The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-08 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.

MARCH 7.

GROWS SID&
CHA,IOI OP MURDER.
ZASOPOSE/P4paisaci, 49, was indicted for the wilful murder
of his wife, Anne Hempstead.
Mr. T. Chambers end Mr. HUM conducted the prosecu-
mon ; Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Woollett were counsel for the

prisoner.
Hr. Chambers, in opening the case to the jury, described
it as being one of a very melancholy character, and he said
that when the jury had heard the evidence he should lay
before them, he feared they would be compelled to come to
the conclusion that the unhappy deceased had met her
death at the hands of the prisoner ; and the only question
they would hare to decide was—whether, at the time the
act was committed, the prisoner was in a state of mind to
render him responsible for his actions. The learned counsel
then sated the facts of thecae*, and it appeared from them
that the prisoner and his wife lived at Halstead, and that
they were both engaged in a silk factory at that place, and
resided in the town with their family, which consisted of
five children, four of whom were grown up, and the
youngest was three years of age. On the night of the
3rd of November all the family went to bed at the
usual time, three of the children occupying • bed
room direct) y under the one in which the prisoner and his
wife slept. Nothing particular appeared to have occurred
until about four o'clock on the following morning, when
one of the sons heard the prisoner go out of his bed-room
and proceed down stairs, and he inquired of him what it
was o'clock. sad the reply he gave was that it wanted ten
miantes to six, the real hour being four. The prisoner
was heard to go down a second time shortly afterwards, and
then leave the house. When the family got up at • later
hour, upon their going into the bed-room of the prisoner a
dreadful sight presented itself—their unhappy mother being
found lying upon the bed quite dead, with her skull almost
smashed to pieces, and covered with wounds. It was ascer-
tained that a hammer, which wee usually hanging in the
kitchen, had been taken away, end there was no doubt that
it was with that instrument that the deadly wounds had
been inflicted, and it was subsequently found in the garden
of a neighbour, covered with blood. A few hours after the
dreadful deed bad been committed the prisoner was
found at a place about ten miles from Halstead ; and
it appeared that he inquired for the parish constable,
and upon finding him and being asked what he wanted vf
him, he said that he bad murdered his wife that morning,
and he wished to give himself into eustody. He subse-
quently said that he had been in custody before, but
that upon one occasion his wife had obtained a peace war-
rant
against him, but he did not go to gaol, and he added
that be thought it would have been a very good Job for him
if he had gone to gaol for a month. He continued talking
in a very incoherent manner, and said be did not know how
he cane to do it, that he loved his wife, and that she was as
good looking a young woman as any in Halstead. Some
questions it appeared were put to the prisoner relating to
the crime, and he then said he thought he had told them
quite enough—he had admitted he was a murderer, and that
was sufficient. As the prisoner was being conveyed to gaol
he again admitted that he had killed his wife, and said,
"Now she is dead, and I have only four months to live, and
I must make the best use of my.tiene." As they approached
the gaol at Springfield, the prisoner pointed to it and said,
" I shall n go out of that again." And when the con-
stable replied, " Yes, you will," his answer was, " What,
when Igo to execution ? " All these fact. were proved in
evidence, but on cross examination it appeared that upon
two occasions the prisoner had attempted to destroy himself
by hanging; that he was in the habit of wandering about
all night; that he laboured under several delusions with
regard to his wife, and it appeared that the impression
among all who knew him was that he was • iperson of
wound Wad.
/dr. Hawkins made a very earnest and effective appeal to
the jury on behalf of the prisoner, and he said his learned
friend had rightly coajectured that the defence be was in-
structed to lay before them was that the prisoner was not
in a state of mind such as to render him responsible for the
act he had committed. He remarked upon the absence of
anything like a reasonable motive for the ;commission c f
such a crime; and he urged that the very circumstances
under which the deed was committed, and the conduct of
the prisoner immediately afterwards, were sufficient in them-
selves to raise &doubt of the prisoner's sanity, and he said
that when they bad heard the additional evidence he
should produce he entertained a confident opinion they
would return a verdict that would have the effect of pre-
venting the sacrifice of the life of the prisoner and would at
the same time protect the public from all chance of further
violence frem him.
A number of witnesses were then examined, whose evi-
dence tended to show that the mind of the prisoner bad been
affected for a considerable time before the transaction, and
that all the people about him considered be was of unsound
mind. It also appeared that the governor and surgeon of the
gaol where he had been soaked were of the same opinion,
and they proved that during his stay in the prison he had
nearly destroyed himself by starvation.
The learned Judge having summed up the whole case, the
jury after a short deliberation returned a verdict of Not
Usilty, on the pound of insanity, and the prisoner was
ordered to be detained during her liejerity's pleasure.

WESTERN ClRCUlT.—Wnicmurrra, MAR= 7,

semi nu. sums' CZOWDZI/4
This manias
_Garr Baba and Henry Vile, who were
yesterday senvithmi burclariously entering the house of
Mies Jean Nam, at Bitterne, were brought up for sentence.
His Loraldp, after commenting upon the enormity of
the offesa, and the evidence that both of them were well
knows se king the wotet of chencters, sentenced them to
be Itheepeeted for life.
awe Oft' 26, a married woman, was indicted under the
aseseer's Uitsisition for the murder of her male infant
child, at the parish of Bt. Maurice, Winchester, on the 26th
of Deeentine last.
It award that the prisoner was unable to suckle her
child, end that from the fourth day after its birth, on the
23rd of November, she wee very low, and said she wished it
was a girl ; the' child wasted for the last fortnight. The
prisoner's mother-in-law lived in the same house, sad took
charge of it on Christmas-duty. It was given some gin that
Green, because it cried so much. The mother had it
during the night, sad next morning the father, when he
came lime so dinner, found the altUd laid in bed, and on
examination found it dead. He celled some women, and
they found that some blood was flowing from the child's
mouth. Next day, after the child had been examined by •
, the mother threw herself is r hysterias, and mid, r
:not be quiet ; I have murdered my baby." In answer
to questions from her stepmother, the prisoner said
• was with her, end she rammed the flannel into Its
ninth with • spoon." The examination of the surgeon
paved the thesbild bed sok lungs, sad that distention of