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

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT—DERBY, Dec. 11.

•
George Victor Townley was indicted for the murder of
Miss Goodwin.

Mr. Boden, Q.C. (specially retained), and Mr. Bristowe
appeared for the prosecution; and Mr. Macaulay, Q.C.,
and Mr. Sergeant O'Brien (both of whom were specially re-
tained), with Mr. Stephen, defended the prisoner.
The court was densely crowded with people anxious to
heat this remarkable trial.

The prisoner, who was described as a man of very quiet
and refined manners, a good linguist, and an accomplished
musician, and who was apparently about 25 years of age,
on being arraigned pleaded not guilty in a low but firm
voice.

Mr. Boden, in opening the case for the prosecution, after
adverting to the painful interest it had excited in the county,
and asking the jury to dismiss from their minds the rumours
which were floating about, and to attend to the evidence
only, stated that the prisoner was a member of a respectable
family living at Hendham-vale, a mile or two from Man-
chester. His father was a commission agent at Manchester,
but the prisoner had no employment, unless it was that he
acted as a clerk in his father's office. Miss Elizabeth Good-
win, with whose death he was charged, was the daughter of
Mr. Henry Goodwin, and granddaughter of Captain Good- ;
win, who had long lived in the county and acted as a ma.
gistrate there. Mrs. Henry Goodwin lived at Chester, and
up to the last three or four years Miss Goodwin had lived
with her mother, but about that time she left Chester and
dnprhly 2
physician
yearsat Blanchester, of age, Ca pta
and in
Miss Gooi
Good-
winwi‘li_nis,s
8
went to reside at Wigwell-grango, or hall, with her grand-
father, who is an old man upwards of 80 years of age
elesGoodwint son was a ys
was ea
while on a visit (o him had formed the acquaintance of
the TownleYs. That acquaintance led to the forming of a
strong attachment between the prisoner and the deceased,
Owing
engagement
to
en nle '
years ago, they became engaged.
and ultimately, ab
engTtowwasny oots
ut four
want of
tlyhaer after war m
iss Goodwin appears to have
approved by the lady's friends, and for
some short time it Was means to support a wife the
rbdmken off. It had been renewed,
haoswheorvtert,imsheoof
r
s, and continued to exist to within
written to the pri •
soner on the 14th August to break off the
engagement. Her letters, however, had, with one excep-
tion, up by Townley to her friends, who de-
stroyed them
Bliss , On the 15th of August Townley wrote to
Goodwin as follows :

I" " Hendham-vale, Sunday.
My dearest Bessie,—Dearest:you will always be to me ;
I to say that I em not terribly cut up would be a lie, but, at
any rate, you know I am not the man to stand in your way.
I answer nothing to your last letter, except that I wish to
hear from your own lips what your wishes are, and I will
accede to them. You know me too well to suppose that I
should give way to any unnecessary nonsense or sentimen-
talism. I have had a singular run of good and bad luck
lately; it suffices to say that I have an offer to leave Eng-
land. Before Igo I wish to see you once again, and for the
last time, though God knows what misery it gives me to
say so. You will admit that my desire to see you is but
natural. Say in your next where you will meet me. I
will come by the first or second train from Derby on Tues-
day or Wednesday morning, whichever suits you of course,
without any one knowing, The sooner it is all settled the
better for both parties.