The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-22 00:00:00

CLERKENWELL.

Charles Corbey, aged between 20 and 21 years,
was placed at the bar before Mr. Combe, for final
examination, charged by Mary Noble, aged 22, with
having cut and wounded her, with intent to murder.
The prosecutrix, who had been in the infirmary of
St. Luke's workhouse ever since the Ist instant, the
day on which the attempt was made on her life, and
in a dangerous state, was sufficiently recovered to be
brought from thence to this court in a cabriolet, but
in a very weakly condition, with her throat bandaged
up. Prior to the prisoner being placed at the bar,
the prosecutrix was supported into the court, and
allowed a seat close to the clerk's desk, in order that
she might be distinctly heard whilst giving her evidence.
The prisoner, on being brought from the gaoler's
cell and placed in the dock, caught sight of the pro-
secutrix, when he looked steadfastly upon her, and
burst into a flood of tears. She stared at him, and
was much affected when the prisoner exclaimed
wildly, " 0, dear Mary, don't let me be sent back
again to that prison !"
Mr. Smith, the surgeon who attended the prose-
, cutrix, here suggested that it was necessary that the
prisoner should, if possible, be prevented intetfering
with the prosecutrix while she was giving her
evidence, and that if she could be allowed to lie
down La be as quiet as possible it would be better;
any hysterical emotion would do her much injury.
Mr. COMM said if the prisoner interfered he should
be taken out of court, and the evidence be received
during his absence. He asked the prisoner if he
recollected what had taken place at his first examina-
tion ? Prisoner (vacantly)—No.
The prosecutrix was nuw sworn. She stated as
follows—l am now an inmate in St. Luke's work-
house. I was living formerly with the prisoner, at
No. 19, Baltic-street, St. Luke's. I have known him
since last August three years. I lived with him as
his wife up to November last.

Prisoner—Yes ; and we were about to be married.
Mr. COMM cautioned him not to interrupt, or he
must be put out of court.
Witness continued—l had been out somewhere
which displeased the prisoner. We had some high
words on the subject, and on the Tuesday before the
Ist of November, I told him I would not live with him.
I had often told him so, in consequence of his ill-usage
to me. The place I went to was No. 28, Ironmonger•
lane, the house of my former landlady. On the Wtd-
nesday we quarrelled and fought together. I went
into a room, and he called me out to have tea. We
quarrelled again, and he threatened 'me. I dressed
myself, and told him I would no longer live with him.
I left the place, and stopped out all night, at No. 28,
Ironmonger-lane. On the morning of the Ist of No-
vember I was at work as usual at cap-making, at the
prisoner's sister's, Prospect-place, St. Luke's, at about
ten o'clock in the morning. The prisoner entered
the room where I was at work. I went down stairs,
when he followed me : he asked where I had been all
night ; and said if I told him the truth he would
say nothing to me. I told him I had been at my
landlady's, 28, Ironmonger-lane. He always objected
to my going there. When I had told him, he said,
" What, after I have cautioned you so many times
not to go there again !" I returned upstairs to my
work, when he came up and asked me to go to dinner
with him : I refused. He then asked me to go to
tea : I said I would not. He said, " Oh, you won't."
I said, " I don't want to go home with you any more."
He appeared to be in a great passion, and left the
place, saying, " Then I hope you and I will be in
heaven before long." I did not fancy he was about
to do me any harm. He went away with his bro-
ther-in-law, and he returned in about two hours, and
came again into the work-room where I was. He
entered and fixed his eyes on me, and looked wildly
and burst into tears. I felt alarmed, and said,
" Charley, what have you been doing ? Come to me,
and tell me." I pulled him towards me, to the chair
on which I was seated, and kissed him. He put his
arm round my neck and pressed close to me, and I
thought he was about to return the kiss; and as he
held my head back I felt that he had cut my throat.
I flung myself from him and said, " Oh, Charles!
you'll have to be hung for this I" He said, " I can't
help it ; if I can't marry you, no one else shall." I
ran out of the place bleeding, leaving him with his
brother-in-law and sister. He was crying very much
at the time.

Mr. COMBE—Had he ever said anything to you
about marrying you ? Witness—He had said he
would marry me when he was out of his apprentice-
ship, or when he would be able to support me. He
had had words with his father.

By Mr. COMBE—Her former landlady's house, in
Ironmonger-lane, was not a bad house. The landlady
had a dislike to the prisoner. He had only been
there once for about a quarter of an hour, and he al-
ways had a strong objection to her going there. He
was apprentice to his father, a watchmaker. Witness
was never aware that the prisoner was jealous of her.
The razor with which he cut her throat was not the
one which he usually shaved himself with.
Prisoner—Did you not often tell me that bad cha
racters went to the house ?

