The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-17 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—YORK, Dec. 15.
(Before Mr. Justice Wightman.)
Charles Normington, aged 18, was indicted for
the wilful murder of Richard Broughton, at the
borough of Leeds, on the 6th of August last.
Mr. Blanshard, Mr. Middleton, and Mr. Austin
appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr. Campbell
Foster and Mr. Bruce defended the prisoner.
Mr. Blanshard, in opening the case for the
Crown, stated that on Saturday, the 6th of August,
Mr. Richard Broughton, who lived near Roundhay,
left his home about 20 minutes before five o'clock
in the afternoon to go to Leeds. He went along a
footpath through several fields. He wore a watch
with a key attached by a riband. He returned home
about 6 o'clock very badly wounded, and with his
clothes dirty. He was washed and tended by his
wife, and Mr. Hey, the surgeon, was called in and
attended him professionally. The 'text day Mr.
Broughton dfed. A post rnortem examination was
made by Mr. Hey, and injuries were found which
had, no doubt, caused his death. It appeared that-
he had been attacked ou the road, on a footpath
leading from Roundhay to Leeds, at a place which
he subsequently pointed out. He was knocked down,
stunned, and robbed of his watch and riband, and
received the very severe injuries 6f which he died.
His blood was sprinkled on the hedge, and was
found on the road in a pool. Portions of his hair were
afrerwa-rds found lying about, and a few yards off
a bludgeon was picked up, bloody, and with hair
adhering to it. On recovering the poor man walked
for some distance on his way to Leeds, but, finding
how seriously he was hurt, he returned home to,.
die. The prisoner was in Marsh-lane, at Leeds, at
about eight o'clock on the morning of the 6th. He
was then in company with another person. He left
a shirt at Mrs. Whiteley's, and his companion left
a bundle. The other man has not been identified,
but he came back for his bundle the same morning.
Normanton returned for his shirt about six o'clock
in the evening. He washed, put on his clean shirt
over his dirty one, and went away. In the mean-
time he had been seen near the spot where the
murder took place by several witnesses. But the
identification principally relied on was of another
character. When Mr. Broughton returned home
his watch was gone. After the prisoner returned
to Leeds he went to a person named Topham, a
pawnbroker, and offered him a watch with a key
attached by a riband, corresponding in description
to Mr. Broughton's. He did not, however, sell it
there: Shortly afterwards some one who could
not be sworn to pawned Mr. Broughton's watch at
another pawnbroker's, close by. That night the
prisoner was shown to be possessed of a pawn
ticket for a watch. Subsequently he found
his way to Whitworth, near Castleford. At this
place marks of blood were found upon him, And
shortly after that time he sold a pawuticket for
Broughton's watch to Smalos, a collier, from whom
it was traced back, which led to the apprehension
of the prisoner.
Mr. Sharper, of Leeds, proved the accuracy of the
various plans produced to assist the Court and jury
to understand the frequent references to the locus
in quo.
Mr. English, chief constable of Leeds, produced a
steut sick, a pawn ticket, and a watch and key, &c.
Mr. C. Foster requested this witness to produce
the various bills that had been at times published
offering rewards for the apprehension of the pri-
soner, and they were produced accordingly.
Mrs. Mary Broughton, widow of deceased, exa-
mined—My husband left our house at Roundhay for
Leeds, which is three miles off, at 20 minutes to 5.
He had his watch. He wore it in his trousers watch-
pocket, with a black riband and key visible out-
side,This
iands in fastenednrao,us nwdaht
ei shn. e c bHe y a
came another
kr i li)na nadn.
I hour. Ho was covered with blood from his head,
, and his clothes were dirty, as if he had been on the
ground. His watch was gone, but he had his money.
t The long riband round his neck had been broken,
and part of it was left, Mr. Hey came an hour and
a half afterwards, and my husband died between 1
and 2 o'clock the next day, Sunday.
, Cross-examined by Mr. Fostia:—My husband wee

