The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-01-30
AN ENGLISH MURDER TEST.
a SUPERSTTTTON THAT EVEN YET
mas NOT DIED or
A Brooklyn NorRuc scene that Calls 10 Mind
case iron, the Papers Of Lord COmInis-
sioner Of the lreal senl of Englnnd.

n Bf00klNn nOfGue Frene fbaf ais 10 MtUG
case iron, the Papers of IA Lord Commits
sioncr Of the Great seal of England.
When Pcsuch Nissan Rubcnstcin, who If
soon to he put on trial In BROOKLYN, was d.
d. nly made to face the corpse Of the murdered
girl Esther Alexander, as It lay In the Brooklyn
Morgue, his AFFECT terror and earnest suuplica-
tions to he taken from the place, added to
the strong CHI IN u circumstantial evidence
against him, were taken by the bystanders as
certain indications of his guilt. II is no new
thing to make person suspected Of murder
face the victim I'm the hope that some sign Of
his guilt may be elected. In oden times in
EuglInd It was common to employ what was
known as " the ordeal Of touch ia seeking the
Identification Of a person suspected OF murder.
The following account Of a very remarkable case
Of the kind, which happened in Hertfordshire,
England, is given in 1.-THE Romance Of the
Forum" by Peter Burke, who tells us that II
was found among the papers OF the eminent
lawyer. Sir John Maynard, one OF the Lords
Commissioners Of the Great Seal OF England
Johan Norkctt, wife OF Arthur Norkctt, having
been murdered. tie question was how she came
10y her deathH The Coroner's inquest on view
OF the body, and dispositions OF Mary Norkett,
John Okerman. and Agnes his wife, inclined to
find Johan Norkett"J,lo lode SC; . orthey Informed
the Coroner aud jury that she WIS found dead In
throat cut; that the night before she wen To-
bed with her child, the plaiDtin ia this appeal
ther husband being ABSENT, aud That no other
person, after sucu time she was gone To- bed,
came into her house, the examinants living In
or known If any stranger had come In. whcreup-
on the jury Y We up to the Coroner their verdict
that she was "Jclo Dc &C." But afterward, upon
rumor In their uciChhorhoud. and their obser-
vance Of divers circumstances, which mauif, stcd
that she did not. nor, according to those cir
cumst noes, could ever possibly murder
herself, the Jury whose verdict
drawn into form by the Coroner, desired that
pres, nee NJ the Jury and a vast number of peo-
pie. thirty DAYS alter burial The jury changed
, s,a verdi, me persons, being aits,w,rd i
SO much against the evidence, that Judge
Hewey let fail his opinion. that better an appeal
cor action by the heir against the murderer for
his life, proceeding now abolsheuJ were
brought, than so foul n murder escape unpun-
were tired on the appeal, which W brouent bv
the Young child a1atnst his father, grandmother
and aunt and her husband, Okerman.
because the evidence was so strong" says
Sir John Maynard, II took exact aud particular
notice, and It was as follows:
" An ancient and grave person, minister to the
parish where the murder vas committed,
being swoTn, deposed hat tue body being Ia
death. and living on the grass and the four
defendants present, they were required each OF
tell upon her knees, and Trayed God to snow to-
kens Of her innocence, OF 10 some such purpose
her very words have forgot. The appcllees
!
Of the dead, which WAS before n lVld aud car
ron color, began to have dew or gentle sweat
arise upon II, which Increased by degrees I'LL the
sweat ran down IN drops upon the iac,, the lr"w
turned and changed To a lively ana fresh color.
anu the dead opened one OF her ewes and sn Ut
II again, and this opening tile eve VS. uoue
three sever times she liSew wise thrust oui the
ring or m rriaee hnger three several times. anl
| pulled II IN again; nd the nnger dr9lped ulu"I
upon the grass SIR Nicholas HYDE, chirf
magistrate, seemed 90 DOUBT the evidence and
asked the witbe. :: VINO saw t1is besides ,ouf
Mifncss-'I cannot swear what others saV; tut
my lord said he. i believe the whole company
saw IL; and u 1t had been Thought "a doubi,
proof would have been made Of ii, aud many
would have attested with me-
Then the witness. Deserving some admir-
ton in the auditors, ne spake further. Ny
! Lord. am minister II the J. flsu. and have
known all the parties, but never IA We had any oc-
cd-iun Of Iispicasure against tneul. nor had 10 do
| with them. nor thew with me: nut ~ was min
ister. the thing was wonderful u me. have
NJ iutereSt IN the matter, out as called upon to
testif, the truth, and that have doLe.
his witness was reverend person, about
seventy years Of age; his testimony was deliy
cred gravcly and temperateiy. out to the great
| admiration Of the audtptyi Whereupon. apuL y
| iut himself u the 'het justice, ne sali. Wv
lord, my brother here present Is minister 81 the
| parish adjacent, aud; AN assured saw all done
! that have affirmed
| "Ihcreupon the person was sworn 20 give
! evidence, and dep sed to IN every point, W..
the sweating Of Tue brow, changing OF it, color,
finger. and drawing Il IN again only the first
| Witness added that he himself dipped his finger
| in the blood which came from the dead BODY.
To- examine 1t, and he swOre he heieV II was
blood. i conferred afterward witu sir Edward
| Powell baTrtsttr at law. ana Others. VINO all
| concurred In the Observation; and Tor myself,
II were upon oath, can depOse that these
donntious especially the first witness, are truly
| reported IN substance.
The other evidence was given against the
prisoners, w.. the grandmother Of the plaintln,
| and against Okernan and his wi'e-that they
| confessed that they lay IN the next room 10 the
dead person that night, and that none came
| into the house I'LL they found her dead the next
| morning. Therefore, II she did not murder her
| sell, they must be the murdeTers.- 4 U that end
| further proof was made:
| Fist hat she lay In a composed manner In
| bed, the pedclothes nothing at all disturbed
| aud her child by her in bed.
| "Secondly-lier throat cut from ear TO ear, and
| her neck broken; and II sue first cut her throat,
she could not break her neck IN the bed, mol
| Ihirdly-There was no blood In the bed
save there was "a tincture Of blood On the boil
ster where her head lay, but no substance Of
Fourthly-From the beds head there was a
stream Of blood on the moor. which ran along
Til 1t ponded in the bcndiugs Of the door al the
beo's feet, which pended also on the floor to a
very great quantity; but no continuance OF
communication OF either OF these two places
from one To the other, Deither upon the bed, SC
that she bled In two places severally; and II was
deposed, turning w the ma Of the bed, there
were cots ~ congeaed blood In the straw OF
the mats underneath
"Hfthly-, ne bloody knife was found In the
morn'ng sticking in the Moor, good distance
/ rom the bed, but the point of the knife. as Il
stuck, was TO the bed, aud the hait from thu
! bed.
"Slxthly-There was print Of a thumb ant
forennger OF a left hand.
Sir Nicholas Hyde, Chief Justice. said to TN
witness. How can YOU know the print 81 lei
IA nd from the PRINT OF right hand In such
ca-eY Witness 1t IA hard TO describe but !
1t please that honorable judge to put his lef
hand upon your left hand. you cannot possibl
put your right h nd In the same posture
Which being done and appearing So the de
| PENDANTS had time TO make their defence. bu
gave no evidence To any purpose. The jury. de
parting from the oar and returning, acquitted
Okerman, and found tue other three guilty
who being severaly demanded what they coull
say why judgment should not be pronounced
said no more than dad not do II! did no
do it,"
The grandmother and the husband wey
hanged but the aunt, being with chld, wa
spared
NOW AND THEN.