The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-08-28 00:00:00

been represented. He looked well, and stepped lightly
up to the bar, apparently unconcerned at the awful posi-
tion in which he stood. However, as the indictment was
read, he listened to it with the greatest attention. The
usual question being put by the Clerk of the Crown, after
the reading the indictment, " How say you, guilty or not
guilty," the prisoner replied quickly, with a strongly
marked " Irish brogue," and with great emphasis, " not
guilty."
In appearance the stranger is extremely unintellectual,
has a small head, and a low forehead, but with little de-
velopment on the front part of the cranium. The sides
of the head are very plump. His face is short, with deep
sunken eyes and prominent cheek bones that help to form
the outline of his profile : the contour of his features are
anything but sympathetic or benevolent. His hair is dark
brown, and when he appeared in the dock he wore a black
silk neckerch ef, a dark plaid shooting coat, and dark

waistcoat and trowsers. .
The Jury was then sworn, and the prisoner given in
charge for having, on the 28th of March, in the present
year, feloniously killed and slain Mary Parr, the servant
of Mrs. Hentichson.

Mr. Sergeant Wilkins, Mr. Blair, and Mr. Pagett, ap-
peared for the prosecution ; and Mr. Pollock and Mr.

Brett defended the prisoner.-
Mr. Sergeant WILKINs then rose, and stated the case
on behalf of the prosecution. He said that under the
sacred bonds and obligations of justice imposed upon the
jury by the oath they had just taken, their duty was
clearly pointed out and limited, and under that sacred
bond they were bound to discharge that duty manfully and
honestly, to look at the facts which he should proceed to
lay before them, and without the interference of any
sinister motive or impulse ; without fear or without hope,
in a straightforward and manly manner, they were to pro-
nounce their verdict guilty or not guilty, according to the
evidence which would be laid before them. In order not

to encumber them with any intricacies, his learned friends
and himself bad come to the conclusion that it would be
desirable to take the facts of the case in the order of time

in which they had occurred from the first moment in
which the prisoner appeared on the stage to the moment
of his apprehension. The servant girl, Mary Parr, was
about 30 years of age, and the family then at home con-
sisted of Mrs. Henrichson, and her two little boys, the
one five and the other three years of age, and of Mary
Parr, the deceased, whose death was the subject of the
present inquiry. They would be told that, on Tuesday,
the 27th of March, the prisoner called at the house, and
inquired for apartments, and after some inquiry, he agreed
to take the back parlour and front bed-room. It would
be shown to them that the prisoner's taking these apart-
ments was a mere pretext—that he already had apart-
ments in another part of the town, and to which he again
went after the transactions in connexion with this case had

taken place. After he concluded his agreement with Mrs.
Henrichson be went out, and in a short time returned
again. He then went out a second time, and returned at
ten o'clock in the evening, and soon after wards we►,t to
bed; but before doing so he told Mrs. Henrichson that
which he knew to be a falsehood—he said that he was

expecting some luggage and that it would be there to-
morrow, when, in truth, there was no foundation for any
such statement. Early on the following morning he
went out, and the first that they heard of him was at a
tavern in Great George-street, where, about nine o'clock
they found he bad a glass of ale. The prisoner said that
he could not write, and the landlady of the house called her
daughter, who came into the bar, and according to the in-
structions of the prisoner directed a letter to John Wilson,
at No. 20, Leveson-street. After he left the tavern he
called a boy in the street, named M'Dermot, and told
him to watch him into the house in Leveson-street, and

to follow him in a few minutes afterwards with the letter.

The boy watched the prisoner into the house as desired by
him, and in about five minutes afterwards he followed
him, and knocked at the door, and the deceased Mary
Parr came to the door. The boy asked if the prisoner
lived there, when she said " Yes, here he is." It was

important to remark here, that at the time the boy came
to the house the prisoner was without money, and he bor-
rowed some half-pence from Mrs. Henrichson to reward
the boy. In the course of the forenoon, Mrs. Henrich-

