The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-22 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—YORK, July 21.
(Before Mr. Justice Mellor.)
THE BISHOP BURTON MURDER.
Cuthbert Wray, 30, was charged with wounding
Mark Robinson, with intent to kill and murder
him on the 16th of November, 1858, at Bishop
Burton.
Mr. Thompson and Mr. Shepherd prosecuted ;
Mr. D. Seymour, Q.C., and Mr. Maule defended.
(The prisoner was originally indicted for the
murder of Jex, the game-keeper, but the grand
jury threw out the bill, and found for the minor
offence only).
On a remarkably moonlight night in November
four years ago, three gamekeepers left the
house of their employer, R. Watts, Esq., of Bishop
Burton, near Beverley, about ten o'clock. They
proceeded to two plantations called Great Gallops
and Little Gallops, on a Mr. Long's farm, and
they were walking between these woods, when
they heard the scream of a hare from the direction
of another field. They retraced their footsteps
until they came to what is called Brogdalo Planta-
tion, where they saw several poachers. The
watebers now held a consultation as to the neces-
sity of procuring further assistance; but the head
watcher, Jex, who was a most bold and resolute
man, would not hear of it, and the three then got
over the hedge, Jex first, a man named Geddes
next, and Mark Robinson last. The watchers now
saw the full force of the poachers—some eight or
nine men—who were armed with guns and heavy
hedge stakes. The poachers, it seemed, were the
first to commence this fatal and terrible affray, by
setting their dogs upon the keepers. Jex said
that it they did not call the latter away he would
shoot them, and he carried his threat into execu-
tion by raising his gun and shooting a lurcher
dog dead. A parley now succeeded, and a few
stones were subsequently thrown at the keepers,
and one large flint hit Robinson a severe
blow upon the head. One of the poachers
then cried out that he would knock Jex's
brains out if he did not keep back. Jex replied
by threatening to fire upon them, and eventually
he did so. A general melee at once ensued, guns,
stones, and stakes being freely used. Jex and
Robinson were knocked down, and Geddes after-
wards observed Robinson shoot a dog that was
about to seize upon Jex. Shortly afterwards Geddes
himself was shot, and as he found himself seriously
wounded, he scrambled across a hedge and made
the best of his way for assistance. Some men being
alarmed, in this manner went to the scene of the
affray, where they found Jex quite dead, and with
his face quite beaten into the soil in the field from
the blows he had received. A large number of flint
stones were laid about him, together with a large
hedge stake. Robinson was met with on the road,
being in a very dangerous condition, and he after-
wards became insensible from the various wounds
he had received. On the following day minute
search was made in the neighbourhood, and, fol-
lowing the direction of a bloody trail, the dead
body of the lurcher dog that Jex had shot was
found concealed in a bush on the road between
Cherry Burton and Market Weighton. Suspi-
cion fell upon several parties, and seven men
were subsequently tried at York Assizes, and
four of them were now suffering severe punish-
ment for the part they took in the pro-
ceedings. It was subsequently ascertained
that one of those men, named Marshall, and the pri-
soner Wray, arrived at the village of Cottingham
(a short distance from the scene) between three and ,1
four o'clock in the morning, both in a very wounded
deplorable condition. Their wounds were dressed,
and they remained at the house of a man named
Downes for some time, but the latter, hearing of
the death of Jex, would not harbour the two men
any longer, and consequently they had to leave the
house. Marshall was afterwards captured, but the
prisoner Cuthbert Wray had hitherto eluded detec-
tion. The police, however, got notice of his where-
abouts, and he was apprehended in a brickyard at
Scarborough on June 30. He was working there at
the time, and the police saw him when they sur-
roundedwiz the yard. A signal was given by a fellow-
Irian, and the prisoner instantly threw off his
apron „ad
shot woundstarted off. He was, however, shortly
was Cuthb:aptured, and admitted that his name
him, he found that
y When the surgeon examined
lithat there were several marks of gun-
thelNrier.wSaesYntno2erairs tbhoedyd.efence, contended that
the Cuthbert Wray eabeX show that this man was
and had been pre4o4 be had
of, or that, if he were,
44 done what he had