The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-12 00:00:00

" Ever, dearest Bessie, your affectionate

"GEORGE.
" P.S.—I arrived too late from Bolton to answer yester-
day. Will you write by return ?"
On the Monday he wrote again :
" Hendham-vale, Monday.
"Dearest Bessie,—lt is doubtful whether you will get
the letter I wrote you yesterday till to-morrow. I posted it
myself last night at 11 o'clock at the general office (I could
not before), and being Sunday, could not make out about
the mails, so I put it ►nto the extra stamp box for the chance
of its going.
"This is simply to say that in my haste I mentioned
Tuesday or Wednesday, forgetting that I should have to
leave here to-day in order to see you to-morrow—that is, if
I see you in the m .rning, as on the last occasion ; but if it
suits you better %could arrive by the same train that Kate
and I came by, and you could meet me the same evening, I
returning the following morning. I suppose it would not
be possible the same night. I think if we say Thursday
evening or Friday morning it will be best, as then there will
be plenty of time for you to say which you prefer. so at any
rate in your urxt say at what time and whereabouts I can
see you. I suppose anywhere between your house and
Whatatandwell would do. lam ill and thoroughly upset,
and Ido not wonder you are, We shall both be happier
and better in mind, as well as body, after this last inter-
view. Address. care of W. Arrowsinith, Gilnow- mills,
Bolton, where I am going back to-morrow. Of course, if I
hear to-morrow, and you fix time and place of meeting, I
shall be at your appointment, coide qui coiste.' Always
your affectionate, G.V.T.

, _
" Train.—l can arrive at Whatatandwell-bridge at 4.2
afternoon, or at 934 or 11 37 in the morning, whichever
you like,"

On the following Wednesday, the 19th, the prisoner
wrote again as follows :
" Gilnow-mills, Bolton, Wednesday.
"My dear Bessie,—l will only say here that I will arrive
by the train you mention (1137 a.m., Friday morning), and
that I hope, dear Bessie,you will not bother yourself unneces-
sarily about all this as far as I am concerned. For my own
peace of mind I wish to see you, which I hope you won't
think selfish, be reste, I only repeat what I have already
said —I have but to hear from you what your wishes are, and
they shall be complied with,and that I have sufficient savoir
vivre not to make a bother about what cannot be helped.
You can write to the Midland Hotel, Derby, where I shall
stay to-morrow night, or leave mote at the inn at What-
standwell-bridge for me. Don't let me be the cause of any
row between you and your G. P. If you Up to call at the
inn I will not stir out till you come., but I leave all this to
your ju:lgtuent.
'` Ever affectionately, " G. V. T.
" Miss Bessie Goodwin, Wigwell-grange, Wirks-
worth, Derbyshire."

On the same day Miss Goodwin wrote a letter to the
prisoner, which had been preserved, arid was as follows :
"My dear George—l write this in the greatest haste to
tell you not to come on wry) account. I leave here to-day,
and can't tell when I shall or can be back again. Ido not
wish to see you, if it can possibly be avoidd, and indeed
there will he no chance now, so we had better end this state
of suspense at once, and say Good-bye' without seeing
each other. I feel sure I could not stand the meeting. If
you write once more within the next three days I can get
it, but not later than that time without its being seen, for
my letters are strictly watched, and opened,
" Yours truly, " BESSIE.
" Wednesday, " Immediate.
" G. V. Townley, Esq., Hendlam-vale,
Smedley, near Manchester."
This letter reached Hendlam-vale on the Thursday morn-
ing, and Townley's mother, perceiving from whom it came,
opened it, and immediately telegraphed to the prisoner,
who was then staying at Mr. Arrowamith's, at Bolton :
" Letter from B, (Bessie]—Come at once. Will meet you
at the station. Will wait. Immediate."

