The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-29 00:00:00

A WIFE MURDERED IN THE STREET
AND SUICIDE OF THE HUSBAND.

For some years the, town of West Bromwich has
not been in a state of such intense excitement as
existed at a late hour on Friday night last, on its
becoming known that a young collier named John
Corbett had cut his wife's throat in Reform-street,
and directly after inflicted two such deep gashes
on his own throat that it was thought he could not
live many hours. The circumstances under which
this double murder, as it may well be called, oc-
curred, stand thus. For a period of five years the
unhappy pair lived together in Walsall-street, and
there is no question that, although they had two
fine little boys, the issue of the marriage, yet jea-
lousy on both sides prevailed, and mutual accusa-
tions and suspicions led to frequent quarrels, and
sometimes to blows. Two weeks ago they sepa-
rated, Mrs. Corbett and the children going to the
house of her father, John Bird, of Reform-street,
and her husband taking:lodgings in Gad's-lane, near
the Shoulder of Mutton public-house. It would
seem, from circumstances, that the 'man himself
desired to make matters up ; at all events, the mur-
dered woman went to him at, his lodgings on Sun-
day last, and
.passed the night in his company.
'Since the period of his separation Mrs. Corbett
'Worked at "nailing" with her sister, Sarah Bird,
inn shop at the back of the Hen and Chickens beer-
house, kept by Mrs. Lydia Biddlestone. Corbett
himself was employed at - the Messrs. Dawes's new
pit near Bromford Works. There he was at his
labour as usual until- half-past six on the night of
the fatal occurrence.
We have no particular account of him further
until about eight o'clock ' the same evening, when
he was seen in Reform-street, proceeding in the
direction of the nailing shop where his wife worked.
If he had been drinking at all in the interval, we
are assured that at this hour, although in a state of
some excitement, he was quite sober. However,
some person heard him remark, " There will be
murder done this night." At twenty minutes past
eight, his wife, accompanied by her sister, left the
workshop. They had net proceeded many yards up
Reform-street, on their road to their father's, when
Corbett, who had hid himself behind a low wall
just opposite the Hen and Chickens, sprang out
into the road, and in an instant, putting his left
arm round his wife's neck, inflicted a fearful cut on
one side of her throat, with a large clasp knife
which he held in his right hand. The poor creature
screamed" Murder," but instantly seizing her again
in the same manner, Corbett made a fearful gash
with the knife on the other side of her throat, a
third in the direction of her bosom, and instantly
ran off. A woman named Weaver, coming up at
the moment, by her aid and that of her sister,
Corbett was led, or rather carried, bleeding pro-
fusely as far as Mr. Grainger's, the Globe Tavern.
This is within a few yards of her father's house, and
being taken there, the poor creature died from loss
of blood and exl;austion, at a quarter to nine, less
than half an hour after her throat was cut as
above described. Messrs. Keyte, Cotterill, and
Manley, surgeons, were sent for by Major
M'Knight, who was soon on the spot, and these
gentlemen promptly attended, but they arrived only
in time to hear from the poor sufferer the deep
long-drawn sigh, which closed her life. The sister
of deceased says that the tragic scene she witnessed
was enacted without the murderer speaking a word,
but Mrs. Weaver states that Corbett, asking his
wife, " Will you come and live with me ?" and
receiving the word " No," in answer, said, " Then
you shall live with no one else," and then did the
murder.
We have said that Corbett ran up Reform-street
with the bloody knife still in his hand, as seen by
his own sister, Mrs. Harris, whose garden looks into
this street. Arrived at the top of Bull-street, the
wretched man pointed the fatal weapon at his own
throat, and by a desperate cut separated his wind-
pipe, and fell, bleeding and senseless, to theground.
Major M'Knight, accompanied by Inspector Hol-
land and Police-constables Barnes and Moss, came
to the spot where Corbett lay with the knife still
in his hand; and whilst officers remained With the
,poer wretch, who was taken to Mr. Broom's beer-
house close by, the medical gentlemen referred to
also arrived. The wounds which the murderer had
inflicted upan himself were sewn up ; and although
Mr. Keyte and Mr. Cotterill certified that he might
be removed to his brother-in-law's (John Harris),
Walsall•street, which was done in the course of
Saturday morning, yet they consider his recovery
impossible.
Corbett was about 27 years of age, and his wife
three years younger, and the scene of wretchedness
presented at the houses of the parents of the wife,
and at that of the husband's sister was most dis-
tressing, enhanced as it was by the presence of the
two little boys referred to, one three and the other
six years of age, now without a mother.
There is a collateral circumstance in immediate
connection with this tragedy which we publish, as
the name of the party implicated was voluntarily
and freely communicated to us. Corbett, as previ-
ously stated, worked in a pit at Broniford, and the
doggy of the pit is said by Corbett himself, when
he left his work, to have repeatedly, during the day
of the murder, jeered him before the men in the
pit with reference to his wife's leaving him. He
was unmanly and base enough to avow that he had
been improperly intimate with her during the week,
and made other statements which were well calcu-
lated to cause the deepest feelings of anger and
revenge in a husband against a woman who could
thus act.—Birmingham Daily Post.

