Star.
London, England, 1826-04-03 00:00:00

, . .
WA it Mamie Sl. •
Michael Ford, a native of Ireland, we* indicte I for
the wilful murder of Richard Perry, on the 6th of lie
cernber last, at Birmingham, by giving hies two morta
blows. no the head with a cleaver. The piisoner pl.eaded
Not
The peculiar attOcity tif the ease made it an object of such in-
terest that the Court was literally cianimed ; and it was with
y the javelin-men could prevent_the i&uwd hi the hall from
overpowering them. The counsel for the prosecution called the
following witnesses:
Mary Perry, examined by Mr. Ceenee.--Witteess
was a niece of the deceased. Her uncle kept a huck-
ster's shop in Miry-Ann-street, B rmingham. Knew the
prisoner, who had been several times at her uncle's shop,
where he was in the habit of purchasing things. On
the night of the 6th of December, about twenty minutes
past ten, she saw him in her uncle's shop. Candles were
lighted in the shop, and her uncle was attending to his
business. The shop-door was open. The prisoner was
standing about the middle of the counter ; her uncle was
on the other side. Her aunt was also in the shop. Wit-
ness was in the house-place (parlour), from -whence she
heard a conversation in the shop. Somebody asked for
a hock of pork. About ten minutes afterl.she saw the
prisoner in the shop; does not know who asked for the
pork. The prisoner said he would pay for the pork, in
order that his hill might not be so large on Saturday.
Her uncle said he had a smaller hock, which would suit
him better. At this time there wee witne's's uncle and
aunt and the prisoner, in the shop. Witness retired to
the kitchen. Her aunt came out of the shop into the
kite hen, and went into the cellar for some beer. Witness
t le.n heard a sound of chopping o i the block like the
chopping of meat. In two minutes afterwards, she
heard tee money-drawer fall, and the money rattle.
Witness went towards the shop doll., and had reached
the sitting room between the shop and kitchen, when
she met the prisoner with the cleaver used by her uncle,
in his hand ; he was coming towards the kitchen door.
The cleaver was raised up with both his hands. He •
had got. into the sitting-room towards the kitchen, when
witness said " You. have murdered my uncle!" and
wrenthed the cleaver from his hands, and threw it on.
the floor.. Witness then flung the prisoner down upon
the RS pliss Perry, the witness, is a slight delicate-
looking young woman', of very mild m inners ; the pri-
soner is a strong, powerful, and rt sae e-looking man).
Witness then ran through the shop into the street ; the
shop-door was at this time shut. She cried out "Mur-
der!" The prisoner ran out after the witness, and got
away. In going through the shop, she saw her uncle
1) ing behind the counter ; blood was running from his
face. At witness's scream, her aunt came into the shop:
they tried to lift her uncle, but could nut. Siw wounds
on his head. Some persons came in, and they removed
him into the kitchen. Witness observed money lying
about her uncle, and the drawer on the floor. She gave
the cleaver to Ann Smith, who came in on the alarm.
There was blood on the counter and on the drawer.
Her uncle had a straw hat on whilst talking to the pri-
soner. No other person was in the shop when witness
met the prisoner with the cleaver in his hand, coming
forwaid towards the kitchen. Upon her saying " You
have murdered my uncle," he said nothing.
Harry Adkins, the officer, pro laced the cleaver,
which had been delivered io him by Ann Smith. (It
was a formidable weapon, about three feet long, half
blade and half handle ; the forirr broad towards the
handle, the edge curving to a pow at- top, so as to de:
scribe the segment of a large circle.) There was blood
onthe point of the cleaver when witness received it. He
produced also the drawer, which Miss Perry had given
him, and a black straw hat.
Cross- xamined by M. Goos.soes.—The prisoner
had dealt with her uncle abr ut five weeks. There had
been no quarrel between them ; they were always on
goad te:ms. Though witness was agita'ed and Alarmed
when she saw the prisoner coming towards her, yet is
positive she does not mistake his person. Her uncle
and he had been laughing 'and joking Loge ber; had
there been high words, witness must have heard them.
Recogi ized the prisoner by a hole or mark in his cheek.
(Here the prisoner exhibited a smile, apparently of
scorn). When witness threw the prisoner down, there
was only a momentary struggle. The person who
committed the murder did it when the shop-door was
open, as well as the parlour-door, and a passage through
the counter. The witness repeated her certainty of the
prisoner being the man ; had other people been in the
shop she must have beard them.
By the JUDGL—Witness never heard the dim shut; is was not
latched, but merely put to. The shop-shutter. were up. The door
of the shop was glass ; but the shutters were up.
Hannah Perry, examined by Mr. RBADILIt. ,—Witness
is the widow of the deceased. She had known the pri-
soner about three weeks before the death of her hus-
band. He had been employed by them to get up some
potatoes. He was in the habit of coming to the shop ;
and was there on the morning of the murder, when be
bought a loaf and half a pOund of bacon. The deceased
had been very kind to him. There was a book kept in
which her husband used to enter what the prisoner
had, and he paid when he had money. On the
night of the murder, he came in at half-past ten.—
Wi ness's husband had just put up the shutters,
and was cottering (fastening) them when he came.—
He asked for halt an ounce of coffee, a quartet of a
pound of sugar, half a pound of bacon, a loaf,, and, a
quartern of potatoes; Part witness served him, and part
her husband; the articles were placed on die counter,
except the pre aloes, which were put into the prisoner's
apron. After the deceased had finished cottering the
windows, he came behind the counter where witness
strand, and entered the articles in the prisoner's book.
The prisoner then asked for a hock of pork, and the
deceased reached two down, and said one would come
to 15d. or 16d. The prisoner said that would do, and
desired her husband to chop it. Deceased fetched the
chopper. The prisoner said he would pay for the
pork, as he did not wish it to be put down, to make his
score bigger. • Her husband shopped the pork on the
bench near the door, on the customers side (the usual
place), and left it there, the cleaver by it. The prisoner
stood talking to her husband, who was close to ti e
bench or block, on which his foot leaned ; his back was
against the counter. Witness left the shop to go into .
the cellar for a sup of beer. No person had been in the
shop but the prisoner after the shutters had been put
up, and no other person was there when witness left the
shop. The parlour was between the shop and the -
kitchen. Witness's niece was in the kitcheo. The door
from the shop to the parlour, and that from the parlour
to the kitchen, %%tie both open. Witness had been in
the cellar five minutes or more when she heard a noise
of the money drawer falling, and ran up stairs. Met
her niece, and heard ter exclaim, " He has murdered
my uncle r As soon as witness entered the shop she
observed the prisoner going down the shop steps into
the street. Saw ber husband on the ground behind the
' counter, his head resting on a little emery tub. At-