The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-10 00:00:00

ATTEMPT OF A HUSBAND TO

MURDER HIS WIFE.

BANBURY, MAY I.—This town was horrified last
night by a report that a man had murdered his wife,
about three miles from this place, on the Southam
road, by shooting her and afterwards cutting her
throat. The report proved to be too true, except that
the woman was not dead.

The parties are both natives of Banbury, and have
been for some years resident in Leamington, where
the husband, James Layton, has carried o❑ the busi-
ness of a builder, and has accumulated some property
being the owner of nine or ten houses in that place,
They have a family of six or seven children, and a son
of the wife's, previous to her marriage with Layton,
resided with them. There appears to have been some
disputes recently about the property, and Layton
accused his wife, her son, and one of her brothers,
with conspiring to defraud him of it. A solicitor of
Banbury had been employed in the matter, and had
written to Layton, making an appointment to be in
Leamington to-morrow, on the business, and for
the purpose of showing that his suspicions were
groundless. Unfortunately for all parties, he did
not wait for this visit, but on Monday set off with
his wife to walk to Banbury. They were seen toge-
ther upon the road six or seven miles from Banbury.
One man who saw them thought they were
sweethearts, as Layton had his arm over his wife's
shoulder. When they reached the spot above referred
to Layton put a pistol close to his wife's forehead.
The poor woman says he put it quite under her bonnet,
and fired it. The piece of lead with which it was
loaded—not a bullet, but an oblong piece of lead—
struck her on the forehead, and the powder burnt her
face. He then took out a large table knife, with
which he cut her throat, and also wounded her hands.
She screamed, and several persons being within
hearing they ran to her assistance, and some of
them went in pursuit of Layton, who ran into the
fields, and dodged in and out of the hedges. He
was captured, and taken to the Bell at Great
Bourton, a village about a quarter of a mile distant,
to which place also his wife was conveyed in a ve-
hicle, which came up shortly after the dreadful
occurrence. Dr. R. J. Wise, of Banbury, was sent
for, who extracted the ball and sewed up the throat.
He also, seeing the dangerous condition of the
woman, proceeded to take her deposition. On the
following morning the Rev. W. Lloyd, a county
magistrate, attended and took the declaration of the
woman, which was as follows :

"I, the undersigned, being convinced that I shall not
recover, declare that my name is Martha Layton, and
that my husband, James Layton, did fire a pistol at me
yesterday afternoon, about six o'clock, and that after-
wards he cat my throat with a knife; that he was not in
the habit of carrying a pistol with him, but that he has
carried one on two or three occasions to Banbury. I
do not know why he fired at me. We had not been
quarrelling; but he had been going on with me, swear-
ing dreadfully. He has many times threatened to mur-
der me, and did so on Sunday. He several times
sharpened a knife on Sunday, and many times before,
for the purpose of cutting my throat. I did not see the
knife. He has threatened to shoot me many times with
a pistol. I never said anything to him to offend him, but
begged of him not to swear so, and to be quiet. He had
three pints of ale at the Harp, at Southam, at two o'clock.
I did not wish him to have m ire than one pint, but he
would have more. I had a little of it, and he had the
rest. He struck me when near the Victoria, and made
my mouth bleed. He had some brandy and water at
Fenny Compton-wharf. I am not sure that my husband
sharpened the knife for the express purpose of cutting
my throat, but I thought so. I saw a girl and a woman
going home from work o❑ the road, and I wanted to
keep up with them, for I was frightened, but my husband
pulled me back. I was coming to Banbury to get some
advice from my friends about being separated from my
husband, but he did not know that. He said he was
coming to Banbury to get work. The knife which is
now shown to me I know to be one of ray husband's
knives. I make this declaration, firmly believing that I
shall not recover, and that I am on my death-bed."
. The Rev. J. Ballard and Mr. John Loveday, two
other county magistrates, having arrived, they pro-
ceeded to take the depositions of the witnesses in the
presence of Layton, who was in the custody of the
parish constable. The prisoner is a good-looking and
well-dressed man, about forty years of age. W hen
he was first brought to the house he ,was very
talkative. He slept soundly for some hours during
the night, and ate a hearty breakfast; Atter that he
became taciturn, and scarcely spoke to any one.
Before the magistrates he exhibited no signs of regret
for what he had done, nor any trepidation ; the few
words he spoke were in a firm tone of voice. The
first witness said he met the prisoner and his wife on
the road. The prisoner was holding her up; her
face was discoloured, and she was bleeding from a
wound in the forehead. He thought she must have
had a bad fall. Neither of them spoke. He looked
after them, and atter they had got out of sight he
heard a scream. He then went back, and met the
woman holding up her hands, and bleeding from the
throat. She sunk to the ground just as he and
another person got to her, and sail her husband had
done it. This witness and some others proved the cap-
ture of the man. Some of them heard the report of
the pistol, and saw the prisoner moving backwards
and forwards, and raise his wife from the ground and
force her along the road. The surgeon said he found
the woman in a state of collapse, with the windpipe
quite severed, and a wound from a bullet or a piece
of lead in the forehead. He produced the shot ;it
was evidently a piece of thick sheet lead, rolled into a
round shape, about three-quarters of an inch long,
and cut with a knife to fit the barrel of the pistol.
This was so firmly embedded in the skull that he was
obliged to get a pair of forceps from a blacksmiths to
extract it. The woman had revived from the state
of collapse, but she was still in a most precarious and
dangerous condition.

