The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-10 00:00:00

ASSIZE IA TELLIGENCE.

CHESTER CIRCUIT.—CHESTER, Aug. 9.
(Before Mr. Justice Crompton.)
Yesterday evening Peter Henry Barrett and
James Bradley were placed at the bar to take their
trial for the wilful murder of George Burgess.
Mr. Swetenham and Mr. Wood were instructed
on the part of the prosecution, and Mr. Morgan
Lloyd defended the prisoners.
The appearance of the prisoners when brought up
to plead filled everybody in court with astonish-
ment. They are only eight years of age, their heads
hardly appeared over the dock, and they seemed
quite incapable of giving a plea or knowing what
was going on. It was not until their counsel, Mr.
M. Lloyd, spoke to them that they could be made
'to understand that they were to plead Not Guilty.
The facts of this most extraordinary case, almost
unparalleled in the annals of crime, appeared to be
as follows :—The prisoners were lads, up to the time
of their apprehension living in Stockport, and ut-
terly neglected and uneducated, and accustomed to
brutal sports and habits. The parents of the de-
ceased child, who was only two years and nine
months of age, were working people living at
Bagaley-street, Stockport, and, as they were all
day occupied at a cotton-mill, they were in the
habit of sending the child out to nurse to one Sarah
Anne Warren. The last time the father saw his
child alive was about 10 minutes to two on
Thursday, April 11, playing with another boy on
some waste land near the Star Inn. The nurse
Warren a little later also saw the deceased play-
ing on the same spot with a little boy. There
were several other boys near. The nurse missed
the child half an hour afterwards, and ineffectually
searched and made inquiry for him. She never saw
him alive again. A little before three o'clock a
woman named Whitehead saw the two prisoners
and the deceased pass her in Love-lane, going in a
direction from the place where the father and nurse
had seen the child, towards Hempshaw-lane, near
where the body was found. That was about two-
thirds of a mile from where he was last seen play-
ing, and the place where Whitehead saw him with
the prisoners was about 300 yards from the place
where the body was afterwards discovered. White-
head asked the boys where they were going to, and
Barratt said, " We are going down Love-lane."
Barratt was pulling the deceased along by the hand.
The deceased was crying, and seemed unwilling to
go with him. Whitehead asked the prisoner if the
child was a boy or girl, and Barrett said it was a
little boy. They then went on in the direction where
the body was afterwards found. Tho prisoners were
next seen by one Emma Williams and Frank
Williams, in Ford's field, adjoining Love lane, at
about 10 minutes past 4 o'clock. At that time the
deceased was naked, and the prisoner Barratt was
dragging him into Ford's field by the hand. Frank
Williams then saw the prisoner Bradley get a stick
from the fence and hit the deceased over the leg.
They were about 100 yards off, and Emma Williams
called out to them, " What are you doing with that
child undressed ?" They made no reply, but went on
in the direction of the brook where the body was
discovered. On the following day a man named
John Buckley was working in the field adjoining
the brook, when he saw the body of a child lying in
the water, with its face downwards. The body was
naked, with clogs on the feet. He did not touch
the body, but gave information to Inspector Walker,
who went immediately and found the body lying
as above described, and its back discoloured and
bruised by blows, evidently administered while
the poor child was alive and struggling in the
hands of its brutal tormentors. The surgeon who
was examined said that, from the bruises being
ecchymosed, they must have been inflicted before
death. The nurse who dressed the child at seven
o'clock on Thursday morning proved that there
were no marks of any kind on the child's back at
that time, and also that the child was physically
incapable of undressing itself. It appeared, how-
ever, from the surgical evidence that the cause of
death was suffocation from drowning, although
there was a blow on the head which might have
arpt to e
go with
it about bou
himt the
to case,
t he
caused concussion of the brain
April 13, Morley, a police officer, went to the house
of Barratt's father,and stok to hi
and from what the prison& Barratt then said the
policeman asked Bra
house where the prisoner Bradley lived with his
parents. They went and found Bradley and his
father, and then, in the presence of the prisoner
Bradley's father, Morley asked Barratt whether he
went to school ; he said, " Yes, sometimes, on Sun-
day." Morley said, " Who did you play with on 1