son went out to purchase articles for the use of the house,
and the first shop at which she called was at that of a
Mr. Cox, in St. James'-street, where she purchased a
quantity of potatoes. A boy named Anthony Carney was
directed to take these potatoes to Mrs.Henrichson's house.
When the boy Carney knocked at the door, the prisoner
answered it, and took the potatoes from him. He did
not open the door thoroughly, but only in part. In a few
moments the prisoner returned to the door with the basket
which had contained the potatoes, and gave it to the boy ;
and the jury would hear that this boy was much struck
with the appearance of the prisoner. On going down the
steps from the house, he met Mrs. Henrichson coming
home. He thought there could be no doubt in the mind
of any rational being that almost the moment that un-
fortunate laJy got into the house, she was murdered by
the prisoner in the same manner as he had already mur-
dered her servant : because she was found with her bon-
net and gloves on, lying partly in the lobby of the house.
Whilst Mrs. Henrichson was out, she had occasion to;call
at the shop of a Mr. Roebuck, where she purchased some
jugs, and young Roebuck took the jugs to Mrs. Henrich-
son's house. The boy knocked at the door for a long
time, and still he did not hear any one coming. He then
looked through the key-hole, and saw the legs of a female
lying across the lobby. Afterwards he looked through
the parlour window, and saw the servant lying there, into
the cause of whose death they were then inqui,ing, and
the little boy, five years old, was lying beside her, with
his hand over her. [The learned counsel then pro-
ceeded to state the circumstances connected with the
discovery of the bodies, after the alarm was given
by the boy Roebuck and others.] After the bodies had
been discovered, the authorities found, on going into Mrs.
Henrichson's room, that her jewels and other things had
been taken away ; and on examining the prisoner's bed-
room, they found a quantity of bloody water, from which
it would appear that he had been washing his hands. The
depositions of the servant-girl herself would be laid before
them, and it seemed to him that that statement alone
could leave no doubt whatever on the minds of the jury
as to the guilt of the prisoner. The learned counsel then
proceeded to speak of the movements of the prisoner after
the murder had been committed, and traced him to what
is called the figure-of-eight pit, at Windsor, in Toxteth-
park, where he was seen washing his clothes. The prisoner
then went to Mr. Tunstall's shop to offer a valuable gold
watch for sale, where the sbopman remarked upon his
singular appearance. He then went to the shop of Mr.
Finn, in Great Homer-street. where he changed his trou-
sers. From this, he was traced into the street where he
gave his old trousers, spotted with blood, to a paviour.
He next went to Mr. Oswin's shop, where he took off his
boots and offered them for sale, which the shopkeeper
refused, but which were sold to a poor woman for two
shillings. From this shop he went to his own lodgings
in Porter-street--a house kept by Mrs. Collopy. This
witness would tell the jury he had changed his clothes,
and had a gold watch and chain. Here he asked for a
clean shirt. She fetched her husband's shirt. The shirt
he bad on was stained with blood. Mrs. Collopy asked
for money, when the prisoner pulled out a purse with
silver in it, which she went with him to get changed for
gold. At six o'clock in the evening he was at Jacob
Samuel's shoe in Great Howard-street, to be shaved,
but this was only as an excuse for getting a wig.
After detailing several other circumstances connected
with the charge, the learned counsel concluded his
address with the following remarks :—I am not aware
that I have omitted anything. The circumstances them-
selves speak so strongly and so loudly that it is not ne-
cessary for me to make any further comment. The
prisoner stands here this day on a charge of wilful mur-
der. Society, religion, and the well-being of us all re-
quire that you should discharge your duties manfully,
faithfully and honestly, and give your verdict fearlessly,
whether it be on the one side or on the other.
The several statements made by the learned sergeant
were then sworn to by the witnesses in succession. As
their evidence has already appeared in the Standard, in
addition to being embodied in the learned sergeant's ad-
dress, it is unnecessary to give it in detail.
Mr. POLLOCK shortly cross-examined one or two of
them, and did not elicit anything which in any way affected
their testimony.
As an objection was taken by Mr. Pollock to the admis-
sion of the depositions of Mary Parr, the deceased, we
give that part of the proceedings referring to it.
Mr. WilliamJamesonlsaid that he was clerk to thestipen-
diary magistrate, and on the 30th of March he was present
at Toxteth Hospital when the deposition of Mary Parr
was taken. The prisoner and Mr. Rushton were also
present, and after the examination was taken, the priso-
ner was asked if he had any question to ask.
Cross-examined : The prisoner was within three or four
yards of the witness when the oath was administered.
No charge was made against him there but what was on
the oath of the witness. I heard no charge before the
deposition was taken. The prisoner was taken from
bridewell to the hospital, and to the bedside where the
girl was sworn.
Mr. Sergeant WILKINS then proposed to read the de-
position of Mary Parr, as evidence.
Mr. Pommel( objected, on the ground that no intima-
tion bad been made to the prisoner, at the time the depo-
sition was taken, of an 3 charge being against him relative
to the person whose deposition was about being taken.
The learned gentleman referred to the act under which
the deposition was taken, the 11th and 12th Vic., cap. 1
and 2, in support of his objection.
Mr. Jameson and Mr. Rushton were then examined as
to whether the prisoner was informed before or at the
time the depositions were taken there was any charge
against him relative to the deceased. Both gentlemen
stated that no such information had been given, and his
Lordship, after referring to the statute, concurred in the
view taken by Mr. Pollock, and held that the deposition
was inadmissible.
During the absence of Mr. Justice Patteson, who re-
tired to hold a consultation with his brother Mr. Justice
Wightman, a burst of feeling rose in court, and the pri-
soner, who stood in the dock, was greeted with a volley of
hisses. He turned round with the utmost boldness, and,
in a tone audible to all persons in the crowded court, said,
" You had better mind what you are doing, you may get
into the wrong box yourselves." He was put down.
At the close of the examination of Mr. Clough, super-
intendent of police, who received the prisoner into custody
on the charge, his Lordship said this witness had acted
somewhat improperly in asking the prisoner questions as
to where he had been two or three days previous. He had
no right to question a prisoner.
The case for the prosecution having closed.
Mr. POLLOCK proceeded to address the jury for the de-
fence, and after the disgraceful exhibition of feeling which
had taken place in court, said he expected from the jury
a calm, a solemn, and patient hearing. He did not con-
ceal it from himself, nor from the jury, that the prisoner
was prejudged ; he told them, in the face of day, that he
had been condemned by nine-tenths of those present
before he was heard on his trial ; and was this in England?
Was this the place of which they boasted of the freedom
of the subject ? He (Mr. Pollock) was there to defend a
man whose life was at stake. He bad been ineerrupted.