The Sun. — 1840-08-19 (London, England)

ASSIZE IN  MIDLAND CIRCUIT—WAn;vicx, Acc. 17. Josiah Lilly, aged 17, was charged on the Coroner's inquisition with the murder of Harriet Wright, aged 19. On the morning of the 7th of May last, between three thed to b o tdhye Dog and four o'clock a boatman, who was on the Birmingham canal, perceived a man's hat lying under a bridge, called Walmer-bridge, and on approaching the same, and looking about, he saw a bonnet and cap floating on the water, when he went and got a boathook, and succeeded in bringincof the deceased, Duckp which public-house. b i ewas-h ouse. Inquiries being made into the circumstance, it was soon subsequently to the bc;rnrkie ascertained that the prisoner and deceased had been upon terms of intimacy with each other, and that she was last seen alive in young Lilly's company the evening before. It seems that upon the body being seen by a policeman, he immediately identified it as being a person well known to him, and he proceeded to her father's, and, upon learning certain matters front him lie proceeded to the place of abode of Lilly, he being at his father's house. The policeman on going into the prisoner's bed-roam at half past five in the morning, said he was come to arrest him for the murder of the girl, without mentioning any name, whereupon Lilly said, " What, is she deep,' The policeman said she was dead, when Lilly rejoined, " If I am hanged for her I shall cie innocent." While the prisoner was dressing the policeman showed him the hat, and asked if it was his? He replied that it was, and that it had been knocked off his head the night before its Steelhouse-lane. The prisoner was then taken to the station-house, but was subsequently removed to the public-house where the body lay. Upon entering the room the father of deceased said to Lilly, "You villain, you have done for my daughter at last," to which Lilly made no reply; but having his back to the deceased, one of the police said, " Why don't you look at her ?" to which he replied, " Oh, I have seen enough of her." He, however, was to all appearancelinuch affected. Ann Alitchell, an acquaintance of deceased, proved that she met Wright and the prisoner in company together in Cleveland-street. Deceased spoke to witness, and then tilloweci and overtook the prisoner, and they walked away Is the direction to the canal. A policeman who was on duty near the canal, deposed to seeing them in company together, and, to his seeming, they appeared to be quarrelling. Deceased was asking the prisoner to give her back ber bonnet and shawl, which it appeared he had been taken up for stealing, but the deceased not appearing against him, he was liberated on that very morning. Prisoner said he'a bonnet her for what she had done that morning. It also appeared from other witnesses that moans were heard as if coming from some person in the water—that they lasted only a short time, and noises being frequent in that neighbourhood, little atttention was excited by the circumstance. A person also resembling the prisoner was met much about the same time running from the canal, and without a bat. The prisoner had given two different accounts about his hat—first that it had been knocked off by a person in passing ; the second account beiug that the deceased herself had taken it, and that as they were walking by the canal she threatened to drown herself, and that he ran away and left her. The whole was a case of eircumstantial evidence. The prisoner denied his being guilty of the crime alleged, and a letter was put in, written only a week before the occurrence in question, from the prisoner to the deceased, and which was couched in the mo t affectionate terms. The Jury acquitted the prisoner. (Nisi Prius Court.)