One or two witnesses not being in attendance, the
magistrates adjourned the inquiry to eleven o'clock
tomorrow, then to be resumed at their clerk's office
in Banbury, to which place the prisoner was removed
for safe custody.
The prisoner made no remark upon the evidence,
except an expression of dissent when one of the wit-
nesses deposed that he said when taken, " I meant to
do it, and that will end it." lie appeared to regard
the knife (a large table knife, which was bloody, and
was found in a ditch near the spot) and the piece of
lead with some curiosity. The pistol has not been
found, although diligent search has been made for it.
We understand the woman says, that after he shot her
he reloaded it.

THE SEA SERPENT AGAlN.—Captain Adams, of'
the shooner Lucy and Nancy, which arrived at Jackson-
ville, Florida, on the Ist of April, from New York, had
sight of a monsta r in many respects resembling the sea-
monsters described by many others. Captain Adams
states that on the morning of Sunday, the 18th of Fe-
bruary, about nine o'clock, when off the south point of
Cumberland Island, about twelve miles from the St.
Johns' (Florida) bar, the attention of himself; crew, and
passengers was suddenly rivetted upon an immense sea-
monster, which he took to be a serpent. It lifted its
heal,which was that of a snake, several times out of the
water, seemingly to take a survey of the vessel, and at
such times displayed the largest portion of its body and
a pair of frightful fins or clans several feet in length.
His tail was not seen at any time; but, judging from the
dimensions of the body, the captain supposes the levia-
than to be about 90 feet in length. Its neck tapered
small from the head ;to the body, and it appeared to
measure about seven feet across the broadest part of the
back. The colour was that of a dirty brown. When
first seen it was moving towards the mouth of the St.
John's. The monster moved from the side of the ves•
sel, and placed itself athwart its track, in front of her
bows; but Captain Adarni, not feeling partial to an en-
counter with his snakesbio, ordered the vessel to be
kept off. A boy on the deck, not knowing his anta-
gonist, had seized a harpoon, and was in the act of
striking, when he was prevented by the vessel's moving
off.—Boston Atlas.

TURNPIKE TRUSTS IN THE COUNTY Or MIDDLESEX.
—A return, moved for by Mr. Forster, M.P., shows
that the length of the turnpike trusts in the county of
Middlesex, north of the 'Thames, is 108 miles. The
debt and unpaid interest due from the trusts amounts
to 266,653/.

NA VAL INTELLIGENCE..
PORTSMOUT EDNESDAY.—Commander Alex-
ander _Murray (1840), who was midshipman of the
Sophie during the Burmese war, gunnery lieutenant
of the Prinevss Charlotte (flag ship), at Acre, and
who had just brought home and paid off the
Favourite, IS, after three years' service on the West
Coat of Atriea, is promoted to the rank of captain.
Lieutenant William Keigwin Nicolas (1809), first
of the Impregnable, flagship at Devonport, who was
midshipman of the Malta in Calder's action ; and of
the Defence at the destruction of the French frigate 3
at Sables D'ollonne, and employed in boat service;
lieutenant of the Ville de Paris in Basque Roads in
1809; senior lieutenant of the Pilot, and wounded at
the defeat of the French frigate L6gere in 181.5 ;
brother of Captain Toup Nicolas, Superintendent of
the Royal William Victualling Establishment, Devon-
port, is promoted to the rank of commander.

