The National Register.
London, England, 1818-11-01 00:00:00

MURDERS.

Lesch was indicted for murdering his wife, Mary Anne, on
the 9th of Octol.i.r.
Anne Daman was the first witness called. She lived at No. 7,
Lawrence-yard, Chelsea. She lodged in the same house with the
deceased. tihe knew the prisoner and the dmeased about three weeks
before the murder. It wa• on Friday night, 9th of October. between
the hours of seven and eight, when she was goipg out with a candle,
the deceased came out, and asked her how she did There was a man
behind her, and whin ss asked whether he was her husband. The
&cosset' replied in the affirmative ; and the prisoner then came for-
ward, and asked the deceased, whether she would ga home ; she
pushed him from her, and wade no reply. lle said, "Go home,
Nance, for you are drunk." "If I ain," she said, "it is prostituting
my body for such au old fellow as you are." Witness observed some-
thing in the prisunet's hand, with which he immediately struck her in
the aide. The deceased cried out, " I sin murdered, take the knife
out cf me." The deceased pulled up her clothes. and witness saw her
bowels gush out. The prisoner surd, " Here I am, tales inc to pri-
son if you chimed." He never ran away.
Richard Clark= was a tailor, living in Lawrence-yard. At about
right o'clock. on the 9th of October, he was standing about a yard
and a half behind the deceased; she was speaking to the last witness.
The prisoner was standing on the eight side of his wife, talking to
i her in a low tone of voice, which witues. could nut hear. The answer
the deceased made was—" ifJ am drunk, it is who--..—g for you all
day." lie observed the prisoner put his hand up to hits waistcoat
pocket, and he walked towards the deceased. He then saw the pri-
soner strike the deceased, who staggered back, crying, " I inn mur-
dered." She then pulled up her clothes, and said, "0 my God, will
no one take the knife out of me :'" 1V Mies saw a quantity of blood
dow from the wound. 'Cue daceased then tel first on the left side,
and then rolled on her back, and mettle use of the former expression.
"fhe prisoner did not attempt to go away. The deceased still remain-
ed on the ground, and lie saw the bowels protrude farm her side.
Tire prisoner was culled upon tar his defence, bat be said nothing;
neither were any witnesses culledlor the prisoner. The Jury without
hesitation pronounced a verdict—Guilty.
Tile .teconler immediately putted sentence of death upon the pri-
soner, and ne was ordered to be hanged (to-marrow,) and his body to
be given to the surgeons to be dissected.
The pri inner seemed to be completely resigned to his fate, and re-
tired without emotion limn the bar.

John Daley was put to die bar charged with the wilful murder of
Ja nee Learwooo.l, a in the Fleet Prison ou the iuth of Octo-
ber. _ _

The prisoner w.dkej up the Dock with a firm step. and an un-
climiged countenance. The witneettai were all scut out of Court upon
the suac.tien of the prisoner.
Cherie. Joanson was a prisoner iu the Fleet on the 10th of October.
The prisoner at the bar was also a prisoner. Laarwood was also a
prisoner in the Fleet Prison, about 50years of age. Abvut 5 o'clock on
that evening, lie way walking opposite Learwood's room, and ho
saw Citiotigit the window dccca..d tall from tL imp-board. The
dece.tsed cried out murder. Ile saw Daley beating Learwood with a
sleeve-board. The deceased wes lying on his side co the. ground
at the time, and cried out, us if Mu help. IJuiimlthis time the win-
dow rat; shut, silk witness opening it said, " Don't kill the inan."
Ile called some people up, and saw some blond or black on .Cie left
eye of Learwood. The deceased was lying on his back at this dine,
and the prisoner turned bun on Ins beiiy, and slapped him on the
breach 6 or 7 times with the sleeve-bawd, saying, " D--41 your old
eyes, I'll teach you, 311 hit you on the rump." The prisoner was
lin a terrible passion, and jumped out of the windmi, saying.
I)—u his old eyes, I have not half duns with Min yet." Witness
culled a man of the name of Graves, a powerful man, to go in to
Leawood' assistance, and he went in. Daley retail:it in a few
minutes, and again jumped through the window into Learwood's
room. _ . . .

