The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-27 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

The Ist battalion of the Bth (King's Own) Re-
giment was yesterday inspected at Gosport by
Lord William Paulet, C.B. After the usual
salute the regiment broke into column and marched
past in slow and quick time, and afterwards,
wheeling into line, went through the manual,
platoon, and bayonet exercises. A few other
manceuvres followed, and the regiment then formed
square, facing inwards, when Lord Paulet addressed
them as follows :
" The inspection being unusually early this year,
I did not expect to find you as perfect as I might
have done a little later in the season. I am, how-
ever, very much pleased with you and with what
I have seen. You are one of the oldest and best
regiments in the service, and with regard to conduct
you have kept up the old name of the regiment. I
know it myself, and have heard it from many others,
that no regiment landing from foreign service has
ever been quartered in Gosport which has gained
so excellent a character as the Bth have done. In-
aeed, the inhabitants say that a better behaved or
more respectable set of men have not been stationed
among them since Gosport has been a military
station, and that is saying a great deal considering
you have lately returned from abroad, where it is
well known, though, you did such good service.
Colonel Haines—l am very much pleased, and shall
make a favourable report to his Royal Highness
the General Commanding-in-Chief."
An investigation of regimental book, quarters,
&c., concluded the inspection.
The 2d Battalion, 11th Regiment (North Devon),
was inspected by Lord W. Paulet, C. 8., on Tues-
day, on their barrack square, Portsea. After march-
ing past, and a few evolutions incidental to such
occasions, his Lordship addressed the regiment in
the following terms :
" 2d Battalion of the 11th,—Yon have been under
my notice for a long time, and I am truly gratified
to find that the regiment is in such an efficient
state. I must say you have surprised me, as I did
not expect to find you in such a high state of
discipline. You are remarkably steady. I consider
great praise is due to Colonel Jenner and the officers
of the battalion."

A general inspection of the battalion of infantry

at Chatham Garrison was made yesterday by Major-
General Eyre, who was attended by his Aide-de-
Camp, Lieut.-Col. Gordon, and Major Congreve,
the Brigade-Major,
Instructions have been issued to the various com-
manding officers at Chatham, directing the whole
of the officers and men of the Indian depots avail-
able for duty at that garrison to be instructed in
the practice of embarking and disembarking, pre-
paratory to being placed under orders to embark
for India to join their respective service companies.
The East India troops are also to be instructed in

escalading operations, under the direction of the
officers of their own corps who have previously gone
through a course of escalading operations with
the efficers and men of the Royal and Indian En-
gineers at Brompton.
We have to announce the death of Major-Gen.
D. A. Gibsone, which occurred on Friday last at an
advanced age. The deceased entered the Royal
Marines at an early age, and had seen considerable
service. In 1804 he landed from the Thunderer and
served on shore in Bearhaven-bay ; in 1811 he
served on board the Safeguard mortar brig in a
severe action with a division of Danish gun .boats
off Anholt, on which occasion the vessel was en-
gaged for three hours and a-half, and 19 of her
crew killed or wounded out of a complement of 29.
In 1812 he was engaged at Cateria, on the north
coast of Spain, and accompanied Captain Parke
with two heavy guns intended for the army be-
sieging Burgos. In the two following years he

served in the American War, and was present at
the attack on Craney Island, taking of Hampton,
defence of the lines of Chippewa, and on the other
occasions on the Niagara frontier, where he was
severely wounded.
Gen. Vernon, C. 8., who died on the 22d inst., in
the 82d year of his age, entered the army in 1798,
and served the campaign of 1808 and 1809 in the
Peninsula as a deputy-assistant-adjutant-general,
and subsequently in the same capacity with the
Duke of Wellington's army until June, 1811, and
was present at the battle of Talavera. He served
with the 2d battalion of the 66th at the surprise of
a French division at Arroyo de Molino, and other
operations, until the capture of Badajoz; with the
Queen's at the reduction of the forts and battle of
Salamanca, where ha was slightly wounded early
in the day, and very severely at the close of the
action, a ball having entered his breast and lodged
near his heart, after tearing along two ribs. He
followed the army again at the expiration of three
weeks, and resumed the command of his regiment,
with which he served in the various operations,
preceding, during, and subsequent to the siege of
Burgos. He had received the gold medal for
Salamanca, and the silver war medal and one clasp
for Talavera.

