Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-10 00:00:00

THE BRAMHALL MURDER.

SECOND DAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

FROM OUR OWN EXPORTER;

CHESTER, WEDNESDAY.
The trial of this case was resumed this morning, before
Mr. Baron Channel. _ _

The first witness examined was Henry Smeaton, P.C.,
at Bran:than. I saw Thomas about twenty minutes to
three. In consequence of information he gave, I went to
Hardy Farm. I saw James, who said, " They've been in
here," pointing to the sitting room, into which we went.
He told me they had broken into his desk, aid taken
£l4 10s. I saw the desk, and papers strewed
about. He said it was his own monies ; he had
put it there last night. He next said, " They
have taken none of my father's money." He said he
went to bed about half-past twelve. I remarked tha; those
who had done this must have been well acquainted with
the house. He said, " yes, they must have been, as they
went straight from this room to my father's." I asked if
he knew how they effected an entrance. He replied,
" no, my brother Thomas was first down stairs, and found
the back kitchen door standing open. I examined the door
and found no marks of violence. Thomas showed how he
had found it, apparently, about one-third open. I said, "This
door has been opened from the inside." James said, "Yes,
they must have concealed themselves in the cellar." I
went into the cellar and asked James if he thought they
had had anything to drink ? He said, " Yes, I think they
must have had, as it is so very wet underneath." I looked
at the floor, on which I saw a small space, about 16 inches
square, of wet. I went up stairs to the first landing, where
he pointed out a broken pain cf glass. and said he fired at
a man who was coming up stairs. He said ho was at his
own bedroom door. He tken took me into his father's
bedroom. I said, "Poor old man, they've shot him while
asleep " James turned round and said, "Or just rising,"
at the same time bending his body. I saw nothing disturbed
in the room. I then went into the front kitchen, where James
showed me a drawer in a press that was opeh, and said
nothing had been taken from it. While up stairs, I said,
" Those who did this must have had a light." He said,
" Yes, I caught a glimpse of the light myself " When I
came out of the room, I asked James when he heard the
shot if he knew where it was? He said, "Yes, I knew it
was in my father's room." I said, " I Suppose you went
to your father's room directly?" He said, " I did." He
also mentioned that when he went to bed he heard a shuf-
fling noise.; he returned down stairs, and listened, and,
when satisfied, went back to his bedroom. I searched the
granary. About a month after wards, Thomas came to me,
and, in consequence of what he said, I went
again to the granary. I searched it, but found nothing.
On coming out, I saw Thomas and the boy Wood,
they went in the granary, and on coming cut Thomas had
a small piece of paper in his hand, with eight percussion
caps in it. I want inside, and the boy Wood pointed out
a small hole in the floor, where one board was higher than
the other, as the place where he had found the caps.
Wood, under the direcion of Thomas, swept the floor, and
in the dust Thomas found a cap, which had been trodden
upon, but I do not believe it had been exploded on a
nipple. The caps were found in the part of the granary
where the Irishmen slept. - Cross-examined : I was not
examined before the magistrates or the coroner. I do
not know for what reason ; I was never told to keep quiet
about the finding of these caps.
Captain Smith, Chief Constable of the County Con-
stabulary said : I went to Hardy's farm, about three
o'clock in the afternoon, of the day of the murder. I saw
the prisoner, who stated to me distinctly that the old man's
door was shut when he want up stairs, after being down
stairs with the rest of the family. I was with Andrews on
Thursday morning, when some pieces of paper were
picked up near the pear tree. I saw no other pieces but
what I picked up myself. I saw nothing of any brown
paper wadding.
George Young Graham stated: I am a surgeon, of
Stockport ; on the 30th September, I went to the
Hardy's Farm, about nine o'clock ; I went to the
deceased, whom I found lying on his back in
bed, his head resting on the pillow, the face a little
inclined to the right side Neither the pillow nor bols'er
hal the appearance of having been in the least disturbed.
His arms lay outside the bedclothes. The hands crossed
each other. His legs ware stretched out, and close to each
other, and the feet touched the bed board Outside the
bad was a shepherd's plaid extending frsm his chest to
the bottom of the be t, where the end was tucked in
between the feet of the &ceased. The plaid was
perfectly smooth and undisturbed. The face of the
deceased was intensely blackened, more especially on the
left cheek. The upper part of his shirt, about the neck,
was slightly blackened. The right eyelids were perfectly
closed. Tae lower lid of the left eye was partly open.
I found a large quantity of blood, which hai evidently
flowed from the right side of the deceased's mouth, on the
bedclothes, and thence to the floor. There were at least
12 ounces of coagulated blood on the wound. I examined
the wound, and found that a groat portion of the upper
lip had been destroyed. The whole of the palate, with
the tee' .h of the upper jaw, had been blown away.
The right cheek bone was not injured, but the whole of
the bones on the left si 'e was shattered, as well as the
bones of the nose on the left side. It was so much the
case that the left cheek sank for want of proper support.
I then made a careful examination of the deceased by
having him removed from his bed. I found no other
mark of external violence on the body. There was a slight
bruise on the left arm, but evidently not of a recent cha-
racter. On passing my finger up the floor of the nose, I
found that a portion of the base of the skull
had been driven in upon the brain. I ex-
amined the brain. On the upper part I found no
marks of injury. I found about three ounces of coagu-
lated blood at the base of the skull. I then removed the
brain, when I found a lacerated wound in the brain,
corresponding with the injury in the base of the skull. I
found a considerable quantity of blood estravasated in the
brain. I also found, in different parts of the'brain, eight
shots. The back part of the throat had been torn by the
shot, and there I found two shots. I also found the
two teeth in the back part of the throat. I have no
doubt the wound was inflicted by fire-arms. I should say
it produced instant death. I saw nothing to lead me to
believe that he could have been asleep when shot. At a
subsequent examination, more shots were found. The
direction of the wound was from right to left. In my
opinion, the person who fired the shot must have been
standing at. the foot of the bad, and on the right side of

