The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-14 00:00:00

CLERKENWELL.

Thomas Johnson, an elderly man, a shoemaker,
residing at No. 24, Graham-street, Islington, was
placed at the bar before Mr. Tyrwhitt, charged with
the wilful murder of Sarah Johnson, his wife.
Edward Constable, 410 N, being sworn, said that
on Sunday morning last, about five o'clock, he was
on duty in Macclesfield-street, St. Luke's, when the
prisoner came up to him in a state of agitation, and
said his wife was dead. Witness asked him the cause
of her death, and he replied " I don't know. I was
up stairs, and heard a noise. I went down stairs and
found her lying on the floor. I spoke to her, but she
made no reply, and I ascertained that she was dead."
Witness accompanied the prisoner to the house. As
he was going along he said he knew nothing about it.
On entering the back parlour, which was used as a
workshop, witness found the deceased lying on the
floor. The place and furniture were all in confusion.
The deceased was surrounded by a pool of blood. On
examining her person, witness discovered that she was
quite cold and dead. He called in Sergeant Barber,
9 N, and another constable, when they procured the
attendance of Dr. Hutchinson. There was no bed or
fire in the room. The deceased was dressed, with
the exception of her shoes and one stocking. Dr.
Hutchinson examined deceased's head, and the pri-
soner said " I have not done it, I have not done it."
Witness took him to the station-house, where he was
locked up.
By Mr. TYRwRITT—Saw no person in the house.
Witness searched the prisoner at the station-house,
when he said, "I am not a thief—l am not a mur-
derer." Witness did not examine his clothes.

Prisoner—Did I rotexatnine and assist my wife ?
Witm,si—You did not.
Prisoner—l am sure I did not lay my hand upon
her to hurt her.

Mr. John Hutchinson, surgeon, of No. 8, River-
street North, Islington, sworn. Slid that on Sunday
morning last he was called upon by the last witness
to attend the deceased at No. 24, Graham-street,
Islington. The prisoner was with the constable.
Witness proceeded there immediately, and in the
back parlour he found the deceased, whom he had
previously attended for asthma, and had seen on
Saturday last. She was lying on the floor. Her
hair was disordered and matted with blood. She was
on the right side,*with her legs drawn up. The lower
extremities were quite cold, also her hands. Her face
was very much bruised, and her eyes blackened and
swollen. Her lips were cut. Her face and hands
were covered with blood. There was a deep wound
on herface. Her knees were also injured. The deceased,
was 63 years ofage. She was quite dead. Witness asked

the prisoner how it happened. He said he did not
know. The scalp of the head was very much injured
and swollen. A cloak in the apartment was saturated
with blood. He again asked the prisoner how it oc-
curred. He replied that she fell down in a fit, and
knocked herself about. He said, " I did not do it.
I did not murder her. I missed her out of bed. I
did not hear her breathe. I went down stairs, and
found her lying on the floor. I lifted her up, and
that caused the blood to be on my hands. I found
she was dead, and immediately went for a policeman.
She had had some dreadful falls. She was always
falling about. I could not do anything else." She
never complained to witness of being subject to fits,
or falling down, since he attended her. The priso-
ner's working tools were in the room. The bench
was ovetured. He went with the prisoner and the
policeman to the station-house, and on his return he
examined the body of the deceased more minutely.
There were three females and a man, lodgers in the
house there at the time.

Mr.Trawuurr—You have described the injuries on
the face, what, in your opinion, might have been
the cause of them ? Witne3s—My opinion is that
blows from the fist caused the wounds on her person,
and kicks from the boots, or in a scuffle between two
persons.

