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

THE ATTEMPTED MURDER AT BUCKIIURST-HILL.

Frederick Ale/ander Watkins was indicted for
maliciously attempting to kill and murder a young
woman named Matilda Griggs, on the 23rd April
last.

The prisoner pleaded not guilty.

Mr. Straight appeared for the prosecution, and,
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 house quite well, and was not seen again
until she was brought home covered with blood.
MrS. Sarah Griggs, mother of 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. lle
treated her very affectionately. z 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. Ile had shown. her,a, dagger' about six
months ago, which he said he carried to protect 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 tl:e box. _ .

Inspector Pattison, inspector of the Epping
polies-)' 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 be loved
her so, and some one 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.
He also said he had taken poison. He was directed
to go to the place where the prisoner said
he had stabbed the young woman, and found
the dagger produced with the sheath on it,
just as it then appeared. The metal covering of the
point of the blade, which protruded about an inch
beyond the sheath, was missing. He afterwards
received that covering from the surgeon. He found
a piece of lead weighing about a pound and a .piece
of string. The prisoner said he 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 be was about to go back,
but as he thought shei would not halloo long he did
not return. The prisoner asked him (witness)
whether he had ever felt jealous ?
Mr. Home, surgeon, of Buekhurst-hill, described
the nature of the wounds inflicted on the body of
Matilda Griggs. The dagger and the piece of lead
would produce the 1.5 wounds the young woman
had sustained.

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 anxiqty p to, the result of
the trial, that she considered her absence would
be best for both parties, that she loved him
the same as ever, that she. Loped he would
gut 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
Recorderto
he had come
inflict upon him
but after a con-
sultationkt
eo we tbrue
with
thattpenaltyhthhe e i
aoorfungethdhte
law,
to the determination of sentencing him to 20 years'
penal servitude.
The prisoner seemed perfectly
result of the trial. unmoved by the

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

The grand jury this morning made the following
presentment.
Th
cannot separate without draw-
ingu tieje'g nd
serious jY
attention: of the court to the very
ra
numerous cases which have been brought before
them of the violent assaults sometimes connected
with robbery, which are committed upon persons
in the public thoroughfares of the City of London
and its suburbs. These violent assaults appear to
be on the increase, and indicate a growing dis-
position on the part of the criminal portion of the
population to become year by year more savage
and outrageous in their nature.
The grand jury would respectfully suggest
a liberal application of the lash as the fittest
punishment for these atrocious offences, and the
most probable means that could be adopted for de-
terring 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,
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 nothing from which the
ruffian and 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.