Star.
London, England, 1827-08-01 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

FIUNTINGDON, Jinx 31.
THE LATE. HORRID MURDER AT OTIMSVIIT.

_ .
The Grand Jury having yesterday returned a true
bill against Joshua Slade, for the murder of the Rev.
Joshua Waterhouse, at Stuktleys in this neighbourhood,
the Court was this morning filled to ovetflowing at an
early hour. An addit,onal interest was conferred upon
this hoirible transaction by the circumstance of its
being the only murder which has been perpetrated in
this county for the last 4.0 yews.

At nine o'clock the LORD CHIRP BARON entered the
Court, and the Jury having been immediately sworn,
Joshua Slade, aged 18, was put to the bar, charged
with the wilful murder of the Rev. Joshua Waterhouse,
on the Sd of July, at Little Stukeley, in this county.
The prisoner, whose appearance was very juvenile, ad-
vanced to the bar with a steady firm step, and neither
in his gestures nor countenance exhibited the slightest
mark of discomposure or apprehension. On being
asked, in the usual way, whether he was guilty or not?
be replied, calmly and deliberately, s, Not Guilty."
Mr. Sergeant STORKS then proceeded to address the
Jury. Standing as he did in the nature of a prosecutor,
he was anxious to pay a benevolent homage to •the mer-
ciful laws of his country, and to abstain from all inflam-
matory language. He would confine himself to a simple,
plain, cold narrative of the facts of the easy and he
hoped that the Jury would, in a similar spirit, dismiss
from their minds all prejudice, if any had already found
place there. He hoped that they would pot our of
their consideration-all which they might have previously
heard of the circumstances of this case. He hoped that,
forgetting even the sympathies of their nature, they
would regulate their verdict altogether according to the
force and distinctness of the evidence to be adduced
before them, and would, in deciding upon the fate of a
fellow-creature, remember that they were in the pre-
sence of that BEING without whose knowledge and per-
mission not even a sparrow could fall to the ground.
The Learned Gentleman then ptoceeded to state the
facts of the case, and having detailed the various cir-
cumstances which have been already communicated to
the public concerning the habits of the deceased, and
the manner in which the murder was discovered, con-
cluded a brief and distinct,ontline of the evidence by
calling
Ann Gale, who was examined by Mr. HUNT, and de-
posed that she worked at Mr. Waterhouse's as a day
labourer, in the beginning of the present month. She
went to the house on the morning of the murder, at
half-past five o'clock : found Mr. Waterhouse in the
first kitchen. There is a passage, eight or ten yards
long, leading from the first kitchen to the second. The
passage is dark, except when the garden door is open.
Soon after she came in, she went through the passage
to the dairy. In the passage there is a staircase on the
left, and three steps up the staircase there is a door
which leads into the garden. Mr. Waterhouse had
breakfasted. Nobody came into the house until witness
went out. On going out, left Mr. Waterhouse sitting
in his chair, and went into a field near the house. It
was halt-past nine when she went out, and she returned
at eleven. At eleven witness came back to the house
through the yard, and saw a great many people, and a
great alarm had been raised. Witness saw Mr. Wate-
rhouse a corpse, lying upon the ground near a tub, which
was in the passage between the first and second kitchen.
This witness was cross-examined by Mr. Simms/
TAYLOR, who kindly offered his services gratuitously
for the defence—On her cross-examination she said that
a travelling beggar had called at the door before she
went out into the field. He was a person of a weakly
appearance. Witness never saw any of the class of
people called sturdy beggars come to ask alms at Mr.
Waterhouse's.
Wm. Parker, a young boy, worked for Mr. Water-
house as a day labourer. Went to work there on the
morning of the murder at five o'clock. Worked until
evening. Recollects the last witness, Ann Gale, being
there. Saw her in the brewhouse at half-past nine.
The brewhouse is opposite the kitchen door. This was
between nine and ten. Mr. Waterhouse asked witness
if he had carried the sacks into the house? The last
time witness saw Mr. Waterhouse was a little before ten
Mr. Waterhouse was then at the door liming a pitcher.
Went into the house at 11 with Reuben Riggs. Went
into the first kitchen. There is another kitchen, and a
passage between them, in which was a tub. Sat down
on a Corm, from which he could see into the passage,
and there saw master in the tub with his legs hanging
out. The passage is lighted by the door leading to the
garden. The door was in general tight open. When
witness saw Mr. Waterhouse in the tub, he went out to
Mrs. Whitney's house. When witness saw Mr. Water-
house's legs out of the tub, he heard him groan, and
ran away through fright. Saw outside a lad named
Rogers and one Ashby. Returned with both to Mr.
Waterhouse's. Mr. Waterhouse had a dog, which was
in the kennel tied up, ult far from the kitchen door.