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.

NORWICH, SATURDAY.
An inquest was held last evening by Mr. Wilde,
coroner for this city, on the body of a young woman,
named Harriet Hostler, who had committed suicide
under very melancholy and extraordinary circum-
stances.

It appeared from the evidence that a tender cor-
respondence had passed between the deceased and
a man named Nicholas Kavcn, her uncle ! A bundle
of letters was handed to this person, when he was
under examination, and the coroner read the con-
cluding words of one of them, as follows :—" So no
more at present from your affectionate lover, Nicho-
las Raven." The witness said he had got them
written for him, and did not know what was in
them. •

ytheT
oh
lastue a Craeot rfinorinsgethri
tn
:r. e
ma dym
tyo
ht hdo
uee rag
rheptsast s
girl,
igtr
,se aymso
oufollows
an:
n—odt
keep me long waiting; I think you are very long.
You shall not be long before you hear from
me again, and if you will favour me with
one of your letters you will oblige your affec-
tionate lover," &e. " I hope you will meet
me at the station at six o'clock on Monday night.
shall be sure to come then. The greatest Pleasure
I have now is to hope to see your sweet face, my
dearest. So no more at present from your affec-
tionate lover, Nicholas Kaven."
The witness declared that he did not write the
letters produced himself, and that he had not pro-
mised marriage to the girl, although he admitted
that he had told her she could come and stop with
him a week or two if she thought proper.
The medical evidence showed that the death of
the deceased had resulted from an overdose of
laudanum.

The coroner remarked that if Maven had really
promised to marry his niece, and then had refused
to do so, she would naturally have fallen into great
mental distress.

The jury returned the following verdict :—" That
the deceased's death was caused by an overdose of
laudanum, which was taken in an unsound state of
mind, produced by the villanous conduct of her
uncle, Nicholas Kaven."

NEW AUSTRALIAN BISHOPRICS.--Her Majesty's
Government have given their consent to the erection of
two new bishoprics, namely, the bishopric of Brisbane
(Moreton Bay) and the bishopric of Goulburn (New South
Wales). Towards each of these new sees the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts has con-
tributed £l,OOO.
HUELVA COPPER MINING COMPANY (LIMITED).
The first ordinary general meeting of the shareholders of this
company was held at the company's offices, 17, Gracechurch
street, city, on Saturday. The chairman, Dr. Lawrence,
stated that the property, for the purchase of which the com-
pany had been formed, had been duly transferred to it, and
the company's position recoznised by the Spanish Govern-
ment. An experienced Cornish mining captain and a Cor-
nish miner were now upon the spot, and the works would
be proceeded with without delay. Mr. John Slade Butler
was chosen the shareholders' auditor. After a vote of thanks
to the chairman and directors the meeting adjourned.

V a
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