the deceased.
Cross-examined : The number of shots found altogether
was SO, weighing about :; drachms The face was blackened
with powder, so that the muzzle of the gun must have been,
very close.
Re-examined : I should think the gun was at a greater
distance than from twelve to eighteen inches.
George D 07111.3, surgeon at Stockport : I examined the
body. which presented the appearance, as described by the
last witness. Death from the wound must have been
instantaneous. Did not think that a pistol shot would
have caused such a wound, unless it was a large one.
John George Graham give similar-evidence to the two
last witnesses. He had examined the pieces of paper found
by Superintendent Andrews, and found that they bore the
stain of exploded gunpowder.
Thomas Stainsby, gunmaker, Manchester, said : I know
James Henderson. He called upon me the -week before
his falher's death. He asked me to show different qualities
of pistol. He called again in t:-,e centre of the week and
selected one. He a'so wanted some caps, powder, shot,
and some halls. They were put together. On Saturday,
the 26th September, he called for them. He said he wanted
the pistol for a friend. The unspent caps found in the
prisoner's bedroom are gun caps. The caps found in the
granary differ from the others, but they are not those I sold
the prisoner. The number of the shot taken from the body
is either No. sor No. 6. The shot I sold the prisoner
were neither of those sizes.
Cross-examined : The shot produced (taken from the
body) are of a size commonly used.
Re-examined : The shots found on the floor of the
prisoners room are No 6. I should pay that those
flattened, and those found in the body are of the same
size.
By Sergeant Parry : I could not say positively that they
are of the same sort. The pistol was an ordinary pocket
pistol.
By the Judge : The charge of No. 6 shot for such a
pistol would be about a drachm. The ordinary charge of
shot of No. 6 for a gun, varies from one to two ounces. I
should think 80 shots would be a heavy charge for the
pistol.
Richard Beard, letter-press printer : In 1853 was in
the employ of Mr. Evans, publisher. He was at that
time publishing a serial, "The Cottage Girl, or the Mar-
riage Day." No. 77 was published October 10 of that
year. That is No 77 produced I assisted in printing
it ; 6,500 copies were published. The witness was here
handed the tw,lve pieces of paper contained between
sheets of glass, and said they formed a portion of
No. 77. A number contains sixteen pages. He
knew the portions of paper to belong to the
number by comparison. No. 77, produced in court, is
one of those published. Looking at the pieces of paper
between the glass, I know the print to be of the type of
Mr. Evans. Witness then looked at the pieces of paper
found on the stairs, and stated that the print was Mr.
Evan's. He also came to the same conclusion with the