The Sun.
London, England, 1832-03-28 00:00:00

HEREFORD ASSIZES, MARCH '24.

The commission opened ttt e ia.e on Tuesday evening.
The Grand Jury were sworn on Wednesday at one o'clock.
The calendar contained the names of 50 prisoners. There
was not a single case of interest, except one for murder,
and which was tried this morning. Mr. Justice TAUN-
TON presided in the Crown Court ; Mr. Justice LITTLE
DALE on the Civil Side. There were only 14 causes, Bef
which w. re undefended ; the others were of no interest.
The mysterious circumstances under which the murder
was committed excited the greatest interest. It was
rather a singular coincidence that the murderers should
be tried and convicted on the anniversary of the murder.
At eight o'clock Mr. Justice TattexoN took his seat on
the bench. The Court was greatly crowded.
Joseph Pugh, aged 27. ;Valiant IVitliants, aged 24,
and Juhn Mathews, aged 25, were put to the bar, and
arraigned t; ,r the murder of Walter Carwardine, on the
24th of March las, (1831). in the city of Hereford.
William Carwardine—l live near Hereford. I was in
Hereford on the 24th of March, 1831. I saw my bro-
ther, the deceased, at the Horse and Gr tom public-house.
It was about half-past seven o'clock when I last saw him.
lie ,appeared to have taken rather too much liquor. Ott
the 12th of April I maw his body on the banks of the Wye.
George Corner.—l am a shoemaker. I remember go-
ing home to my father's house about half-pest twelve
o'clock o❑ the Thursday night of the Lent Asetz-s. Nut
tar from Pugh's house I saw Matthews and Williams and
a lusty man standing together. The clothes I saw at the
inquest were like those worn by the lusty man.
Mary Batchelor.—Recollects the Thursday night of the
Lent Assizes. Siw a man at the dour of Pugh's house.
Heard him cry out that he was rubbed. 1 beard blows
struck. I then heard the man exclaim, " Have mercy on
me; you have rubbed me, but don't murder me." The
clothes which I say at the inquest were the same I saw on
the man who knocked at Pugh's door, and who said be
had been robbed. •

Mary Anne Williams.—! am an unfortunate girl. I re-
member last Lent Assizes. The prisoner Pugh then lived in
Quaker's lane. I was in his house on the Thursday of the
Assize week. I went there about eleven o'clock at night.
I there saw Mr. Carwardine, Sarah Coley, Mr. Webb,
and Susan Reignar. I know it was Mr. Caawardine. I
heard him called so. He was a stout man. He was
sitting in an arm.chair. They were drinking gin. Mr.
Webb, the butcher, and I went away together ; the rest
remained. I was examined at the last Assizes. I have
been ill since; in consequence of which I went to Mr.
Howell's, the sword-bearer of this town. To him I made
a statement. The following is the statement which she
gave in her direct examination:—
" City of Hereford, to wit.—The voluntary statement of Mary
Anne Williams, made this '23cl of August, 1831, before me, one
of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace in and for the said city,
who on her oath saith, that in consequenoe of her miserable and
unhappy situation, and believing that she has not long to live,
she makes this \ oluntary statement to ease her conscience, and in
hopes of forgiveness hereafter ; that on Thursday night in the
Assize week, in March last, between the hours of eleven and
twelve o'clock, I went into Joseph Pugh's house, in Quaker's-
lane' and there saw Susan Connop, Sarah Coley, Susan Reignant,
Mr. Webb, the butcher, and Walter Carwarame. After drinking
with them, I left the house with Mr. Webb, I walked as far as
the King's-head Inn, in Broad-street. I returned by the way
of Eign-street, to the end of Quaker's-lane, by Eign-gate turn-
pike. I went along the street as far as the gate of Mr. Thomas,
the coachmaker's meadow. I there saw Joseph Pugh, William
W.lliams, a man of the name of Matthews, and Sarah Coley. I
heard Mr. Carwardine's voice very plain : he said, " For God's
sake don't murder me." I heard Coley say, " I have got his blunt,
and if you will steep secret I'll treat." Williams said, "We
will soon put him out of the way." I then heard a dreadful
blow, and Mr- Carwardine fell on the ground on his back. I
distinctly heard two long deep groans, as if he was dying. I did
not hear him speak after. At that moment Williams saw me ;
he ran to me, and forced me into the turnpike road to the Red
Lion Inn, turned up't'own-ditch-lane, into the Cross-lane, but
no one was there. I went into Quaker's-lane, by the end of the
barn, and listened. I heard Pugh, Williams, Matthews, and
Coley, about Mr. Thomas's house, the carpenter, three parts
down the lane towards the tan-yard. I distinctly heard Pugh
curse his eyes and limbs, and say, Go on.' Coley said, Don't
talk so loud ; don't be in a hurry.' I was very much frightened,
and I got into the house and went to bed.
(Signed) " MARY ANN WILLIAMS.
" Sworn in the presence of the prisoners, and before the
Mayor, John Farmer, Esq.
Cross-examined—l am 20 years of age. I live id Here-
ford. I was born in it. It is four or five years since I
became an unfortunate girl. I was a witness on the trial
of Connop. The reason I did not then tell what I now
state, is because I was afraid, and lam still so. The
reason I made the disclosure was, because I was very ill.
I had beer. beaten by the prisoner Pugh and Williams's
brother. It was not until after I had been beaten I made
the statement to Mr. Howells. It was neither from a
love of justice or revenge I iiid so. It was because I
thought I was dying, and unfit to die, such was my mise-
rable situation.

