The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-12-06 00:00:00

ATROCIOUS MURDER AT ST. HELEN'S.

On Saturday last an inquest was held at St. Helen's, before
John Heyes, Esq., coroner, and a respectable jury, of which
Peter Greensll, Esq. was foreman, on the body of Patrick
Stakam, who came to his death under the following circum-
stances ;—lt appeared from the evidence, that on Sunday
sc'nnight, between nine and ten o'clock, the prisoners, George
Murray and John Costello, and several other persons, were
fighting, at Smithy Brow, near where the deceased resided.
After the fight was over, Murray went to the door of the de-
ceased's lodgings and struck it with a stick or poker, which
he had in his hand. He then went into the middle of the
street, and struck a man with this stick or poker, saying,
" D—n you, why did you not come and help us ?" The man
replied, " What could I do." At that time the prisoner
Costello was shouting something in Irish to Murray, when
the latter went to him. Costello had then a potato fork in
his hand. Evidently in concert with each other, and thirst-
ing for blood, these two monsters mutually exchanged their
weapons, Murray being by far the most powerful man, and
consequently better able to use the more destructive weapon
than his companion. He had no sooner got the potato fork
in his hand, than lie advanced upon the deceased, who in the
meantime had come outside the door of his lodgings, and
Murray, with both his hands, upraised the potato fork and
struck the deceased a violent blow on the head, fracturing
his skull in a very violent manner. As deceased was falling
Murray again struck him with the fork on the belly. At the
moment Murray was striking, deceased said, " Don't strike
me with that ;" to which the former replied, " I'm a Con-
naught man, you
brains out." After the deceased fell, be only exclaimed, " I
did not deserve that." He never spoke afterwards.
When Stakam lay on the ground, another man, named.
Philip Macguire, came out of the deceased's lodgings. Mur-
ray attacked him with the same brutal ferocity ; and in all
probability Macguire owed his life to the circumstance of his
lifting up his arm to protect his head, and the consequence
was, that the violence of the blow was received on his arm,
or it might have proved as fatal in his case as it unfortunately
proved to Stakam. During all this time the prisoner Cos-
tello was shouting fiercely to Murray, and, although he was
speaking in Irish, the witnesses had not the slightest doubt,
from his gestures and manner, that he was urg►ng on and
encouraging the other prisoner in his bloody work.
Mr. Gaskell, surgeon, of St. Helen's, was sent for, who
attended `the deceased ; but the injuries received were too
extensive to afford the most remote grounds of hoping for his
recovery. The head of the deceased presented an awful
spectacle; there was a deep wound and a compound fracture
of the left parietal bone, extending from behind the upper
part of the left ear, for about four inches, in the direction of
the crown of the head—the bone was depressed to the depth
of about two inches into the substance of the brain—part of
the brain, to the amount of about three teaspoonful, had
exuded, which had to be cleared away before the depressed
bone could be raised and extracted ; several pieces of the
fractured skull were extracted. He lingered until Friday
morning, about four o'clock, when he died.
After a patient investigation, the jury unhesitatingly gave
a verdict of " Wilful Murder" against both the prisoners,
Murray and Costello, who were co►omitted to take their
trials at the next Liverpool Assizes.
The deceased was about thirty years of age ; and, it may
be remarked, that he had not been at all engaged in the pre-
vious quarrelling and fighting by the prisoners and others,
but merely came to the door on hearing the noise. And from
the fact of the prisoner Murray knocking at the door, and
afterwards going to Costello, who exchanged weapons with
him, and Murray immediately attacking w►th such fearful
barbarity the deceased and Macguire, it was evident that
Murray had the most murderous designs, and that he was
aided and abetted by Costello.
The prisoners are too ill-looking wretches. Murray is
possessed of almost gigantic strength, which has frequently
been displayed in deeds of violence; and as there arc many
warrants out against him, for assaults, &c., which his habits
and character have prevented being executed, it was thought
very likely that he would not be taken; however, Mr. Storey,
who is a very active and resolute man, and who is the
police officer in St. Helens, succeeded in taking him, about
two o'clock, on the morning succeeding the perpetration of
the offence.