The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-05 00:00:00

A7TEMP7 ED WIFE MURDER AT LEEDS,

On Wednesday, at the Leeds Town Hall, a young
fellow named Edward J. Wilde, a paper-stainer,
residing in St. Mary s-lane, was charged with at-
tempting to murder his wife, Anne Wilde, by
shooting her with a pistol. The prosecutrix, an
interesting girl of nineteen, and the daughter of a
joiner, living near the Marsh-lane station, appeared
to be seriously indisposed, and was accommodated
with a seat while giving her evidence. She stated
she was married on April 6 to the prisoner, with-
out the knowledge or consent of her parents. After
the marriage she took lodgings in Strode-street,
and there the prisoner used occasionally to visit
her. However, he neglected her so much that she
was driven to the last extremity of destitution fin.l
Inness, and It .• 0 Inter-
ference of a neighbour that her parents learnt of
her miserable condition, and went and took her
away home. She was then in health, in a situa-
tion in Boar-lane, Leeds, and the prisoner used to
meet her at night after her day's work was over,
and see her home. On Tuesday night week prose-
cutrix left her work in company with a Mrs.
M'Bryan, and when they arrived near the railway
bridge, in Marsh-lane, they heard a noise of some-
body running behind them, and on looking round
they saw the prisoner. Wilde, addressing the pro-
secutrix, said, " I want to speak to you ;" upon
which Mrs. M'Bryan bade them good night, and
left them. Prisoner then told his wife that he was
going to Liverpool, and that he had come to bid
her good bye. Prosecutrix said she wished him
well, and then added that, as the hour was late, she
must at once proceed home. Prisoner begged to
accompany her, but she declined on the ground
that she was afraid of provoking a quarrel between
him and her father. Prisoner then said, " I swore
on the day of our marriage, that no other man
should have you," and he immediately drew a pistol
and presented it at her head. With great presence of
mind, she covered her face with her shawl, and
bowed down her head, and it was lucky she did so,
for Wilde at once discharged the pistol, and the
shot not only blew the crown of her bonnet into
atoms, but partially entered the scalp, and inflicted
a superficial wound. Prosecutrix fell to the ground,
and when she was picked up by a passer-by, named
Eliza Morley, she was found to be bleeding from
the wound inflicted. She was taken to the house of
Mr. James Ellison, of No. 3, Wesley-place, and the
wound was washed; and shortly after she was re-
moved to her father's house, where she has since
been attended by Mr. Cottam, surgeon.

It appears that Mis. Wilde has-frequently been
threatened by her husband, and that he must have
entertained a very strong feeling of jealousy towards
her; at the same time the girl's excuse would seem
to be perfectly natural, for she only refused to co-
habit with the prisoner because he neither could
nor attempted to provide a home for her.
The prisoner was committed for trial at the en-
suing York assizes.

7IIE IVIL7SHIRE POISONING CASE.

HIND ON, WEDNESDAY.

This morning Mrs. Trowbridge was placed at the
bar, before Messrs. 11. Graves (chairman), J. Du
Ronlay, and C. Jeffries, sitting in Petty Sessions,
charged with having wilfully murdered Ann
Kiddle, by the administration of poison.
Mr. George Chitty, solicitor, of Shaftesbury,again
attended on behalf of the prisoner.

It will probably be recollected that a woman,
named Ann Kiddie, died on the 22d October, under
circumstances which gave rise, in the mind of her
medical attendant, Dr. R. C. Shettle, of Shaftes-
bury, that she had been poisoned, and upon his in-
formation a post mortem was held, and portions of
the viscera of the deceased woman analysed by Dr.
Harley, of University College, London, and by Dr
W. Bird HE rapath, an analytical chemist at Bristol,
hut not, we believe, the eminent toxicologist of that
name. Mrs. Trowbridge had been visiting at the
house of the deceased in Ludwell, on the borders of
Wilts, for some short time, and various reasons in
connection with a pudding given to Mrs. Kiddie,
made by Mrs. Trowbridge, led to her being taken
into custody, and she was brought before the magi-
strates and remanded, being, however,liberated after
the second hearing on her own recognisances. At
the coroner's inquest on the body,held on the 21st ult.,
Dr. W. B. Herapath stated that he detected the pre-
sence of arsenic in his analysation. Dr. Harleywould
not vouch for its presence in that portion of the
viscera sent to him. Dr. R. C. She ttle, upon whose
affidavit the warrant was granted by Mr. Graves,
gave his opinion that the deceased woman died from
an irritant poison, and in this he was confirmed by
Mr. Cardell, an eminent, though
young practi-
tioner at Salisbury. On the other hand, Dr,
Roberts. whose skill and sci,;ntific knowledge is
L highly esteemed in the district, held that death was