The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-14 00:00:00

WEDNESDAY

by the body, witness was of opinion that the child died
from want of sufficient food and clothing.
Charles Bampton, huckster, proved that Hook and
Bubb bought goods at his shop to the amount of 10s. to
14s. per week.
After an address of two hours from Mr. Pigott, who
dwelt especially on the absence of motive for murder,,
his Lordship summed up in a speech of an hour and a
half, and the jury, after retiring for ten minutes,
returned a verdict of Guilty of aggravated man-
slaughter and the prisoner was sentenced to transporta-
tion for life. _

The trial occupied exactly twelve hours, having closed
at nine o'clock P.M.

August 13.
(Before Mr. Justice 'WILLIAMS.)
LIE STARVATION CASE—Richard Hock was charged
with the manslaughter of his daughter Maria Hook,
at Churcham, by omitting to give her proper food and
clothing.
The particulars of this case need scarcely be repeated.
As will be seen above, the prisoner's sister-in-law, a
woman named Bubb, was convicted of manslaughter, and
sentenced to be transported for life. The prisoner Hook
was charged with being a party to the manslaughter.
The evidence was similar to that given on the trial of
Bubb yesterday, but it came out that when the prisoner
Hook was at home the deceased Was generally better
treated than in his absence.

In his defence, the prisoner said he had always pro-
vided sufficient food and clothes for the child, and had
directed Bubb to attend to her.

The jury found him Not Guilty.
POISONING CAsE. Hannah Curtis was charged on the
coroner's inquisition, with the wilful murder of Thomas
Harris, her former husband, at the parish of Frampton
Cottrel. The prisoner was formerly married to Harris,
Who died after a short illness, and in a month after his
death she married a man named Curtis, who used to
visit her during the lifetime of her husband. On open-
ing the body, there were traces of arsenic discovered in
the deceased. _ _

A great number of witnesses were examined in sup-
port of the indictment, but the case for the prosecntion
had not closed when our report was dispatched.

WESTERN CIRCUIT, Wells, Aug. 12.

CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice COLERIDGE.
henry Hillier, alias Henry Ax ford, was indicted
for the wilful murder of Thomas George, at Nunney,
on the 3d of April, by cutting him on the throat with a
knife.
Mr. Phinn and Mr. Everett were counsel for the pro-
secution, and Mr, Edwards defended the prisoner.
The only mode of making this case understood is by a
narrative of the facts, as the case only rested upon cir-
cumstantial evidence. It will first be necessary to state
the facts under which the body of the deceased was
found ; secondly, the circumstances attaching them-
selves to the prisoner about the time of the murder; and,
thirdly, expressions of the prisoner, indicating the mo-
tive of the prisoner for wishing to get rid of the decased.
The deceased was a lad about 17 years of age, and he
lived with his parents at Nunney, near Frome. He was
in the habit of working for Messrs. Iloddinot, for whom
also the prisoner worked. The prisoner also lived near.
On the night of the 3d of April the deceased Left his

work with his father about seven o'clock. The prisoner
left about the same time. The deceased went home,
and having washed and dressed himself, as was his habit,
lie went out, and he was heard talking to the prisoner
and some other persons in the shed adjoining the house
of the father of the deceased. He was seen there up to
eight o'clock. A little after eight the deceased was seen
passing over the bridge which was between the house of
the prisoner and that of the father of the deceased, and
the prisoner was seen looking in the direction in which
the deceased was going; that was the last time the de-
ceased was seen alive. The mother of the deceased sat
up for him, and about five o'clock in the morning she
became so uneasy that she awoke her husband, and
begged him to go and look after their son. The husband
got up and went to the cart-shed, and upon going in he
saw the body of some person reclining on the left side.
The head was bent under the shoulder, and the face was
so much covered with blood that be could not recognise
whose body it was. He rushed out, and at that early
hour i❑ the morning he saw the prisoner standing at his
door completely dressed. He called to the prisoner to
come to him. He came and went into the shed, and at
once recognised the body, and exclaimed, " Poor Tom
has cut his throat at last." The body was brought
out on a hurdle on which it was found lying, and it
was found that the head had nearly been severed from
the body by a wound across the throat. In the course

of the day the body was washed, and on the sth an in-
quest was held; but it was to be regretted that the co-
roner would not allow any surgical investigation, and the
jury came to no verdict at all. On the 7th the surgeons
were called in to look at the body, and they found the
gullet and windpipe cut completely through, and they
discovered that there had been two cuts on the throat;

