The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-28 00:00:00

SOUTHWARK.

Ellen Merritt, a repulsive-looking middle-aged female,
was placed at the dock before Mr. Cottirigham, charged
with wilfully murdering Thomas Winter, a man with
whom she formerly cohabited.
William Winter, a son of the deceased, said that on
Wednesday evening, the 24th ult., be went home with
his father to the lodgings of the prisoner in Loman-street,
Southwark. As soon as they got inside the room, wit-
ness asked the prisoner for his supper. She refused to
give him any, and because he grumbled at her conduct
she took up a pinion of a beer-engine and struck him
on the head. The deceased immediately interfered, and
remonstrated with her for striking him with such a wea-
pon, when they had some words together. Witness's
head bled so much that he fell down, and was a short
time after taken out of the room. A few minutes after-
wards he heard a loud smash in his father's room, and
fall. He instantly went up stairs, and when they gained
an entrance they found the candle was not lighted, and
perceived his father lying on the floor with his face and
head covered with blood. No other person was in the
room but his father and the prisoner ; and the latter
jumped out of bed and put the light out, as soon as he
left the room.

Thomas Pilkingten, the landlord of the house in which
the prisoner and deceased resided, said that he always
considered them married. They frequently had words,
but on the night in question the prisoner was more
violent than usual. While sitting in his room, he heard
last witness call out murder, which caused him to pro-
ceed up stairs, when he found the boy bleeding from a
wound on the head. He took the lad down to dress the
wound, and while doing so he heard a crash and a heavy
fall on the floor. He instantly ran up stairs, but the door
was locked, and the candle put out, which induced him
to call in the police.

Sergeant Parnell, No. 5 M, said that on the night in
question he was called into the house occupied by the
latter witness. He told him to go up stairs, as he was
afraid murder had been committed in the prisoner's
room. Witness went up stairs and knocked at the
door, but no person answered for several minutes.
At last a female came to the door, and ex-
claimed, "I can't find the key." He then burst open
the door, and with the assistance of a candle, which
last witness carried, he perceived deceased lyir.g °ti-
the floor in a pool of blood, near the bed. The prisoner
was in bed, and in answer to his questions,
she said,
" that the deceased had thrown the contents of a cham-
ber utensil over her, and she in her passion wrested it
from him and threw it away. The candle went out, and
she could not say where it went." Witness procured
assistance and took the deceased and his son to the hos-
pital, where their wounds were dressed, and so little was
thought of those inflicted on the head of deceased that
he refused to give any charge against the prisoner. A
tew days afterwards he heard that the deceased bad
been admitted into Guy's Hospital, where he expired.
An inquest was held upon the body, when tha prisoner
explained to the jury as witness had stated, in conse-
qnence of which a verdict of " Accidental Death" was
returned.

Mr. COTTINGHAM—After hearing such evidence as
I have heard to•day I am much surprised at such a
termination of the inquest. Were all the witnesses ex-
amined? Sergeant Parnell—Yes, your Worship; all
but the lad, who appeared to have been kept out of the
way.
Mr. James Stocker, house surgeon at Guy's Hospital,
said that on the night of the 24th ultimo, the deceased
was brought into the hospital, suffering from lacerated
wounds on the scalp. His head was dressed, and he was
put to bed, but nothing serious transpired until the
Friday, when erysipelas took place. He became deli-
rious, and although everything was done for him, he
expired on the Sunday following.
Mr. COTTINGHAM—Was erysipelas caused by the
wounds in the head? Witness—Yes it was. The
wounds were very bad, and his state of health was not
very good.
Mr. COTTINGHAM—What was the nature of the
wounds? Witness—There were several lacerated cuts.
There was no fracture of the skull, but the scalp was
much torn. Erysipelas was the cause of death, and had
there been no wounds there would have been no ery-
sipelas.
Mr. COTTINGHAM—Then the wounds inflicted on his
head were the cause of death. Was he aware that he
was near his death? Witness—The deceased was in
such a state that he was not able to understand anything
prior to his death. We never tell such persons when
they are at the approach of death.
Mr. COTTINOHAM—Did he make any communication
to any person respecting the affair while in the hospital?
Witness—lle did not to any of the assistants, but he
might to the nurses.
In answer to the charge, the prisoner said that the
deceased had been out of work twenty-three weeks, and
she sold a table to purchase tools for him, to enable him
to follow his occupation as a plumber. He obtained
some work at a public-house. When the boy came
home he was saucy, arid, in the heat of passion.
she took up something acd struck him. Deceased
then interfered, when they had some words, and,
alter she was in bed, he threw the contents of a utensil
over her. She became so exasperated at his conduct,
that she snatched the utensil from his grasp, and threw
it away, not knowing that it struck deceased.
Sergeant Parnell informed the magistrate that she WAS
perfectly dry when he took her out of bed. The wet
was near the deceased, and none over the bed.
Mr. COTTINGHAM told the prisoner that there could
be no doubt her violence had caused the death of the un-

fortunate man. The evidence of the surgeon, the police-
constable, and other witnesses, and her own statement,
cuntirm,d his opinion. He should, therefore, feel bound
to send her before another tribunal, when a jury would
have an opportunity of ascertaining whether she was
guilty or not. The magistrate then ordered her to be
committed to Newgate for trial, for the wilful murder of
Thomas Winter.
The depositions were then taken by Mr. Chapple, the
second clerk, and the witnesses bound over to prosecute•