The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-10 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE

HOME CIRCUIT.—HERTFORD, Dcc. 9.
CROWN COURT.
(Before Mr Baron Channell.)

The business of the Winter Assizms opened here this
morning. There 114 cases, among which were three of
arson, one of night poaching, two of maliciously wounding,
and one of highway robbery with felonious violence. Tiic
last•, which was the first case tried, was the ono which ap•
polred to excite the greatest interest in the county, and of
which the particulars have more than once appeared in our
columns in reports of the preliminary investigations before
the magistrates. It was the case of the murderous attack
upon a tanner at Brickendonbury.
George Savage, a young man, described in the calendar
as a bricklayer, of Yardley, in this county, was indicted for
that, on the 20th of October last, he feloniously did wound
one Joseph Barker upon the head with intent feloniously,
wilfully, and of malice aforethought to kill and murder
him ; second count, for that he feloniously and maliciously
did wound him with intent to disable him; third count,
that he feloniously did wound him with intent to do him
grievous bodily harm ; fourth count, for highway robbery
with violence.

Mr Clark and Mr Bushby were for the prosecution.

The prisoner, rather a good-looking young fellow, whom
one would not imagine likely to be guilty of such murder-
ous violence, but who, as it turned out, had already been
convicted of burglary, was not defended by counsel, end de►
fended himself with great readiness, but with a dash of im-
pudence which did not tend to impress people in his favour.
It appeared that the prisoner had been in the service of
the prosecutor, Mr Barker, a farmer, at Brickendonbury,
near this town, but had left his service, and had been living
at Tottenham, which is distant about 14 miles. From a
lonely farm on the extreme outskirts of this town there is a
long, lonely grove, a good part of a mile in length, which
leads up to Mr Barker's farm. On the Saturday in ques-
tion—Saturday being market-day in this town—Mr Bar-
ker had been as usual at market, and, as probably would
would be known to any one who had been in his service,
left the town about 10 minutes before 6 o'clock. At Hert-
ford he happened to take 2 new sovereigns of the present
year, which ho had with him. When he got into the lonely
walk alluded to, shortly after 6 o'clock—it being, it will be
observed, at the end of October, so that it would be dark—
he passed three men going up the lane, and then he met
another man, to whom he said " Good night," and after
this, about 10 minutes past 6, he passed a man in a long
coat and billycock hat, who was walking slowly, and whose
appearance (he said) he did not like. This man, whom he
did not seem then to recognise, said " Good night" in a
very low tone, and Mr Barker passed him, and not quite
liking his look walked on fast, leaving him a little behind.
The man, however, came up alongside of him, and Mr
Barker addressed him, saying, " Aro you going to Bricken-
don, Sir ?" to which he answered, " Yes, sir." Mr Barker
said, " We don't get much rain ?" The man said very lowly
(i.e., in a very low tone), " No, sir." Mr Barker, who it
was clear did not at that time recognise the man, walked
on, and had gone about 30 steps when the man struck him
on the side of the head with something vary heavy, like
lead, and knocked him down. Mr Barker half rose on his
knees, but the man hit him another blow upon the head
and knocked him down again. He tried to rise'a second
time, but the man struck him again upon the temple and
knocked him down. He tried to get up a third time, but
the man hit him a tremendous blow on his head and he fell
down stunned and insensible. Ho lay there some time, and
when he came to himself he was covered with blood, and
still bleeding copiously from wounds in the head. He stag-
gered along, faint and bleeding as he was, and managed,
though with difficulty, to reach his house, when he found
that he had been robbed of two sovereigns and some silver.
The surgeon was sent fcr and found as many as 10 distinct
wounds upon his head, which must have been inflicted by
blows with a heavy weapon and with great force, and some
of which indeed were, he said, so terribly severe that it
was hard to say how many blows might not have been in-
flicted. It was a wonder, he said, that with such wounds
the poor man should have survived, nor would he have done
so had it not been, not only for prompt medical and surgi-
cal treatment, but for a good constitution and healthy and
moderate habits. As it was, he said, many a man would have
died from those wounds, and he remained for some time in
a highly critical state. He had only now so far recovered
as to bo able to appear in court, his head bandaged up and
his whole appearance and voice indicating extreme weakness.
It was only, indeed, by the use of restoratives from time to
time that ho was enabled to bear the fatigue of his examina-
tion. As already mentioned, be had not at first observed
who it was, and on his first examination, when he was vary
weak, although ho thought it was the prisoner, he hesitated
somewhat and did not speak positively, although he not
only gave a description of his dress and hat, which corre-
sponded with the prisoner's, but also mentioned a peculiar
matter which was spoken to by other witnesses who saw
the prisoner near the spot, namely a white mark or patch
upon his coat, which turned out to be torn, and he spoke
particularly to that which helped very much to identify
the prisoner—namely, the billycock hat which he wore.
The prisoner also wore a belt round his waist, which was
spoken to by several witnesses as helping to identify him.
Moreover, the prisoner was observed on the same afternoon
going towards the scene of the outrage, or, at all events,
towards Brickendon. At the next examination the prose-
cutor being somewhat more recovered was able to give hie
evidence better, and he then spoke more positively as to the
identity of the man with the prisoner. He swore posi-
tively, indeed, that the man was the prisoner, and said that
ho recognised his voice and footsteps at the moment when
the man, just before the attack, stepped up to him more
quickly, The prisoner on the 7th of November was