Star.
London, England, 1825-08-30 00:00:00

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not state in what condition her clothes were, -as I did
not take particular notice of .them.. The woman kept
her head moving up ind do‘n, and moaning. • When
I first saw her, I thought she had cut her own throat,
because there was something, which I thought to be
her can, tied across her face. The prisoner did not
touch her at this time. He said to me, as we were
going up to the wood, that he had sten something en
. her lace, which he thought was sludge,. and, which led
to suppose that she had been smothered. • He had
Oriel re put his hand upon her cheek, which he
thought was hanging off. He likewise said that he
thought it was her liver, or some of her inside, that
was hanging out of her mouth. That was all the con-
versation we had-together ; except that he said, that
as he was coming down the wood, he heard a moan.—
that he stopped a bit, when he heard another—that
he went over the field—that he saw her bonnet and
shawl on the bank—that he looktd over the hedge,
and saw her lying in the field—that he then went into
the field, and saw something on her face—that he took
it to be a sludge; and that he thought she had been
drunk and was smothered. He said that he then ran
borne and told us.
Coss-examined by Mr. Serjeant Caoss.—l know
w' ere the chapel is. It is about half a mile from our
house. In older to get to it, we cross the river at
Briiiksway-bridge, and go along the public road
through the wood. The wood is on both sides of the
wad. In going to the chapel, Mr. Gee's gates would
be on the right. A little farther on, there is a stile in
a field belonging to Mr. Gee, nearly opposite his gates.
The poor woman was lying on the left side of the high-
way, and about twenty yards from it. The prisoner
took us by the nearest way to the poor woman. He
carried the lanthorn all the way to the place, and also
when the woman was carried to the Dispensary. We
had not numbers sufficient at first to carry her.
We got assistance afterwards. If I had discovered the
woman first, I should have run home, and asked for
assistanc.. He told me that he had run all the way
home, and on calling me up, he appeared to have been
sunning, and to be in a hurry. On my stopping to tell
the woman of the house where we were going, he
snatched the lanthorn from me in a hurry, and told me
to make haste. He appeared to me to be anxious in
every way to give assistance to the poor woman. When
we got to Brookes's shop, the prisoner asked Brookes to
lend him a shutter to bring the poor woman on, as she
was near 4 de td? Brookes refused to lend one, saying
that there was no occasion. After we had seen the poor
woman we went back to Brookes's to get further assist.
ance. We then went again to her with a good many people,
and carried her to the Dispensary at Stockport. The
prisoner went to the Dispensary with his lanthorn.
Buckley and I went also with the woman to the Dis-
• pens:ay, but were not let in. We then went home, and
the prisoner re:urned to us in about twenty minutes.
The distance from our house to the place where the
woman was found was about 200 yards.
Ite-examined.—There are some houses, but I cannot
say how many, between the place where the woman
was found, and where we lodged. I should not have
called at those houses, had I found the woman mur-
dered. I should not have had the presence of mind to
do so. The prisoner might have called at those houses,
but dial not. When I and Buckley and Hanlam found
the body first, we did not attempt to remove it. We
went back to Brookes's. We called at no house in the

way there, though there were four or five houses in it.
'We met nobody on the road. We found three or four
people standing before Brookes's door. We told them
what we had found. We did not meet two women
before we got to the people at Brookes's. We met
them at the door.
By •Mr. Serjeant Caosa.—The nearest house to the spot where
the deceased was found, is eighty yards nearer to it than our house.
I do not think that he would have got assistance sooner by calling
at that house instead of calling at ours.
Other witnesses were examined.—lt was proved that
blood was found on the prisoner's shirt and clothes, for
which he did not satisfactorily account. The prisoner
stated to the constable that he had met his sweetheart
on the night in question. This was doubted by the
officer, but confirmed by the female who had been
mentioned.
A Surgeon spoke to the deceased having died from the violence
which she had sustained.
Being called upon for his defence, the prisoner said,
" Well, my Lord, that James Wild, who says that he
saw me in that field on that night, has sworn that which
is not true. I never was in that field that night or that
day, though I have been in it many a day and many
a night before. About ten minutes past nine on the
Friday night iu question, the young woman, whom 1
have been a courting, came up with use to this gate of
Mr. Gee's. She went inside the gate, and I went out-
s'tf,e. We were there about two or three minutes con-
versing together, when a man came up along the path-
road leading front Edgely. I was leaning on the inside
of the gate, and she on the outside, when I bid her
stand out of the way and let the man come out. She
did so, and stooped her head: When the mats passed
by her, I perceived her raise her head and smile. I
asked her if she knew the man? S!re said that she
did, but ,she believed that he did not know her. In
two or three minutes afterwards I left her, and we both
of us proceeded homewards. Between that gate and
the topwood, I met a woman and her daughter, whom
I knew from their coming to the house where I reside.
I did not speak to them. On my entrance into the
wood, a man and woman were standing there. As
soon as I came up to this man and woman, the woman
walked a little before me. I rather surprised them.
When I came up to the woman, she turned up quite
sudden and passed me by. The man followed her.
They went along the Edgely-road, and I went along
tl:e wood. On passing them by, I turned about, looked
after the.o, and took no farther note. I walked ♦ery
smart along the wood till I came to Mr. Gee's steps,
Arta the right hand side of the road. When I came to
those steps, I thought I heard a hustling noise upon
the r, which made me quicken my pace. I proceeded
on a few yards, when I heard the moans of the de-
ceased. I did not stop when I heard the first moan.
I proceeded on, till it wat• repeated. I then stopped,
and put my two hands on the rail which goes along the
wood. I thought that I heard somebody whistling in
Mr. M .rshlaau's garden, and it encouraged me to look
what was doing. I put one leg over the ra 1, and the
noise ceased. I stopped so for about eight or ten se-
conds, when the flay commenced again.
.1 walked on
a bit very slowly, and rather stooping. I passed the
place where the woman lay, and walked in the wood a
lade on the slant of the hill. I thought the mut& was
100 yards from me; a..d from the stifling noise the
woman made, I thought it was some man ill-treating
a woman. I walked on. I saw something white on
the ground. 1 stooped to see whether it had motion.,