The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-25 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN Cll?CUlT.—Liverpool, Aug. 23.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice CREsswELL.)
lyilliam Adams, stated in the calendar to he 32 years
of age, stood charged with having, on the 25th of July
last, at Manchester, feloniously and of his malice afore-
thought, killed Diana Adams, otherwise called Diana
Thomas, his wife.
Mr. J. Pollock and Mr. A. Milne appeared for the
prosecution, and Mr. Sowler defended the prisoner.
The details of this case have already been before the
public. The prisoner, when brought up to plead, said
he was not guilty, adding that he was in a state of
so much excitement at the time as not to know what
he did.
Mr. POLLoCK stated that the deceased, whose Christian
name was Dinah or Diana, had been some years ago
married to a man named Thomas, who was subsequently
transported. She was after that married to the pri-
soner, who was himself at the time married to another
woman. Prisoner and deceased were therefore never
lawfully married, but they had for some timo lived
together as man and wife. She worked at the
Hanover Mills, in Manchester, and having had
repeated differences, they separated, and during their
separation she had gone to London, and there remained
for some time at the house of a married sister. It would
appear that she had resolved to live no longer with the
prisoner, who, however, continued for some time to press
her to renew their connexion, and upon her resolutely
refusing, threatened to kill her. lie finally, on the day
stated, shot her with a pistol, inflicting a wound, of
which she almost instantly died ; and the jury would
have to determine whether there were any grounds for
doubting that the act was done with that malice which
would render the crime a murder in the eye of the law.
• Edward Craven, police-officer, stated that on the
morning of the 25th of July he saw the prisoner in
Lever-street. He was with the deceased, and they ap-
peared to be quarrelling or disputing, and she appeared
agitated. They left Lever-street, turning into Friday-
street, when prisoner asked her to go home with him.
She answered that she wonld not, and he " commenced
to pull her;" they began quarrelling, and she tried to
run away, He, however, took hold of her dress, and
took a pistol from his pocket, presented it at the head of
the deceased, and it snapped. He was then about three
yards from her. Witness immediately after saw him again
present the pistol and fire it. The deceased thereupon ut-
tered two or three screams and fell. Witness then went
up, took hold of prisoner, searched him, and found the
discharged pistol in his right side jacket-pocket, and .a
loaded and capped pistol in the lett pocket. Prisoner,
on his taking hold of the latter, told him to be careful of
it, as it was loaded. He said, in speaking of that pistol,
that he intended to "exterminate" himself with it.
He was quite calm then, and appeared perfectly sober,
though when taken to the station-house his breath smelt
of liquor. He several times said, while at the station,
that he had wished he was dead, that he loved the woman,
and would die for her.
Joseph Roughby, labourer, stated that he lived at the
corner Of Lever and Friday-streets. On the morning of
lie 25th, while preparing to go to his work, at about
half-paSt five, he heard a woman screaming, and on
going out to see what was the matter saw prisoner and
deceased running. He then saw the deceased shot by
prisoner, as described by last witness. The pistol was
not above half a yard off her head when he fired it.
Witness laid- hold of him, and asked him if he knew
what he had done ? and he answered, "I'm quite satis-
fied with what I have done." He seemed quite sensible
and sober. The witness was only about five yards off
when the pistol went off.
Thomas Murray, a young lad, was in Stephenson-
square on the morning of the 25th, and saw the pri-
soner and the deceased together, going towards Friday-
street, along Lever-street. She seemed very angry, and
said, " If you do not leave me, I will alarm the neigh-
bourhood on you." Prisoner, in answer, said, " Then
you mean to die, do you ?" and then presented at her a
pistol, which he took from his right-hand pocket. Wit•
ness proceeded to state the other facts, as spoken to by
the preceding witnesses.
James SLe.eley, superintendent of the Manchester
police, stated that the prisoner, when at the station,
and being told of the charge, and cautioned by him in
the usual form, said, " I went this morning to meet my
wilksin Newton-street. I saw her there, and said, `:Dinah,
love, let us come and live comfortable together.' She
said, ' No; a gay life I have led, and a gay; life I will
lead.' I said, • Then we shall die together;' upon which
she called. sue a—. I should not have shot her if she
had not called me that name. (Witness produced the
pistols, a pair of pocket-pistols, about eight inches in
Jewett].) The prisoner appeared very calm.
Mary Ann Smith, a friend of the deceased, had known
her for twenty-eight years. She had many times lived
with the mother of witness, and witness had worked

with her at several mills. Deceased became acquainted
with the prisoner about five years ago, when he came
to see her at the mill. She lived with him about three
years ago. Witness had many times heard him threaten
her. Ho was of a jealous disposition. Deceased went
to London about ten or eleven weeks since, stopping at
Stockport on her way. Witness went to Stockport and
saw her off text morning. Deceased remained in Lon-
don a month. On her return she lodged with witness,
who was then working at the same mill—Hanover
mill. On the Bth of July the prisoner came to the
mill, and witness went down to speak to him. It
was about half-past six in the morning. He in-
quired after deceased, and witness said she (deceased)
had wished witness to come down to see who it wry.
Prisoner toll her to go about her business. Hay-
lo!.; left the mill about eleven o'clock with deceased,
an f rPtt.rned to it ;gain with her and the father
and two brothers of deceased, witness saw the pri-
soner coming out of the Red Lion Tavern " along with"
a young woman. The father of the deceased then got
hold of the prisoner, and told him he had been to the
mid; and he (the father) did not like it. Prisoner then
ptil;ed our, a pistol from his pocket, and the father there-
upon called out for assistance, and the prisoner was
taken to tthe Fairfield station.

