The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1876-03-28 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

COWARDLY MURDER.  A young man tinned George Hill, groom, was tried at the Hertford Awizes on Thursday for the murder of his child. The circuinstiunres of the case were of a most painful and at the. same time extraordinary character. The prisoner wad an the version of a gentleman at Mt. Alban's as groom, and he formed a connection with a girl named Sarah Thrussell, about 20 years of age. She gave birth to a child in January, 1£175, and the offence imputed to the prisoner was that he had wilfully destroyed the life of this child. From the time of the birth it appeared that he had expressed great alarm and annoyance, ard he was afraid that it would have the effect of injuring him in the estimation of his master. This feeling was increased when, in June, the mother of the child °Maim.' an affiliation summons against him. She appeared, however, to have acted with great consideration towards the prisoner, for the summons was not served upon him at his waster's, but an arrangement was made that lie should receive it at the magistrate's office. He then, it appeared, promised to marry the mother of the child, the banns were published at St. Peter's Church, at St. Albans, and they published out," salt is termed, on the 27th June. The sth of July was ti get' for the marriage, and the prisoner Informed the girl that he had taken a house for her and furnished it, and that they should go and live there immediately after the marriage. This story was utterly false, and all the facts in the case tended to show that the prisoner had formed a deliberate intention to destroy the life, not only of the child, but of the mother also, in Order to rid himself of the burden of maintaining them..  Sarah Thruasell, the young woman referred to, who gave her evidence with very great propriety and in is most coming manner, was of course the principal witneu for the prosecution. She detailed the nature of the circum• stances that had existed between her and the prisoner, and spoke to his repeated requests that the should come and meet him and I,ring the baby with her. They were to have been married on the Lth of July, and on the previous evening, whieb was Sonde), she yielded to his request to bring the child, and it was arranged that she should go with the prisoner to the house they were to occupy after the marriage. She said that the prisoner took her into the middle of a wheat field, and then asked her to stoop down, because he said he was afraid they should be seen. The prisoner then put his art round her neck and forced her down, and at the same instant he felt a terrible blow on the head. He repeated the blows till she was nearly insensible, and open her saying to him "Oh, Ourge, what are you doing r he replied, "/ am Mint YOU for sending me that piece of paper (in allusion. Si was supposed, to the summons). When she fell down site saw the prisoner striking the child on the head with the hammer, and when it was quiet be placed the child under her clothes. Before the prisoner left he said to her " Are you nearly goner and she replied "Yes," The prisoner then said to her "Can you forgive me what I have done to your and she said " Yee; go away,' and the prisoner then left. The learned Judge having summed up, the Jury retired for about half an hour to deliberate upon the verdict, and upon their return Into court the foreman, In an emphatic Runner, announced that the jury came to the unanimous conclusion that the prisoner was guilty of wilful murder. Lord Coleridge then addressed the prisoner, and said there could be no doubt from the evidence that he was gutity of • most cruel murder upon this poor Idiot, and ft was imporible for the jury to have come to any other decision than they had done. lie then sentenced the pews., to death. The prisoner, before he left the bar, exclaimed "I am thnoonat. I didn't mean to do it, and I did not know I bed the ihnier in guy head."