a healthy, active, strong man for his'age. _ ._..
Mr. Iley,.sar,geOn, of Ro unr.l;
..1:17, near Leeds, exa-
mined—lfound deceased pelt- insensible, inca-
pable of giving rational. nnswr 1.,. He hid four or
five wounds on .the head, ;led' .11:;(.1' IoA li-ich blood.
I saw him again next morning,. and on Monday
night I made a post mortem examination. The skull

was extensively fractured. Such a stick as the one
produced might have prodoced the injuries. They
could not have been caused by a fall. Any one of
them might have been so caused, but not all of them.
Death had been caused by those fractures.
Thomas Kitchen, a boy, 14 years of age, exa-
mined—l was on the footpath from Leeds to Round-
hay ol Saturday, between 5 and 6 o'clock. I passed
through the " ginnel." I saw two men. I went on
the path towards Roundhay. I saw an old man
further on, near a stile. He was getting up from
the ground. This was three fields from the ginnel,
in the ox pat4ure. He was covered with blood from
his head. He went towards Leeds. I and the boys
with me accompanied him. He turned back when
he got as far as Lupton's-park, and we turned back
with him. John Holder came up. On our way back
we noticed blooi on the ground and on the hedge
where the old man had got up. We afterwards met
Wm. Barber. He spoke to the old man who was

with us.
Cross-examined—lt was a fine warm afternoon-5
o'clock in August. There is a cricket field near
there. It is much frequented, particularly at that
time in the afternoon. We were going to bathe.
Alfred Bell, examined—l joined the last witness
in Lupton's-park. I saw an old man in the middle
of the field, standing still and bleeding. I went with
him towards Itoundhay. I saw a man in a blue smock
leaning over some rails about 50 yards off. I shouted
to hid.). He turned round and ran away towards
Mr. Smith's farm.

Cross-examined—lt was a blue striped smock.
The man could see Mr. Broughton, and when I
called to him to come to me he ran away. He was a
stoutish built titan, with whiskers; he appeared to
be a young mail. He had dark trousers.
11.2-examined—He was at a junction of paths, at
a frequented place.
John Holder; milkman, examined—l met Barber
at Lupton's-park at half-past five. I met the boys
and BroughtoL, and helped him over the style. He
showed me 2s.

