The Sun.
London, England, 1827-12-10 00:00:00

TRIAL OF REUBEN, MARTIN alias JAMES WIN-
. TERS, FOR MURDER.
REUREN MARTIN alias JAMES WINTERS,, was indicted
for the wilful murder of Mr. Thomas Patrick, on the 25th
of November last, in the Parish of St. Giles's, in the
Borough of Colchester. The prisoner was also charged
upon the Coroner's Inquisition.
- The trial was appointed to come on the first thing in
the morning, and such was the interest excited by
the dreadful 'affair, that long before the arrival of the Judge
(Mr. Baron. Vaughan), the Court, and every avenue lead-
ing to it was crowded in the extreme. The galleries and
the seats usually appropriated for Cciunsel, were filled
chiefly by elegantly dressed females.
About half-past eight o'clock the prisoner was brought
into Court, and placed at the Bar, and exactly
,at nine
o'clock Mr. Baron Vaughan took his seat upon the Bench.
Mr. "li.Nox conducted the case for the proseciition,
and rslr. RYLANDS the .defence. .
Mr. KNox .stated the case, after which the following
witnesses were examined :
Isaac Parsons, of Colchester, a dealer in bones.—t at-
tenifed a sale of wearing apparel at the Yorkshire Grey
public-house, it was kept by the deceased Thomas Patrick.
I purchased it coat at the gale, -about half-past 11 o'clock,
The.tls.ccail'A wife came iuto the sale-room, and desiredus
to break tsp.-for it was time to go, and me and my wife. (at
least the woman who goes as my wife) took the
'coat and went towards
.home. On my way home
in Water-lane, I met a person who is called Big
Jem ; the prisoner at the bar, is the peMon who made
a tug at the coat which was lying on my wife's arm,
saying, "my dear, what have you got there ?" I desired
him to desist, when he made a push at me, got me down,
and attempted to rob me. My wife then ran away ; Os-
borne came up and said, there's nothing there, that is Isaac.
Sergeant and Bush hearing my cries came up to my assist-
ance and extricated me; being incensed at the prisoner's:
conduct, I took off my smock frock, and challenged him to
fight, and had about six rounds, when some persons called
out " For God's sake take that man off Isaac, or he will
kill him," which they did. During the first part of the
fight I heard voices crying "Go it, Jern—go it." The
prisoner then said that, if lie had a knife, he would rip my
belly up.
Cross-examined.—Had you been drinking with the
prisoner ? No, I had not seen him that night ; I had a
tobacco box in my pocket, which might have been mistaken
for a watch by the prisoner ; we had altogether about nine
pots of porter at the Yorkshire Grey, but I was perfectly
sober. How many were there came up when you was ill-
used? I don't know ; how could I tell, when I was on the
ground.. You can tell, sir, whether they were two or ten?
No, I can't ; there might have been eight or ten, but I
do not know. After getting away from the prisoner, I
went home to bed, and shortly afterwards I was awoke by
a man who told me that Mr. Patrick was murdered ; and
that is all I know of the matter.
Jeremiah Boyle—l am a constable; I was called up by
the deceased, it was nearly half-past twelve- o'clock in the
morning, who told me there was a row, and I must come
and quell it. I saw several persons in the highway.
amongst whom was the prisoner at the bar. The deceased
said to me, pointing to the prisoner, that is the man, you
take him into custody. I immediately seized the pri-
soner, and charged some person in the King's name
to aid and assist me, which they immediately did, but
the prisoner being a strong man, hurled both of us away,
and escaped ; I soon after took him again, and he struck
me a tremendous blow upon the side of the head, which
felled the to the ground. Crooks, the man who assisted
me and the deceased, was struck by a man named Johnson,
and Crooks; in consequence, gave him in charge, and,
as was taking him to the cage, Osborne met
us, ,and said to Johnson, you shan't go without you
choose, but Johnson replied, that he would go quietly,
and he did, I then asked for Mr. Patrick, who ex-
claimed, here I am, and Osborne shall go too; but
Oshorkie' was not taken ; I left him and ethers, near the Red
Cron, 04 ;:cht slung to the cage 'with Johnson. nutaty
minutes had elapsed, between my parting with Patrick,
and agr;(11 treiirning.
Cross-examined by Mr. RYLAND—How came you to
be so' long going to the cage ?—I was obstructed several
times on the road by Osborne ; I cannot say that it was
less than that time.