Thursday afternoon ? " He said, " With Jemmy
Bradley." Morley said, " Where did you go ?
He said, "We went beside the Star Inn, down
Hempshaw-lane, and up Love-lane." Morley then
said to Bradley, "Did you see any one in Love-
lane." He said, "Yes, we saw a woman; " and he
also said, in answer to a question from Morley,
" We had a little boy with us as we met beside the
Star lan." Morley said, " Where did you go after-
wards ? " He said, "We went on down Love-lane
until we got to a hole with some water in it,_
and then Peter said that I' must undress it,
upon which Barratt said, " Thou undressed A as
well as me." Morley said, " Then, you both
undressed it ? " Bradley said, " Yes." Mor-
ley said, " What did you do then ? " Bradley
said, " Peter pushed it into the water and 1
took my clogs off and went in and took it
out again." Peter then said, "It must hal
another." Morley said, " Another what ?
Bradley said, "Another dip in the water." Bradley
said, "Well, then, get a stick out of the hedge and
Lit it." Barratt replied, " Well, thou hit it as well
as I." Morley then said, " Where did you hit it ?
Bradley said, "Over the back," and added, "Yes,
and over the head." Morley said, " Was it in the
water then ?" Bradley said, " Yes." Morley said,
" How long did you hit it with the stick ?" Brad-
ley said, " Until it was dead." Barratt said nothing
then, but upon Morley saying," Then it was quite
dead before you left it ?" he said, " Yes." Morley
then said, " What did you do with the stick?"
Bradley said, " We hauled it into the field."
The prisoners' shoes and clogs were subsequently
taken to the place where the body was found, and
the footmarks there were found exactly to corre-
spond.
The prisoners never mentioned a word about the
child to any one until questioned by the policeman,
and by their silence seemed to have known that
they had done soviething wrong.
Mr. Lloyd urged for the defence that the priso-
ners were mere bat)ies, and had no notion of the in-
jury they were CoMmitting, and called on the kill
to acquit them 'altogether, and not to let the brand
of felons fall 'upon such infants as they saw before
them.

The learned Judge summed up with his usual
care, and told the jury that they must first satisfy
themselves that the prisoners were capable of dis-
cerning between right and wrong. If they thought
they were capable of so doing, they were then to
consider whether they knew the effect of the act
they were committing; if they did not, then the
presumption of malice would be rebutted, and the
crime reduced to manslaughter.
The jury retired, and after an absence of half an
hour, returned a verdict of manslaughter, and ex-
pressed a hope that the learned judge would send
the children to a reformatory.
The learned Judge said he should be most happy
to accede to their recommendation, and sentenced
the prisoners to one month's imprisonment, and at
the expiration of that to be sent to a reformatory
for five years.
With this case, at about 10 o'clock last night,
the business of the assize concluded.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

LIVERPOOL—Ato. 9.

There was a very good attendance of millers and dealers
at this morning's market, and we had a middling business
doing in wheat; Tuesdays quotations being supported.
A few parcels were again taken for export. Flour of prime
qualities being scarce brought rather more money ; but
inferior sorts scarcely saleable at former prices. Beans
improved is and peas 6d on the week, and were in good de-
mand. Indian corn held for extreme rates, but the de-
mand was rather checked. Oats and oatmeal were slow of
sale, and no advance in price.

WAKEFIELD—Aua. 9.

-
The demand for wheat was again limited. A few choice
sbmples met a fair sale at prices generally in favour of the
buyer. Barley nominal. Beans, oats, and shelling were at
late rates.

LOUGHBOROUGH—AUG. 8.
At this market to-day there was a fair show of wheat
—all qualities selling at about recent prices, with a quiet
trade—white, 56s to 68s ; red, 508 to 60s per 36 stone.
Barley quite as high as in the week previous, malting
selling at 37s to 41s per qr., grinding 29s to 32s per 30 st.
Oats a steady sale, and late values obtained. Beans were
steady, at last week's rates.