William Edward Barber, farmer at Roundhay
examined—l Inew Broughton. About 20 minutes
past five I met Broughton, Holder, and the boys.
Thomas Du:ton, examined—l shall be 14 next
Hou;hton "feast." On one Saturday in August I
heard of a murder. I went that morning at six
o'clock to work at the colliery. I stayed till a
quarter to seven. Charles Normington and another
man came to the cabin at the colliery that day; they
came together ; I left them there. The other man
went away to where they had left their stuff, and
then came back. I noticed that the prisoner had a
stick. He said it would fell a chap on the way. I had
the stick in my hand two or three times. I should
ledosv it again. This is it (the stick produced by
English). He had it when he left the cabin.
Cross-examined—The other man had a stuff coat-
I knew the stick when I saw it at the Town-hall.
I was quite sure of it then. I was almost sure then.
I have now become quite sure of it. I don't know
what a hedgestake is. Normington's stick was like
a piece of -wocd in a hedge.
William Joseph Topham, son of a pawnbroker
at Leeds, and assistant in the shop, swore that Nor-
mington cime to his father's about 6 o'clock and
asked for 10s. on a German silver watch. There
was a black riband and a key attached to it. It
was such a watch as that.
Charles Richard Ashland, assistant to Mr. Barras,
pawnbroker, proved having taken Broughton's
watch in pledge for 4s. on the night of the 6th. The
man who pledged the watch took away the ticket
produced by English. Smales came to redeem the
watch, and produced the ticket produced at the
trial by English.
James Barras confirmed his assistant's evidence,
and identifies the watch and ticket, and also the
cheque-ticket or duplicate. When Smales pro-
duced the ticket which had been given to the
man who pledged the watch, this witness
gave Smales into custody, and delivered the watch
and duplicate to the chief constable of LeedS.
William Hoyland proved that on the 6th August
the prisoner, in company with another man, offered
him a pawn ticket for sale. On cross-examination
it was proved that his companion had on a blue-
striped smock, trousers of fustian, light coloured
and apparently newly washed.
George Watkinson saw the prisoner with a pawn
ticket. He said it was for a watch he had pledged.
Frank Magee, who was with the last witness
when the prisoner showed him the ticket, confirmed
his evidence ; but on the duplicate being shown to
him he declared his belief that that was not the
ticket which was that night in the possession of the
prisoner.
John Fawcett, a collier at Whitwood, proved that
he saw the prisoner on " trMonday after t'rainy
Sunday." The prisoner offered a pawnticket for
sale. He afterwards engaged in the service of the
witness, who subsequently apprehended the pri-
soner in Sheffield.
Cross-examined----He had clogs on with wooden
soles, which laced up above the ankle. His own
stockings were up on the fender to dry, and I lent
him some of mine.
Betsy Fawcett, wife of last witness, said—Nor-
mington came to Dixon's, with whom I lived, on
Monday, the Bth, and from that time he lived there.
He said he had been to pledge a watch at Topham's,
or he had pledged it—l am not sure which. It was
done on the Saturday for 4s. He left on Thursday
morning, and before he went he said he had sold it
to James Smales. On Tuesday, the night he came,
he washed an old faded handkerchief. It was
marked with red in more places than one. He said his
nose had been bleeding, and it required washing.
Cross-examined—This is the first time I have
mentioned about his nose bleeding. It has come
into my head since I was before the magistrates.
Jane Dixon, of Whitwood, with whom the two
last witnesses lodged, swore to the blood stains on
the handkerchief, and to similar stains on his shirt,
which she boiled with soda and soap and water.
There were stains of blood on the stockings between
the clogs' top and trousers' bottom. It was along
the wrinkles of the stockings.
Cross-examined by Mr. Foster—The stains on the
handkerchief were of a dark colour, with casts of
red. This is the first time I have ever said it was
staged with blood. The shirt was hung openly in
the room where the two Fawcetts slept. It was
en a nail in the kitchen. Eight people had access
to that room. The spots on the shirt were reddish.
This is the first time I have ever said they were
spots of blood. I found his stockings in his clogs,
aed I put them back there. I don't know whether
the hlisel on his stockings came from the foot inside
or not. • •

Jamcs Worsernan saw the prisoner while living
at Dixon's on the 9th of Augnst. The prisoner
showed hi:.; a pawn ticket, and told him it was for
a wateli whi h had been " popped" on the Gth of

A.u;tv.t.
J:nocs 3Tuales proved that he saw the prisoner
at Wiiitwood on the 9th of August: The pri-
soner sold him a pawnticket for a watch, which he
said had cost 265. The witness afterwards took
the same ticket to Barras, pawnbroker, at Leeds,
and. theft was taken into custody.
_ _ _

Patrick Byrne proved the finding of the stick
marked with blood and hair not far from the scene
of the outrage-
Robert Heaton, a watchmaker, identified the
watch produced as being Mr. Broughton's.
English, chief constable at Leeds, exa-
mined the ;round, and saw the deceased before his
deqth. He afterwards arrested th.) prisoner at
Sheffield, who said at that time that he had not
been at Leeds for four months. _ _

The prisoner's statement, which has already ap-
peared in The Sun, was here read.
Mr. Campbell Foster then addressed the jury for
the prisoner.
The learned Judge, in summing up, directed the
jury that if they were of opinion that two persons
were present at the attack on the deceased—and
two persons had been spoken to—if both were con-
cerned in that attack, and the evidence led them to
that conclusion, then it was immaterial. which was
the hand that did it, and both were equally guilty.
His lordship then with great care summed up the
evidence.