A large number of persons visited the Royal
Arsenal, Woolwich, yesterday. The main object of
those who were able to obtain tickets of admission
was to gratify their curiosity by a sight of the
Armstrong gun factories. This being the termina-
tion of the financial year, the room containing the
whole of the Armstrong guns to be delivered over
to the charge of the principal military storekeeper
for issue to the army and navy, consisting of up-
wards of 100 in number, 60 of which were the 100-
pounders for the navy, was thrown open. The
perfect finish of the guns, their bright brass fittings
and adjuncts, and the high polish of the materials,
gave the room the appearance of a private museum.

MURDER.

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 27, 1861,

A fearful crime was committed yesterday morning
at the Militia Barracks, Kingston-upon-Thames.
The victim was a fine young woman, only 20 years
old, named Diana Wickens, and while asleep she
was murdered by her step-sister, a married woman,
the wife of a sergeant-major in the 3d Regiment of
Royal Surrey Militia, who while in that state nearly
severed her head from her body, dividing the right
carotid artery, the jugular vein, and the windpipe
with a razor. It would seem that the husband of
the wretched woman, who is highly respected by
his officers, had left his bed about 7 o'clock in the
morning, and gone out into the barrack-yard, leav-
ing his wife in her own bed and the unhappy
deceased in an adjoining room, where she slept upon
a temporary bed, made up for her upon a sofa, and
his wife must have got up almost immediately, taken
one of her husband's razors from the drawer in
which it was kept, and then proceeded to the ad-
joining room, where the unhappy deceased was
lying. There appears to be very little doubt that
at the time she was asleep and lying on her left
side, and while in that position the murderess in-
flicted a dreadful wound upon the right side of the
neck, which was uppermost, thus causing the
injuries above described. Instantaneous death
would not appear to have been the result, for there
is very little doubt that upon the first sensation of
pain the poor creature raised one of her hands, and
in so doing received a severe injury upon the fin-
gers. She then got out of bed and staggered for
about six feet in to the adjoining room, where she
fell dead, literally covered with blood. Dr. Cory
and Mr. Sudlow Roots, surgeons at Kingston, the
latter gentleman being surgeon to the police force,
were speedily in attendance, but all human aid was,
of course, unavailing. After committing the dread-
ful deed the wretched woman went out to the barrack-
yard, where she met a sergeant belonging to the
regiment named Oates, to whom she at once stated
that she had murdered her sister, and she then went
to the pump and washed her hands, which were
covered with blood. A constable belonging
to the V division of police was then sent for,
and the prisoner was taken to the police station,
where the charge was entered by Mr. Armstrong,
the inspector on duty. It may naturally be
imagined that the occurrence created the most
intense anxiety in the town, and, as is usual in
such cases, there was a variety of rumours as to
the cause of the dreadful occurrence, among which
was one that the deed was committed through
jealousy ; but, so far as the evidence which was
given before the magistrates went, there does not
appear to be any ground for such a supposition, and
at present the motive for the commission of the
dreadful crime appears to be entirely a mystery.
At a sitting of the Borough Bench of Magistrates
the prisoner was brought up for examination. Her
name on the police sheet was stated to be Martha
Bradish, 46 years of age, and she was charged with
the wilful murder of Diana Wickens. The magis-
trates present were Mr. S. Grey, mayor of King-
ston ; Mr. S. Mason, Mr. F. Gould, Mr. E. Lowe,
and Mr. E. H. Fricker.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

Mr. Phillips, the clerk to the bench, conducted
the prosecution ; and Mr. Guy, of the firm of Guy
and Wilkinson, solicitors, of Kingston and West-
minster, appeared for the prisoner.
The accused is a very tal;, powerful, and rather
plain-looking woman. She appeared to be in dread-
ful distress of mind, and she repeatedly interrupted
the proceedings by hysterical sobs and the most
distressing ejaculations. She was seated at the end
of the magistrates' table during the proceedings.
Her husband. a very respectable-looking man, sat
by her side all the 'time, his wretched wife clasping
one of his hands tightly in hers during the whole
period of the examination, and entreating him in
agonised tones not to leave her. The Town-hall
was crowded during the proceedings, and the deepest
interest was manifested by every one present.
The following evidence was adduced

