The National Register.
London, England, 1821-04-02 00:00:00

The 1, id Chief Baron—" Prisoner, I'll do all in m;
power to save your life."
Peisoner—u Bo if you please, my Lon',"
Tln• prisoner was then token 40111 the bar. Several per-
sons in the (run d muttered " What, is not he to be hanged
then ?"

STAFFORDSHIRE.
THE RING V. JOHN WRIGHT.
This was a very Mil-ming case. The prisoner was in-
dicted for the •der of his own son, an infant only five
years of age, by throwing him into the Birmingham canal,
ou the dth of September last, whereby the unhappy child
was ilriea tied.
5.,, alt Lees.—i live at Wolverhampton—know the pH-
fUllt.r. Ia the 111(111111 or September last he lodged at my
Louse. lie had a wit.., bet she did no; live olth him,
Nod a little boy five y eat sof age. His wife was in service
—she came home with her husband on a Sunday, the 3d
of September. 'fliey all thought she intended to stop.—
I ;lame about 7 o'clock, and found her in the lesitse. Site
remained that night, and she and the prisoner appeared
to be very comfortable; they slept together. In the morn-
ing the prisoner got up before his wife, and went to fetch
what was necessary fur breakfast ; lee then called his wife,
and they breakfasted together. After breakfast the pri-
soner's wife asked hiiii if lie was going to work ; he said
he was, 141111 added, 1. Well. write),, you'll get my dinner
ready," and she said she Thu I,l'lllotier was ex-
tremely cheerful and happy. Ilk wife weld aWay as
soon as he was gone, and never refill lied since. The ot is
soner came home to dinner about one; lie said, " What,
hasn't my wife gut me any ditmet ?" I said, " No; she's
gone out." He stamped his toot, and said, " I ant sure
she's guile off again." lie remained at 111/11112 some little
time, and looked very wild. Ile went oat in an 1111170111•
11111/II Way; 1911111 1 said, " Where are you going Wright, or
what ate you going to do?" lie said he was collie to
look for her. I was afraid that he would make away with
himself Isom 1614 agitated amid wild appearance,, I had
fell 111/111114 of that curl before. I tried to persuade him
to come hark, limit lie would not. %Viten lie came home
his clothes were very wet, and I accused him with having
attempted to drown himself; lie looked very stern at me,
and denied it, and begged me to say nothing at all to him
about it. lie remained in his clothes as they were, soil
would 'lot have them dried. lit the afternoon the prisoner
went to fetch his little boy from school; this was nut his
habit. He pressed the little boy to his bosom and said,
"Ali! thy naughty mother has lest tis again ; and when he
looked at the child seemed to heroine -e tender,alt hough
very good at all times; was partictilaily kind to the
child the whole of the evening. The prisoner lived
very poor in general, his earnings being very sin ill: at
times, when there would be bin little bread in the house,
I'd say, " Wright, has im a pint of beer, and a bit of In ead,
it wiil be better than notliiiig; and he said, " No, I will
keep it for little Jew—be can't do without." 'flits oc-
tarred frequently during the time he was with me. If
they were short of food, lie always kept some for the
child, and was partimilar iti having the child washed, and
bearing it say its prayers. I have offered him money, and
he said " Keep it to buy milk for Jem." On the Monday
in questi )))) , he asked me to put the child to bed, which I
did. The prisoner and the child always slept together ;
they slept together that night. Alice the prisoner went
to Sea, I fetched his clothes dawn to dry t he would keep
