The Express.
London, England, 1864-09-06 00:00:00

ALLEGED MURDER OP A WIFE IN

SHORRDITCR.

DIQUEST.—(THIS DAY.)
This morning Mr. John Humphreys, Middlesex
coroner, resumed at the Royal Oak Tavern, Margaret-street,
Haggerstons, the inquiry relative to the death of Mary Ann
Birch, aged 53 years, a married woman, supposed to have
been killed by the violet:Kis of her husband.
Mr. J. B. Abbott, **Hector, appeared on behalf of the
accused Thomas Birch ; and Inspector Webster bad the
=pediment of the cue on the pert of the Commissioners of

Police.
-
The prisoner, Thomas Birch, a powerful-looking man, was
brought up in custody under a warrant prom the Secretary
of Siat&
Hester Houtenle, 6, Nelson-street, Margaret-rifest,
was called, and she said that she never saw Birch strike his
wife. On Monday week last she saw him pan her door
about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. She did not speak to him,
but she could swear she saw him, for he had been pointed
out to bar as the man that 'Hued his wife. She was not
able to speak positively to his dom. He wore a black coat.
Mr. Abbott said he could prove that the prisoner was in
Newington at the time mentioned by the witness.
Mr. Davis, tinned victualler, sod that he kept the Pe-
gasus, in Graen-lane, Stoke Newingtom Oa Monday weak In
saw Birch as be (witness) was at his door. It was then 7
o'clock in the morning. He said he was going to the build-
My where he worked. He hreakfruited and dined at witness's
hones, He left about 7 ia the evening, after taking some beer.
He did not wear a black coat. Witness never maw him wear
such a colour. Black for a bricklayer was about the worst
colour. There was nothing strange or unusual about his
manner. Witness gave him a tree or a flower, which he said
he would take home to hie wife.
By the jury—He did not coma to take his meals at wit-
ness's house before the Monday; he had only been intro-
duced to the hene by witness's son three or four days before.
On the Tuesday he came crying, and said he had met with a
frightful loes—be had found his wife dead when be returned
home the night before. The Monday was the first day that
the prisoner had come to work on the buildings after he had
been introduced to whams.
Elizabeth Sparrowbawk said that she paned Mr. Birch's
house on the Sooday night a few minutes before 11 o'clock.
Birch tried to strike deceased at the street door. She
stepped back sod avoided the blow. He struck at her with
his fist. She was quite sober. She stepped not of the
house to avoid the blow and creased the street and wens
into the Royal Oak. Witness then passed on. As deceased
craned the rood she said, " I will write ; I have raid so sod
I will do it." Witness did not hear Birch say anything.
She could not say whether he was sober or not.
By Mr. Abbott—Witness was quite sure it wee within a few
minutes of 11 o'clock, because the public-houses shot up in
• few minutes after. Witness WS going to see her mis-
tress's children at the time. Her mistress came to her
hone for her.
Mr. Abbott said that Birch's sou proved that he bad pat
Birth into an omnibus at the West-end, at about 11 o'clock.
Constantin W. Wilk; 34, Clifton-street, Finsbury, said
that he was • bricklayer, sod he worked on Monday week
at the Grego-lanes. Birch was the foreman, and he was
there oe Monday week. Messrs. Atford and Co. were the
employers. Birch lett the building at 3 o'clock in the
evening.
After further witnesses had been examined, the prisoner
said he should reserve his defence.
The jury, after ao hour's deliberation, returned a verdict
ot " Manslaughter against Thomas Birch."
The Coroner then nailed his warrant for the committal of
the accused to Newgate to await his trial at the Central
Criminal Court. Large crowds ware assembled in front of
the wart who rushed after the cab.

GRAND LODGE Or FRRISIABONR.—We are re-
quested to state that the observations made by the Marquis
of Donegan, at the masonic essenibly recently held at
Belfast, in reference to the late riots there, have attracted
the attention and drawn down the animadversion of the
grand lodge of Ireland, as being sltopetber at variance with
the fundamental rule of the order, which specially prohibits
the discussion of any matter of a political or sectarian ten-
dewy at masonic meetings. We trust this step will be fol-
lowed up by a grave caution against the introduction of re-
porters into such easemblies.—Dublie Evening Mail.
MISSING MIDSHIPMEN. —The Malta Times has the I
subjoined :—" The patios here have been furnished with • I
detailed description of Mr. Boddington and Mr. Burns, of
the British navy. midshipmen, for whom capture a reward
is offered. These two young officers have been absent from
her Majesty's ship Gibraltar since the 24th ult., and are !
known to have hired a small half-decked pleasure-
boat
to which a boatman carried off some provisions, which !
facts, added to others since corn, to light, leave no doubt '
but that they have premeditatedly deserted ; indeed, their
determination to leave the navy has been on several occa-
does openly expressed. Telegrams have been despatched to I
the opposite coast of Sicily to arrest them should they have
made for that direction, bat from the winds and weather
that have prevailed, it is more likely that they will have been
picked up by some homeward bound merchant vessel
passing from the sestwaid. We learn that there
is another young officer, said to be an assistant-paymaster.
missing for some days past from H.M.S. Marlborough, no
doubt under like circumstances whose description has been
also forwarded to the polio,. A lieutenant of the Meanie is
soother absentee without leave, to the inexpressible regret
of some devotees of St. Criepia, St. Honiobono, and other
saints and mistiness, protectors of the trading classes, who
will however be glad to learn that be has reached Naples
in a perfect state of salubrity."
On the 31st nit, a search was made by the police
at the residence of the well known:M. Range, at Dantsie.
The object was to disown copies of a brochure entitled
Le Deaslogise des Jr.:cites. Three copies only were seised
sad these were gives to the police by Rouge himself.