The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-28 00:00:00

THE MUilDta 14.411 MARLBOROUCII:

Itrom thelievizes e:astite.]
CORONER'S I NQI/OST.
An inquest was held on the body of diary Ann Matilda Taytof
on Saturday, before W. Adye, Esq., who hrieiy addressed the Jury.
etthtirting then to dismiss from their minds all that they had pee.
viously heard relating to the death of the deceased t to pay strict a.-
tendon to the evidence that might be adduced, and to return their
verdict from that evidence. ,
The first witness railed was Mary Irons, who stated in substshee
as hillows t—l am the wife of James Irons, of Cokbrook, in Bildt-
ingbamshire, and travel with pickfed salmon. On Thersduy last I
was proceeding, in company with my husband and brother' and
some other persona, towards Devitea tale. A short distance from
Hungerford we overtook the prisdner and the deceased. On enter-
ing Marlborough Forest we were about five or 111 yards before
them, when the deceased . called to us, saying, " Here's a pretty
son of fellow lam with ; he has drawn hfs knife on me." The pri-
tomer. replied, " If you say that, you will shear my life away."
The woman who accompanied me desired the deceased to come on
with us, and not have any quarrel with thb prisoner. Westopped a
little, and the prisoner went on betnre us, but camsback again.
We then proceeded towards the Whestsheef •. the deceased did
not wish the prisoner to go in with us, nor did I, for I did not like
his appearance; we, however, all went into the house together;
we were etch?, I believe, in number. I sat In the corner; the
deceased eat next to me; and my husband Mid brother 'next to
her; the prisoner sat some where opposite. We tad some beer
and bread and cheese, of which we asked, the prisoner to pars
take. He at flint refused, saying he was going to have a pipe of
tobacco, and that would be enough for him, but he afterwardk
-took some beer with us. After we had been here tome time, my
husband and brother left the room, on which the prisoner came
and sat by the side of the deceased. Within a minute I otaw him
striki her somewhere in the breast with his right hand. I did not
wee the knife. The blood flew upon my apron, and I cried out
" Alurder." The prisoner then went out of the room withoit say-
ing a word. There had been no jeering. or quarrelling; and both
deceased and lite prisoner appeared cheerful the momenthattet
I was so frightened I ascot say who WP in the roam st.
We had Ave or six pots of beer between us.
Wm. Hammond—l heard the prisoner say, "I am the mur-
derer." He afterwards repeated this.
Thomas Copeland, the landlord of the Wheateheaf, saw the de-
ceased falling from her sat; the prisoner was running off; I went
Out, and called Mr. Hammond. On my return I picked up this
knife. [The knife with which the bloody deed had been perpetrated
was here produced ; it was a large clasp knife, with a sharp point.]
There was blood on the lower part of the blade, and also on the
handle. Some one present accused the prisoner of being the mur-
derer. He replied, " I know lam the murderer."
John Bowman, one of the parties who overtook the prisoner and
the deceased on the road, said, I saw the prisoner run our, fol-
lowed by a young man, who knocked him down, saying, " You
have murdered the woman." The prisoner said, " I know I
have." Twice in my presence he acknowledged having committed
the murder.
William Lewis—l live at Hammersmith, and am a dealer in
pickled salmon. On the road between Hungerford and Marlbo-
rough, I was sitting down, dressing a small wound, when a per.
son named Miles, pointing to the pri.oneri said, •` Thu man is
jealous of his wife." I observed, " Then he had Wetter take my
yellow handkerchief, and tie it round his hat." The prisoner
matte no reply. He did not appear the least displeased. I never
spoke to him before, nor afterward, until we came to the public-
house. Neither here, nor on the road, was any thing said that
could put him out of temper. He sang a song in good humour, and
joined in two or three others. Tne deceased might bear chorus,
but I cannot say. While I was looking at the figure of a horse on
the shelf, some one cried "Murder." I turned round, and saw
the prisoner 'running out of the room. Concluding that he was the
murderer, I immediately followed him, caught hint, and knocked
him down, and said, • What have you done? you have done
murder ;" horepiied, " I know I have."
Alary Lewis, wife of the last witness, gave similar testimony.
Anna Hurley—l slept in the same house with the prisoner and
the deceased at Huogerford on the night preceding the murder.
The deceased wanted to go out, but the prisoner would not let
her: he struck her two or three times with the bark of his hand.
The deceased then said, " Another inch of ground I will never gr,
with you. I will grt up to-morrow morning and make the best of
my way to Bash ; there I shall meet with some carriers who will
take me to Bridgewater, where I belong." There was no further
conversation then. I saw them on the following day at the Wheat-
sheaf, in perfect good humour. I heard the cry of murder, ard
on looking toward the deceased, I saw her tailing with her face to
the ground.
Summeret' surgeon, residing at Marlborough, proved the
wound to have caused death.
The Coroner clearly explained the distinction between murder and
manslaughter, and the Jule., without meek deliberation, returned
a lierdia of Wilful blurrier against Richard Thomas.
The prisoner states himself to be a native of St. Ann's, Black-
friars, and says that he has been a seaman for upwardi eA 20 years,
during which time he has served on board a man of war, Indiaman,
merchantman, and in the whale fishery. He also states that be had
cohabited with the deceased, without being married, upwards of 12
months, and that they had been at Hungerford for the last fort.
:iesarlsei subsisting on charity. He acknowledged striking the des
three or four time; in the mouth with-latashand, ohillkesan.
bigpreceding her death, which drew 'blood, but shat Ina was tagged
to it in consequence of her laughing and jeering at him, which she
had never done before.