The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-18 00:00:00

AI-TEMPT TO MURDER A WIFE.

A rather short, slender man, well dressed, named
James Wadden, aged 29, who gave his address as of
42, Salisbury-place, Lock's- fields, and who described
himself as a hairdresser, was brought to the M.a
lebone Police-court yesterday morning, in custody
of Mr. C. Burrows, inspector D division ; Mardi],
267 1), and Wilkie, 244 D, charged with cutting
the throat of his wife with intent to murder her, at
3, New Church-street, Edgware-road, being a coffee
shop kept by a Mr. Cobley.
The court and its precincts were so crowded that
an extra body of police had to be sent from Matyle-
hone-lane station to keep the passages clear. It may
be as well to state here that the prisoner and his
wife went into the coffee-shop, and after a little
while went up to bed to a room on the second floor
hack. After they had been up there about an hour
Mr. Cobley was disturbed by loud screams, and on
going up and entering the room he saw the prisoner
and his wife with her throat cut, and at a short dis-
tance off an open razor and a small bat?, capable of
holding such an instrument. On his (Mr. Coble) 't,)
asking who had done it, alluding to the cat iu eel.
throat, prisoner said his wife had done it herse!i'.
The wife, from whose wound the blood was gee leg
copiously, smiled, and with a perfect look of reason
shook her head, as she could not speak, to indicate
,No." The police-were instantly summoned, and
Inspector Burrows at once called in Dr. Graves, of
Newcastle-place, Edge are-road, and Dr. Kirby, 77,
Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park, who promptly at-
tended, and whilst they were attending the unfor-
tunate woman expressed silently to the inspector
that they considered it a hopeless case, and recome
mended the magistrate's attendance to take her de_
position. Mr. BurrOws at once went and summoned
111 t. Yardley, who attended at the side of the bed at
about a quarter to one on Monday morning, and
took the following deposition from the woman :
On the question being put as to whether she could
speak, she gave a slight shake of the head signifi-
cant of " No." Appearing ealm and rational, she was
asked if she could write, when with a nod of her
her head, not without evident pain, she signified
" Yes." Mr. Yardley then asked if she was able to
answer through the means of the pencil any ques-
tions which might be put to her. With a painful
nod of the head she answered with the affirmative.;l
Her deposition, in reply to his worship's qnes-
tions, was then as follows :—My name is Maria
Colchester Harriett Wadden. On my oath I live
at the Pitt's Head, High street, Portland Town,
with my husband. Last night he took a razor out
of a bag, and I did'nt think he meant to touch me.
He drew it accross my throat. He said nothing at
all at the time. The bag produced is what he took
the razor from. He has before threatened to do it.
Prisoner was then informed that he might put
any question to his wife.
Prisoner then asked her if ho had done it.
The wife replied that he had,

Prisoner—l did not do it, so help we God. lie
then asked her if she had not upon one occasion cut
her own throat.

The Wife (through the medium of her pencil).--I
did cut my throat twelve months ago.
This being the whole of the statement of the wife
taken upon that occasion the magistrate returned
home, and the prisoner was conveyed to the station,
from whence he was removed this morning, to the
court.

During the sitting of the court to-day further
intimation was given to Mr. Yardley that his pre-
sence was required to attend upon the female, and
in company with Mr. Phillips (chief clerk), and the
two medical gentlemen, he proceeded to where the
poor woman was lying.
On the prisoner's arrival at the house, in custody,
all parties proceeded to the second-floor back-room.
On the bed lay the prisoner's wife, slightly lifting
herself on her left side appearing quite collected,
with bandages round her throat, and her hair dis-
hevelled and blood over her night-dress. As each
one entered the room she kept a gaze upon them,
and when her gaze met that of her husband's she
averted her head, and he (the husband) clasped his
hands together and pulled a white oambric hand-
kerchief from corner to corner.

Mr. Graves and Mr. Kirby took their position on
each side of the bed and administered stimulants to
the wife, who in reply to the following questions,
wrote lying on her left side upon the deposition
paper, and which had been placed on a piece of
board kindly upheld by Mr. Phillips. The answers
were written in a firm, clear, and expeditious hand.
Mr. Yardley—Has he ill-used you before P
Wife—My father can tell you how he has ill-
.used me.

Mr. Yardley—Did he ever ill-treat you before ?
Wife—Yes.