The jury retired to consider their verdict, and
after an absence of nearly half-an-b our returned
with a verdict of Guilty.
The Clerk of Arraigns called on the prisoner for
judgment.
The Crier of the Court made the usual formal
proclamation for silence during sentence of death:
The Judge arranged the black cap over his wig,
and as he did so a loud hysterical scream was heard
from the gallery. His lordship, then, with great
solemnity, said—Charles Normington, the jury have
found you guilty of a cruel murder, and a murder
perpetrated for the basest of all possible motives, the
mere lustof gain. The law of God and the law of
man equally require that your life should be the
forfeit of your crime. It is an awful thing to think
that one so young as you should have been so
guilty, or should now be called on to suffer such a
penalty ; but if your untimely fate should warn
others from courses which may end in the same
misery, one good result will at any rate follow
from your suffering. It is not my duty, still less
is it my inclination, to aggravate by any words of
mine the misery and humiliation which you must
now fed, especially as I feel that I can hold out no
hopes, of r.ercy to you after the perpetration of a
crime so dreadful. Let me, therefore, earnestly
entreat you to cast your thoughts beyond the
grave, and by earnest prayer and sincere repen-
tencc to secure that mercy in heaven which is de-
ntlilnedelntruemone esaernttle"neelloifstlhoerdlsalNivipinththene pd
the
amid the repeated cries from the willery of a woman
stated to be the mother of the prisoner.'
The prisoner is about 5 feet 3 or 4 inches high,
and he looks younger than the age he is stated to

be in the calendar. He has no signs of beard,
moustache, or whiskers ; he has light hair, with a
tendency to curl behind, a full and almost womanly
countenance. During the trial he remained very
quiet, his hands were folded before him on the
dock, and his chin rested almost immoveably on the
upper rail in front of him. The evidence seemed
to have no effect upon him, and yet his conduct did
not seem to be caused by obstinacy or stupidity.
There is certainly nothing aboxt his appearance or
behaviour to suggest the idea that he would be at
all likely to commit any offence, much less of a
crime of so deep a dye. Once only during the
appeal to the jury by the learned counsel did he
manifest any symptom of emotion, but he very
soon recovered himself, and paid the same quiet
and apparently half-interested kind of attention
which he had shown during the whole proceedings.
He broke down at last, however, when the judge
was pronouncing the sentence of death, and was
led off weeping bitterly.
This case concluded the business of the assizes.

P OLICEINTELLIGENCE—Dec. 16.

