The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-10 00:00:00

THE ATTEMPTED MURDER AT BLICKHURST-HILL.

Frederick Ale:_ander Watkins was indicted for
maliciously attempting to kill and murder a young
,om an named Matilda Griggs on the 23rd April
last.

pleaded
appeared 11 o tf guilty.or h e
prosecution, and,
The psrtirsaoingehrt
having stated the case to the jury, said that although
he was unable to place before them the young woman
who had been so seriously injured, he thought that
the confession the prisoner himself made to the
police would be sufficient to enable them to arrive
at a just verdict. The prisoner had been paying
his attentions to the young woman, Matilda Griggs,
and on the night of the 23d of April she left her
mother's home quite well, and was not seen again
until she was brought home covered with blood.
Mrs. Sarah Griggs, mother
the young woman,
having repeated her evidence, which has been
already published, was
Cross-examined by Mr. Ribton. She said she
had known the prisoner three years, and he had been
for a couple of years on intimate terms with her
daughter, and was to have been married to her. He
treated her very affectionately. They used fre-
quently to walk out together. The prisoner lived
in London, and he used to return to London
frequently the same evening when he arrived in the
afternoon. He had shown her a dagger about six
months agd, which he said he carried toprotect him-
self from garrotters. She bad not seen her daughter
since she had gone away with Mrs. Walker, the
mother of the prisoner, in the last day of May.
Baron Bramwell—Have you inquired after her?
Witness—Yes.
Mr. Ribton—And the police have made inquiry
after her, also without success?
Witness—Yes.

Mr. Ribton—Don't you know that your daughter
has, since her recovery, expressed a wish to marry
the defendant ? I don't know whether the answer
would be worth as evidence, my lord ?
Baron Bramwell—No, it would not.
The question was not entertained, and the wit-
ness left the box.
Inspector Pattison, inspector of the Epping
police, said the prisoner came to him on the morn-
ing of the 24th of April, and told him he had
stabbed a young woman named Matilda Griggs,
and the reason he had done it was because he loved
her so, and some oue else had seen her. He de-
tained him in custody.
Sergeant Fry said he took the prisoner to Lough-
ton, and on his way there he told him he walked
to London after he had stabbed the young woman.
wtohnelaup,risoner said
and found
He also said he had taken poison. Ile was directed
tostabtbhced
he
to
hadgoptlhaec
()awhereng
the dagger produced with the sheath on it,
just as ilthen appeared. The metal covering of the
point oWe blade, which protruded about an inch
beyond the sheath, was missing. lle afterwards
received that covering from the surgeon. Ho found
a piece of lead weighing about a pound and a piece
of string. The prisoner said be struck the young
woman twice with the lead, but it then came off
the string. Prisoner also told him that he heard
the girl hallooing, and he was about to go back,
but as he thought she would not halloo long he did
not return. The prisoner asked him (witness)
whether he had ever felt jealous ?
Mr. Home, surgeon, of Buckhurst-hill, described
the nature of the wounds inflicted on the body of
Matilda Griggs. The dagger and the piece of lead
would produce the 15 wounds the young woman
had sustained.

The case was not concluded when we went to press.
Mr. Ribton made an eloquent speech on behalf
of the prisoner. •
The jury returned a verdict of guilty of unlaw-
fully wounding, with intent, &C.
Previous to passing sentence a letter was handed
to the judge, which the prisoner had received from
Miss Griggs.
It stated •the writer's anxiety as to the result of
the trial, that she consideied her absence would
be best for both parties, that she loved him
the same as ever, that she hoped he would
got free, and that they should be happy united,
never to part again, and that the past should be
buried in oblivion."
The learned judge said that he did not
know but that ho ought to inflict upon him
the extreme penalty of the law, but after a con-
sultation with the learned Recorder he had come
to the determination of sentencing him to 20 years'
penal servitude.
The prisoner seemed perfectly unmoved by the
result of the trial.

NEW COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)
THE LASH.

Jul cannot separate without draw-
The grand jury this morning made the following
presentment.
attention of the court to the very
nutnCTOus cases which have been brought before
which are committed upon persons
in gTtilheegsrearnidous
thoroughfares of the City of Landon
them of the violent assaults sometimes connected
These violent assaults appear to
iwnitthheropbubbelriey,
increge, and indicate a growing
of the criminal dis-
position on the part portion of the
their nature.
would respectfully suggest
year by year more savage
population
one
pdeuiilltasttishouenb suburbs. s
b.
e, c 0
rn
e.
jury
Yon of the lash as the fittest
anid,hoeu trgargsenodus
means that could be adopted for de-
terringpaunliisbhemrael
natPPfolircathese atrocious offences, and the
n os probable
others
from committing them. If the law
does not already provide for the application of this
punishment, the grand jury would ask that their
suggestion be forwarded to the proper quarter, or, 1
at any rate, be placed on record as the expression
of their opinion, based on the evidence produced
before them. The offences were of the most cowardly
character, and there is nothing from which the
ruffian andi coward shrinks so much as from physical
suffering, of which, though wholly insensible to it
when inflicted upon others, he is keenly sensitive in
his own person.