.......
William Graves recollected being called up by the had witness.
The first thing he heard was Daley complaining that the deceased
had iven a letter belonging to him away. Tire deceased said that
I iday had pulled him et! nis shop-board, and he would not forget that
in it curry. Witness re.nunstrated with Daley, woo had jumped
through the window again, mid said. " I base not done with you
yet ; and I wilt serveyou out again, when I prove that you gave the
letter to Lewis." Learwood sad tie kaew nothing about it; and a
person standing by said to Daley, " I think you have pretty well
served Min out as it a. for you have almost broken his leg.'
Thomas illtat stated, that on the day mentioned, he heard a noise
in the deceased's room ; witnese went to see what wisehe matter,
hewing of what passed. Deceased said, " Daley has been beating
me." At this time witness peaxi ved black gettiug round his lett
eye, and deceased complained of a pain in it, and said. " I shall have
is black eye ;" to which neaid. " You have got one already."
JOll.l llargrave, a autgeon, was called in to see the deceased, on
the night of the 10th of October. Ile found the deceased lying in
strong .paralysis. and totally inspnaible. Witness took Wood freely
from the temporal artery, which relieved him metes. In one of his
visits in the taunting, a mall came into the room whom witness did
not then know, but wouni he afterwards knew to he the prisoner.
Witness said, " The man will not live ad hours, he has received
some severe injury :" mid added, " I s'iould nut like to be in the
situation of the person wno caused it." Prisoner replied, " I run the
perrou who caused it." Witness remarked, "1 ate very sorry fur
it ; ' to which prisoner rejoined, " so cm 1. but what can I do e"
‘Vitness at him to procure the best metheal advice he could,
immediately. Tnis the prisoner seemed very aintimai to do. In
another cuaversation he hail with the priamer. he Ole ',name' i said
he did not strike the deceased on tae had; but lie suppo.ed that lie
got a hurt by a fall from the swop-beard. The witrtesa replied,- that
could not be, as the :iaer wan thick), carpeted. the exp.aiced this
by saying that the.': wads wises lio,i4i,:ggitie; und_r the corm.) P.i.
boner then said that prinaps he hail struck his head against theta:A-
past; to winch witness :.pawl, the bed-post was not near enough.
hill upon float the hoard. Wanes saw the body opened &Act death t ,
there were 3 or 4 oaneaw of catravasated blood on the brain, and he
had no doubt hut his death was caused by ..n interval injury of the.
oaan arising Iron sn exteraal injary ; the. oily external violence
which he saw wet; eat the left eye. A severe bow on that part. if
given obliquely, might have cawed the injury which produced the
death.
Mr. lltron Garmw asked the witness wh'eii:r he had said all that
he now swore benne the Coruna; to which he answered, he had to
the laat of his kotradedge.
Mr. Itaron Gorrow said that there was not one .word of a great
tom of it in the Coroaer's repot.
Here toe ease for the prmeeation closed, and the prisons being
called Open to make hie defence said, " My .Lor.l. what 1 wish to
impre-s upon your Lordship and thei Jury is, that the mini in which
deveasal was, was not carpeted alt tumid, as vas stater: ; bta there
wear during the whole of the I t no:midis which I have been in prise".
Ifrom tine' [0 five feet from the. wall en all aides only, hare flags, soul
ma a bit of corivimg ; eLe carpeting wars only in the centre. Toe
prisoner then went into a detail, of the eircumnances of the caaa
1 which wore h substance' that haring bean infortaed by a fellow pri-
ao.tet that Learwirad had picked up a letter, ivbieh he had lax some
time Lame, 'ac went in cumpsoy hide DiXiwill. his infolp3aus• ID

351'

Learwood's room. Dodwell had before this told him that Learit...d
had given the letter to Lewis. On going to the room he upbrahhil
him with has ing acted so ungratefully to him who had on so many
occasions screened hint. Deceased said. he thought it. no harm.—
Prisoner asked him to go and get the letter from the person to whom
he had given it. Some angry words thri arose between them. Pri-
.ionercalled him an ,01.1 rascal, and the other told him he lieu. The
deceased then attemuted to get oft the board, and in doing so lie fell
on the bare flags, and hurt his left temple. l'tisoner helped him ny.
and asked him it' he was hurt, adding, that if he were, he deserved
it. Deceased then sat on the chair, and some angry words arose, on
which prisoner said, he would serve him out." and rob him with
the sleeve board. He -then took him by the item, and struck him
three or four blows on the breech with it, but never struck him on
any other part; he hod on all occasions been very kind to the de.
cea,ed.
Ten or twelve respectable witnesses were then called, who had
known the prisoner for various periods from one to twelve years.
They all concurred in giving him an excellent character, for a hu-
mace and kind hearted disposition.
31r. Baron Darrow summed up the evidence with great perspicuity,
and some lengthened comments on the several points as they ap -
neared tier or against the prisoner; and the jury, after deliberating in
the box about ten minutes, returned a verdict—Not guilty of murder.
but guilty of manslaughter.
Eleanor Bryan was indicted for manslaughter, in causing the
death of Johanna Duggan, an infant between live and six years old.
by administering to her, on the 23th of September last, a law and
excessive quantity of spirituous liquor, viz. a half pint, which
the said Johanna swallowed, not being aware of the consequences,
and.of which she died—Guilty of Manslaughter.