Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1883-08-25 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

TERRIBLE MURDER IN NORWOOD.  A horrible murder has been perpetrated at South Norwood. On Sunday night a man named James Cole, described as a labourer, whilst in a fit of frenzy, seized his son, about 4 years of age, by the heels, and dashed his head with terrible violence against the floor. The child lingered till next morning, when he died. Cole was immediately arrested. A large crowd endeavoured to seize him whilst he was being conveyed to the police- station apparently intending to punish him, but he was saved from their violence by policemen. Later in the day Cole was brought before the magistrates at Croydon, and charged with the murder .of his son.—Robert Gilbert stated that at half-past 10 on the previous night he was passing the prisoner's house, when he heard a woman screaming " Murder !" He ran into the house, and saw the accused in the front room holding a child by the legs, and swinging its head against the wall. He saw its head strike the wall once with considerable force. He heard no sound from the child. Witness pulled the prisoner out of the house, and they stiuggled together. He ultimately ran away, after dropping the child, and a woman picked it up.— Richard Cole, a boy of 14, a son of the prisoner, said he was standing at the street door, being unable to get in, when he heard his mother screaming "Murder ! " His father aftewards opened the door, and witness saw that he was holding his little brother Thomas by his feet. Witness had been sent by the prisoner to fetch his mother, who had been to a next door neighbour's. When his mother came to the door the prisoner said, "Oh! that's your little game, is it?" With that the accused bashed the child's head on the floor,-and his mother seized him by the collar. His father then said,"Keep that man back! (referring to the witness Gilbert). He then dragged the child on to the floor and ran out of the hou3e, followed by Mr. Gilbert, who struck him several times. Witness saw his father strike the child's head against the floor twice. The prisoner had been at home all day, and in the evening was reading the newspaper. The reason witness went out was becauze his father had been abusing his mother, and he thought that if be went indoors his father would knock him about. He had had no intoxicating drink all day, and had drunk only a little water. All the other children w« re asleep at the time his father was knocking the deceased about. —The prisoner was then remanded.  When placed in the doelc, Cole presented a somewhat wild appearance. He is a short, spare man of about 35, and his face bore considerable marks of ill-usage, evidently inflicted by the witness Gilbert. When the charge was read over, and the prisoner was asked whether it was true, he replied, "1 decline to say to-day till I have seen my legal adviser."..A painful feeling was created in court when the prisoner's wife got into the witness-box in a half-fainting condition. She was about to give evidence when Dr. Carpenter ruled that she could not be examined as a witness against her husband, such evidence being, of course, had in law. Before the case proceeded, prisoner, with great sang froai asked that all witnesses might be ordered out of court, and this course was at once adopted. He again and again interrupted the witness Gilbert b 7 saying, "Speak the truth; consider my position.' —After the case was over Gilbert was eagerly scanned and q aestioned by a large crowd that had assembled outside the court.  On Monday, at Leicester, lease Anthony, a shoe finisher, was remanded on a charge of committing a murderous assault upon Daniel Orton, an old man, who lies in a hopeless condition at the infirmary. Anthony attacked two men in a public-house, and then cut the landlord's lip open. Being ejected he -attacked Orton, knocking him down and fracturing his skull. Blood issued from the ears and mouth of the Mal&