MANSION-HOUSE—Edwin Boucher, described
as a clerk, of 35, Brewer-street, Pimlico, was
brought up on remand, charged with stealing two
casks of carpenters' tools, value £54, belonging to
Messrs. Heinmarsh and Co., merchants, 17, Law-
rence Poultney-hill.
There had been two previous examinations, in
which it was deposed that the prisoner went to the
premises of the prosecutor during his absence, pre-
tending to have an appointment with him, and
that immediately afterwards it was discovered that
the two casks of tools had been removed. Subse-
quently it was ascertained that the goods had been
pawned by the prisoner for £22, in the name of
Hammond, and the prosecutor, meeting him in
Cheapside, gave him into custody.
The pawnbroker now produced a sample of the
tools pledged with him, and also handed in a notice
which had been served upon him by the solicitors of
Messrs. Sorby and Son, of Sheffield, manufacturers,
that the goods were their property, and requiring
him to deliver them only to them or their order.
Mr. Atkinson, the prosecutor, was examined and
said—l bought the goods of Messrs. Sorby on credit
for six months, according to the invoice produced,
or 21 discount for cash. After the delivery of the
goods they wrote me, and in consequence of that I
sent them a bill for £5O at four months. In the
letter enclosing the bill I told them that the goods
had been stolen, and that one of the thieves was in
custody. The bill was an accommodation bill. It
was drawn by a Mr. De Witt. of 14, Roll's-build-
ings,Fetter-lan e,and was payable at Messrs. Sharpe
and Olding's, bankers, Clement's-lane. The prisoner
was present when Mr. De Witt gave me his accep-
tance. He had introduced me to Mr. De Witt, whom
I had seen only once before the time when he gave
me his acceptance. The prisoner never had any
business transactions with me, and I only knew him
through meeting him at a luncheon house. I paid
him no commission for getting me Mr. de Witt's ac-
ceptance, and he had no interest at all in the £5O
bill. I bought the stamp myself. I gave Mr. De
Witt no consideration for the acceptance. I had no
intention of using it at the time, and should not have
used it at all if Messrs. Sorby had not written to
me as they did, I suppose because some one had
sent them a letter saying there was something
wrong in the affair. I had the acceptance in my pocket
three weeks before I used it. I had it, I believe, be-
fore the goods were delivered. Mr. De Witt gave me
the bill ie blank. I filled it up for £5O, because the
stamp carried that amount. The bill is dated 6th
December, and the goods were stolen on the 17th
November. As I have said, the prisoner introduced
me to Mr. De Witt.
The Lord Mayor—Who is Mr. De Witt ?
Prosecutor—He is a man who gets his living by
accepting bills. I believe the bankers allow him
to make use of their banks for that purpose.
The Lord Mayor-1)o you mean to say that
Messrs. Sharpe and Olding allow any man to use
heir names in this way ?
Mr. Goodman, chief clerk—Oh, it is quite impos-

Bible.
Prosecutor—However that may be, I know a
gentleman who had one of his acceptances, and who
went to the bank on purpose to inquire about it.
The Lord Mayor—Then is he a man of such copious
means that he gives his acceptance in blank to gen-
tlemen he has seen only once before, and allows them
to fill up at discretion ?
Prosecutor—lt was so in my case.
The Lord Mayor—And you gave him no conside-
ration—paid him nothing ?
Prosecutor—Nothing at all.
The Lord Mayor—Well, really, it was very gene-
rous of him.
Mr. hope (the prisoner's solicitor)—Your name is
Atkinson, you say, and your firm is that of Hein-
marsh and Co ?
Prosecutor—Yes.
Mr. Hope—Well, who is the Co. ?
Prosecutor—Why, you see me here.
Mr. Hope—Then you are Heinmarsh and the
" Co." too ?
Prosecutor—Yes, I am both.
Mr. Hope—Then there is no Mr. Heinmarsh ?
Prosecutor—Yes there is, but he is in Germany.
Mr. Hope—How long is it since you saw him ?
Prosecutor—About four months.
Some witnesses were then called, who proved that
a man named Gleed had been connected with the
prisoner in removing and. pawing the goods ; and
Mr. Hope contended that there was no ground at
all for detaining the prisoner longer in custody,
after the prosecutor's admissions about the bill.
An officer handed in a certificate of the prisoner's
previous conviction and imprisonment for 12 months,
for obtaining money by false pretences.
The Lord Mayor said it was his impression that
there had been collusion to obtain the goods among
the three, the prisoner, Gleed, and the prosecutor,
and that upon such evidence no jury would convict,
but as it was possible that something more might
be proved, he should again remand the prisoner.
Remanded accordingly.

