The Express.
London, England, 1862-10-31 00:00:00

THE MURDER IN THE CITY.

After our report left the Central Criminal
Court yesterdey,
Mr. Payee, the deputy coroner for the City of London,
was called as a witness. He proved that at the first
inquiry before him, which took plate, on the 17th of
September, the prisoner came forward and offered to give
evidence, and that he cautioned him, and told him that he
was not boned to make any statement, and that anything he
did say might be need as evidence against him. After he
had given him this caution the prisoner was sworn, and gave
his evidence, which witness took down in writing, and the
prisoner signed it.
The deposition of the prisoner was then put in and read.
It was to the effect that he was willing to tell all he knew.
That he bad been married to the deceased for seven years,
and that they lived happily together, until the girl Humbler
came to live in their house, about five years ago, and that
after this period his wife was very disagreeable about her, and
wished her to go away, and that she left and got married.
She only lived with her husband a short time, and came
back to live with them again, and after this the deceased
mimed to complain of her more than ever, and frequently
said that she thought that her conduct was worse since
her marriage than it was before. The prisoner went on to
any that on the Sunday evening before his wife died the girl
Humbler was annoying and insulting his wife, and he de-
termined that she should leave on the following day.
He said that he and his wife slept together on the
Sunday night, and they were very friendly ; and
he got up as usual, and went to his work in the morning,
and when he left his wife was in bed with the child.
He then enumerated the places were he went to work
on the Monday morning, and said that he returned home
about eight o'clock, and then found that his wife was
dead, and he said that the reason he charged Humbler with
the murder was, that he thought it probable that eba had
insulted his wife and quarrelled with her after he left, and
that this had led to the act. He also said that the deceased
was not left-banded.

This closed the case for the prosecution.
The witness Elizabeth Rumbler was then re-called at the
request of Mr. Ribtoo, and he asked her whether she had
not stated upon one occasion, that now she had got into the
prisoner's house she Iru determined not to leave it!

The witness, in reply, declared that she had never made
any such statement, but, on the contrary she said that
about three weeks before M. Gardner died she offered
of her own accord to leave the prisoner's booze. She
went on to state that one night the prisoner came home
late, and appeared to be very angry, and said that both his
wife and witness should go, and that be would have the
house to himself. Witness, in reply to this, said that she
would rather go herself than that Mrs. Gardner should
go, and the prisoner told her to mind her own business, and
that he was the master of the house, and he should do
what be liked.

James Gardner, the eon of the deoeased, was then again
pieced in the witness-box, and be declared positively that
be heard the girl Humbler make use of the expression im-
puted to her upon wore than ona occasion.
In answer to a question put by Mr. Poland, this witness
said that he head Humbler say this about three or four
weeks before his mother's death.
This closed the case for the crown.

Mr. Ribton then addressed the learned judge, and said
the usual hour for the adjournment of the court had nearly
arrived, and he inquired of his lordship whether he pro-
posed to finish the trial that night.
The Lord Chief Baron said that the inquiry was one of
the most important character, and the attention of the jury
bad already been directed to it for several hours, and he
therefore thought it would be better to adjourn the case to
the following morning. He also thought it would only be
fair to Mr. Ribton, after the course that had been taken, of
calling the young woman Humbler as a witness, that be
should, have an opportunity for considering the effect of her
evidence.

The trial waa accordingly postponed to this morning, the
itlrr, as in all cases of felony, being taken to the London
Cuff se-house in charge of the officen of the court.

THE SWEATING SYSTEM.

Yesterday morning Mr. H. Raffles Walthew, the
deputy coroner for East Middlesex, held an inquest at the
Lamb Tavern, Dorset-street, Commercial-road Fast, Rat-
cliff, touching the death of Mary Ann Pickering, aged 12
months. Ann Pickering, a poor woman, of No. 15, School.
house-lane, Rateliff, deposed that the deceased was ber
daughter. She was a sempstress and obtained a scanty
livelihood by making flannel shirts for a large City firm, for
which she was paid 3d. each, and had to find needles and
thread. Witness had five children, and bad been de-
serted by her husband about two years. He was
a lazy fellow, and wished her to work and keep him in
idleness. She had suffered great privation, and they
all slept in one small room. On Friday last deceased,
who had been ailing and suffering from the diarrhosa,
had excruciating pains in the stomach, and witness
sent for the doctor, but he gave no hopes of her. He
thought the deceased had been starved, and shortly after
he left deceased suddenly fell and expired. She
believed that the deceased required better nourishment
than she could afford to give her. Witness continued,
creing, and said, " I would rather suffer anything than
trouble the authorities of the workhouse. If 1 and my
child work all day and great pert of the night we can earn
ninepence for three shirts. The price is very small for so
much labour. I have them from a woman who gets •
trifle profit out of them, and she gets them from Messrs.
Moses and SOOl. I have never earned more than 6s. a week
with my little girl's asaistance,which is all the money we have
bad to live upon. I have paid 2a out of that for rent." Mary
White, the landlady, was examined, and said that the
mother of the child was an industrious woman. She bad
been a book-folder, and was of respectable parents, but since
her husband bad left her she had taken to shirt-making. She
believed that the poor woman and her children had suffered
great distress. Mr. Hawkins, of Ratcliff, said that he was
called to see the deceased, who was suffering from weakness
and general debility. There was blood passing from the
body, showing that the deceased was labouring under ulce-
ration of the bowels. He prescribed for the deceased, who
expired in a few hours afterwards. Several of the other child-
ren were suffering from the snail-pox, and no doubt would
die very soon. The room where the family lived was small
and unwholesome. The house was badly drained, and unfit
for habitation. The Deputy Coroner remarked oo the
painful nature of the case, and, after giving her some cash
out of his own pocket, advised her to seek parish assistance,
and the guardians would Sod her busbmd, and punish him
for his cruel conduct. Ile was quite sure that she could
not subsist upon the paltry money she received for making
the shirts, and he hoped that she would at once go to the
relieving officer of the pariah, and make known to him the
facts of her case. The jury at once concurred in the opinion
of the learned deputy coroner, and returned a verdict to the
effect—" That the deceasedi died from ulceration of the
bowels, brought ou by want of the common necessaries of
life."