Alex. Oates am a sergeant in the 3d Royal
Surrey Militia. This morning, about 7 o'clock, I was
going towards the quarters of Sergt.-Major Bradish,
the prisoner's husband, which are in the barrack
yard, when I saw the prisoner come out from them
very excited. She came up to me and said, " Come
in, Sergeant Oates ; I have murdered my sister."
I observed at this time that the prisoner's hands
were covered with blood, and she went to the
pump and washed them. Seeing her excited
state, and knowing that her husband was not in
his quarters, as I had observed him go out a minute
or two before, I thought something had happened,
and I went into the prisoner's room, and the first
thing I saw was a young woman lying on the
floor with her throat cut. I saw her limbs move
and she was covered with blood. I immediately
ran out and fetched the prisoner's husband and then
went for a doctor, and when I came back the de-
ceased was quite dead. I did not know at this time
who she was.

In answer to questions put by Mr. Guy, the wit•
ness said—When I first saw the prisoner she was
only partially dressed, and the deceased had nothing
on her but her chemise. Ido not think the pri-
soner's husband had left the house more than a
minute when the prisoner came to me in the man-
ner I have stated. There were only two rooms
occupied by the prisoner and her husband, one of
which was ordinarily used as a sitting-room, but
since the deceased has been there she slept in that
room on a sofa. There was only a wooden partition
between the two rooms. The deceased had only been
with the prisoner and her husband a short time.
The prisoner here wildly exclaimed, " Oh, it is not
true ! it cannot be true :"

Mr. Cory said—l am a surgeon, and reside in St.
James's-road, Kingston. The last witness came to
fetch me this morning, a few minutes after seven
o'clock, and I accompanied him to the quarters of
Sergeant-Major Bradish in the Militia Barracks.
Upon entering the first room I saw the deceased
lying dead on the ground.
The prisoner here again exclaimed in a tone of
agony, "Oh, no, no, no ! it cannot be true ! Oh
God! oh God !"

Witness continued—She was dead, but the flesh
was quivering and she was quite warm. I observed
a large wound on the right side of her neck, which
completely divided the carotid artery, the jugular
vein, and the windpipe, and on the ring finger of
the right hand I also observed a lacerated wound.
The prisoner was in the room, and when she saw
me she said, " Oh God, doctor, if I had had your
advice before this would never have happened."
I looked about the room to see if I could
find any instrument with which the injuries had
been inflicted, and then asked the prisoner how
she had done it, and she took a razor from
a drawer and handed it to me. It appeared to have
been recently washed.

The inspector, Mr. Armstrong, here handed to
the witness a razor, which he identified as the same
he had received from the prisoner. It was an ordi-
nary tortoiseshell handled razor,and appeared to be
very sharp. While this was going on the prisoner
again wildly exclaimed " No, no—yes—a dream, a
dream."