Mr. Comn E —Such a question is calculated to do you
more harm than good. It would only show that you
en'ertained malice.
Prisoner—Was I sober at the time ?
Witness—You might have been drinking a little,
but you were quite sober.
Prisoner—l asked, have you been to that bad house
again ? You said, " Yes." I then said, " 'Well, you
are a pretty one I"
The prosecutrix was now bound over to prosecute
the prisoner at the Central Criminal Court.
Prosecutrix (entreatingly)—Oh, I hope you will
have mercy upon him. The Lord has been so mer•
ciful as to spare my life, and I hope his will be
spared.
The prisoner here exclaimed—She knows I had no
malice beforehand against her.

When she was about to be supported out of court,
the prisoner said " Good bye." She seemed inclined
to go to him, but she was taken out, the prisoner
" Good bye, Mary." She was then
eyedsCaoyninvgcoolly
back to the workhouse in a cabriolet.
Mr. Joseph Ashby Smith, surgeon, of No. 154,
Whitecross street, St. Luke's, proved having been
called on to attend the prosecutrix, at No. 8, Prospect-
place. He found her sitting on a chair, with her
throat cut, and bleeding. She was holding the wound
with both hands to stop the blood. He sewed up the
wound, and she was conveyed to the infirmary of St.
Luke's workhouse. She was at that time in great
danger. The wound was several inches in length,
from the jaw downwards to the cartoid artery and in-
ternal jugular vein, and in a zig-zag form.
Mr. COI= having cautioned the piisoner that he
Iva% not bound to say anything in his defence, said he
should commit him to take his trial for cutting and
wounding the prosecutrix with intent to murder.
The prisoner said nothing, and the whole of the
witnesses were bound over to prosecute. He was
then conveyed to Nevvgate.

MELANCHOLY CATASTROPHE AT LOUTH.
FIVE LIVES LOST.

The Lincolnshire Times gives the following details
of this distressing event :—About three o'clock in the
afternoon of Saturday last the inhabitants of this
borough were thrown into a state of considerable
alarm and consternation by a terrific explosion of
combustibles, on the premises of Mr. W. Armitage,
chemist and druggist, of the Fish Shambles. About
two years ago, that gentleman, who was a member of
the Town Council, highly respected by his fellow-
townsmen, and possessed of high scientific sentiments
as a practical chemist and pyrotechnist, invented a
valuable explosive railway signal, for the purpose of
indicating any danger that might arise on a railway
line, and having received orders of late from several
companies for a considerable number, was engaged
on the afternoon above mentioned in the manufacture
of them. The place in which this was carried on was
a warehouse immediately over the kitchen, which
stood detached a few feet from the dwelling-house,
and Mr. Armitage, his father, Mr. Thomas B. Armi-
tage, a youth named Stephen Evans (the son of a
neighbour), and Mary Jane Evans, his sister, were
employed. In the kitchen below were Eliza Wilson,
Mr. Armitage's housekeeper, and a servant. When
Mr. W. Armitage entered, and opened the door of
an iron oven to take out some paste of a combustible
nature, of which the signals are made, and which
had been placed there to bake or dry, from some
cause or other it exploded with a terrific report, ignit-
ing the combustibles in the warehouse above, reducing
the whole building to a heap of ruins, and burying
the above-named persons under the burning mass,
with the exception of the servant maid Roberts, who
miraculously escaped through a window, and, with a
little boy of Mr. Armitage's in her arms, sustained
little injury except from fright. The assistance of
the police, with their superintendent Mr. Tacey, and
one of the fire-engines attached to the force, was
promptly procured ; the fire being extinguished,
operations commenced, with the assistance of a great
number of the inhabitants, for the removal of the
ruins and extrication of the sufferers. The first who
got out was Eliza Wilson, the housekeeper, alive, but
her legs being so much crushed, and her body having
sustained so much injury from burns and bruises, that
she gradually sank and died about three hours after-
wards. The youth Evans was then taken out, and
survived but a very short time. The other three, Mr.
Armitage, his father, and the girl Evans, were
quickly and successively extricated, but were quite
dead. All the poor sufferers presented a most horrible
spectacle, being charred by the fire and mutilated by
the fall of the building, almost beyond possibility of
recognition, except from their dress, or that portion
of it which remained unburned.

An inquest was held on Monday, and the jury
returned the following verdict :
" That deceased died from injuries and burns
c3u3ed by the explosion of some combustible ingre-
dients employed in the manufacture of railway
signals in a certain building on the premises of Mr.
Armitage, and by the full of thcisaid building in con-
feglience of the said explostah ; and they were of