The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-15 00:00:00

AGAINST CRESSWILL.

The argument in this case was resumed, but it is still
unfinished.

PALACE COURT, Dec. 12.
(Before Mr. W. CORRIE, Judge, and a Common Jury.)

COMMITTAL OP ♦ GENTLE3IIN-CIWIDERLAIN
V. NOKES.

In this case a judgment had been obtained against the
defendant for a debt of 16!., and the present application
was for an order of committal against him.
Mr. G. COLSON, plaintiff's attorney, said that he had
made several applications to defendant for payment, but
although he had promised payment he had never done
so, and he (Mr. Colson) had no alternative but to press
for his committal.

The JUDGE—Can he pay ?
Mr. COLSON—Oh yes. He is a gentleman residing
at Bromley, in Kent, keeping six horses, and having re-
cently purchased an estate for 60,0004
_ _

•
The -.Jur.GE—Then I shall commit him for forty days
to the common gaol of the county.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
NORTHERN CIRC WT.—York, Dec. 11.
(Before Mr. Baron PLATT.)
CHARGE OF MURDER OF A WIFE BY HER HUSBAND.
-George Watson was charged with having, on the Ist
tf August last, at Selby, committed the crime of wilful
murder, by inflicting one mortal wound and stab on the
body of Elizabeth Watson, his wife.
Mr. Bliss, Mr. Monteith, and Mr. Overend were
counsel for the prosecution ; and Mr. Hall and Mr.
Travis appeared for the prisoner.
Joseph Jeap was the first witness called for the pro-
secution. He stated that he was a journeyman shoe-
maker with the prisoner, who had for many years been
a master shoemaker, carrying on a considerable business
in the town of Selby. The prisoner and his wife were
nearly of the same age, about 40. They had two chil-
dren, a boy of 14 and a girl of 17. He bad two shops
at his residence in Selby, in the same building—a front
sale shop, and a front workshop, at the back of one of
which there was a passage leading to the dwelling• house.
The prisoner had employed a good many hands in the
business. His conduct towards his wife had been
generally bad. He used to abuse her both by blows
and ill-language. On the morning before the deed
was done the prisoner was drunk. On the 31st of
July, the day preceding, he had been drinking. :He was
at the back door leading into a yard, sitting there with
the deceased. He had a tract in his hand, showed
it and said to witness, " What dust thou think of
this ?" (referring to something written on it). Witness
looked and said, " You will never stand it." He replied
that he would. Witness asked "If it was all well with
him ?" Prisoner said, " Yes ; he would never have
any more drink as long as he lived." His wife, who
was by at the time, said she hoped he would give over
drinking. Next day the prisoner came into the shop
and gave witness some directions about cutting out some
shoes, but returned after, saying he would go and lie
down for awhile, and then do it himself. It had been
his practice to lie down for awhile in the middle of the
day, whether ill or well. He complained then that his
head ached, but appeared to be sober and collected. He
left, and returned in about three-quarters of an hour to
the shop. Witness believed deceased was in the shop
then. The prisoner's face looked red, and he asked
the witness if it was not red. He afterwards went out
in the direction of the market-place, towards a gin-
shop, kept by a person named Wilson. He came back
again in the " thick end" (hest part) of an hour. Soon
after that witness heard a cry of " Oh, come into the
house, father has stabbed mother 1" He went into the
house, and onward to the yard. Deceased was standing
then against a doorway next the yard. She was
screaming as loud as she could, and pointed
down the yard, exclaiming, "He is cutting his own
throat." Prisoner was then six or seven yards off, and
appeared to be cutting his throat with a short and sharp
shoe- khife. Richardson, Robinson, and Carts, three other
men in his employ, then came out from where they were
at work to him. Some of them took hold of him while
witness went for a doctor. On his coming back, prisoner
said to him, " Now, my lad, Joe, I've done for ner,"
and added that one of the men, Thomas Hemingbo-
rough, " might take her now." Witness hadiheard him
swearing at her while she was crying, and many a
time he had got between her and him, to enable her to
get from him and out of the house. He used to came
home drunk, ask for money, and abuse her, but had ob-
served nothing particular of that kind within three
months before the let of August.
On cross-examination, the witness said that deceased
was an excellent and kind person. The prisoner had
been of drunken habits for about five years. He used
frequently to complain of headache. About the Ist of
June last he was under a sort of confinement, but never
saw him, except at that time, in a dangerous state. He
then seemed to be not exactly as he should be. About
a fortnight before, and while sober, he was swearing at
the deceased, He had fits of drunkenness once a month,
or once a fortnight, or a week.
Reexamined.—The prisoner was jealous of the man
Hensingborough. He said that man had been too fami-
liar with deceased ; but he had nut said so till within
four or five weeks before her death. At the time he was
under confinement lie appeared not to be right.
Mrs. Hester Lowther said, that she is a widow, living
next door to the prisoner's house. Liquor and bad com-
pany had " made him a very unkind man." On the Ist
of August the deceased had called witness into pri-
soner's house. She then found him sitting smoking.
He appeared very sober. The first he said war, " I'm
determined to become a new man." Then he showed
her a tract, on which he had written that "he was
never to touch spiritous liquors from that time ever-
more," and " that he had knelt down and kissed the
book." His wife sat next him, and he kissed her, and
shed tears, and appeared to be very penitent. On
the same evening, about eight, the witness heard screams
from the deceased. Went to see her in bed soon after,
and heard her say she thought she should never get
better. At about nine that evening saw prisoner in his
own house. He was sitting bleeding from the neck.
He shook witness by the hand, blessed her, and said
he should never see the light of another day. He
talked in a random way, and mentioned a great many
people. Witness asked him if he had had any liquor,
and he said he had, but he had no appearance of it,
and he seemed to be quite sober. Ile blamed a man
named Hemingborough, and said " he had silenced that
concern," or had put a stop to that connexion," or to
that effect.

