Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-22 00:00:00

TILE ISLINGTON MURDER.

Robert Robinson Tripp, 62, a singular looking old
Man, was indicted at the Central Criminal Court, on
Thursday, for the wilful murder of James Scott. The
prisoner was also charged with the like offence upon the
coroner's. inquisition. Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Robinson
conducted the prosecution ; the prisoner was defended by
Mr. Metcalfe and Mr. Orridge. The learned council for
the prosecution, in opening the case to the jury, said that
it was preferred by direction of the Secretary of State,
and the case .was one that would require their most
earnest consideration, as the life of the prisoner
was undoubtedly involved in the inquiry. The
facts were in a very narrow compass, and he believed
that no doubt could be entertained that the deceased re-
ceived his death by the hand of the prisoner, and the only
questions the jury -would have to consider was, whether
there were any circumstances in the case that would reduce
the crime below that of murder, or whether the prisoner
was in such a state of mind at the time as to be legally
responsible for his conduct. lie then proceeded to state
that the deceased was the landlord of a house in Gifford-
street, Caledonian-road, Islington, which he let out in
lodgings, and the prisoner occupied two rooms on the second
floor. t anpeared that the deceased, in Nov. last, had
put a distress for rent into the prisonert department, and
there was no doubt that this had created id feeling
on his part towards the deceased. The transaction
that was the subject of inquiry took place on the 7th of
April ; and it appeared that, about half-past two o'clock
in the morning a person named Silence, who also lodged
in the house, heard a noise in the floor where the prisoner's
apartments were, and upon his going up stairs with a light,
be found the prisoner and the deceased standing on the
landing, and the latter appeared to be in the act of reading
a distress paper, or notice of that kind, to the prisoner.
When the witness got upstairs the prisoner asked him for
the light, and when he gave it to him he went-into his own
room and deliberately took up a sword, rushed past the wit-
ness, and thrust the sword into his stomach, and inflicted a
wound, of which he died in a few hours afterwards. The
prisoner, who appeared to be a man of eccentric habits, was
found after the dreadful occurrence sitting in his room
coolly smoking his pipe, and when he was questioned he
at once admitted that he bad stabbed the deceased, and
said that he hoped he had given him his death wound, and
he at the same time said he considered he was justified
in what he had done, by the deceased coming to him
and demanding his rent at such an unseasonable hour,
and endeavouring to force his way into his room. In
addition to these facts, evidence was given that the pri-
soner had complained of the deceased having put him to
great expense by distraining upon his goods on a former
occasion, and that he at the same time said, that be
would give him something for himself if he did such a
thing again- It also appeared that when the prisoner
was told that the debewed was dead, he replied that he
was sorry for it, he did not think he would have died,
for he did not believe he had pricked him so sharp.
Mr. Metcalfe addressed the jury for the prisoner in a
very able speech, and he observed that it would of course
be idle for him to attempt to deny that the prisoner had
caused the death of the deceased, but he hoped he
should be able to satisfy them that their duty would
not require them to return a verdict that would consign
the unhappy old man at the bar to the scaffold, but that
they ought in charity, and also strictly in accordance with
the law find him guilty of manslaughter only. He then
proceeded to comment upon the facts of the case, and said
that the conduct of the deceased in going to the house at
such an unseasonable hour was clearly illegal, and that it
was calculated to excite an old man of the condition of
mind of the prisoner, and to goad him to the commission
of an act which, but for the proceeding on the part of the
deceased, he would never have thought of. The learned
judge having summed up, the jury, after a short delibera-
tion, found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter, and he
was sentenced to be kept in penal servitude for eight
years.