In cross-examination the witness said—l at-
tended the prisoner in June last for a diseased
liver. She had been, I believe, in the West Indies,
and this had caused the malady from which she
was suffering. She was very ill at that time, but
she recovered, and I advised her to keep herself
quiet and free from excitement. When I saw her
this morning she appeared to be in a state of dread-
ful excitement, her hands were cold, and her coun-
tenance was quite horror-stricken. She told me
that she had taken the r .zor out of her husband's
drawer. Ido not believe that the death of the de
ceased was instantaneous, because it was evident
that after the wound was inflicted she got out of
bed and walked, or staggered, to the place where I
saw her lying, which was five or six feet from the
sofa. In my opinion the whole of the injuries to the
neck were inflicted by one violent cut with a sharp
instrument, such as a razor. A blunt instrument
would not have done it. There was blood upon the
sofa where the deceased had been lying.
James Davidson, staff sergeant in the regiment,
said—l know the prisoner and her husband. They
occupy quarters in the barracks. I have seen a
young woman with them lately, within the last
fortnight. She was the same young woman referred
to by the previous witnesses. and I believe that her
name was Diana Wickens, and I have hoard the
prisoner say that she was her step-sister. I went
into the prisoner's room this morning when the
alarm was given, and saw the young woman I have
referred to lying on the ground with her throat
cut. Her knees were bent up, and there was alarge
pool of blood on the floor. She was not dead when
I first saw her, but she died while I was in the room,
In cross-examination the witness described the
position of the two rooms, and said that there was
a screen in the bedroom occupied by the prisoner and
her husband, which would prevent any one lying in
bed from seeing whether any one went out of the
house or into the adjoining room. The deceased
never spoke, and she appeared to him to be about
19 or 20 years old. The prisoner seemed to be dread-
fully excited, and he heard her say, "I have mur-
dered her," and immediately afterwards she said,
" Oh, I didn't do it, I couldn't do it," and she ap-
peared to be hardly capable of knowing what she
was doing.
Elizabeth Baker, the wife of a police sergeant,
proved that she searched the prisoner at the police
station, and found some blood on her stockings,
which was caused apparently by her having walked
through blood on the floor with no shoes on.

John Gunner, police constable 361 V, said--This

morning, in consequence of information I received,
/ went to the Militia Barracks, and saw the body of
the deceased lying dead. The prisoner was in the
same room leaning on her husband's shoulder, and
when she saw me she said, "I have cut that young
woman's throat, and you must take me to the sta-
tion." After this I heard Dr. Cory ask how it had
been done, and the prisoner gave him a razor. I
found some articles of female apparel hanging upon
the rail of the prisoner's bed, which I produce, and
upon which there are stains of blood.

The prisoner at this stage of the inquiry again
exclaimed in a wild tone, " Oh, it i 3 not true! it is
not true ! It cannot be—it is a tale of fiction, and
not of reality. If it is true, pray for me, pray for
me! Oh, let me retrace my steps to my home ! I
am sure it cannot be !"

In cross-examination the witness Gunner said he
did not ask the prisoner if she had done it, but the
moment he saw her he suspected it, from her wild
appearance. She was crying and very excited, and
appeared hardly to know what she was doing or
saying.

Inspector Armstronc, said—l was at the police
station about 9 o'clock this morning, and I entered
the charge against her upon the police sheet.
When the prisoner first saw me she said, " This
is a shocking thing I have done." I imme-
diately cautioned her, and told her that whatever
she said would be given in evidence against her,
and I begged her not to speak, but to leave the case
in the hands of her legal adviser. After I had
given the prisoner this caution she said, " I must
have been insane, or I could not have done it to a
sister I loved so well." I again requested her not
to say anything, but she repeated the observation
that she must have been insane, or she should not
have done it.

Cross-examined—The prisoner at this time ap-
peared to be deeply afflicted, and exhibited the
utmost horror and repugnance at what had taken
place. _ .

This being the whole of the evidence,
Mr. Guy addressed the Bench, and said he felt
that the evidence against the unfortunate woman at
the bar was such that the magistrate had no alter-
native but to commit her for trial. He should not
even ask for a remand, but, on the contrary, he
thought it would be the better course that she
should be committed and removed as speedily as
possible from the scene of horror.

The prisoner was then formally ordered to stand
committed to take her trial at the ensuing Summer
Assizes for the county of Surrey.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT—WAnivicK, MARCH 26.