William Clare, father of deceased, was called, and
stated, that thp, name of deceased was Dinah Thomas,
or-Dinah Adams. She had been married to Thomas
five or si:z years ago, and they lived together three or
four years. Thomas had been transported since, and
then she went to live with prisoner, but how soon after
Thomas left witness could not say. Thought that she
went to live with prisoner two years and a halt ago. When
she went to London she remained away about three
w,eki, and witness thought she came buck about three
weeks before her death. She then went by the naryv of
Dinah Adams, but at borne with her brother and sister,
wa. eAlled " Dinah" simply. Wituesi repeated the par-
ticulars related by Mary Ann :;with, as to their se,,itig
the prisoner ut tiro I:,ed Lion, and W43t occurred after-

Parker, sister of decear:Nl, stated that deceased
was c died Dinah Thomas. Witness had lived-in London
for son ears, and returned with deceased from London
when she came home.

Mr. SowLErt addressed the jury for the prisoner, re-
lying upon those circumstances of the case which went
to show that the prisoner's only ill-feeling arose from
jealousy; and frog' an opprobrious name having been at
that moment applied to him by the woman.
The jury deliberated without ',tiring from their box,
and returned a verdict of guilty of murder.
Sentence of death was then pronounced in the usual
form.

Parker Unswora was indicted for the manslaughter of
John.. Clarke, on the 26th of .clay last, by stabbing him
with a

Mr. Black-burl conducted the prosecution; and the
prisoner was defended by Mr. Sergeant Wilkins and Mr.
It! ir.

It- appeared that the prisoner is a butcher residing in
Sinipson-strect, in this borough, a street inhabited by
some of the most turbulent of the inhabitants of Liver-
pool. His wife, on the day before this occurrence, had
been summoned to give evidence against two youths for
a breach of the peace, and at the time of this occurrence
was actually at the police-office for this purpose. The
fathe: of one of these youths, a person of the name of
Vallaley, came to the shop of the prisoner and created a
disturbance, and a crowd, more or less great—tor on this
point the evidence was very contradictory—assembled
round the shop. Vallaley was vary violent, and some of
the persons assembled joined in the cry to fetch the pri-
soner out and kill him. The deceased (Clarke) was
there also, but was, it was sworn, attempting to main-
tein the peace, and to persuade Vallaley to go home. The
prisoner was inside his door, close to the threshold, and
had a knife in his hand used by him in his trade. Clarke
came hastily up to the door, having his hand raised, and
was, it was alleged, !selling the prisoner he would take
Vallaley home, when the prisoner, apparently under the
impression that Clarke was going to seize him, struck
him with a knife, inflicting a wound in the abdomen, of
which he died in a few minutes.

For the defence it was contended, that from the noise
and tumult in the street, and the threats of Vallaley and
his friends, the prisoner was in a state of extreme terror,
and that he had reasonable grounds for believing that his
life was in danger; that the blow was given under this
apprehension, believing that Clarke was seeking to carry
into effect the threats of the mob.
Verdict—Guilty. Sentence deferred.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE,
MANSION-HOUSE.
Andrew Baskerville and Martin Roderick were brought
up for final examination upon the charge of having com-
mitted a burglary and robbery in the house of Mr. Rus-
sell, boot-maker, of 52, Fenchurch-street.
Baskerville, the nephew of the prosecutor's wife, was
well acquainted with the house, but had been for some
time wholly discarded by the family on account of
gross misconduct. On the 3d of March the house was
entered by thieves, and robbed of plate and several
other articles, one of which was the bowl of a meers-
chaum pipe. Baskerville, who had just before been
nd iasict ay(r)grQa drrom prison, which be had paid the pe •
former crime, was suspected, and, upon being
apprehended, was found to be in possession of the iden-
tical meerschaum bowl, which Mr. Russell had smoked
on the night bore the burglary, and which was amongst
the rnt sing
of the bawlpbryo
saerytiyn.g. Itiheat heaceounted for the possession
had a short time before
it
purchased the pawn-ticket ofof a young man, and redeemed it, anti he was remanded,
investithat the
investigation.
olice might
have an opportunity of pursuing
It :appeared that Martha Itederilek tailed in the inte-
rim at the Giltspur Compter, to see
the policeman who apprehended hi
hei
previMly ascertained that the me‘m u
•cha nim havhinagd
been pawned, and soon afterwards releasedb bowl
took her into custody. It was then foetid thyatatt male,
the - first
imprisonment, iii a house of ill fame, that the intimacy
was renewed upon his discharge, and that:at the period of
the robbery of Mr. Russell's house they were in constant
communication.
The statement made by the female prisoner was, that
she had received the meerschaum bowl from a gentle-
man whom she had met at night, and that she had
pledged it, and when she got money redeemed it, and