Mr. TYRWHITT asked the prisoner if he wiahed to
put any questions to the witness ? Prisoner—l did
not strike her with my fists, nor kick her. I was in
bed two minutes before I went to the surgeon's house.
Sergeant Edward Barber, 9 N, deposed that ho
went to the house, No. 24, Graham-street, Islington,
and found the deceased as already described. He said
to the prisoner, "Can you account for all this ?" He
said he could not ; he was in bed and heard the
things falling about. He dressed himself, and on
going down stairs he found her lying down. He
called her by her name. She did not answer, and on
lifting her up she was quite dead, when he went for
a policeman. Witness asked him how long it was
before he went for a policeman ? He replied, " Half
an hour." He went to bed the night before at eleven
o'clock. He then left the deceased in the parlour. He
undressed when he went to bed. She had been unwell
for some time past. He generally left the deceased in
the parlour when he went to bed, in order to see that
all was right. He had been married to her 41 years,
and "never had lifted his hand to hurt her." Wit-
ness told him that he must consider himself in cus-
tody on suspicion of causing the death of his wife.
He replied, " Very well." He cried, and said, " I
have a feeling for her. I did not kill her." Witness
saw blood in the parlour and on the stairs. The
bench and furniture, &c., were strewed all about the
room, as if there had been a desperate struggle. A
hat was bent and under a table. The prisoner had
no hat on his head when he was taken into custody.
Before he went to the station-house witness turned
the light of his lantern upon him, and his hands were
covered with blood, particularly his nails. There
was also blood on his temple and on the hearthstone;
it appeared to have been wiped up with a cloak which
lay close by the deceased and was saturated with
blood. There was blood also on the walls and mantle-
shelf; it was quite dry, but fresh. Tnere was a jug
upon the hob of the
.fire-grate containing beer; the
jug was splashed with blood. There was also blood
on the table. Mr. Hutchinson having said that
the wounds on the head and face, &c., might
have been caused by kicks from a boot, witness re-
turned to the station-house and examined the priso-
ner's boots (now produced), and he found marks of
blood upon them, quite dry. Witness asked the pri-
soner how the blood came on his boots? He said it
must have been caused by feeling after the deceased
in the dark. There were four other parties lodging
in the same house. He had ordered them all to at-
tend that day to give evidence, but they were not
present. They could give information as to the pri-
soner's ill-treatment of the deceased.

Mr. Hicks, overseer of Islington, recognised the
prisoner as being in the habit of ill-using the
deceased, and she prosecuted him in this court for
cruelly beating her, when he was sent to prison for
one month.

Mr. TTEWHITT said he should remand the prisoner
for the result of the coroner's inquest, and he in-
structed Inspector Thatcher and Sergeant Barker to
use every effort to produce the best possible evidence
on the day of the next examination, which they pro•
mised to do.

The pritoner was accordingly remanded.
LAMBETH.

Charles Wood, a well-dressed young fellow, who
described himself as an omnibus driver, badge 9,503,
and residing at No. 28, Bull and Gate-yard, High
Holborn, was placed at the bar before Mr. Elliott,
charged with committing a murderous assault on the
person of Mr. Thomas Carter Wiggs, a gentleman
residing at No. 2, Lorimore-terrace, Walworth,
with a life-preserver, and also with intent to commit
a highway robbery.
Mr. Games attended for the prisoner.
Police-constable James Kay, 57 P, deposed that
about half-past one o'clock on Sunday morning he
was on duty in Manor-terrace, and on approaching
within about 100 yards of Lorimore-terrace, he dis-
tinctly heard the sound of a blow, and instantly
heard loud cries of " Murder " and " Police." He
ran toward the place from whence the cries pro-
ceeded, and found there a gentleman bleeding pro •
fusely from the head. At the instant he saw, by the
shade of the lamp, a man running in the direction of
West-street, and, in consequence, went after him as
fast as he could, but had not proceeded for when he
met a brother officer coming towards him with the
prisoner in his custody. The prisoner was taken to
Mr. Wiggs, and the latter at once said he was the
person who struck him the blows on the head.
Mr. ELLIOTT—Did he state what he had struck
him with? Witness—Yes, Sir; he said a short stick
with a knob at the end, but in my opinion it was a life-
preserver. _ _ _