John Crooks—l recollect the time when Patrick was
killed, it was the 25th of November ; about half-past
twelve I heard a man say near my door, I have got no
money, I have got no watch ; I opened the door, and saw
Big Jem, which is the prisoner at the 'saw him ill
using Parsons—l said, don't kill the man ; when lie rose
from Parsons, and struck me a violent blow en the head.
After recovering from the injury he received, I saw the
prisoner go to his (witness's) paling, and pull one down—
it was securely fastened 'by iron-hooping, and must have
taken great force to remove it. Boyle gave the prisoner in
charge, and Boyle also charged me to assist him, and the
prisoner gave Boyle several blows—a man named Johnson
then struck use, and I gave him in charge to Boyle, who took
him to the cage. ' I then went for further assistance to
take Osborne and the prisoner into custody, and on re-
turning saw the deettied 16ng. on the ground, weltering
in his blood—it was about twenty minutes after that I
found him.
David Sergeant—l live at Colchester—am a labouring
man. I had been drinking at the Yorkshire Grey—l
saw the prisoner, after leaving the houte, knock Boyle
down—Patrick ran to Mr. Cant, the Town Sergeant, for
assistance, to take Osborne into custody. Patrick was
coming from the direction of Cant's towards the Red Cross.
Prisoner was standing on the edge of the gutter, near to
Cant's house. He had a piece of board in his hand, about
the breadth of a foot. It appeared to be about three feet
in length. The prisoner raised both his hands, and struck
Mr. Patrick on the head, who instantly fell and expired.
The prisoner then followed me with the board, which was
bloody, with the intent to strike me; Watts, the constable,
as I was running away, was coming up Magdalen-street, and
holding his staff up, asked me who I was, when Big
Jem, the prisoner, who was behind, struck Watts with
the same piece of board, saying " l'll knock your brains
out."
Cross-examined by 'Mr. RYLAND.--Patrick and
Osborne were near the Red Cross ; had not seen
Watts prior to Patrick being killed. Was Mr. Patrick a
friend of yours—had you received any particular favour
from him ? No, but I frequented his house.
Mr. Watts—l am a constable. I was called up on the
25th, at ten minutes to one o'clock. I saw the prisoner
coming ml,mcvn time street, lie said, you --
knock your bre!ns out, and hit me with a pale, which he
helm' iu both his hands ; the force of the blow cut my hat
in pieces, and threw me several yards from the gutter; I
went towards the place were the deceased lay, and found
several persons carrying his body towards the Yorkshire

Peter Philpot, a shoemaker of Colchester, corroborated
the above evidence. '-
Grey.
Isaac Hawkins.--1 live between the Red Cross public-
house and the Yorkshire Grey, Colchester. It was on the
25th of November, that I was awakened by a noise in the
street, I got up and looked out of my window. I
saw a mob of persons near a dead wall ; I saw a mau
crossing the road, another man met him, having two pieces
of board in Isis hand, one of which be threw away, and
with the other struck at the man with violence, sufficient
to have killed a bullock, I had seen the man a few minutes
before take a piece of wood from the fence. I have not
compared the piece of wood with the fence : I gave Horsley,
the constable, a piece of wood which was found in a wag-
gon, in Maiden Lane. Could you distinguish the fea-
' tures of the man who struck the blow ? It was quite light
enough, the stars were very bright. The spot were Mr.
Patrick was killed, is about 16 feet from my bed room. I
can swear tist the prisoner is the man who struck the blow.
Mrs. Mary Ann Crooks—l am the wife of John Crooks.
I was standing near my own door on the 25th Nov. the
prisoner came, and showed me his hand, and knocked the
nail out, after which he made use of the expression' before
alluded_ to ; the nail praduced.l picked up after the pri-
soner left the door.
Mrs. Watts, who lives near( my door, came
up to me
afterwards, and said, poor Mr. Patrick is murdered ; I
know the prisoner to be. the man who was at my door.
Cross-examined by Mr. Rvrain.—The prisoner went
away immediately on hearing Mrs. Watts say that Patrick
was murdered.
Christopher Harvey.—l am a constable of Colches-
ter; I went in pursuit vs, the prisoner, and apprehen-
ded him at Coggeshall ; I told him that I was a con-
stable of *Colchester, and I wanted him, for Mr. Patrick
was murdered, and, he was charged with it ; he said,