The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-28 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—LIVERPOOL, MARCH 2
CROWN COURT.—Before Mr. Justice Cresswell.
CHARGE OF MURDER.

Charles Plower, a young man, was indicted upon the
coroner's inquisition for the wilful murder of Michael
M'Dermott, on the 31st of January last. He was also
indicted for manslaughter ; and upon that indictment
the grand jury found a true bill.
Mr. Blair prosecuted, and Mr. Brett defended the
prisoner.
The facts of the case were exceedingly simple. On the
day above named a number of seamen, while in a board-
ing-house in Denison•street, Liverpool, quarrelled, and
then went into the street to finish out the fight. The pri-
soner came up to the deceased, and after several blows bad
been exchanged between the parties, some bystanders se-
parated them, and the deceased went to his own lodging.
Shortly after this the prisoner went down to the street
to where the deceased was, and again struck him,
after which the prisoner pulled out a large knife
and he thrust it into the left groin of the unfortunate
man, M'Dermott. The latter immediately fell to the
ground, and was conveyed to the hospital, where he died
in a few hours. The knife was produced in court. It
was about six or seven inches long, with a German
silver embossed handle, and is generally carried by sailors
in a belt placed round the waist. Emigrants are in the
habit of purchasing such knives for the diggings. After
the prisoner was taken into custody and charged with
the offence of stabbing, lie replied, "Well, he struck me
first." The wound was described by Mr. Wall, the
surgeon of the Northern Hospital, as an inch in length.
It was of a most deadly nature, and was the immediate
cause of death, which ensued in about twenty minutes
after he had been carried in.
Mr. Brett addressed the jury at some length, and
urged upon them, as there was no premeditation on the
part of the prisoner to commit the offence proved, they
would return a verdict of guilty of manslaughter.
He called a witness, who stated that the deceased,
in Denison-street, first went up to the prisoner, and
asked him what he was working at ? Prisoner
made no reply, and the deceased struck him several
times in the face. They were separated, and a short
time after the prisoner came up again, and seeing
the deceased said that is the man who struck me, and
he ran over and collared him ; the scuffle then ensued,
which ended in deceased's being stabbed. Two of the
witnesses for the prosecution stated that the prisoner,
after the first fight ran into his boarding house, and
said, " I have a knife which I will bring out," and it
was subsequently to this the crime was committed. His
lordship explained the legal distinction between man-
slaughter and wilful murder.
The jury, after a moment's deliberation, returned a
verdict of manslaughter.
Sentence deferred.

ANOTHER CHARGE OF MURDER.
John Jordan, steward on board the merchant steam-
ship Trafalgar, was indicted for the wilful murder of
William Hare, a boy on board the same ship.
Mr. Blair prosecuted, and Mr. Simons volunteered his
services to defend the prisoner. It appeared that on the
14th March, inst., the steam-ship Trafalgar was lying in
the Sandon graving dock, Liverpool, undergoing repairs.
About half-past 11 o'clock at night of the day in ques-
tion police constable 59 and Richard Titherington were
on duty near the docks, and while there they heard a
noise resembling the closing of a door or something very
similar to it. They at once proceeded on board, and on
going towards the state room they went to the steward's
room, which they found fastened inside. The pushed it
open, and the prisoner came out, apparently very stupid
and drunk, and when he was apprised that there was a
boy dead on the deck, he with much difffculty came on
deck. The lad was lying by the side of a gun carriage,
and under the gun. His head was between the wheels,
and he was inclining to the right. His left eye was cut,
and blood was running over the right eye. The body
was warm, but he was quite dead. The prisoner put his
hands on each side of the lad's head, and said, " poor
Bill ! poor Bill !" He also put his hand upon his hips
for a minute or two and then went into the cabin. The
body was conveyed to the Northern Hospital. Some
hours previously the boy told one of the firemen that he
did notlike to go on board the ship, as he was afraid the
steward would kill him. This was regarded at the time
as a joke. On the morning after the occurrence a ship's
carpenter, who was working in the cabin, stated
that when he went on board to resume his work be ob-
served the prisoner to be much contused aid agitated.
He remarked that it was a horrid affair about the boy,
and that the ship's company blamed him for the murder.
The shavings on the floor were covered with melted tal-
low, and they were taken to the hospital. The carpen-
ter left a large screw-driver in the cabin, but on the next
morning he could not find it. It had since been found.
In the prisoner's portmanteau was found a cotton shirt
wet, appearing as if it had undergone an immersion in
water. Part of the deck of the saloon was slightly
scorched by hot tallow being thrown on it.
The surgeon of the, hospital deposed that there was a
contused wound on the left eye an inch in length ; a con-
tusion on the right ham, about two or three inches in
diameter. On making a post mortem examination he
found an extensive fracture of the skull. A severe blow
or a fall might have produced it. It was exactly oppo-
site the wound on the forehead ; both could not have
been produced at the same time. Death was instan-
taneous.

With reference to the hot tallow, it appeared to his
lordship that as the dock regulations prohibited lights
after nine o'clock, the tallow must have been thrown
there some time before the body was found. He showed
the improbabilities that existed as to the prisoner having
comnited the murder, if a murder was committed ; and
The jury, under his lordship's direotion, returned a
verdict of not guilty.