The Sun. — 1845-03-15 (London, England)

THE CROOME MURDER. The trial of the ten men for the murder of Thomas Staite, at Croome, on the night of the 19th of December last, was resumed this morning, before Chief Baron Pollock. At the adjournment of the Court last night, the jury were locked up for the night, provision being made for their accommodation at the county Courts. The trial was resumed at the early hour of eight o'clock this morning, at which time, on the Court being opened, there was again an awful crush for places, and the Court was crammed to excess throughout the day. The day's proceedings commenced with the examination of witnesses called for the purpose of showing that several of the prisoners had, during their incarceration, expressed a desire to make confessions to the officers of the gaol. Mr. Stables, the clerk to the county prison ; the Rev. W. Adlington, the chaplain ; T. G. Curtler, Esq. onoof the visiting magistrates; and one of the turnkeys were called for this purpose, and separately examined. These statements by the prisoners were, under the direction of the magistrates, subsequently taken down in writing, and were now produced as evidence against therm. The prisoners' Counsel (Mr. Godson, Q.C., and Mr. Huddlestone) objected to the admission of these documents, on the ground that the statements were made in the hope and expectation of pardon. Mr. LEE and Mr. WHITEHOUSE argued contra, and a good deal of discussion ensued, which ended in the Judge ruling that the statements might be read. They were accordingly read by Mr. Bellamy at length, and being of a very voluminous nature a good deal of time was occupied thereby. It would be impossible to give anything like a sketch of these statements within reasonable limits; suffice it to say, that the several confessions impli'sited the whole of the prisoners in the transactions of the fatal night of the 19th December. The examination of the other witnesses for the prose-. cution was then proceeded with. Joseph Hooper, a gamekeeper, regularly employed on the Earl of Coventry's estates, and who was out with the watchers on the night of the affray, proved that the unfor • tunate deceased was brought to his (Hooper's) house about midnight, in an insensible state, and (as he described it) " with his head beaten all to pieces." Mr. Pritchett, surgeon, of Kempesy (near CrOome), who was called up to the deceased, was next examined, and his evidence was followed by that of Mr. Pierpont, one of the surgeons to the Worcester Infirmary, where the deceased was afterwards takes, who minutely described the nature of the injuries which the deceased had suffered, and which caused his death. The chief of these were severe fractures of the skull, through which the brain protruded. The operation of trepanning was performed at the infirmary, but Stake died a day or two afterwards, without an interval of sensibility. This, with the testimony of R. Temple, Esq., one et the trustees of the infant Earl of Coventry, who was called to prove Hooper's appointment under the trust, completed the evidence for the prosecution. Mr. Gonsox then addressed the jury for the whole of the prisoners in a long and able speech. He contended that there had been no evidence adduced throughout the whole of the trial which would go to prove the existence of such malice aforethought as was necessary to constitute the crime of murder. Even if the jury considered that malice had existed aforethought, they would then have to consider whether there could be any malice implied by the law which could affect more than one of the ten prisoners at the bar. H:s LoDDSHIP summed up in a very careful and comprehensive address to the jury, which was listened to with the profoundest attention. The jury consulted together, and returned an unanimous verdict of " Guity of Manslaughter" against the 5% hole of the ten prisoners, Joseph Turvey, Samuel Turvey, Francis Dingley, George Brant, Thomas Hooper, John Cook, Joseph Tandy, Thomas Collins, William Cosnett, and William Bromfield.  LORDSHIP said he would pass sentence to-morrow morning. The Court then adjourned until nine o'clock to-morrow morning.