MURDER.—REGINA V. WILLIAMS.
The prisoner, William Williams, was indicted for
the wilful murder of Ann Williams, at the hamlet
of Grwyney, in the parish of Talfarth.
Mr. Giffard appeared for the prosecution, and Mr.
C. E. Coleridge, at the request of the learned judge,
watched the case on behalf of the prisoner.
From the opening statement it appeared that the
deceased was aunt to the prisoner, and occupied a
small farm about six miles from the place where
the prisoner was in service. On the night of the
murder (October 18) the prisoner went to the de-
ceased's house, taking his gun with him, and was
kindly received by her. The other inmates of the
house were the prisoner's sister, and a little boy,
six years old, an illegitimate son of the de-
ceased. The next day the prisoner remained in
the house till 3 o'clock, when he went out in com-
pany with his sister and the child, taking his gun
with him. The deceased remained indoors picking
wool before the fire. The prisoner turned back
shortly after he left the house, and in a few moments
Charlotte Williams, the sister, who had gone on for
the cows, heard a scream. She ran to the house and
met the prisoner coming out, who said, " Aunt has
shot herself." She then saw her aunt on fire, and
after putting out the fire discovered that she was
shot dead in her chair. The prisoner subsequently,
when arrested, and after being repeatedly cautioned,
said " it was an accident ; that the gun had gone
off as he was going out of the door ;" but subse-
quently, on two or three occasions he stated his
determination to tell the truth, and said, when told
that he was to attend the inquest, " he hoped they
would not bully him, and that no one would talk to
him." He added—" The truth I shall say ; I did
the deed, I did it with all my heart ; I expected
something after my grandfather's death. I com-
mitted this in consequence that I had no home ; my
mother has baen a bad mother to me." He further
said—" I sent a man to inquire of the man who
made the will as to who the property was to go to
after Anne Williams's (meaning the deceased) death,
and that the man told him it was to be divided
equally between his sister and himself. He stated to
another witness that he did not shoot his aunt in
the night, as his aim would not be so good and his
sister was sleeping with her. From the appearance
of the chair it would appear that the prisoner must
have gone behind the deceased, put the muzzle
through the staves of the back of the chair, and shot
the deceased through the body.
Upon the first witness, the prisoner's sister, being
called, Mr. Coleridge objected to her being sworn,
on the ground that she had no religious belief what-
ever. His Lordship directed her to be sworn on
the noire dire, and she was examined by Mr. Cole-
ridge, and certainly bore out his view of her state ;
but on cross-examination by Mr. Giffard she said
that she believed there was a God and that he
would punish her if she did wrong. His Lordship
then allowed her examination to proceed.
Several witnesses were called in support of the
opening statement, and the facts were all substan-
tially proved. Mr. Coleridge cross-examined the
witnesses very slightly, and in addressing the jury
told them that he was not there to deny that the
prisoner committed the crime, but that when he
committed it he was mentally incapable of knowing
the nature of the crime. He implored the jury to
take his utterly neglected and scarcely human, con-
dition into consideration, and asked there, if they
thought they could not conscientiously acquit on
the grounds of insanity, at least to add that recom-
mendation which, coming from a jury rarely failed
to at least save the life of the unhappy criminal.
His Lordship summed up with great tninuteuess,
reading over the whole of the evidence, and told the
jury that no one could feel more for the prisoner
than he did, but he could not help saying there was
not the slightest evidence to support the learned
counsel's theory of insanity. He added,that even.
a man, who is proved to have a dise4F,ed mind and
who is :subject to delusions, if he is capable of
knowing right from wrong, is still responsible for
his actions. He instanced Lord Ferrer's case, and
said that the same law applied to the highest
and
the lowest.

At the conclusion of his Lordship's address the
jury retired, bq
t returned in about 20 minutes.
There was a dense silence in the court, which was
densely crowded, and when the jury was asked if
they had agreed, and answered " that they found
the prisoner guilty,' " a perfect thrill of horror ran
through the court, After a minute the jury added,
" That they strongly recommended him to mercy on
account of his youth."
His Lordship then put on the black cap, and on
the prisoner being asked whether he had anythirig
to say why judgment of death should not be passed
upon him, said, " He did not understand the case
from beginning to end."
His Lordship then addressed them in the follow-
ing 'words :—Prisoner at the bar, you have been
found guilty by the jury of the crime of murder on
the clearest and most pregnant evidence. No one
feels more compassion for you than I do. The jury
have thought lit to recommend you to mercy, I will
take cave that that recommendation is forwarded
to the higheat quarter. I have no power myself to
hold out any hope to you,
The awful sentenoo of the law was then passed,
and the sobs and commiseration of the women in
court were most heartrending when the prisoner,
who seemed totally unconscious of what was going
on, said he wanted to see his mother.

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