The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-05 00:00:00

THE ASHOVER BURGLARY.

On Monday, the prisoner, Thomas Wooton, charged
with the burglary at the house of the Rev. Joseph Nodder,
at Marsh Green, Ashover, was brought up before Mr. W.
Milnes and Mr. G. Tarbutt, two magistrates of the county,
at the Greyhound Inn, Ashover. The prisoner, who is still
very lame, was obliged to be seated during the examination.
Mrs. Nodder said : I retired to rest between ten and
eleven o'clock on the night of the 20th February. 1 got
out, of bed about a quarter-past one. I heard a noise,
and went to the window, where I saw the figure of' a
man. I ran to the dressing room door, opened it, and
picked up my child, which was In a cot between my
bed and the door. I rushed out of the room,
closed the door after me, and heard the window of
my bedroom smashed. I called out " Help," " Papa,
thieves!" " Murder !” The door was pulled from me. I
went through the dressing room door on the landing, and
closed it after me, and again called out. That door was
struck from the inside, and I heard it smashed as I ran
away into Mr. Nodder's room, and locked his room door.
He was just got out of bed. I got into his bed to the boy
who was sleeping there. The door was forced open, a
person entered, and Mr. Nodder fired at him. The Rev.
J. Nodder having described his gettieg out of bed when
his wife entered his room followed by a man at the door
holding a candle in his hand, added : I said, with a pistol in
each hand, "My man, I'll shoot you." My wife said,
" Don't shoot," but I shot directly at his body. The
candle went out, and I saw the figure swerve to the left
and out of the dour towards the landing. I heard the
crash of glass, and ran'to the alarm bell. I went out of
doors and said, " Now, we'll have you." Lights were got,
and we went to search for Miss Heeley. The window of
the dressing room was smashed, glass and framework as
well, and any person might have passed into the yeeit
The glass in the window of Mrs. Nodder's room was
broken, and the sash wide open. The left hand window
in the entrance hall was open. There was a ladder
outside Mrs. Nodder's' window. Thomas Ogden, butcher,
Wirksworth : The prisoner is the man I took up on the
road in my cart about half a mile from the White Horse
The prisoner came through a gate very lame, and put hi>
hands on the shafts. lie said, " Where are you going to ?
Have you been carting in the lane ?" I said, "No. We
are butchers, going to Chesterfield market. Prisoner said,
I wish you would take me. I will give yon 2s 61 if you
will." I asked him for the money, and he gave it me.
Joseph Marriott, employed by Miss Nodder, proved accom-
panying Mr. Nodder, and finding the pieces of black glazed
calico, stained with blood. Joseph Crabtree, of Chester-
field, said : I was at the White Horse public-house on
Saturday. week, and saw the prisoner there about ten
minutes to eight o'clock in the morning. I went with him
to the Chesterfield Station and helped him to the train. I
took a ticket to Derby for hint He said he was a native of
Derby. Inspector Fern, of the Derby police said, : I know the
primer. I saw him on Saturday the 21 t February, about
one o'clock, at Derby. at a beerhouse in Bay lane, with his
left foot on the settle, without a shoe, and his ancle
appeared to be much swollen. I said to the prisoner, whom
1 had known for some time, " Wooton, what's amiss with
you He said, " I have got the rheumatic gout."'
Superintendent Holmes said : I examined Mr. Nodder's
premises soon after the burglary. Under the window,
near where the ladder wae, I found an implement used
for opening windows. I apprehended the prisoner at John
Smith's, Duddeiton, row, Birmingham. On going to
his bedside, prisoner said, " What do you want me
tor ?" I said, " I shall apprehend you for a
burglary at the residence of the Bev. Joseph Nod -
der." I saw a mark upon , his abdomen which
appeared to me like a shot wound. The left ancle was ban-
daged and bleeding. I found a shot wound on the prisoner's
left band. Mr. James Vose Solomon, F.R U.S., surgeon to
the Birmingham Infirmary, said : I examined the prisoner
ou the day he was captured, at the lock up of the prison,
I found fifteen shot marks on the stomach, and extensive
recent bruises extending over the area of the stomach, and
one on the left side of the left hand. I also observed an
outward bruise on the left ancle, and a swelling of the left
foot.—This being the whole of the evidence, the prisoner
made no statement, and was committed for trial at the
Derby assizes.