Star.
London, England, 1820-03-31 00:00:00

CHARGE OF MURDER.

Jane Palmer, an interestinglooking girl, aged 18,
vats indicted, on the Coroners Inquisitiono for the
wilful murder of William Gregory, on the 25th of
August last. The Grand Jury had thrown out a bill
for murder, but returned one for manslaughter.
It appeared in evidence, that the deceased was an
elderly man, and hawked pies about the street in the
Borough. On the day mentioned in the indictment,
the prisoner, who was beastly drunk, met the de-

ceased in Dover-street, Blackfriar'sbroadi about oue,
o'clock, and asked him for a pie. He gave Ira' one,
which she ate, and sbe desired- him to let her have
, another ; and after eating that, she demanded a
third, which he refused to give her, siting; " Ptay
me what you owe me first.' She had some half-
pence in her hand, which she offered him. He said,
" No, you owe me sixpence; pay me that?' She
still demanded the pie, but he still.refused ; upon
which she swore at him and abused him. She then
hit him with her fist, on the temple, two or three
blows, and, putting her arm round his neck, hit him
again as hard as she could on the head and breast.
The deceased called out for help to the by-standers,
not being able to assist himself, his pie-pan being
strapped round his neck. Some of the spectatcrs
took the deceased from her: she tiled to get at him
again, and repeated her abuse; she said she would
pay him off. .The deceased put his hand to his
breast, and said he was a dead man. He walked
away, leaning by the wall. In ten minutes after-
wards he was seen sitting down in a breathless state;
he attempted to walk away again, and after going
about six yards he said, " I can walk no further."—
He was then taken home to his lodgings in a cart,
and in five minutes afterwards he died. There ap-
peared to have been no malice on the part of the pri-
soner, and the deceased had known her before.
On the cross-examination of the witnesses, it war.
proved that the deceased had kicked the prisoner
during the scuffle.
Mr. James Cooke, a surgeon, said, he had exa-
mined the body of the deceased. There was a con-
tusion over the left eye, occasioned from a blow or'
fall. On opening the head, he found some extrava-
sated blood on the brain ; the skull was not injured,
but what he observed on the brain was sufficient to
'produce death. The chest and zhdomen were un-
hurt. The deceased appeared to have been in bad
health, and of a weak habit of body. Apoplexy might
have produced an extravasatioa of blood on the
brain. Passion or exertion might have produced
apoplexy, but, probably, in this case, it was occa-
sioned by a blow or fall.
The -prisoner in. her defence, stated that the de-
ceased had kicked.her before she struck him, and she
calleda witness to prove that he had kicked. her (In
her side, and that she had not struck him until then.
Mr. Caron GA RRONV charged the Jury to consider,
first, whether the death of the deceased was occa-
sioned by the act of the prisoner, because, if not, she
was entitled to be acquitted altogethez ; and, next,
whether, if it was so occasioned, there appeat:.d to
have been in the prisoner any malice, direct or im-
plied, because if there was no malice, she mast be
acquitted of the charge of mu: der, though she might
be convicted of mansiauiJiter.
. The Jury, almost instantly, found the prisoner
Guilty of Manslaughter only, and she was sentenced
to five months imprisonment.