The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-14 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTBLLIGENCE.

SOUTH LANCASHIRE.—Lwrs. root., Disc. 13.
CROWN COURT
BICTOBB ILL Junta' Wieffnun.
Commix or Dirriums.
Patrick Joseph Coals, 34, was indicted for having, at
the borough of Liverpool, oa the lit of August law, murdered
one Catherine Callan, his daughter, by cutting her throat

with a razor.
The prisoner, who is a respectable intelligent-100k...,
man, on being placed at the bar, manifested that he was
a "iring the most poignant grief. At the recital of the
evidence where the razor was spoken of, with which he
had cut the throats of his children, he groaned with
way • and as he leaned, or rather lay, upon the front
of the. dock, his grief became insupportable. On being
asked whether he was guilty or not guilty of the murder of
James Culkin, he answered—" I am not cognizant of my
guilt, gentlemen." He was then asked to plead to the in•
dictmsnt charging him with the murder of his daughter
Catherine.: his utterance for a time became completely
choked ; he at length replied " Being surrounded, sir, by
death, as I was—my poor wife and my daughter—my
favourites—say—" kis sobs prevented him saying more,
and he fell upon the front of the dock and remained immov-
able. Mr. Pollock who had voluntarily
.nnsiertaken his de-
fence, here said " The plea is not godly.'
Mr. James, who conducted the prosecution, then detailed
the eireametaness of the eau, with which the public are
already fully acquainted. It will be recollected that the
prisoner, who was a teacher, but at the time of the sad occur-
rearm, which led to his committal for murder, was completely
destitute of the means of subsistence, livid in a court in
Orielotrut, Van:Warted, Liverpool, that his wife and
child died of cholera, and that whilst lying dead is the
house, he cat the throats of his two living children with a
razor' nearly severing their heads from their bodies ' and
that afterwards he cut his own throat, and was found,
bleeding, lying stretched across the dead bodies of hie wife
and child
The evidence went to establish that the prisoatr, who bad
been doggedly attached to his family, wu colstely, sa
described by one of the witnesses, " beidde himself through
grieL"
Mr. Pollock said, ander the circumstances, he did not con-
sider it necessary_ to address the jury, as the only point
in the ease would be perfectly safe, burg left to his lord-
ship,
The learned judge, is instructing the jury, threw the
matter of fact; as to by whom the children had met their
death, out of the question, and said the only point for con-
sideration was, whether or not, at the time of the occurrence,
the primer was in such a state of mind as to be accountabli
for his actions.
The jury4after a few minutes' deliberation, returned.a ver-
dict of Not guilty, on the ground of insanity.
The pima was ordered to stud down.
Kuzma AT MANCILUTILIL

AM Lee, 413,—eiasWargea7eitT having, at Manchester,
cat 'the 7th of September lest m
, wilfully murdered Thom:
Riau:dem Mr. Monk and Mr. Fowler prosecuted; Mr.
Pollock ashaded the prisons?.
• Kr. Kash stated the case, from which it appeared that
the primer was a blacksmith, residing in Manchester, and
epos the by of the alleged murder the demand went to the
hlmer% smithy foe the settlement of an :count owing
. Ti. Flower repeatedly ejected him, and upon ens of
the oreadensiaralts• dammed endeavouring to regain
mom to the the Owner, who was working two
fusing reds el Yea, a yard long eel half an inch in
thiamine. mime& at the deceased end emit ens of the rods
ism k ha WO sad the other into the right, eampletely
the limbs. The primer thew with-
=is reditTito. heated then, and pwiteled with
his work as though notking had hINSweL deceased,
three& theists/Imb, heireeelvid, lot falba to ground,
and beim sea by cranePowseo who resided near to-he was
Named to the heepas4 when he died within an hear after
his errivel.
Mr. Polies& addressed the jury at considerable length,
with the view el showing that, ender the eirensastaaess of
the esee. the mild doge amid net be
hughter. sustained, and that
the one saas
The learsedno jb haadge theneT suessed up, iastrieting the jury
ea the state aisle law as it applied to the ease, thwirgaish-
biseander hem lIIIIRLagIster.
The jam. dim a low eaisatee' delibention, returned a
notion of sanalawghter.
The prisoner was then sentenced to be tragegnroog slur We.