The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-07 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

WESTERN CIRCUIT—WrsCIEESTER, March 6.
(Before Mr. Baron Channell.)
A young man of respectable appearance, named John
Piper Piper, aged 24 years, and described as an engineer,
and of good education, was indicted for the wilful murder
of Emma Sophia Piper, his wife, at Portsea, on the 9th
January last.

Mr. Poulden, with Mr. 11. M. Cole, conducted the pro-
secution ; and Mr. Montague Bere appeared on behalf of the
prisoner.

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had lived happily together. Prisoner was a locomotivey
South Western Railway Company,• • •
living by the line near
the Gosport station. Since his apprenticeship he had been
employed on board a steam-packet, but for two or three
weeks before the sad occurrence he had been out of em-
ployment. Deceased was the daughter of a man named
Lillywhite, in the employ of the Government at the Ports-
mouth gun wharf, and lived in Surrey-street, Landport.
On the occasion in questi • question, prisoner's wife was visiting
her mother, and prisoner also. On the 9th of January,
prisoner had occasion to go to Portsmouth, to apply for
employment. He took his wife with him, and when in
Broad-street, he went into it essrs. Loe's. shop on busi-
ness purposes, leaving deceased outside in the street to
wait for him. She stopped there a considetable time, and
he not returning, she walked on to her mother's, and stayed
there until nearly three o'clock, when she and her mother
went to look for the prisoner; they failed to find him, and
returned home. Later in the afternoon they went to the
house of a Mrs. Oakley, at Landport, whose husband was a
pensioner and beer-house keeper. Mrs. Oakley was a friend
on intimate terms for many years with the deceased's family,
and also the prisoner. Deceased and prisoner had been
married from Oakley's house, and since the wedding they
had both often been there visiting, and had slept there to-
gether. Mrs. Lillywhite and deceased went to the Bedford
Hotel tap, and there had a little gin, also having some more
gin at another house, but still, when they arrived at Mrs.
Oakley's, they were perfectly sober and correct in their
behaviour. At Oakley's they had a small :glass of beer
each, and half a pint of warmed elder-berry wine between
five of them. It was subsequently proposed that Mrs.
Oakley should accompany deceased and her mother to the
Old Red House, on the road towards their home, and they
went there and had more gin, . one quartern between
them. On coming out Mrs. Oakley left them, each party
going towards their respective homes. In the meantime
prisoner had been to Oakley's and asked for his wife, and
was told she was gone to the Old Red House with her
mother and 'Mrs. Oakley. He went in that direction
and met Mrs. Oakley, who said, " Jem, my dear,
Mrs. Lillywhite and Emma are just gone down the
street ; go and fetch them." He replied, a No, I'll
go myself
;" she ran on, and he followed. When
the parties met, prisoner asked his wife where she had
been, and she said, "To Mrs. Oakley's." He said, " Where
else ?" and she answered, " Nowhere." He then said,
" Don't tell me a --- lie," and hit her a violent blow in
tho face. Mrs. Oakley said, "Stop, Jem, and I'll tell you
the truth." He answered, " I asked her for the truth,"
and then he again struck deceased violently, making the
blood burst from her nose. Deceased tried to hit prisoner,
but he again violently beat her, knocked her down, and,
taking her by the hair, beat,, her bead against the kerb-
stones. The women cried out for the police, and some
men came up. One named Milligan pulled the prisoner
away, and went on ; and then another named Parmeter, see-
ing prisoner again beating the woman, interfered. Prisoner
threatened to serve him the same, onwhich Parmeterluiocked
him down. Prisoner was then quieter, and Mrs. Oakley pro-
posed they should all go to her house, and wash and clean
their clothes, as both the deceased and the prisoner were mud-
dy, and the deceased was coveredwithblood. Deceased was
helped up, when her clothes were found loose, and Mr.
Oakley went into a house and got some pins to fasten them.
Mrs. Oakley then left them, and just then two men, named
Lush and Pernhill, came round the corner and saw the two
women (deceased and her mother) walking along, prisoner
following about four feet distance behind them. When
these men got on a level with the women, the deceased
turned her head round to the prisoner and said to him,
" You shall have it for this," upon which the prisoner
immediately rushed upon her and struck her violently in
the back on the right;of the spine, which took shocking,
effect. The poor won= exclaimed, " Oh, my,'