Lieutenant Arthur MeDent (1837) irst of the
Superb, 80, at Si.ithead, is also promoted to the rank
of commander.

Lieutenant Vashon Baker (1839), late first of the
Espiegle, 12, recently paid off, to the rank of com-
mander.

The ship Kent, 659 tons, leaves Deptford for this
port on the 17th inst., to embark detachments of the
45th and 91st Regiments for the Cape of Good Hope.
The ship Fifeshire, 463 tons, leaves Deptford on
the 12ch for this port, to embark detachments of the
20th Foot for Canada.

The Elfin, royal dispatch boat, was tried to-day at
the measured mile in Stokes. bay by Commander
Crispin, of the royal yachts, when her mean speed
after four runs, was recorded as 12.572 knots; steam
gauge, 81b. ; revolutions, 57. She was also tried
several times at full speed, and made the complete
circle in 2 min. 25 sec. This result corresponds with
that obtained in the different trials in the river, but
when certain alterations have been made it is not at
all improbable that a greater velocity, than the above
may be recorded.
The Sphynx steam-sloop, one of the reserve squad-
ron, which received partial orders to be prepared for
service on Saturday, was to-day ordered to be manned
from the Excellent, and taken to Spithead by Com-
mander Hewlett, of that ship. It is also reported to
us that a North Sea pilot was ordered to go on board.
Orders were received at the Royal Clarence Vic-
tualling Establishment, Gosport, this morning to
superannuate 10 first class labourers, and to discharge
211 second and third class without superannuation, and
to superannuate one baker and one carpenter.
The Echo steam-tug embarked troops from Hasler-
wharf this morning, and put them on board the
Constantine freight ship at Spithead, then proceeded
to Cowes to embark a detachment on board the
Apolline for Halifax, after which she brought another
detachment from Cowes, and put them aboard the
Constantine.

Wind—N. by W.; moderate breezes and fine
weather.

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS.

BRISTOL, Dist 9.

STOCK Excuanon.—The Share Market was lather flat to-day.
and prices somewhat lower. The sales are—Great Western, Quarters.
6 dis.— Ditto, New 171. Shares, 4% dis.—Bristol and Exeter, Thirds,
11% dia.—Midland, 64%.
LIVERPOOL, Max 9.

STOCK EXCHANGE. —The markei was very dull to-day, and
prices rather lower than yesterday. The sales are—Caledonian,
Preference, 11/. Bs. 9d.—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Preference, 1 llt
—London and North-Western, 127—Ditto, New Quarters, 3 p.—
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire. l'reference, 10%—Midland,
6434—Ditto, Halves, 12N, dis.—South-Eastern and Dover (No. 4),
6%—York, Newcastle, and Berwick (Extension, Kos. 1 and 2), 5%
dis. Ditto (G. N. E. Purchase), guaranteed 6 per cent. till
1850, 3% dis.

MANCHESTER, Mer 9.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The transactions to-day were as follows:—
East Lan ashire, 1531 —Great Northern, (A), 4% Dover (No. 4),
6 11-16—Ditt• (No. 4), Registered, 6 9-16—Manchester and Bir-
mingham (C), Quarters, 2 15-16 p.—Sheffield, Preference, 10%
Ditto (No 1), 7% dis.—North Staffordshire, 5 7-16 dis.—West Riding
Union, 5% dis.—Eastern Counties, 7 11-16—London Stock, 127—
Grimsby, Old, 20—Sheffield and Lincoln, 14 9-16.
BIRMINGHAM, MAT 9.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The following are to-day's transactions :
Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Stour Valley, 1034—Caledonian,
261% London and North-Western, New, 314 p.— Manchester.
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, Preference, 10%—Midland (Con. Bir-
mingham and Derby), 43—North British, Quarters, 3% —North
Staffordshire, 51. I Is. 3d. dis.—Shrewsbury and Birmingham (A). Oi
dis.•—Ditto (B.), 4c. dis.— South Staffordshire, 4% dis, youth
Eastern, 20