his wet shirt oil. The prisoner had nothing to eat that
night, but had two half pints of ale which I and a neigh- I
hour gave him. He got up the next /nothing a little
after seven, and called the child. Hearing him call the
child, I got up also. When I came dawn stairs lie was
smoking; very 1111011 afterwards lie meat out with the
child ; neither of them had al,' food. I thought the pri-
soner was rather calmer than the evening before. 1 asked
Mtn where he was going to take the boy; and he saiml,"to
the workhouse." Nothing more passed. lie teturtied
about half past ten ; lie was alone. I asked him if lie bad
left Ike boy at the workhouse? lie said lie had. I ob-
served that I thought it was a very good job that he was
taken into the workhouse. 1 added, " Sass, Wright, yon
must pluck up your spit its, amid midi-avour to forget her,
14 she has forgotten you." lie tried, and shook his bead,
and said, " Alt, mistiess!" and trembled very badly. tie
asked me if I would go and fetch his uncle Jem, and I
said, " I will just now." lie lull the. lonise, saying he
would go Waist If. When lie value limit the a ork house,
as 1 thought, lie looked very iii Mitred, and trembled.
thought his ft:chugs a ere hurt at being obliged to leave
the child in the am Lioonise. I did not observe his
clothes. After the prisoner had left the house I went to
lime yew klionse, iu commequence of something I heard from
his tatele',. wife. 1 did not Mid the child there. I then
returned home. Some time after the plisotter cater iii
with his uncle, Samuel WI ight. When lie came in, I sail,
" Wright, %%hat have you done with the child—whet eis
yam- Jem ?" He replied, " lie is dead, !Min When
lie said this lie sues eryllle Sadly. 1 ,114 nothing noire
lint the priAtineri 'mule bald, Ile has drowned the child
iu time luck.' The prisoner said bothing.
The pmisonei, on being asked by Mr. Baron (Jarrow
whether he had any toestimor to put to the witness, /I.lli,
" None at all."
dlasy Anderson.-11 live in the Hampton 1.11 k. On the
morning of the :oh of September l nail mole toll!.`
said aa- returoieg I had go: to get over a gate. Oil evitiaz
over I saw a mon ',lauding in it bred, w ills his bat k to sue
nod faring Ilie amt. A child lay 1111111 e eral. by Ole side of
the 111411. I math up to limo and a•keit hew hint if he Ivo)
tbe child in the cot The child was dre-sed, and eel.
▪ " Ay." I aid it WaS a gond job that lie hail got it out
again. The prisoner was that Milli. I afterwards saw the
child carried by my house dead 1/11 the saute day about tow
o'clock.
Other w sdepo-ed that they had seen the plisoner
ith the he) in a %111,11:11. manner.
Wiight-1 live at Wolverhampton. I a n node
the pi r. Out the sth of Slitemlier 1:1,1 the p.iboaer
• to me about hair-past tea, and said he named to speak
111 me. I *vent out ath hint, and towards the
cheat-toad he said I. me, " Uncle, I it.: • e drawl:ea the
lad." 1 sold, " I hoped it was hot isms." Ile " II
was too trio," and nailed," lis tsh to WI my ica le S. .l."
I went aiii,lar preomer to look for his We met Mtn
close rt,d Li"ii-. .W hru u r met halm, S unmet
said," Johii, a hot is i lie matter a Ito von? Istvesomething
very. horiMle ho your count. mince " I tali my brother
%%hat hid p ; 00000 mer look•II very a rent lied;
be ails Sell of a tremble. My blot b-r snot, " Wll.l shall I
do non 1" 1 1114 ilia bear I Ile 111 t.wer maws any reply. I
told 'us brother I would Ikk.• him down the
aunt give lion it drop of di wk mu revise him. I did sea.
took part of one piiit of ale with Min, ausl my brother sent