Immediately on getting this telegram the prisoner seems to
have left Bolton and gone to Hendham-vale. From there
he went on the same day to the Midland Hotel, at Derby,
where he slept. On the following morning, Friday, Aug. 21,
he left Derby, and went to Whatstandwell, the nearest sta-
tion to Wigwell-hall, which is about a mile and a half dis-
tant. He reached this place about half- past 11, and went to
the Bull's Head Inn, which is close to the station. The
learned counsel then detailed the facts of the case as they
appear in the evidence of the witnesses below. He added
that it was clear that Miss Goodwin met her death at the
hands of the prisoner, and it seemed to be equally clear that
if the prisoner was responsible for his acts, the offence
amounted to murder. He was not in a position to antici •
pate the defence that would be set up on the prisoner's be-
half; but if that defence was that the prisoner was not re-
sponsible, the jury must be satisfied that he was labouring
from such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as
not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing;
or, if he did know it, that he did not know he was doing
what was wrong.

After proving the facts already stated, Mr. Boden called
Ann Burley, who said—l keep the Bull's Head Inn, at
Whatstandwell-bridge which is about three miles from Wig-
well-grange. 'The prisoner came to my house on the morn-
ing of Aug., about half-past 11, and asked if thete was a
note for Mr. Townley. On hearing that there was not, he
asked for a glass of brandy and water. After walking about
some little time he came back and asked if he could have a
bed, as he said he might probably want one that night, and
having had another glass of brandy and a pill, which he
took from his carpet bag, he left the house in the direction of
wigwell•grange.
„It appeared from the evidence of the next witness that the
r''''° er after leaving the Bull's Head Inn, must have gone
Dast i'
Itteis well-grange, which is about half way between the
Thet,,El and Wirksworth, to the last named place.
wirkWollierbert Harris—l keep the grammar school at
well-gr4:!hich is about a mile and a half from Wig-
August, et 41:121.e prisoner came to my house on the 21st of
a friend of 'Aim' pr,ast 1, and said, "I have called on you as
engagement bet,47:win. I suppose you know there is an
an engagement, t ,Its'''understood there was
ebsateoviseriettmene.
to et it had been broken off." He said,
jaw_to break off the engagement, and
said, "Anything I ki,owidlit tO. know how matters stand." I
cannot satisfy you." Re
fut"l;oonfidence, and, therefore, I
d"eSclilin
or other." He then asked ~,1.10 ';I will find it out somehow
at Wigwell. i aaja
„There clergyman who had
been staying had
but I declined to give his name:, ~_ been orfe there,
was engagement between ARee'ong.d been told that there
an
man who was staying there three vs.:Z:rand the clergy-
He then asked if Miss Goodwin waR at ,v„ri_ 4_ month ago.
ht any coercion bad en used tent% 111; and if I
thong
but no coercion had bee, r. I said
she was at Wigwelit b •
If said " Sooner need towards
her that I was aware of. .--e , or later I
must
see her. I have written to relase her from the engagement
but I must hear from' herself that she gives it up, She ,i),
age and must please herself: I know I am mot a geod:te f
and have no wish to stand in her way." I then told hinlai
must leave him as it was my school-hour (2 o'clock), but
in. him again,
if he would call at half-past 4 I would see h I
told hint his
Re
then left and came again.at half-past 4•s
best course was to write a note to Miss Goodscin, and send
it by post, requesting lidr to see him in the niorniug. He
said he had already written and without effect. I said if
you were to call at the house perhaps Miss Goodwin would
see you. lie said he would do so, and get it off his mind.
Re lett, saying he would call again, but did not do so. His
manner was that of an ordinary man, perfectly calm and
collected. There was nothing to attract my attention.
Cross-examined—l had only seen the prisoner once before.
That was at Mr. Goodwin's. I was told of the engagement
with the clergyman by Miss Goodwin herself the Wednes-
day before her death.
Elizabeth Margaret Po
well-hall. The ' yser—l am the housemaid at Wig-
well-hall. prisoner came to the hall on Friday even-