The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-12 00:00:00

ANO7HEI4 CHILD MURDER.

Yesterday Mr' H 4--
Raffles Walthew, the deputy
coroner ter RastAt• *
White Rolle
vebriddlesex, held an inquiry at the
a neic-house, Brick-lane, on the body of St. Luke's,
a ,iewoly-b. orn female child found dead
on the step bt•
, door at No.' 16, Royley-
street, Old-street
the following extraordi-
nary circumstances; —..."
Thomas Leather, am of
.about apolice-constable, said
that on Tuesday night
Ire in the same
bundle lying on the door-st®p 09r o'clock, he found a
street. The spot was very dark,
called
oTaidd het
he feet
another boy, who opened it, and he f'
a child projecting from the end.
wrapped in an old Lloyd's Newspapereorbody was
who
tooke
nit. Witness called a police-officer3oth
charge
of the deceased.
Henry Chillings worth, 236 G, deposed that he re-
ceived the body from the last witness, and called Dr.
Mather, the divisional medical officer. He had not
been able to trace the parents.
Dr. Mather, of Bunhitl-row, stated that the de-
ceased was fully developed, and had no doubt been
born alive, but he could not trace any external vio-
lence. The umbilical cord had been torn and the
mother had not received medical assistance. The
child had no doubt died from hemorrhage at the
birth.
The Deputy Coroner remarked on the still exist-
ing increase of infanticide, and said this was the
fifth inquest he had held this week. He trusted
that the Legislature would, at the next session of

Parliament, adopt some stringent measures to check
the sad evil.
Verdict—Wilful murder against som person or
persons unknown.

.DREAD.PUL MURDER IN •OMERSE7-
SHI RE.

A SON KILLED BY HIS FATHER.

NErfLEBRIDGE, THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

A very shocking tragedy has taken place at Net-
tlebridge, a little village among the Mendip hills,
and distant about four miles from Shipton Mallet.
The village inn was kept by a man named Joseph
Langley, a remarkably fine young fellow of about
21 years. On Saturday afternoon the father and
son quarrelled. The son was provoked to strike his
father, and shocking to relate, the father stabbed
the son with a clasp knife which he held in his
hand. The unfortunate young man lingered till
Monday morning, when he died. The father was
taken into custody within an hour of the fatal
event, and on being taken before the Temple Cloud
magistrates on Monday
-was remand3d.

From the position of the house on the verge of
the coroner's division, the inquest on the body was
not held till this morning, when Bruges Fry, Esq.,
the coroner for the northern division of Somerset,
and 14 jurors, investigated, at the Nettlebridge Inn,
where the body lay, the circumstances attending
the death of Chas. Langley. The deputy chief con-
stable of the county was present, and very great
interest was manifested in the proceedings.
The prisoner was present at the inquiry. He is
between 50 and 60 years of age, and of somewhat
11 dissipated appearance.
The following evidence was given :
Eli Goold stated—l am a coal miner, residing in
the parish of Midsomer Norton. I knew the deceased,
who was 21 years of age. On Saturday night last,
about six o'clock, I was at the George Inn, Nettle-
bridge, in company with Chas. Langley, the de-
ceased, his brother Frederick Langley, and Wm,
Green. The deceased's mother was also present.
The deceased was taking his tea. The prisoner
Joseph Langley, came into the room at the time.
He was in liquor. He had a plate with some meat
in his left hand, a id a clasp knife in the other.
(The knife was produced, it was a long-bladed in-
strument.) The prisoner put down the plate on the
settle, and afterwards cut some bread. The deceased
asked his father if he was going to eat it all. The
prisoner said, " What odds is that to thou ?" He
then sat down by the fire, and said to the deceased,
" I am very near starved to death for thou already."
The deceased then said, " Nothing that ever you
starved yourself for ever made me fat." The father
and son went on quarrelling for some time, and
cursed and swore at each other. The prisoner called
the deceased "a thief." The deceased said, "If
you call me that again I'll knock your eye out."
The deceased then got up and raised his hand to
strike his father. He did not do it at that time, but
before he sat down he struck his father, who was
sitting in a chair,on the left eye. The prisoner had
then a knife in his hand, and was eating his food
with it. The prisoner instantly struck the deceased
with the knife in the right groin. Deceased cried
out " Oh, I.shall die !'' turned round, and fell into
the room. I lifted him up and saw blood flowing
from the wound. Mr. Cartner, a surgeon, was sent
for, and he came.

