciothworkers' Company, re-
sided with his wife (the deemed), to whom he
had been married 13 year", and who had borne him
several children, in • lower room of the house,
No. 12, Rosenllsy, Bishopagate-street The prisoner was
in the habit of getting drunk, and his wife was addicted
to a similar habit, but received at times most brutal treat-
ment from him, the prisoner leaving her and children a
whole day without food. On the night of the 27th Sep-
tember, about 12 o'clock, the prisoner came home accom-
panied by his daughter, who used to lead him about in the
pursuit of his avocatioii. He was drunk when he reached
his home, but gave the deceased a shilhng to purchase
some meat and potatoes for him. She and the children
had been without food that day, but he said he did not care
what they had, but he would have what he had ordered.
The decauied had no quarrel at the time, but went on her
errand, returning in about a quarter of an hour. When
she came back the prisoner commenced abusing her in the
most filthy language, declaring she had been two hours away.
He then got hold of her and dragged her into the room, when
he knocked her down, and while she was prostrate he
took from under the bed the stick with which he travelledhis
rounds, and with it struck her several severe blows, and
then throwing the stick away fell upon her and put his
knee upon her abdomen, by which means he kept her down,
and continued to knock her about, polling and tearing at
her hair. He also kicked her in the side, she being at the
time far advanced in pregnancy, and on the following even-
ing (Sunday) alto was taken ill, and the midwife who at.
tended her, finding the state she was in, met for Mr. Fowler,
the medical officer of the union, who on his arrival found
the woman in a state of collapse, and so ill that she had
no power to sexist nature, but ultimately was delivered
of a dead child. The poor woman continued in a perfectly
helpless condition until the Monday night, when die died.
The prisoner was present at the time, and accused the me-
dical gentleman and also the midwife with having
murdered her, and his conduct then was very violent,
and ultimately he had to be turned out of the room,
when he declared it was a good job his wife
was dead, for he was very glad to get rid of her. He after-
wards repeated the same expressions on several subsequent
occasions. On a postmortem examination, made by Mr.
Fowler, aided by Dr. Luther Holden, of Gower-street, Bed-
ford-square, it was ascertained beyond all doubt that the
poor woman had died from laceration of the uterus The
principal witness against the prisoner was his daughter,
alrindy alluded to, and in his cross-examination of her his
language was so ruffianly, brutal, and filthy, that the court
interfered, his manner creating a general feeling of disgust.
In Lis defence the prisoner denied that he bad kicked the
deceased, of whose intemperate habits he complained.
Two Irish witnesses were examined on his behalf, but
their testimony only served to confirm the statements of
the witnesses for the prosecution.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty, when it was stated
that he had before been convicted of brutal conduct to the
deceased, and was, in 1858, sentenced to three months'
imprisonment.
The Recorder, in passing sentence, said the case was one
of a most atrocious character. The prisoner seemed to have
anticipated the result of his brutal career, as indicated by
the expressions he made use of after the death of the de-
ceased. Under such circumstances the sentence was that
he be kept in penal servitude for the term of 15 years.
On sentence being pronounced, the prisoner, with cool
impudence, asked whether his pipes with which he used to
get his living might not be given up to his friend Murphy,
one of the witnesses examined in has favour.

The Recorder—Certainly not.
William Barr, a respectable looking man, surrendered in
discharge of his ail to take his trial on an indictment
charging him with the manslaughter of Barr, his wife.
Mr. Kemp prosecuted, and Mr. Sleigh defended the pri-
soner. _ _