BOW-STREET.—Anne Smith, a woman of the
town, was charged with robbing Mr. Edmund Wal-
lack of £l9 in gold, in a house of ill-fame in George-
street, St. Giles's.
Mr. Wallack, who described himself as a " ren-
tier," and formerly a dramatic artist, staying tem-
porarily at an hotel in London, but permanently
residing in Paris, deposed that at about 7 o'clock
that morning he went to a brothel with the prisoner,
whom he had met at a public-house. They remained
there in bed for several hours. At 1 o'clock he
counted his money in her presence. He had then
18 sovereigns, two half•sovereigns, and some silver.
At half-past 2, having been asleep in the interval,
he missed his money, and also a pair of red flannel
drawers. The landlady and her daughter being
called in, searched the room, and also searched the
prisoner, on whom they found his cigar-case and
note-book, but no money.
Mary Toole, the landlady's daughter, proved that
the prisoner could not have left the room as the
door was locked on the outside, and the key was
in possession of the servant. There was a folding-
door communicating with another room, but that
door was also locked, and the key was down stairs.
The prosecutor observed that the prisoner, deny-
ing all knowledge of the money, said that she had
taken the case and note-book to pay herself, as his
money was gone. It had been suggested that she
might have swallowed the money.
Mr. Hall said that was absurd. Could she have
swallowed the drawers ? (A laugh.) It was im-
possible that she could have committed the robbery
by herself. More probably some person had entered
the room while she and the prosecutor were both
fast asleep. However, he would send the case be-
fore a jury if Mr. Wallack wished it.
Mr. Wallack thought it was too much open to
doubt.
The prisoner was discharged.

SOUTHWARK.—GROSS OUTRAGE ON A YOUNG
WOMAN BT A CABMAN IN HIS CAB.—John Pettitt,
cab-driver, badge No. 13,737, of 5, South-mews,
Manchester-square, and Charles William Taylor,
coachman, of 18, Guildford-street, Berkeley-square,
were brought before Mr. Combo, for final examina-
tion. charged, the former with criminally assaulting
Louisa Davies in his cab, and the latter with aiding
and abetting him in the commission of the offence.
The prisoners were first brought before Mr.
Combe on Saturday, the 3d instant, but being un-
able to attend through the injuries the prosecutrix
had received from Pettitts violence, they were
remanded. Yesterday, however, she was able to
attend, when
Mr. Shaen, the solicitor and secretary of the
Associate Institute for the Protection of Young
Women, was present to prosecute ; and Mr. Her-
ring defended the prisoners.
It appeared from the evidence of Broderick, 43 M,
that about a quarter past three on the morning of
Saturday, the 3d inst., he was on duty in Amelia-
street, Bermondsey, when he saw a cab drive past
him, and the prisoner, Taylor, who was on the box,
asked him if that was Amelia-street. Witness told
him that it was, when the other man put his head
ont of the window and called to drive further. They
then left the street and turned down Maze-pond.
A few minutes afterwards he saw them drive into
Thomas-street, from which there was no outlet,
when the cab stopped and Pettitt got out. Witness
went up to him and then he began looking on the
ground. He asked him what be was looking for,
when he replied, " For a shilling I have dropped."
Witness opened his lamp and examined the ground
all about, but no shilling could be found, and he
told him so. Pettitt then jumped into the cab
again, and they drove off towards Guy's Hospital.
Witness, suspecting that something was wrong,
followed the vehicle some distance off his beat,
and then he perceived the head of a female pro-
truding from one of the windows. He imme-
diately ran up to the cab and looked at Taylor
and told him he had no badge on, and asked
him where it was. Ho made no observation, but
pointed inside, when he saw Pettitt and the
prosecutrix, the latter lying down insensible.
Ho also perceived th t Pettitt had a badge on. He
ordered the latter out, and then he saw that the fe-
male's dress was much disordered. He iquestioned
Pettitt about her, when he told witness that she had
attempted to drown hen:elf, and he waa taking her
home to Amelia:street, Bermondsey. Witness told
him that could not be true, as he had seen him a
few minutes before in that street, and that he had
followed the cab. Witness then took them all to
the station-house, and as soon as the female re-
mefle the followie7 statement :—She
said that she lived in the service of an Indian gen-
tleman at Hammersmith, and had the previous
evening been on a visit to her mother's, in Amelia-