By Mr. Burnard---After the blow was struck the
prisoner did not say anything to his son ; nor did
he threaten him before that. The prisoner certainly
did not say, " I'll dig this knife into you."
By the Deputy Chief Constable—The prisoner
had had a little liquor, but he could speak very well,
and knew what he was about.

By the Coroner—When I went to pick up the
deceased, the prisoner said, " Let him bide ; there's
nothing the matter with him."

Sonic confusion arose as to witness's description
of the state of the father and son. He eventually
corrected himself by stating that the father was
drunk, or at least partially drunk ; at any rate he
was more drunk than the son, who had had some
beer. He himself was not drunk, having only had
a half-glass of beer.
The witness was then cautioned, and asked if he
had told all he knew. Re maintained that he had,
and that he had not been spoken to as to what he
ishould say.

Frederick Langley, the son of the prisoner, was

then examined. On his appearance the father ap-
peared more affected than he had previously been.
The witness stated—l was present on Saturday
evening last during a quarrel in my father's house,
between deceased and my father. Wm. Green and
myself went into my father's house. Father was
cutting some meat, and Green asked him to have a
glass of beer, and he said he would presently. When
he came in my brother said, " I hope you are not
going to eat all that meat, father." Father said,
" What odds is that to thee ?" My brother said it
was odds to him. Both then called each other bad
names, and on father calling my brother a thief the
latter sprung from his chair and struck father. A
tussle then took place. Both fell, but I cannot say
who was undermost, but father was up first. I can-
not say whether my father had a knife. lam posi-
tive that daring the quarrel father did not say, "If
you strike me I will stab you." I saw blood, and
sent for a doctor. I found the knife now produced
behind some stones on my father's premises. I know
that the knife produced is my father's. I found it
on Tuesday last. My father gave me information
where to search for the knife. I gave it to the police
sergeant. My father was very sorry, and said he
had only meant to strike my brother with his fist.
My father had been drinking all the afternoon, and
was half drunk. My brother was much in the same
state. 1

Police-constable Payne, stationed at Nettlebridge,
produced the clothing of deceased, and proved ap-
prehending the prisoner at 7 o'clock on Saturday
evening. He did not appear anything the worse for
liquor. I ch.)rged him with stabbing his son, and
cautioned him as to what he stated. Prisoner said,
" He struck me in the eye, and I told him if he did
that again I would hit the knifeinto him, and I done
so ; and it was my own clasp knife." He also said
some one had taken the knife from his hand.

By the prisoner-4 am sure you said you would
hit the knife into your son. I did not consider you
the worse for drink.

Police-sergeant John Webb produced the knife,
which he received from Fred. Langley on Tuesday
last. He said it was his father's knife, and that his
father had told him where to find it.
John L. Burnard, Esq., stated—l am a justice of
the peace for the county of Somerset, and produce
the original statements of Loth deceased and pri-
soner.

The following was the first deposition of the de-
ceased, and taken on Saturday :
" I made an attempt to strike my father, but I am not
certain that I struck him, and my father then hit his knife
into me. I did not hear him say a word to me before he
struck his knife into me."

The following statement was made by theprisoner
after being duly cautioned :
"In the first place fancying he (deceased) had a drop
drink, I said to Charley I wish you would not do so.
You have a good home to come to, but if you go on so
you shall not continue here, He then jumped up and
struck me in the face. I was eating my bit of grub. He
then said, ' Charles, do not make yourself so foolish. If
you do give I the second attempt I'll hit this knife into
you.' He then made the attempt, and I struck him with
the knife in my hand. He then fell over me, and we
both fell on the ground together. I had no intention to
hurt him, and I had no wish to injure him."

The deceased subsequently made another state-
ment, but it did not in any material degree differ
from the first.

The learned Coroner summed up the evidence,
and after minutely explaining the law as it relates
to manslaughter, and murder,
The Prisoner, after being cautioned, said the
statement Put in was correct, except as to his having
said, "I'll hit the knife into you," which he did not
,remember having done.
The Coroner Raid that he had calculated that of
every 20 inquests he heid about 15 were directly or
indirectly attributable to drink.
After a brief consultation the Foreman said the
jury were unanimously of opinion that their ver-
dict should be one of manslaughter, and the prisoner
was committed on that charge on the coroner's
warrant.

The prisoner, who was deeply affected, was then
removed.