Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-03-10
Oyer and Termincr.

nance indicates nothing from which any one would
! suspeethim Of such crime While the clerk was
swearing the jury, and during the process Of calling
and challenging them, he regarded each individual
with look OF great anxiety and seemed slightly ex-
| cited.
| The following gentlemen were sworn to try the
case:
y yohn EyfrTcs, John Brais'ed
John n Muller Henry smith
WIN. +. pnchbeck Aaron L. Reed
Ma ruG' y a,I Baaa, John ohm " Wi SGGS'''
The indictment was then read by the clerk. Ii
charged the prisoner with causing the death of his
wife Jemmima, by stabbing her with a knife on the
18th of September lest.
The District Attorney briefly stated tl,e case to
the Jury and called the following:
Aitchesar Backwood, examined. ! keep apublic
house at No. 20 Peck Slip, and resided there at the
time of the death of prisoners wife She was mar
ket woman, and often dealt with her. had known
her hus band for few months previous to the affair.
He appeared as if he assisted her in the business
which she carried She was smart, industrieus,
and should say, prudent sober woman One eve
ming in September, the prisoner came to my house
bet cen III and IL o'clock, with stick in his hand
Ii was not a walking cane, bat rough stick.
ed him what he had itfor, and he replied he could
not tell, his legs felt very queer He asked Tor
something drink, which gave, and he left About
two hours after he returned talked about his legs in
pretty much the same way, and stald until lbtle
before daylight, and then he went of again. Alter
daylight he came with histwe children, and on my
expressing some surprise at seeing him with them
early, he said his wife had stabbed herself
asked him if she dead, and he said he tn lght
not. then said, did you leave her alone! to whfch
he replied YES then said it would not do to leave
her alone, and that he ought to have alarmed the
house. He replied that he did not know any OF the
people in the house, but he would get some one IN
the market He went away, but came back and SAID
he had got no one, and asked me if | would go
said yes. And were about starting, when he asked
the child " if his mother was crazy! What made
her kill herself, and what had she done with the
ney'" The child replied, &c bdont know" Onrthe
way t. his house. asked him some questions as TO
how she did it? and what she did it with To which
he replied, that she said she would stab herself il
he went out, but that he did rot believe her, and
she had done it with knife Of his; that she had
done it with knife which he had used for fort
night. When got to the house, he wanted me to
90 in first, which declined, and told him to go in
like He hen went in and followed.
Here the witness described the appearance OF the
body, all (which was reported IN the proceedings
before the Coroner On our coming into the room
found a candle glmmering on the table, and the
prisoner called his wife by name" Jemmima"-He
then said fear she has done the fatal deed
then teld him he must get light right away when
he said che could'nt-he was afraid" He then went
out but came back and said nobody up, and he
could get none" j then heard party OF iremen
coming along. and called to them saying, " woman
had stabbed herself, and wasted light and some
assistance They laughed and hooted me, and went
on. then went round the corner, and told a man
who was taking down shutters; but he said he did
not want 20 be bothered ana would mt give me
light l then went to others, who refused me, and
finally went to a woman whom | saw dressing her
self by light in basement and she gave me lamp
l then discovered that the woman cold and stiff.
then told him that he could not have heard her
groan when he with the children, for she must
have been dead before that After he had got light
he put il the table, and looking at the body, said
&" once thought good deal VI you, but - and
he paused. / then told him, there must be an alarm
raised and that he must get the family up. He said
he was afraid and asked il i would go with him.
said YES and and went up to the yard, where
boy was opening the windows ] asked if their
(1llr .,I hnt Id sud he
feared his wife had killed herself
told him To wait a little till took the lamp home,
he went below, and when got back he was gone
then got some persons TO come with me, by teine,
them a woman had killed herelf They came, ard
we found knife (now produeed) lying in front O.
her stomach. At length we moved the body, and
found several wounds, principally ON the back p
the body and we determined on sending for the AL
derman Of the ward He came shortly, and after
seeing the knife and other things he came To tlr
conclusion that she had besn murdered. The Al
derman then appointed three Of us to go and find tire
prisoner. We went 10 several places, and heard Of
him, and BY the time got back to the house again
Alderman Guion had arrested him, and had got hsh
Of him by the wrist. The Alderman called my at
tention TO spot Of blood on Morgan's wrist TIE
Alderman said the prisoner had told him he got the
blood by handling the body when he first went in
and prisoner appealed to me for the truth OF that
sertion. I said he had not touched the body The
Alderman said if so, the blood would have been on
the in tide Of the body aud think he remarked, 4" |
suppose III have to sufJr for it, but I'm insocest."
He said this after the commitment was made out,
ani ct as they were taxing him of.
g.. B. Mead cxamnst.-l live at % Roosevelt
street. Ga the morning Of the 10Th Of ,scptenb-
the last witness told uS chat woman wsS lying in
a has cment under vicious eircunstSaoes went
in with him and saw tie body.
This witness then went on to give a. similar dc.
scr,ption Of the body the last witness had done.
The only material fact which was elected from
thecross examination OF this witness that the
prisoner. while going'to the prison, manifested a
desire To have some t!sing to drink, which was de-
ni-d him.
A. Sidney Doane examined.-1 am medical man,
and assisted in the post norton examination OF
Jemmima Morgan. al the dead house in the park
There were twelve wounds the tedy, prise pally
aoout the chest arms and scapuls, The witness
pointed the Jury, from his notes made at the
exam nation, the situation " the several wounds,
by referring to hrs own person. The. wousd which
had caused death had penetrated the LETT lobe OF the
hung, severed t.s~ pcricardium, and also the pull
monary artery. He thought such a. woucd might
have been inflicted nv the deceased herself. some
ri the Others were doubtful The probability is, that
the wound on the left side must have osnsed her
death IN about one minute.
On his croSs.esamination, the witness said, that
he would not undertake to say whether all the
wounds except the fatal one, were inEistcd before
or after death.
DR. DsaHe recall eddy the Gonrt-n would be a
difficult master TO saw IL there had been no other
wound but the one through the heart, whether II
had been inflicted by the deceased hsesclf or not.
To be concluded tomorrow.