that there was first a stab, and then a cut, and they said
it was quite impossible that the person who inflicted the
first cut could have inflicted the second—that is, under
the supposition that it was suicide. The cuts were so
violent that the knife scraped the bone at the back of the
neck. They also fuund a wound on the temple, which
had fractured the skull, and which must have been
given before the throat was cut. The smallclothes
and waistcoat were open. On the right-hand pocket
were the marks of three bloody fingers, and on the
left-hand pocket also were the marks of blood, as
if done by the hand. There was no blood on
the hands of the deceased, and the smockfrock was
pulled close down. The surgeons were of opinion
that the deceased met his death from the violence of
some other person, and not from his own hand. At the
time the body was brought out, the father, thinking, as
had been suggested by the prisoner. that the boy had
committed suicide, was anxious to find the instrument
with which it was done, and the prisoner found the knife
of the deceased near the spot where the body was found.
From a superstitious idea this knife was first put in the
coffin that it might not cut any more throats, and the
blade was broken. The prisoner and the deceased and
other persons had been in the habit of occasionally
sleeping about the outhouses of the farm, and that night
the prisoner saw a man of the name of Whittaker, who
worked for Messrs. Hoddinot, and who came to his
house that eveniug to wait for his master's horse, and
the prisoner three times told him that be wanted to go
to b
thatm icaenannsamed Solomon Hillier tbat
night got rid of Whittaker, and
the e
tolds a .
Hoddinot had complained of persons
sleeping about by
ss
the farm, and he begged Hillier not
et
ietidu,
thatgprisoner and h
Messrs.
r
to sleep about the' farm that night. It turned out
that Messrs. Hoddinot had made no such complaint
during the present year. The prisoner went to
the house of the deceased's father that night about
nine o'clock, and inquired of the mother whether she
would ask her husband whether he (the prisoner) was to
cart dung in the morning? This was a very unusual
inquiry, because that man had no authority to give the
prisoner any orders. The mother then inquired of the
prisoner whether he had seen her son. He stated most
positively that he had: not, whereas he had parted
with him only three-quarters of an hour before. The
next thing heard of the prisoner was about half-past ten
o'clock, at his own house. He was a married man, and
his wife, who had been a widow, had a boy, about four-
teen years ef age, who slept in the same room with
them. He saw the prisoner come to bed befor eleven
o'elock, and that the smock-frock he wore had a good
deal of blood upon it; he took off that smock frock and
put it under the bed, and went to sleep with all his
clothes on; he got up in the morning, and the boy saw
his mother get a tub of cold water, into which she put
the smock•frock. After the boy had made this state-
ment he was taken before the magistrates, and then
he said that the story he had told was false, and that
it had been suggested to him by his master
The boy to-day told his original story, and declared
that what he had stated before the magistrate was un-
true, and that no suggestion had been made to him. The
prevaricationhalof
borrowedthe
the
boy was quite shocking. The pri-
soner
smock-frock,
and when asked to
return it be said his wife was washing it, and it was re-
turned to the parties clean and ironed, whereas when he
had borrowed it on previous occasions it had always
been sent home dirty. Then came the motives which
actuated the prisoner to commit this crime, and these
were to be gleaned from expressions used by the pri-
soner towards the deceased. One was on the morning of
the murder, when he said he wished some one would put
Tom out of the way, as he could not bear the sight of
him. On the day after the murder he said he did
tremble so since Tom George was dead that he could
scarcely stand. At another time the prisoner went and
put his fist in the deceased's face, and swore if he (the
deceased) -told any more"about him he would beat his
brains out; he was continually cursing him, and swear-
ing,that he would beat him; and he used frequently to
go in search of him. The Sunday aEer the murder
the prisoner said to a man that he thought they had
killed him as they had Tom George, as he had not seen ,
him so long.
The case for the prosecution having closed,
Mr. Justice COLERIDGE asked the jury whether, put-
ting out of the case the evidence of the boy, they would
think there was sufficient to justify them in convicting
the prisoner, because he must tell them that they must
not place any credit in what the boy said.
The jury said they
did not think there was sufficient
to call upon the prisoner for his defence, and therefore
returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
The Learned JuDGE said he fully concurred in the
opinion of the jury, for even had they found the
pri-
soner guilty upon the evidence of that boy,
he couldnot
carried have allowed the sentence to be into effect; at
the same time it was a matter which ought to have been
inquired into, and was a most proper prosecution.
asit h
een
d been
stated, case had excited
greatthe parties belonged to a
stated, though not proved, that interest,
gang of sheepstealere, and that the deceased having ex-
to tell the farmers all about it,
pressed his determination
he was found murdered in the way stated.
Mr. Justice Conzu then said he did not know the
nE
had held the inquest upon
name of the coroner who much wanting in his duty in not
having called in
this body; but be was
medical
testimony, because if he had
done so it was impossible his jury could have separated
without returning a verdict of wilful murder against
some person unknown,
it, and then persons' attention would
have been directed to and probably a different result
ether the prisoner • might
arrived at;
might have been
not have been put uponsbis trial at all, or else further
evidence might have been adduced against him. Either
coroner extremely wrong; and if
any coroner went upon
way, he thought the a
system of abstaining from
calling medical evidence,
for the purpose of saving ex-
pense, or for other reasons, he might lay himself open
tof
Queen's Bench, and sub-
to proceedings in the Cour
ject himself to extremely unpleasant consequences.
n
In exoneration cf the corolarer, we may state that the
magistrates are so particular at the quarter sessions
,
about the expenses of the coroners, hose gentlemen
that
are really afraid to call in medical or other aid. It has
long been anticipated that in consequence of the difficul-
ties thrown in the way of coronets by the magistrates
with regard to the allowances of cases, the adminis-
trationpea
of justice would be impeied I and now we Imo a
glaring ii 1114120 .