Star.
London, England, 1825-04-13 00:00:00

011EST4R GREAT SESSIONS, APRIL 11.

• ---.6.
James &mister was indicted for the murder of Mary
Semister, his wife.
Alice Wild, examined by Mr. Asnworrit.—l Pm tile
daughter of the deceased. lam married, and live at
Newton. The deceased and the prisoner live at 114-
lingworth. On Saturday, the 12th February, my mo-
ther came to visit me. She was then better than I had
seen her for several weeks before. She remained till the
next day, when the prisoner, her husband, came for her.
On the Saturday and Sunday the deceased drank a
noggin (a quarter of a pint) of gin, but it did not take
an effect on bei. Her husband came to my house about
half•past two o'clock on Sunday, to fetch her. He had
a lantern, which my mother said he had broken, and
scolded him for it. The prisoner said, " Well, Mary, if
I have broken it, I got it pieced for thee." This !un-
dated a slight altercation, but they soon got friends
again. They left my house about half-past five in du,
evening. The deceased seas then quite sober I hodievo.
Croweiandned by Mr. Jonas—The prisoner came on purpose to
take care of his wife. He brought the candle and Islam' to lialit
her along. My mother's age was about 37. Some weeks I)..fore
the deceased had tumbled down and broken her arm. I never heard
where the misfortune happened,or that she was in liquor at the time.
John Clarke, examined by the ATTORNEY GENERAL.
—I am a publican, and live at Niottram. The orisonet
and the dec'seJ were at my house a little after eight nn
Sunday evening, and had a pint of beer and a noggin
of gin, which tl•ey drank together, :he female tAing a
glass of gin to herself, and the remainder being mixed
with the beer. When thee left the In u,e, S mister had
with him a blackthorn stack. The deceased wax rather
intoxicat-d; so e could walk and .talk. Tke r rikonei
was till in liquor. The next in, rtiirg, :ihnut seven
o'clock, the prisoner came to my house to ask if his wife
had taken any more drink than he had g;ven het ? lie
was told she had not. Ile said, I suppose you have
heard what h 'opened? and on my saying I had, .and
asking how it had occurred, he 'aid he saw nothing she
ailed till they had crossed a field, and come to a gap in
a stone wall, where he stayed behind, and on overtaking
her, she hal fallen down and hurt herself dreadfully.
Cross examined.—When they were in nay house they were very
agreeable together. The deceased went into the kitchen to smoke
a pipe with my wife. My house is about a mile from the prisoner's,
and two from the deceased's daughter's. In their way home there
were some stone steps. They were awkward steps,and have been
akered since this affair happened.
By the Coors:.—The steps were more than ten or twelve yards
from my door. The p ce where the prisoner said the gap was, is
at the other end of the Id, two hundred yards distant. There were
a great many mei across the path in this place. It was a
.I,
dark night.
William Oldham, aharter of Hollingworth, swot n,—
I was going across the field home, and heard a person
breathing heavily. I went to the spot, and found a per-
son lying on the ground with her feet in a line with the
foot-path. Her body was doubled down, and her head
towards a ditch. This was about a hundred yards
from the gap in the wall, and three hundred from the
public-house. It was too dark to see anything, and on
patting my hand down, I found . the bonnet and cap
were off. I asked the won in several questions w;th-
out receiving any answer, hut she made a move, as if to
get up. I saw a light in the field, at some distance
from us, and called the person to come to my assistalce.,
He did not come, so that I dragged the woman to a
bank, and having placed her back against it, went to
the man with a light, and said " Come this way, for
here's a woman very tipsy, or very ill." The prisoner
said" Which way ?" as if ignorant of his wife being
these. I took him back to the woman, and directly the
light flashed upon her face, I saw who it was, and said,
" Why, Jem, it is thy wife " Tne prisoner set his light
down, and said she had been to see her children, that

they generally gave her money, which she often made
bad use of, of en drinking it before she got home ; and
he had blamed them for giving it to her several times. I
then left them, and on looking back, I saw the prisoner
as if endeavouring to get her up. I heard him say,
" Get up, for my candle is almost done; let us go
home." The woman said, " No." He repeated the
same request several times, till at length he appeared to
get rather angry with her. I returned to the same
place afterwards, and found the prisoner and his wife
still there in the dark. The prisoner was a few yards
from the deceased, and said he was going to a neigh-
bouring cottage to get a light. I got him a light from
my house, and on going to the woman, and seeing the
condition she was in, I said, " I doubt whether she will
ever wa k again." Semister said," Oh! I have seen her
as bad before." I advised him to go to a barn close by,
to get a barrow to wheel her home. He seemed not to
like wheeling his wife home, as he thought she could
walk : I then left him.
The trial was not finished when the post was sent off.