The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-29 00:00:00

The coroner'e inquest. on vieW;af the body of Wilfred
Deakin, aged 3 years, the patticUlsr,s of whose death at
the hands of his uncle, Jas. Hill, penknife grinder,
have already appeared in ,he Sun, was held at the
Town-hall, Sheffield, on Saturday aittreoon. The pri-
soner, when before the naagistretee, had expressed a wish
not• to be taken before the coroner's jury. As the coro-
ner, however, insisted upon his being present, he was,
after some demur, produced.. -He appeered very pale,
was without, coat, ,andhad on hie dirty shift and other
clothes, as when be left his •workruom on Thursday
night and surrendered hirnselt to the police. He listent,d
to the evidence giien by the witncssee with. rnerked at-
tention, and several times, whew reference wasothade to
various adMissions that be hal cat off his nephew's
head, he averted his face. When trought into the room,
the coroner informed him that lie might ask any ques-
tioas be thought proper of the witneeeen He declined,
however, adding, "I have nothing to say." A great
number of witnesses we're e.penined. Their evidence
showed that the prisoner left his work on Thursday,
about half-past 5 o'clock, welit.dirent to tbit hour,. of his
brother-in-la.e, and invited ilia i:epliew to go out with
him for a watt, He took t'ae-ohildt-) a brickyard within
about 100 yards from the house of the child's, parent,,
and there with a razor almost severed its head' from its
body. He then returned to his workroom: What then
passed was detailed by one of 'the witnesses in a stabs
ment not differing in ths least frau, what we ha?e
already published.—Thomas Copley, another- grinder,
who accompanied the neisoner to the Town Hall to ear-
render himself, said: This prisoner told me that when he
cut the child's throat, he put hie hand over its mouth to
prevent it screaming.--Mr. 'Rainer, chief-onstakle,
said : On Thursday 'senior:, T vrAnt inte the receivinc
office at the Town Hail. asked, "Wham is all this
about, my man?'" He afterards • tn'Al me he had left
the child beside a wall, close to the' heickyard.in Morn.,
street. On Friday afternoon was. informed by an efficiT
that he (the prisoner) wanted tee. Fee riSle. 1 saw him, and
a,sked what he wanted. He said to see his riiece'tninia
Londe and her husband. He thei). -said it was a very
odd thin; he Lad taken the child .4) the same place the
night hol,re, and when he got there his heart suisgave
him, and he took it back again. He added, ' I age.'.a
took if there last night, and did the job." I asked,
" Whatever could have been your motive !" He replied,
" .cannot tell. My brothevin-law and eister hats
always been very kind to me." He ale) says, " I don't
know what my poor father and mother must do, for
was their only support. My mother is 65, and. iny
father 75 years of age, and I hope they will be taken
to-) the workhouse and dealt kindly with." Mr. James
Farewell Wright, surgeon, &aid : leave examined the
huely of the deceased. I found an incired wound in .the
fore part of the throat and neck, 4 to 5. inches in length
and about 2 inches deep, dividing the larynx and large
vessels ; also the carotid and Soeular veins, and nearly
separating the vertelmc of the neck. The wound would
cause instantaneous death. The head is only kept on by
the integuments of they Lute part of it.—The molar'
then explained to the prisoner the. nature of the evidence
against him, and told him that he :Ted not say anytising'
unless he chose. The prisoner replied, "I have nothing
to say." The coroner having. brieflysurieniedup, the
jury deliberated a few minutes, and then • returned a
unanimous verdict of "Wilful murder" agiinst the pri-
soner James Hill, and heewag committed for trial at the
ensuing assizes. 'lt is understood that on his trial eel.
deuce will. be given of Lis havipg on seretal occasions
manifested symptosas of insanity.