Mr. Yardley— Say when and where.
Wife—By giving me black eyes sons after our
marriage, and has done so repeatedly since, which
is three years next mouth.
Stimulants, owing to the prostrate condition of
the wife, had here to he 4thninistered and her face
sponged.

She again continued—Within a week of my mar-
riage day he gave Mb a black eye, which is three
years ago the 3d of nest monta.
Mr. Yardley—Did he ever attempt to cut your
throat before? If so, say when.

Wife—About two years ago, as I was leaving my
father he took a penknife from his pocket and said
he would be the death of me. At that time I
separated from him and went and lived with my
father for six weeks.
Mr. Yardley (to prisoner)—Do you wish to ask
your wife any question ?
Prisoner (looking towards the bed .where his wife
was lying, and from whom he had withheld his
face) muttered something incoherently, and
His Worship again repeated the question, when
Prisonerisaid—She was tipsy List night.
Mr. Yardley asked the wife if she was tipsy last
night.

Wife wrote—l was not tipsy last night.
Mr. Yardley—Is there any other question which
you would like to put to your wife ?
Prisoner—She knows I did not do it.
Mr. Yardley—You misunderstand me—have you
any other question ?
Prisoner—She knows I did not do it. I have
none—(sobbing, 0 dear, 0 dear.)
After he had become somewhat calm the prisoner
said—Some time ago my wife became acquainted
with another gentleman, and she said the first time
she could she would put me out of the way. Time
after time she has said this.

Mr. Yardley—l will ask her that; and in reply
to his worship,
The wife said, through the same medium, that
she had never said such words.
Prisoner—O, you know you have. You said that
last night in the street. Hundreds of times you
have said that (crying and wringing his hands.)
Have not you i.nd Esther said the same thing ? 0
do tell the truth.
In reply to Mr. Yardley, she (the wife) again
said she had never used 5u2.11 words.
Prisoner—Your father and you have told me you
would have me l ut away, and your father has told
his customers so.
The examination was here deemed to have been
going on long enough, and the poor creature signed
her name to the depositions and she was left again
in quiet.

Prisoner was then conveyed in a cab back to the
Police-court, from whence he was remanded for a
week.

Up to 8 o'clock last evening the woman lay in
such a state as to leave no hope of her recovery, the
throat being cut in a most frightful manner.

FRENCH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.

At the last sitting, M. Becquerel announced that a great
number of papers, notes, and rough copies of letters, all in
Lav,isier's own hands,
worn
.Library:of Orleans, All these
documentspreserved in the public
vincial Assembly of the Orleannais,helrdelainte tlo7Bth7.e PLrao:
voisier was the proP rieter of 240 acres of land in the Ven-
d omois
processor
sse hsesufgagrmeetedd himself,
y his greatapplying
discoveries
oertihese
various
into cthheemseistz.icu/siltrraylof suggested to
ssaboAveo-mthentionetd r. elate
er
ns a
plan for the reimbursement of the debt of the Orleannais,
and the means of reducing the cost of the collec-
tion of taxes, It is remarkable that such a plan
should have been brought forward by a farmer-
general; and yet his disinterestedness on this occasion
did not save him from the guillotine. The establishment
of a discount-bank at Orleans forms the subject of another
paper ; and next, there is a project of Lavoisier's for creating
a savings-bank I His plan, moreover, was far more com-
prehensive than the one now in existence all over Europe,
since it not only provided the means of obtaining a reason-
able interest for small sums, but also of leaving annuities to
ono's children or relations, according to tables calculated
for the purpose. But Lavoisier's fertile genius did not
stop here : another proposition of his was the organisation
of a Mutual Insurance-office, by which agriculturalists,
on payment of a small sum, would be insured against
all risks and losses incident to their occupation.
All these plans, since realised by slow degrees, were pro-
posed in 1787, and rejected by the provincial assembly of
that day I In reply to this communication of M. Becque-
rel's, M. Dumas stated that the existence of these MSS. at
the Library of Orleans was well known to him, and that a
selection of them would be published in the large edition of
Lavoisier's works, which he was preparing at the expense
of the State. M. Malaguti sent in various samples of com-
pound of iron not possessing magnetic qualities under cer-
tain circumstances—viz., the oxalate of protoxide of iron;
the sub-acetate of peroxide of iron; the bi-carbonate of the
protoxide, superoxidised by the action of the air ; common
rust in a pure state, and the hydrate of the protoxide super-
oxidised in the air. All these compounds lose their mag-
netic properties when strongly and permanently heated, or
When dissolved in an acid,