The witness was crom-examined by the prisoner's
solicitor, but he failed to elicit anything favourable to
his client ; the winess repeated that he distinctly heard
the blow which was given on the hat, and which, in
the stillness of that hour, could have been heard one
hundred yards off.
Samuel Coppin, 97 P, deposed that about the time
before mentioned he heard the cries of " Murder—
Police," and on going to the spot from whence the
cries proceeded he met the prisoner, who was blowing
at the time and appeared to have been running. He
asked him where he came fiom, and he said from Pen-
ton-place, and knowing this to be false he stopped
him, and told him he must take him to the place from
whence the cries proceeded. The prisoner then said,
"If there is a row between a man and his wife, I
have nothing to do with it." He, Coppin, however,
told him he must come with him, and at this time the
last witness (Kay) came up, and said that there was a
gentleman very nearly murdered. He then took the
prisoner to the house of Mr.Wiggs, and that gentleman,
on seeing him with his hat on, exclaimed, " That is,
the fellow who struck me; take care of him." Mr.
Wiggs also said that there was another man with the
prisoner. The witness then produced a life-pre-
server" of a new and novel shape. At one end was a
large lump of lead, while the body, which was of
India-rubber, was tapered off so as to resemble a
riding-whip, and when the latter, or tapered end,
was twisted round the wrist, the weapon, in the hand
of a person of ordinary strength, was sufficient to
knock down a bullock, and of the most formidable de-
scription.
James Prince, a lad residing in the neighbourhood,
deposed that about eight o'clock on Sunday morning
he found the instrument produced by the constable in
a small garden in front of the house of Mr. Frazer,
gentleman residing in Lennox-terrace, and gave it to
the officer. _ _ _

Coppin informed the magistrate that the place where
the lite-preserver was found was exactly 14 yards
from where he had stopped the prisoner, and the pri-
soner in crossing from the place where Mr. Wiggs
was struck to where he was apprehended must have
passed the garden of Mr. Frazer.
The prosecutor was so severely injured as to be un-
able to attend.

In reply to a question from the Magistrate, the
officer said that Mr. Wiggs had received three despe-
rate wounds on the head, but was now somewhat
better.

The prisoner was remanded, the Magistrate refusing
to take bail for him.

THAMES.

Charles George Watson,—
a cabman, residing at
39, Wheeler-street, Spitalfields, was finally examined,
charged with stealing eight copper ingots from one
of the vaults in the St. Katharine's Docks.
It will be remembered that on the 31st ult. the pri-
soner, who is a cabman, was seen loitering in the
neighbourhood of the D warehouse of the docks from
ten till half-past twelve o'clock, when the men went
to their luncheon. He was observed treading down
something in his cart, and on examination it was
found that eight ingots of copper, corresponding with
a cargo of the same metal brought by a vessel called
the Bullfinch, and lying in a neighbouring vault,
were hidden under the straw. On searching the vault
it was found that sixty-six ingots were missing ;
and it was shown that the prisoner had, within
the previous two months, been seen in the same
vicinity several times with the same light cart, which
belongs to Mr. Benjamin Bacon, 1, Anchor-street,
York •street, Stepney, who, besides being a silk ma-
nufacturer, lets out carts for hire. The case was re-
manded at the instance of Mr. Humphreys, in the
expectation that some accomplice might be discovered,
as it was deemed impossible that such a system of
plunder could have been carried on without the con-
nivance of some of the Dock Company's servants. No
such discovery, however, was made ; but,
This day, Mr. Bacon, the owner of the cart, proved
that the prisoner had hired his cart three or four
times within the last two months, and on one occasion
was accompanied by a man who was since convicted
of a robbery on a railway, committed under some-
what similar circumstances.

Mr. YARDLEY said that evidence was important,

and the depositions being taken at length, the pri-
soner was fully committed for trial.
Amongst the applicants for relief yesterday was
the granddaughter of a woman named Catherine
Rugg, who was born 25th November, 1745, and has
at present attained the extraordinary age of 105 years
and upwards.

Tat-lent, the warrant officer, who introduced the ap-
plicant, said he knew the old woman, who lived at
No. 6, Prosperous-place, Salmon•street, Salmon-lane,
Limehouse. It appeared that of her issue now living
there were one daughter, four granddaughters, three
grandsons, three great grandsons, and three great
granddaughters. Until within the last fortnight the
poor old woman had been able to walk about with
the support of a stick, and not longer ago than three
weeks could read her Bible without the aid of glasses.
She had formerly held a respectable position in life,
but had lately been reduced to great distress, and the
portion of the family now living together, nine in
number, were cooped up in a miserable two-roomed
house in the locality above given. The only daughter
she had now living had lust her husband about a
fortnight since, and was herself at present confined to
a sick-bed.

Mr. YARDLEY said it was a case well deserving at-
tention, and regretted that the funds at his disposal
would not allow him to give more than 10s., which
he immediately handed over to the applicant, who ap-
peared extremely grateful.