Rachel Bean (a friend of the prisoner's family)—Had
been at the house several times oa the day in question.
He then seemed quite collected. Had never seen him and
his wife better friends hefore. Saw the deceased imme-
diately after she was stabbed. She was at the kitchen
door, looking into the yard, and cried out, " Oh, he has
stabbed me. Never mind me ;go to him—be is cutting
his own throat r Witness said to him, " Oh, Mr. Wat-
son, you have done for your wife." He turned round,
and grinned twice, looking towards deceased. He then
said, "D—n it, then, I'll do for myself." He had the
knife then, and began to haggle and saw his throat with
it, but did not use much force. Robinson, the workman,
then went to him.

William Richardson, a young man of twenty, and ap-
prenticed to the prisoner, recollected the unkind treat-
ment of prisoner towards his wife ; but not that he had
abused her at any time within a fortnight before that
day. Heard the prisoner say that he had stabbed his
wife, " that he knew she would die, and that he would
_ . . _

kill himself." Prisoner also said that it was Mrs. Cape3's
sister who had caused it. About a quarter of an hour
later prisoner said that he had "done for" his wife, that

he hoped she would die, and that he meant to kill her.
He said he had "got a gill in order to give him a good
heart," and that they would find the bottle in the leather

house, on a shelf there.

William Robinson confirmed much of the preceding
testimony. He took the knife from prisoner's hand.
Heard prisoner say, "She would hare no more of her
Tom Hemingborough," and such like.
Joseph Canis, also apprentice to the prisoner, said he
heard the prisoner say, " I've done for her." I've stuck
it into her entrails. I know she won't get better." Also
heard him say that "he had a gill before, to make him
hare a good heart to it."

James Eathmell, constable of Lilly, went to the pri-
soner's house on the evening of the Ist of August. The
prisoner at once told him he had stabbed his wife, with-
out being asked. The witness here produced the knife,
a shoemaker's knife, having a blade of about four inches
in length. The prisoner said he would kill his wife, if
he had not already done it. Said she was cohabiting
with a man named Hemingborough. He said, also, that