The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-22 00:00:00

THE SIIN, LONDON, VIUD v EVENING, AUGUST 22, 1862.

formidable as the Merrimac. The North is alarmed
for its naval as well as its military supremacy. Not
a cent of taxation has been collected ; and, though
the President believes that Halleck may not be a
great General, he tolerates him as the best that can
be got. Such, in few words, is the present situa-
tion. Perhaps before I write again a battle in
Virginia may have changed the pattern in the
kaleidoscope.

ASSIZE IN7ELLIGENC,E.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT—LIVERPOOL, Aug. 21.
(Before Mr. Baron Wilde.)
CROWN COURT.

THE MANCHESTER MURDER CAFE-TRIAL OF TAYLOR AND
HIS WIFE.

William Robert Taylor, 37, Martha Anne Taylor,
25, indicted for the murder of Mr. Evan Meller, at
morn-
ing. At an early hour the court was densely crowded,
Manchester,
tchhees nateors,toanbtshoreblin6gth May, were tried this
interest
was
manifested in
the case.
Mr. Monk, Q.C., with whom were Mr. Sowler
and Mr. Holkar, were engaged for the prosecution ;
and Mr. Overend, Q.C., for the female, and Mr.
Pope for the male prisoner. Both prisoners pleaded
not guilty.
Mr.Monk,in opening the case for the prosecution,
stated the facts as follows :—Mr. Evan Meller, the
deceased, was in partnership with one of his sons as
an estate agent in Manchester, and in an extensive
and respectable way of business. Among other
persons the deceased was the agent for Mr. Dunn,
a very near relative to one of the members for Lan-
cashire. About the end of October, 1861, the male
prisoner took from the deceased a house and shop in
Britannia-buildings, Strangeways, Manchester, of
which he remained in possession until the unfortu-
nate occurrence into which they were now inquir-
ing. On the 16th of May Wm. Meller, a younger
son of the deceased, who was employed in the office
of his father, arrived at their place of business in
Lower King-street, about 9 o'clock, a little before his
father. He had scarcely arrived when Taylor came
in, accompanied by his wife. Taylor inquired for
Mr, Meller, and was told he had not yet arrived, but
was expected in half an hour. Now the premises
occupied by the Meliers were situated on the second
floor, and the lower rooms were occupied, amongst
other tenants, by a Mr. Leatherbrow. Meller's
offices consisted of a general and private office, and
an ante-room partitioned from the general office. At
the time the Taylors entered no one was in the office
but young Wm. Meller, and having learned that
Mr. Meller, sen., was not in, the prisoners took
seats in such positions that the male prisoner could
command a view of the entrance to the premises,
and the female of the private and general offices,
which were approached by the ante-room. A few
minutes elapsed, when young Meller heard his
father's voice, and saw him enter and close the door
of the general office. He heard him say " Good
morning, Mr. Taylor,"and this was followed almost
immediately by the exclamation, " Oh, Mr. Tay-
lor !" upon which young Meller turned and saw his
father in the grasp of the male prisoner, who at
that time seemed to have clenched in his hand some-
thing which Wm. Meller could not see, but with
which the prisoner appeared to be striking at his
father's breast. With a natural impulse, William
Meller proceeded towards his father, but the mo-
ment he did so the female prisoner presented a re-
volver, and young Meller then rushed back again
into the office, where he was before, and attempted
to fasten the door. Nobody, however, followed him.
Throwing up the window, he gave an alarm, and
in a short time, hearing a report of fire-arms on the
staircase, he again came out of the office, and found
his father lying upon the landing of the first floor
—(the attack had taken place on the second floor)
—in a state of insensibility, In the meantime it
appeared that Mr. Leatherbrow, from his office be-
low, had beard the noise as of some person falling,
and came out to see what was the matter. Observ-
ing Mr. Meller lying upon the landing he called to
Hooley, one of his servants, who came and raised
the deceased's head. While Hooley was in this at-
titude, with his wrist near Mr. Meller's head, the
male prisoner was observed to come from behind and
fire a revolver, which wounded Hooley either in
the wrist or on the knee. Hooley then let Meller
fall down, and he himself staggered away, propping
himself against the wall. As he was thus proceed-
ing it would be shown by the evidence that both the
prisoners very composedly and coolly recommended
him to the Infirmary and seek medical assistance.
Now about this time a person named Pankhurst,
who was passing, entered the building and found
Hooley and Leatherbrow and the male prisoner
standing a step or two above them on the stairs.
About the same moment, or immediately after-
wards, William Meller rushed down the stairs,
and was proceeding to ills father, when a pistol was
levelled at him by the prisoner. Pankhurst put
up his hand and said, " Good God, what would you
do?" and young Meller ran behind some of the per-
sons present. The prisoner said, "He has ruined
me and my children." Pankhurst put his hand to
Meller after the shot, and found that the pulse,
which was throbbing before, had ceased. Meller
was removed at once in a coach to the Infirmary,
and it then appeared that he had received no fewer
than 11 stabs in different parts of the body, and
that there was also a wound which might have
been received by falling, making 12 in all. Of the
11 stabs, one had penetrated the heart, another had
taken effect about the chest, and the others were of
such a kind as to be immediately fatal. When the
police arrived the female prisoner was walking
about on the ground floor, and the male prisoner
still held the revolver in his hand. About the time
of his arrest the prisoner exclaimed of his own ac-
cord, " Thank God, my work's done !" and on
another occasion that " Mr. Meller had murdered
his children." Upon the prisoner were also found
a bullet and mould, a powder-flask, some percus-
sion caps, and a sheet of paper, such as is frequently
used for knives, and behind a sideboard on the
landing where the attack on Mr. Meller had taken
place was found a knife which seemed intended to
fit that sheath. The knife was wet and bloody.
Mr. Monk said he should further prove that the
woman who was employed to clean the pre-
mises was there some half hour previously,
and that no knife was there then. It
would also be proved that on the previous
day the prisoner purchased a revolver and
bullet-mould, the same as those found upon him,
from a Mr. Jones. The revolver was an old-fashioned
one of six chambers, in which the whole of the bar-
rels, and not merely the chambers, revolved. One
of the barrels was found to be discharged, and the
other five were loaded. When taken to the police-
office the prisoner took from some part of his per-
son three keys, and said, That opens such and such
a bedroom, and if you will go there you will find
something. The officers, when they went to the
house, found it in a state of great disorder, the walls
and doors and chimney-pieces having been much
injured and disfigured. A stone slab had been re-
moved from one of the chimney-pieces, and laid
upon the floor, and upon that slab were placed the
heads of three children, who had ceased to live. The
children were washed and " laid out," each being
dressed in a clean man's shirt, and round the neck,
waist, and wrist of each being tied a piece of black
ribbon. Upon the breast of each child was pinned
a piece of paper with the following inscription :-••••
We are six, but one at Harpurhey lies; thither
our bodies take. Meller and Son are our cruel mur-
derers, but God and our loving parents will avenge
us. Love rules here : we are all going to one sis-
ter to part no more." That writing was in the hand
of the male prisoner. On the other side of the paper
was written the name of each child. " Mary Hannah
Taylor, 12 years of age; Hannah Maria Taylor, 8
years of age ; William Robert Taylor, 5 years of
age," Upon the body of the younger child was an-
other piece of paper upon which was written, "Mel-
ler our sister slew through gross neglect." After
alluding to some minor points in connection with
Taylor's selling some clothes belonging to Taylor's
children and his wife, Mr. Monk came to consider
the question of motive. The prisoners were evi-
dently intensely imbued with a desire to revenge
the wrongs and injuries which they believed they
had sustained at Mr. Meller's hands. They were
unprepared at Christmas, 1861, to pay the rent
which was due for the premises in Britannia-build-
ings, and they were threatened with a distress.
But still the rent was not paid, nor was it paid
until after an occurrence of a very painful kind,
which he (the learned counsel) would now detail.
On the Sunday before the 24th January an explo-
sion of a water boiler took place upon the premises,
which caused the death of one of Taylor's children.
Before the explosion Taylor had complained to Mr.
Meller of the leakage in the pipes, and Meller gave
instructions for the usual repairs, but the prisoner
attributed the explosion to the negligence of Mr.
Meller, though the latter said it was Taylor's own
fault, and he therefore refused to give the prisoner
compensation. Another grievance which the pri-
soner nourished against Meller was connected with
a dispute as to the value and removal of some fix-
tures. There were also two other sources of corn-
plaint.
On the 3d February, a distress was put into
the prisoner's premises, and the goods were taken
away. There was little to seize, and the goods did
not realise the amount of the rent, but the prisoner
was not considered by Mellor an eligible tenant, and
another distress was instituted. It was intimated,
however, to the prisoner, tbat if he would leave the
place, he might take anything that belonged to him.
All these circumstances seemed to have excited a
very angry feeling towards Meller in Taylor's mind,
and to this feeling the acts of violence which had
been detailed were attributed by the prosecution.
Dwelling upon the points which associated the
female prisoner with the crime, the learned counsel
said it would be for the jury to say whether the
appearaneo which the children presented indicated
rather the care and attention of a female than a
male hand. _

