The Express.
London, England, 1865-03-07 00:00:00

THE MUADEE AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE IN

HACKNEY.

Last evening at the Fountain Tavern, Claptoa,
Mr. John Humphreys, the coroner for East Middlesex,
opened an inquest upon the body of Henry Jceeph Smith,
• lad aged 10 years, whose alleged murder by his aunt,
Elizabeth Carmichael, was on Saturday reported in the
NW:lst 'MONO examined was the uncle of the deceased
boy, and hatband of the woman charged with the murder.
He gave hie name as Henri Carmichael, of No. 3, Nightin-
ganvillin Hackney, betiMager and waiter, engaged in
*klieg up the row of houses ia one of which he lived. His
sadism was as follows :—Oa Friday morning last I
areas at a little before 8 o'clock, my usual time, and
wait from the bedroom, which was on the gist flaw,
to the kitchen on the bemenent loran my wife and the
boy in bed. While preparing breakfast I heard the boy
fey eat, " Aunt ! Aunt dont ; pray doe't," sad I thought
his aunt was beating him, as she was sometimes in the
habit of doing. I took up scene broadest about half-past
9. and knocked at the door, which I forted locked. I said,
"Aunt, why don't you open the door! here's the break-
fast," to which I received no answer. That did not much
surprise me, sot that I bed had difference, with my wife •
but on the previous evening, on returning from town, I
found the Venetian blinds up, sad I asked bar to put
them down. She refused, laying she liked them up, and
she had her way, but I put them down afterwards when
she was goo* to bed, and I attributed her temper to my
having dose so. I west towork at about 10 o'clock. I
fitted up the pekes in the house, and at midday I wont
aid prepared dinner from some cold meat in the house.
When the dinner was ready I rang she bell for
them to come down, and having waited • quarter of an
hour without repaving any aameer, I west up and called
out, " Aunt, are an cognise down to dieser ?" I repeated
this once or twice, and still stearin ao answer, I said,
"You are in one of your tempers again," and went down.
At teatime I went up again, end with a like result. At
half-peat 7 o'clock I west up, and still receiving no answer,
I said, " you doe% open the door, I'll fetch the polies sad
burst it open—it's cruelty keeping the boy without food.*
Upon that I pushed and waged at the handle of the door,
and at hat burst it in. The room was dark at the time, but
I knew where the matches were on the mantelpiece, so I
reached across and got one and struck • light. Then I saw
the bey lying Irk* deed, nod my wife crouching down with a
cot in her throat. I said, " What have you done!" She
cooly gurgled and pointed to the boy. I then fetched Mr.
Welsh, the doctor.
The witness was cross-examined at very great length by
theCoroser, and in reply to the questions put to him (mese
of which he answered after great deliberation), he mid that
be and his wife used to have words some years sines, but of
late they bad lived happily. lie cooteseed that his SWUM-
etas*ss were sow somewhat altered to what they were, he
having kept • shop : but he said be had had no pecuniary
difikaties. On being premed by the Cormier to account
for his taking little notice of his wife looking herself in the
reera—a thing she had not done before, that he knew of—h•
said be could not amount for it. He further elated that he
had called to the boy, and on receiving no answer be
thought his wife was compelling the boy to be shout.
The next witness called was Charles John Carmichael,
and before be entered the room the previous witness called
out, " I don't consider my brother is a fit subject to be a
witness, as he has been a patient in Bethlehem. This was
overruled and the witness was sworn. He, however, de-
posed to little of importance. He bad known the woman
for some years, and knew that she was of a peculiar temper,
that the pair often quarrelled, and that the last witness was
el an emiteable temper when put out, though, added the
whams, he was " quite harmless."
Imps ,tor Morris, of the N division, deposed to having
ban cal ad to the house is which the murder was own-
milled, and on being questioned b the Coroner if he had
observe I anything peculiar, be said the only peculiarity was
116 'kelp 000laess with which the haekaid had takes the
nabbw.
Mz. Charles Henry Welsh, M.E.C.S., stated that he was
celled to deceased at a quarter to 8 en Friday eight, sod
found life to be quite extinct. The body, which had only a
shirt on, was lying with the face downwards, and the legs
were divided like the letter V. There were two iecisioes
on the throat, one Si inches keg by 2P deep and two wide.
The aroma we. half an inch lower. sad 11111 two Myhre lo
and tiree-quarbors wide. The larger wound had divided all
the arteries, causing instantarenne death. Both wounds
were made from left to right. and they mart have been
made by some mooed person. The boy had been deed some
two or three hours only. The wife wan in a sitting posture,
bleeding from the throat. Witness spoke to her, asking
her if she did it. to which she nodded es if in swat.
The Coroner then read over the WANK*, and told the
jury that it was not their province to enter Into the state el
the woman's mind ; but to find out by what means the boy
creme by his death, air the perms wbo caused that death, be
said, would have to answer for the act before another
teibonah
The room was cleared, and when the public were re-
admitted it was stated that the jury were not altogether
satisfied with the evidence, sod bad adjourned the owe for
• we*, is order that further testimony might be brought
before them.