Susan Connop corroborated Anne Williams's testimony.
Elizabeth Powell— I recollect the last Lent Assizes. I
saw a farmer-looking man striving to get into Pugh's
house. He wore top-hoots. I heard Pugh say, "
your eyes, if you don't be Off send you." There was a
light in Pugh's house. I heard his back door open. 1
sew Pugh come round to the man. I also saw John
Matthews and William Williams come round the corner
or the barn in the lane; it was about five minutes after
Pugh joined the man. I then saw Pugh push him and
bit against the corner of the barn ; the other prisoners
did the same. After this I approached half-way towards
the prisoners. I stopped and listened. I heard the
farmer-looking man say. " You have robbed me, for gra-
cious sake don't murder me." I then saw the farmer-looking
man hit down. It was the prisoner Williams who hit him.
lie fell upon his side. When he fell he fetched t‘s o heavy
groans After I heard the groans I heard no more noise.
The town constables proved meeting the prisoners Wil-

liams and Mathews several times on the night of the mur-
der together.
A boatman proved finding the body of the deceased in
the river Wye, two miles from Hereford.
The evidence of the medical witnesses who had exa-
mined the body, stated it as their opinion that they could not
say positively whether the wounds on the head were such
as would have caused death, but were of opinion that
the deceased had been thrown into the water atter he had
been dead, or in a sense of great insensibility.
Mr. Justice TAUNTON summed up, and the Jury, after
fifteen minutes' consultation, found the prisoners Guilty.
The Learned Juno pronounced the awful sentence of
the law, and ordered them to be hanged on Monday, and
their bodies to be given for d,ssection. The prisoners
heard their sentence with firmness, which appeared to be
the result of surprise.
The prisoner Pugh is an ill-looking fellow, and of very
bad character. On being placed at the bar, be behaved
with the most disgusting levity, laughed while surveying
the Jury, and such was his conduct, that his own Counsel
had to rebuke him for it. However, as the trial was draw-
ing to a close, his impudence and confidence were suc-
ceeded by terror and dismay, and his countenance exhi-
bited the most intense mental agony. The prisoner Wil-
liams is a fine-looking young man, but of desperate cha-
racter. lie has had one brother hanged, another brother
and sister transported, and a third brother at present in
gaol for deserting from the Guards. His demeanour dur-
ing the trial was firm, until Mary Anne Williams was
called. His countenance then exhibited the greatest alarm.
The blood rushed and receded to and from his cheeks ; his
lips trembled the heaving of his cheat and his short re-