The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-24 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT—LwEspooL, MARCH 23.

CROWN COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Cresswell.)

William Boyd, aged 35, was indicted for having at
Haigh, on the 15th of December last, stabbed, cut, and
wounded James Hatton, with intent to do him some
grievous bodily harm.
Mr. EL Cross appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr.
Simon defended the prisoner.
It appeared that the prosecutor, who is a shopkeeper
at Aspull, was at the New Springs public-house in Haigh
on the evening of the 14th of December last, where were
also the prisoner and two other men, named Gibson and
Ledgett. While there, the prisoner, who had an ill-
feeling against Gibson, struck him, whereupon they,
closed, and both fell to the ground, and then the prose-
cutor interfered and separated them, after which the
landlady turned the prisoner out of the house. About
half an hour after the prosecutor and Gibson went out,
when the prisoner, who had been waiting outside for
them, again attacked Gibson, and the prosecutor again
interfered between them, and then the prisoner and
prosecutor fought until they were separated by
Gibson. The prisoner then wanted to renew, the
fight, which the prosecutor refused, and ran away,
taking refuge in a garden, where be lay down and
fell asleep for an hour and a half. When he awoke
he proceeded home, and on his arrival there the pri-
soner darted out from behind a wall, and again wanted
to fight, swearing that he would do f.,r him. The
prosecutor then ran away again, pursued by the pri-
soner, who after some time overtook him, and struck
him several times on the head and face, threatening to
do for him and drag him through the canal. The pro-
secutor cried out, '• William, have mercy. I don't want
to fight ;" and shortly after became insensible. A cor-
poral and private of the 34th Regiment, who were on
guard at the saw-mills at Haigh, where the last part of
the affray occurred, then interfered, one taking care of
the prosecutor, the other walking with the prisoner,
who said on the way that it was a good job they had
interfered, as he would have finished the prosecutor and
and put him into the canal. The prisoner was then
taken to the station-house, and the prosecutor to his
own home, where a doctor attended him, and it was found
that he had a lacerated scalp wound, two incised wounds
on the face, one of which was cut nearly through the
mouth.

Mr. Simon addressed the jury for the prisoner.
His lordsh;p having summed up.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty.

Sentence deferred.

Thomas Ellis, aged 48, was charged with having, at
Salford, on the 21st of February la 4, feloniously stabbed,
cut, and wounded Mary Ellis, with intent to kill and
murder her.

Mr. Wheeler prosecuted ; the prisoner was undefended.
It appeared that the prisoner was a baker in Albion-
street, Salford, where he resided with his wife and three
children, one of whom worked in a factory, and another
on a railway. He had been out of work for several
months, hut his wife had supported them by going out
as a charwoman. They had been married 25 years, and
had had 15 children, three of whom only survived. The
prisoner was in the habit of getting up in the middle of
the night to smoke a pipe, and lucifer matches were kept
by the bedside. On the night in question the wife got
up about half past three to see what time it was, and not
finding the lucifers, she asked her husband where they
were. He then got out of bed, saying that he knew
where there were two lucifers, and that if she would get
him a pin he would scratch them, and get a light. She
then went across the room to get a pin, and while doing
so, the prisoner seized her by the throat, threw her back
on the bed, and cut her throat with a table-knife. She
cried out " murder," and put out her hands to save her
throat. One of the children cried out for the police, who
came in ; prior to which the prisoner had escaped at the
back of the house. The poor woman was then taken to a
surgeon's, when it was found that she had a cut across
the neck two inches in length, and half an inch in depth,
and the surgeon stated that had she not put up her
hand, which was most severely cut, to saveher throat, the
jugular vein would most likely have been severed, and
death would have been instanteneous, but, as it was, the
wound was too far back to be dangerous. The knife
was found by the son under the bed, and the prisoner
was apprehended about seven o'clock in the morning.
He stated when taken into custody that had he not been
arrested he intended to have surrendered. When told
the charge against him, he said that he knew he had
done it, and wished it had been more fatal, and that he
ought to have done it many years since.
In his defence, the prisoner said that his wife had a
most dreadful temper, that they were continually quar-
relling, and that she was an abandoned woman, in-
triguing with his brother-in-law, and that altogether her
conduct was more than he could stand. He knew it
was a dreadful and shocking thing, after having been
married 25 years, but her conduct had driven him into
such a state of mind that he did not know what he did.
His lordship, in summing up, told the jury that they
would have to say with what intent the prisoner stabbed
his wife, whether to kill and murder, or to do her griev-
ous bodily harm.
The Jury immediately found a verdict of guilty, with
intent to do grievous bodily harm.
His lordship then ordered sentence of death to be re-
corded, saying that his life would be spared, but that he
would be at her Majesty's disposal.
A bill is about to be preferred against the Preston
conspirators, but, if found by the grand jury, they are
not expected to be tried at these assizes.