Mr. Wm. Galloway Meller, the son of the de-
ceased, was then examined, and corroborated the
statement of the learned counsel in its principal
point.
Mr. Joseph Peacock Letherbrow, wine merchant ;
Hoole, the cellarman ; Mr. Henry Pankhurst, auc-
tioneer ; M r. W . Heath, house surgeon at the Royal

Infirmary, and some other witnesses having also
been examined, the caoe for the -Crown was com-
pleted.
Mr. Pope addressed the jury on behalf of the male
prisoner; and at great length contended that he was
not conscious at the time of his committing the act
imputed to him of its awful nature,
Mr. Overend, Q.C., on behalf of the female pri-
soner, made an eirnest and eloquent appeal to the
jury to say that his client had gone to the place
without knowledge of her husband's intention, and
had not been a participator in his acts.
The learned Judge having summed up the evidence
with great minuteness,
The Jury retired, and after a brief absence re-
turned into court. The court had become so crowded
that they could with difficulty force their way to
their seats, and intense suspense was depicted upon
b-the faces of all the spectators in court.
The Jury found the female prisoner Not Guilty,
but the male prisoner was found Guilty of murder.
He did not appear in the least discomposed.
The learned Judge then assumed the black cap,
and passed sentence in the following terms :—Pri-
soner at the bar, the jury have found you guilty of
this most barbarous murder. Acting under a sense
of supposed injury, you have wreaked your ven-
geance upon a man who was only the innocent in-
strument, and not in any way the cause of your trou-
ble. You must have been aware, when you took
that man's life, that you did so at the forfeit of your
own. I have no desire to enlarge upon the enormity
and the wickedness of such an act. You stand there
an example to those who see you of the vehemence
of bad passions nurtured and fostered till they have
impelled you to this most bloody deed. May your
sentence be a warning to others. Let me entreat
you to apply your remaining hours to make your
peace with Heaven, for assuredly you have much to
do. The learned Judge then completed the sentence
in the usual form, and the prisoner was removed.