The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-19 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.—GLOUCESTER, Dec. 18.
(Before Mr. Justice Mellor.)
MURDER OF A POLICEMAN.

Robert Morgan, 27, labourer, was indicted for the
wilful murder of Christopher Wickham, at the
Welsh Back, Bristol, on the 25th September.
Mr. Harrington and Mr. Cock conducted the
prosecution; Mr. Cripps defended the prisoner.
On the night of the 23d August the deceased, who
was in the Bristol police force, was on duty in the
Welsh Back, Bristol. The prisoner was behaving
indecently to a woman in the street. The deceased
interfered, and told him to go home quietly, and
went on his beat, walking a little behind the pri-
soner. The prisoner, on reaching the coroner of the
street, waited for the policeman, who then told him
if he didn't go home he should take him to the sta-
tion-house, and he laid his hand on the prisoner's
shoulder, who then kicked him on the shins and
stabbed him i❑ the neck, under the ear, cutting
the carotid artery, and penetrating to another
artery, which could not be reached by the surgeons.
The artery had to be tied by the surgeons, but it
broke out again several times, and hfe died from the
effect of the wound on the 25th September.
Mr. Cripps addressed the jury for the defence,
contending that the crime was one of manslaughter
only.
The learned Judge summed up, and said if the
case was one of manslaughter it was a very aggra-
vated one; but if the jury were satisfied the police-
man was in the execution of his duty when the blow
was struck, then the offence would clearly be mur-
der.

The jury found the prisoner guilty of murder,
and the judge passed sentence of death on him.
Mary Ann French was indicted for the murder
of Alice Dyer at St. George's-road, Bristol, on the
Bth October.

Mr. Cooke prosecuted; Mr. Sawyer defended the
prisoner.
It appears the prisoner French and her husband,
and the deceased and her husband, all lived toge-
gether at the house of a Mrs. King at Bristol. On
Sept. 24, it appeared, a row took place between the
two families, husbands and wives all fighting toge-
ther outside the house where they lodged. The
woman French was taken into custody, but allowed
to go again. On getting home another row com-
menced, and a witness named Harris stated that
she heard the prisoner tell her daughter to fetch a
flat iron, and while the two men were fighting,
the prisoner leant over her husband's shoulder and
struck deceased with it on the head. Deceased was
taken into another room and attended to, and while
there prisoner forced her way into the room with a
poker, and struck deceased with it on the head,
felling her to the ground. Death resulted.
A verdict of manslaughter was returned, and the
judge sentenced the prisoner to 16 years' penal ser-
vitude.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT—YORK, Dec. 18.
(Before Mr. Justice Keating.)
George Smith, 27, was charged with the man-
slaughter of Thomas Duckles, at Goole, on the 20th
of October last.

Mr, Blanshard and Mr. Meynell were for the
prosecution; Mr. Digby Seymour, Q.C. (who was
specially retained), and Mr. P. Thompson, defended
the prisoner.
Mr. Blanshard, in stating the case, said that the
prisoner was a respectable farmer at Goole Grange,
and farmed about 400 acres of land under the Earl
of Beverley. For some time previous to Oct. 20 the
prisoner had been suffering from delirium tremens,
and on the 19th of that month he was so ill that Mr.
Johnson, a medical gentleman, was called in to at-
tend upon him. He had a revolver, and paced about.
from room to room in his house, and alarmed the in -
mates. Mrs. Martin, his housekeeper, being afraid
that he would either injure himself or others, with
a laudable discretion got the revolver from him. On
Oct. 20 the prisoner roso from his bed at about 8
o'clock in the morning, and what was then upper-
most in his mind was to get possession of the revol-
ver. He went into the front room and locked him-
self in. Mrs. Martin was alarmed lest something
should happen to the prisoner, and she knocked at
the door asking for admittance, and the prisoner in
reply said that he would let her in in a moment.
In a minute or two afterwards, the door being still
Locked, Mrs. Martin went outside of the house and
looked in at the window. She then saw the pri-
soner seated with his head leaning upon his hand.
Mrs. Martin knocked at the door, desiring admit-
tance, and the prisoner answered as before—" I'll
let you in in a moment." Mrs. Martin, however,
was not able to gain admittance into the room, and
she therefore sent for the unfortunate deceased,
Thos. Buckles, who was a favourite servant of the
prisoner, believing that he would be able to preveil
upon him to open the door. Duckles had been in the
service of the prisoner and his family for about 30
years, was a confidential servant, often slept with
the prisoner, and his son-in-law also was foreman on
the prisoner's farm. The deceased was sent for from
the steam-house; he told the prisoner that he had
the revolver, and he was immediately admitted into
the room. The report of fire-arms was heard almost
instantly after wards, and the deceased was found to
have been shot. He came out of the room holding
his arm by his side, and his clothes were on fire.
The deceased was placed in a chair, and he appeared
to be suffering greatly from the injury he had sus-
tained. Mr. Johnson, surgeon, was sent for, and
after seeing the deceased he ordered the poor man
to be removed upstairs. He was laid upon a mat-
trass, and it was then discovered that in the front
part of the abdomen there was a wound about the
size of a half-crown piece, and the bowels protruded.
Everything was done by Mr. Johnson that his pro-
fessional skill could suggest, but the deceased