The Sun.
London, England, 1814-12-03 00:00:00

MURDEIt,

Cornelius Crawley- was indicted for the wilful-
murder of George Dixon, on the 20th of August,
by beating him on the head with a poker.
Catherine Raine deposed that she lives in Vine-
street, Chandos-street. Her husband keeps the
house in which Catherine Hall and prisoner co-•
habited. On the 20th of August, deceased and
Catherine Hall came home together, and soon
after she saw Crawley come in, about a quarter
of an hour after. She immediately heard a great
and increasing noise, and Catherine Hall calling
out--` don't, pray don't." Witnes called her
husband, and she took a candle, and found de-
ceased sitting on the stairs two or three steps up.
Ile seemed as if fallen, or being thrown down
stairs, and was bleeding dreadfully from the head.
The prisoner came down stairs, and seemed desir-
ous to pass them, which he did by stepping over
the young man. She called to her husband to
rop him, and said, " Crawley, Crawley, yon
Lave done this." Prisoner got out by the street-
door.

Cross-examined.—Crawley cohabited with Ca-
therine Hall as her husband. The noise was not
like two persons stroggliug together. It lasted
for some time, and she beard no voice but that of
Catherine HAIL

Edward Raine, husband of bst witness, heard
the noise above described ; his wife alarmed him
by saying Crawley was. doing some violence, and
desired him to shut the street-door, which he did,
but he did not see Crawley. lie then went to-
wards his wife, and found deceaied on Lis hands

and knees in the passage, bleeding dreadfully
from the lift side of his head. He then searched
the house for Crawley, but found neither him nor
Catherine Hall. Deceased was taken to a sur-
geon. ‘Vitness found the poker brokvit on the
floor among some blood.—The Constable pro-
duced the poker.
The assistant of Mr. Main's, Chandos-strect,
remetnhered deceased being brought to him on
the night of the 20th of August. He had a wound
on the left side of his head.

J. Dixon, father of the deceased, proved that
his son was, brought home to his house
.on the
20th of Augitst. He had a wound on the left
side of his head. Siic days after he was taken to
St. George's Hospital, where he died,
Mt. Chopping, a'Surgeon at St. George's Hos-
pital, found two wounds about three inches long
on the head of the deceased, which seemed to have
been done by a blunt instrument. The bone was
depressed over the brain : l►e died in a month, and
o►► opening his bead, an abscess was found in the
subst:lnce of the brain.. His symptoms were at
one time rafter favourable. .

Eliiabeth Dixon, mother of the deceased, de.
posed, that .next day her son was able to talk,..ra-
ther rationally, and was then in hopes ke'would
live. She visited him every day after being taken
to the- Hospital. He described the way
.in which
he got his death - wound, when he often said he
believed the violence of the blow would be his
death. •
Martha-Holland went_ with the last witness to
assist the deceased -at the Hospital : he described
the way in which he- got his death wound. This
was about a week- brefate be died, when he was
sensible he was in a dangerous state.
Anne Atchison, a nurse at the,hospital, had
care of the deceased, Who told her the way in
ssitOel. 11, received hiS' death ;sevatal tithes, when
be iionsidere ' lii!pself a dying '-mau, beeause he
frequently said he wai sure he never could recover.
He said, he was.coasing honie On tliitlight of ese
20th of August from tbe Golden' Cross, wlsere he,
was a porter, when lit";, met CatherineXall, who
asken him to go with 'her, and prevailed on hint
to do so. He hsd been in the room but a
very Ithort time, when Crawley came in, and with
out a word, took the poker, and struck bins a
blow with it, which knocked him down,' and,
when he recovered himself, he found ht was on
the stairs. Witness asked him, if he struck'
Crawley ? He answered, he did. not ; for he did-
not give hint dine to do so.
Cross-examined.—Deceased said, be was sober
at the time.---Cave and Salmon apprehended
Crawley in l'arkinS's-rents, Westminster, about
eight in the morning. He was in bed with Ca-
therine Hall. Going to•the Office, the prisoner
said, the hand-bill gave a bad description of him.-
Catherine Hall proved, that prisoner lived with
her in Vine-street ; knew deceased before 20th
of August, when she met him in the Strand, and
asked him to drink, which he did, He said, I
shall go home with you, which soe refused. He
said, he would go home with her, as Crawley
was out ; which they did, and had not been there
a moment, when Crawley came in, and asked
Dixon what he did there, and desired him to go
down stairs. lie teld the door in his hand, and
said, " Dixon, you had better go down." De-
ceased said, he would not ; On which prisoner
knocked him down with his fist, and deceased fell
towards the fire-place: NI/hen deceased recovered
himself, he seized the poker, and struck prisoner
with it on the head and neck. Deceased aimed a
second blow at prisoner, btiL he stepped hack,
and it went against the w.ii.iscot with such vio-
lence that the poker fell-on the floor, anti prisoner
instantly seized it, and struck Dixon a blow on the
head as he was going out of the door. Deceased
went down stairs, and she called after them,
" pray don't, pray don't." When the landlord
and landlady told prisoner he should' not stay
there, he went away.
Witness .saw Crawley on Sunday night follow-
ing 3. they lived together at his brother's till they
got a lodging in I'arkin's-rents ; ske often visited
Crawley in Newgate, and deceased, was the sole
subject.of their conversation.
Mr. Justice La IILANc summed up the evi-
•dence, and the Jury, after retiring about 20 mi-
nutes, returned a verdict—Guilty of Manslaughter.
Smith -and Curran were convicted of stealing a
pocket-book, the property of Mr. ilulioeb, on the
28t h. of November.

The following were capitally convicted :
GeorgelP3fmtus, for privately stealing in the shop of Jas
Drown, 811 yards of woollen cloth, value 111. his property.
Thomas James, for stealing in the dwelling-house of John ,
Brett, 6 shirts, a cloth jacket, and other articles, value 81.
his property.
John Angler, for a burglary in the dwelling-house of Jas.
Sadd, and stealing a pair of candlesticks and divers other
articles, his property.
Themes nssell, for, a burglary in the dwelling-house of
William Baker, and stealing sundry articles of linen, books,
papers, &c. his property.
William, Bennet and John Tiernwell, for a burglary in the
dwelling-house of William Alexander Frampton and Thomas
Day Frampton, with intent their goods and chattels fe-
loniously to steal. Judgment respited for the opinion of the
Judges.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, DEC. 2,