TILE NATIONAL REGISTER

tyfor me. I left the prisoner nt the George, while I went to
my brother. My brother afterwards went for the prisoner
In the George, and ne weal in search of the tiny by desire
of the prisoner, ss hu 54.141, " l ii go and •11.1 W you :slim lock
I puthim prisoner seemed v•lry mite li eoiltiped
I)::.9re he could that the luck nuts Ile :sent to two lurks
I before he found tlw right 1 he is n 4 very melancholy. The
third hick he came to he we :it nod I 'WO i(1`11 at a particular
ii ice and " This is the lock I put the el1":1:1
Thor lock an. iu Iluslihury parish, in this county. I asked
how if he was sure ; he told me it was. I stripped mysi If
and weiii in in se ,rek of the boy. I foun• the boy ah.mt
or I I yords below the lurk gale, ill the pnnud. After Ito ik
booy from the water, I laid it on the bank side: the
pri‘iiner sat beside my brut her. J a.-teriiirds asked leove to
pot it on the cabin U bli towoids Wolverhampton.
As the buy la) on the cabiii,.the ;iris 11111,r lumped to him,
threw hiinself on the body, kissed it, and sand •• Poor Jem!"
The prisoner was very melancholy, and hardly knew what
to do a i m himself._ _

Samuel Might, the brother of the last witness, stated
that his brother had informed I • of the drowiiiiig of the
boy. The prisoner proposed to deliver himself up to
justice. Ile said his wilt leaving him and his extreme
poverty had driven him to madness. lie said, " I made
for the Wednestield C. 11141, and there threw the child
into the water; seeing the child struggling, I relented,—
jumped in; and took the child nut of the water." (Here
the wittie.ss was greatly affected.) I then said, " Where
did you go after this:" and lie said, " I inaile to a cot tit•e
in order to dry the child's clothes, and iiihe it home. 'file
woman of the lioti•e refrisen my request, and I was
ashamed to lake it home in that condition, hod resolved
rigarti to effect my purpose of throwing it into the water."
I urrw said to hint, If it lie tine that you have been in
the la Ayr this morning, your clothes must be wet." I felt
them, and they were so. I then said, " What did tile
child say to you alter it had recovered loom its fitst throw-
ing iota the water ?" and lie said the child vtid to me—
" Frillier, what di you !Mow me in Kit? do um Ihrow me
ill again, and I will lint et); soy mine.' 1 could say no
inure at that time; but at li.ttgth askcil liim, " BY what
is., he carne from Ille IYrduc,fiel l Canal to where we
then were." The witness corroborated what was stated
by iris brother about flailing the child.
Witues•es were salted to prove the disordered state of
mind oil the port of the prisoner; and the evidence of •
Mr. illakeuell, a medical gentleman, who was present Oil
the trial, WWI admitted. He gave his opinion that the
diow • of the boy uai a (.01111/!eir act of insanity.
1141011 6,11T0W drelivered 4 very feelitig and discri-
minwitig charge; and the jury, atter el few minutes
consideration, returned a verdict "'that the prisoner was
Nut necann, he had committed the act imputed to
him %hull ill a state of insaniiy."
YO I.K.

W. "I'llonipiati was indicted for mal.cionsly killing
his wile. Set LTA witnesst.s w.re cubed, to whom the
prisoner had given different accounts of his wile's death.
To one he had ..rated that she cut her throat herself.—
'Fite most remarkable was the hillowiliz:—
P.Thorpe, a labourer at Appleton, about 8 o'clock on
Monday moritilla, was summoned to G. D.ittson's,
where he fouiitl the prisoner ott his knees hit the ItA,
praying fur God to have mercy on him, as he was a :treat
shiner. Withess was left alone about two hours; dur-
ing the whole of the time, he kep, praying for mercy.
He asked th.• witness if he recollected a pa-sage of the
Scripture which said, there was no mercy for a mur-'
derer ? witness replied, No. About five o'clock the
pi isimer fell asleep; at eight he fell out of the bed on
the floor; he
_would not go to bed again, but walked
backward and forward in his shirt; lie soon aqer left
him with G. Dobson. Next night, at 10 o'clock, he
was sent for to T. Field's house; continued all the
night with him, and the prisoner called Min from the
die other two to go up to hint. lie said, " I murdered
my wee with a razor." Witness not wishing to hear
more left him, and sent nue of the outer men to him.—
•I ue prisoner again called the is noun. Ile repeated
his assertions, and witness Will sonic people thought he
had dune it when she was asleep, aid some thought
when she was awake; lie immediately replied site was
awake; that there was a little diVrence between them
about a lost parcel. Site said site hail something to
communicate to him, which he would not be surprised
at—that she was far gone whit child. He turned upon
her, and said it was not by him ; she declared it was.—
At that lithe slue was cleanina the house, and had oc-
casion to clean down a rack, 4111 which Was an old
razor ; she toll( it in her hand. It then struck his naiad
to take his new razor, which he did from t drawer. and
hid it in his breeches pocket. He took it to ben with
him. When they had got to bed the difference kept op
between them. Ile used her rotighly with both hands,
she said," Oh Wdliam how 11111 lin get this night
over with you; if I get this over, how shall I get another)
I have bevti with you all this time to bear eiery burden,
and will hear this it you will cast it noon me.: He then
look hold of her and pulled her to him Site c nue 0110
Ills arms as loving eo, ever alt did in her life, and threw
her head back moot his si biers. Having lair oppor-
mitiny, he took r izor which lie bad hid, and pressed
i IWO her 11110. A. Ile said it was mi..; it was a pity' he
had hot i.taweriititteitt over himself.
R Harr,son, a surgeon examined the body of the de
ceased, and found a wound 111 the 111W.11 Illelle, 111116,
aid 1~ deep; the windpipe was severed through; the
edges of tile wound were clearly cut, and il,ffereto
trout all Casts or suacnte he had ever heard of. After
rest wing this vomit!, lie should trititi, site could tint
.e herself a yard.
The prisoner in his defence, said it ma quite a inys•
tery ui hint; he w.is hot ha own than; lie coal tote
111 aU0(1111 OI 11. After a !titillate .consuliatimf, the
Jury pronolinced a verdict of—Goity.
[its Lordship in the must ithirres,we manner, imme-
diately seuu heed him to he executed oil and
his itxly g veil to the surgeons fur deseccom

Ali.ss &salmi, the young lady who accidentally
received a pistol ball in the eye, as we have already
mentioned, is expected to rvcov4..r; the eye behind
wli;eh the ball lodges is entirely loz,!, at:.l ale b.O
Lin never 1c txtrActed.