The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-16 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT—LIVERPOOL, Dec. 15,
(Before Mr. Justice Hill.)

WIFE MURDER AT MANCHESTER.-SENTENCE OF
DEATH.

Henry Reed, aged 40, who had the appearance
of a cotton-spinner, was charged with having wil-
fully murdered his wife, Susannah Reed.
Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Hopwood were counsel for
the prosecution; Mr. Cobbett appeared on behalf
of the prisoner.
Mr. Wheeler opened the case.
Matilda Dickinson was then called. She said the
deceased was her sister and the wife of the prisoner.
For some years they had been living separate. In
September last deceased took a house in Copper-
court for herself and her husband, to live together
again. The only furniture was a chair and a chest
in the lower room ; in 111 e upper room there was a
bcd on the floor, a shake-down, which witness had
given them. On the morning in question witness
went to take her sister some bread and butter
Witness knocked and kicked at the door, but hear-
ing no response, she looked through the window,
and saw her sister lying at the bottom of the stairs ;
she then forced open the door, and found her sister
dead. There was no person in the room, and she
cried out, "Oh, Henry, what have you done to this
woman ?" The prisoner shouted from up stairs,
" She's done it herself. She's hung herself from
the bannister-stairs." She then screamed, and the
neighbours came in. The prisoner came partly
down stairs, and put his head round the partition
to see who was in the room. Witness went for a
policeman, and on coming up the court she cried
out, " Oh, you villain, you've done it." There was
blood where the head of the deceased was

_
Cross-examined by Mr. Cobbett—Was a married
woman. Had not seen her sister for three or four
months before the day in question. She lay like a
person who had fallen down stairs. Do not recol-
lect whether the prisoner, when he looked over the
stairs, was undressed or not.
Margaret Oakes, a married woman, a neighbour,
said about half-past 2 on the morning in question,
she heard a noise in the prisoner's house like a bang
of a door. She then heard a moan ; raising herself
in bed, she heard three distinct moans. She looked
towards the prisoner's house, but there was no light
to be seen. A few minutes after she heard the
moans she heard some one come out of the prison-
er's house and go towards the water-closet at the
end of the court, and she then heard the water-
closet door bang. She heard the same footsteps re-
turning to the same house, and then heard the door
locked. She heard nothing more. She next morn-
ing saw Mrs. Dickinson come to the door. She
went across, when the door was forced, and heard
her say, " Oh, my God, what have you done ? you
have murdered my sister." She heard no answer.
The prisoner came part way down the stairs, and
bent round the partition, and put his head out to
see who were in the house. Witness said, " It's a
shocking bad job." Prisoner said she had done it
herself. Witness said, "if you knew she had done
it hersolf, why did you not make some alarm ?" He
made no reply. She saw the deceased lying on the
stairs. She saw a deal of Iblood on the floor, and
the deceased was bleeding from a wound on the
forehead. Her hands were held forward and breast
high. Witness suggested that a police-constable
should be sent for. The prisoner, who had now
come down stairs, got hold of the deceased by the
shoulders (when Mr. Dickinson was going for a
police-constable) to lift her up, but witness said,
" Let her be, man, till a policeman comes ; the
woman's dead enough." He then went and sat down
on an old tea-chest in the room. In coming down-
stairs he stepped past the body; he did not move
it. There was no poker or tongs. She saw a rope
round the deceased's neck.

Mr. John Elliott, house surgeon at the Manches-
ter Infirthary, said it was not possible for the de-