It appeared that the prisoner, another man and his wife,
and the deceased, were out in the neighbourhood of Hox-
ton, driving, as was alleged on the part of the prosecution,
at a furious rate, and when the vehicle came to the corner
of Murray-street and Britannia-street, Holton, it was up-
set, and the deceased was thown upon her head. She was
picked up and carried into the Durham Arms public-home,
where she died within an hour of the occurrence, the pn-
loner at the time exhibiting the greatest distress of mind.
Mr. Sleigh, for the prisoner, made a very feeling address
to the jury on his behalf, urging that the fatal and lament-
able catastrophe was the result of accident, for which the
prisoner was not to blame.
Witnesses were then called, who proved that the prisoner
was perfectly sober, and that the horse had taken fright at
some posting bill attached to a hoarding, and that the pri-
soner did all in his power to prevent the occurrence which
ended so fatally.
The jury immediately Acquitted the prisoner, who was so
overcome with mental anguish as to be almost unable to
leave the dock on his discharge.
Thomas Hitchcock surrendered to take his trial on an
indictment preferred against him by the City_ authorities for
causing to be exposed in Newgate-market 500 lbs. weight of
diseased meat unfit for human food.
Mr. Sleigh prosecuted, and Mr. Pater defended.
The prisoner pleaded guilty, and his learned counsel ap-
pealed to the court to pin upon him • lenient sentence, as
he had never offended before and as he had a wife and six
children depending upon him, for support.
Two witnesses from Kent and Huntingdoe (in which latter
county the prisoner resided) were called, and stated that the
prisoner bore a very high character.
Mr. Sleigh elicited from them that the prisoner followed
the occupation of a jobbing butcher, and that the meat be
had sent up was three quarters of • diseased cow.
Mr. Pater begged the Recorder to take the prisoner's own
reoognisance to come up for judgment when called upon,
promising that he would not offend spin.
The Recorder said he couldnot listen tosuch • proposition.
It was a ve7 serious offenoe and one that was very much
on the increue. The judges had laid down an uniform
amount of punishment for all such offences, and the City
authorities were very properly using their utmost endeavours
to put • stop to this offence. He regretted that the pri-
soner's wife and children were placed in the position Mr.
Pater had alluded to, but the court was bound to consider
the public interest, for by the sale of diseased meat not only
was health, but even life endangered. He should, therefore,
pass in this case the earns sentence as in a previous one,
which was that the prisoner be kept to hard labour in the
Howe of Correction for six calendar mouths.
FOURTH COURT.
(Before Thomas Chambers, Esq., Q.C., Common Serjeant.)

Francis Wells, 32, dealer, was indicted for steeling 300
riding whips, value 1501., and other goods, the property of
John Smith.
Mr. Orridge prosecuted, and Mr. Taylor defended.
The prosecutors a whip manufacturer in Barbican, and
on the night of the 3rd September his premises were entered
and the property in question stolen, and at the last sessions
of this court a man named Kaufman was convicted of being
found in possession of part of the stolen property, and in
this case the pnucipal witness against the prisoner was a
broker of that name, who, from some information he had
gained by going to the Lord Nelson concert room, White.
chapel•ros4 ascertained that the prisoner had been
dealing with some whips with another man. He gave
informatiou to the police, and evidence was obtained
of a man who kept a ginger beer stall in Barbican, and
be pointed out the prisoner from a good many other men at
the police station as being the person whom he saw on the
morning of the robbery come out of the prosecutor's house
with a bundle. _

The jury found the prisoner Guilty, and he was sentenced
to eighteen months' imprisonment.
Robert Hanka, 17, labourer, was charged on the coroner's
inquisition with feloniously killing and slaying William
Smith. _ _ .

Mr. Sharp conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Montagu
Williams defended the prisoner.
It appeared that the prisoner, the deceased, a man
named -Whitehead, and several others, were drinking toge-
ther at the Bed Lion and Punchbowl public-house, Clerken-
well, and on leaving it when the house cad a quarrel ensued
between Whitehead and the deceased, who both took off
their coats to fight. They sparred at each other, but no
blows were s:ruck, when the deceased, who was very drunk,
ran away, and his foot coming in contact with the kerb he
fell on his face. He, however, got up and came back to
the place be had left, took up his coat, and was proceeding
home, when the prisoner was observed to follow him, and.
reproaching him for having ran away, struck the deceased so
violent a blow behind the left ear that he fell heavily on
his back, his bead coming in contact with the pavement.
He was taken up insensible and conveyed to the Free Hos-
pital in Cray's-inn-lane, where he died on the following
day, his death being mimed, according to the medical evi-
dence, to effusion of blood on the brain, occasioned by a blow.
The jury at once returned a verdict of Guilty.
The Common Serjeant said that this was the most brutal
and cowardly case that had ever come before him, and sen-
tenced the prisoner to 12 months' imprisonment and hard
labour.
The prisoners Esther Bays, Eliza Townsend, Peter Paul,
Patrick Day, and James Smith, who were on the previous
evening convicted of conspiracy and fraud, were brought up
for judgment.
The Common Serjeant, in passing sentence, said the fraud
was one of the most cruel character, and with regard to
the prisoner Smith he expressed his regret that the law did
not allow bim,uoder this indictment, to pass on him a heavier
sentence than that of two years' imprisonment. With re-
gard to the other prisoners, their conduct had been very
had, but still Smith bad been the prime mover in the matter,
and taking their position in reference to him into considers-
tine, he should order them to be severally imprisoned and
kept to hard labour for twelve eslendsr months.
In answer to Mr. Kamp, who had prosecuted the ease, and
at itsoosausiort ma& an application to theCommanklarjeast,
it possible, to give some reward to the polies constable who
had brought the prisoners to justioe,
The Common Sergeant said he very much regretted that
he had no power to make awards to constables is caws like
the present, ea the allows engaged in this sons were dame-
ins of the highest praise for the part they bad taken and
the ability they bad exhibited is breaking ay this pug of
swindlers.