The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-12 00:00:00

The Willenhall Murder.

Patrick Kane, Mary Kane (his wife), James Kane,
and John Leonard were yesterday brought up in
the Police-court at Willenhall before the Rev. G.
H. Fisher, Mr. It. D. Gough, Capt. Deakin, and
Mr. N. N. Solly, charged the first with the wilful
murder of Augustus Hooper, police-constable, and
the other three with being accessories to the fact.
Colonel Hogg, the chief constable of Staffordshire,
was upon the bench, and Major M‘linight, deputy
chief constable, was likewise present.
Mr. Travis, solicitor, of West Bromwich, con-
ducted the prosecution upon instructions from the
chief constable ; and Mr. Bartlett, of Wolverhamp-
ton, defended Patrick and Mary Kane.
Mr. Travis, having said that he should offer only
enough evidence to justify a remand, called
Police-constable William Butler, who deposed—
I am stationed in this town. I was on duty as
night patrol on Friday night last, and at about a
quarter to twelve I heard a noise as of men quar-
relling in the George Inn, Walsall. street, kept by
Mr. Williams. On entering I found four men
asking noisily for lodgings, and the iaudlord came
downstairs from bed, and in. my presence ordered
them out of the house. As he went through the
door a man who_ is not in custody said 1u " e.onhl
thrash all the polictmen in South Stafford-
shire." The man who made use of this threat went
and stood behind a corner on the 13ilston-road which
I had to pass as 1 went to meet the Bilston officer. As
I passed him he struck me on the side of my head
with his fist. Ills name is not known, but I can
identify him. Ile then ran up Bow-street, where I
followed and caught him. The other three men
then came up and rescued my prisoner. I then
drew my staff, stood in a corner, and caught hold of
John M'Kue, who had struck me several times.
Two of the men then took hold of my staff, dragged
me out of the corner, and we all struggled down the
alley. Mary Kane came out of her house, and struck
me four or five times with her fist.
Mrs. Kane—Oh, Lord !
Witness continued—l struck her on the head with
my staff, which had been broken. (The splintered
staff, made of ash-wood, was here produced.) The
woman cried out "Murder" and ran into her own
house through the front door. Patrick Kane now came
out by the same door ; he seized me by the coat, and
struck me three or four times with his fist. (Kane here
laughed loudly, and was rebuked by the Bench.) I
knocked him down with a blow from my fist, and still
held my prisoner (M'Kue). Police-constable Hooper
here entered the alley. I said, " There's one of the
men," pointing to Kane, who had recovered from the
blow I had given him. I saw Hooper take hold of
Kane, the two had a struggle, and I saw the officer
fall against the wall of the house. There was no
one else there at that moment. I took my prisoner
on to the station.

By Captain Deakin—l was about eight yards from
Hooper, and there was a lamp about 20 yards off.
Witness continued—When I returned from the
police-station I found the deceased lying on his back,
quite dead, and on the spot when I had seen him
fall. He was lying in a large pool of blood. I went
in search of Kane, and entered his house by the back
door. Mrs. Kane admitted me on my knocking.
On going upstairs I found Patrick Kane, James
Kane, and John Leonard all in bed, Patrick Kane
by himself and the other two together. Patrick
said, " What do you want ? I've done nothing, and
shan't get up." He afterwards got out, but would
not dress himself. I then took Mary Kane, who
wanted to drink something out of a phial she had,
but I prevented her, and it was broken as I forced
it out of her hand. Assisted by other officers, I ex-
amined the house where Kane lived. We found blood
on the outside latch door and on the lock and handle
of the front door. On the staircase there was also
spots of blood. On the table in the front kitchen there
was a waistcoat with two spots of blood upon it.
By the Bench—There was no blood on my face
when Patrick Kane or his wife struck me, nor did
I make either of them bleed.
Henry Benton, key-stamper, said—l live next
door to Kane's house in Bow-street. On Friday
night last I was aroused by a disturbance in front
of the yard, and I saw Patrick Kane walking to the
back door. I asked him what was the matter. He
said, " to ye !" and went in to his house. (Kane
here chuckled loudly.) I heard a cry of "Oh
dear !" and found the officer lying on the ground in
front of the house, with his staffin his hand, and
quite dead.

Thomas Gratton, miner, deposed—l live in Bow-
street, and lodge in one of the tenements near to
Kane's house. Shortly after 12 o'clock I looked
out of my room window. I did not see any one
with Hooper, but I saw him fall. I ran down stairs,_
and from my back door saw Patrick Kane walk
sharply to his back door and enter the house. I saw
him come round from the front of the row where
deceased was lying. At the time that I saw 'Hooper
stumble and fall in the front of the row there was
no one else there that I could see but Policeman
Butler and the man M'Kue, whom he was arresting.
This was the whole of the evidence tendered, and
an adjournment took place till this (Tuesday) week.
By that time the inquest, which was formally opened
yesterday, will have been held.
On Sunday a spring-backed knife with a formid-
able blade was found secreted upon the person of
James Kane, in his cell. He had been previously
searched, but nothing to excite suspicion had been
discovered. On Sunday a further examination of
the clothing of all the prisoners was made, and the
knife was found in the fob of James Kane's trousers.
It is the class of knife to which the weapon that in
all probability the murder was committed belongs,
but from the partial comparison which has yet been
made between this instrument and the wound it
scarcely seems to have been the precise weapon.
There is a red stain upon it, but it may turn out to
be slight oxidation, as the microscope has not yet
been used in the examination. This done, and the
blade of the knife compared with the wound by, the
surgeon in the post mortem examination, which has
beenordered by the Coroner, conclusive testimony
will be forthcoming. At present it is thought to be.
not unlikely that the knife belonged to James Kane,