The Manchester Examiner. — 1848-08-05 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

THE KIRTON MURDER  LINCOLN, AUGUST 2.—lt will be in the recollection of our readers,- that a young man, named Joseph Travis, was convicted at the late assizes at Lincoln, on a charge of having robbed Charles Copeman. The case excited unusual interest, in consequence of the circumstances attending it, which may be briefly stated "its follows :—Travis and Copeman had been cot npanions for some time, and both were sons of respectable farmers, one residing at Kirton and the other at Blyborough.. On the evening of the 19th of December last, the two parties had been drinking together at a public-house; next morning the body of Coperhan was found on the road leading from Kirton to Blyborough, bearing several marks of violence, and also having 7 nod • the throat. Deceased was quite dead, i iilik and conseq e . o et evidence could be obtained as to who was the r it of the murder. Circumstances however, transpireil th e to e suspicion that the prisoner was the s guilty party, a Ihe s, therefore committed upon the corouer's inquisition, on charge of ;laving murdered the deceased. He was tried at t Virot assizes upon this charge, before Mr. Justice Maude, en he was acquitted. Other circumstances afterwards came out which led to a man named William Fell, together with Travis, being taken into custody, . and committed upon a charge of having robbed the deceased. Subsequently Fell was admitted as an approver on the part of the crown, when his evidence, corroborated by that of other witnesses, left no doubt upon the minds of the court and jury as to the guilt of the prisoner, and he was consequently convicted, and sentenced by Mr. Justice Patteson to be transported for life. After his conviction the demeanour of the prisoner became altogether artered, his spirits were greatly depressed, and he appeared to be labouring under considerable mental agitation; this increased to such an extent, that at the request of the prisoner Captain Nicholson, the governor of the gaol, together with the Rev. Padley, the chaplain, attended the unhappy man in his cell, when he made a confession, of which the following is the substance:—" On the night that the murder was committed, I overtook Copeman, when we had some words together.. A scuffle took place, and I became so excited that I took my penknife, on the point of which I had stuck a cigar that I was smoking, and jobbed him several times in the neck, after which I cut his throat, but, at the time I first came up with the deceased, I had. no contemplation of murdering him, nor should I have done so, had it not been for the scuffle. After I had committed the act, I took four sovereigns from deceased, and then, • finding that my hands were very bloody, I went to a 'gate-post and wiped them upon it, as stated by Fell. As to the shirt that I wore at the time, and which the police could not find, I burnt it as I soon as I got home; but how Fell came to know these circumstances I cannot tell, as I never saw hint. fle might, however, have been near the place at the time, and watched the in the manner stated by him." The prisoner entered into is general detail of the circumstances attending, and subsequent to the murder and robbery, in which he fully supported tile evidence given by the numerous witnesses examined at the respective trials. After signing the document, the prisobler said he felt easier in his mind, and was now more reconciled to his fate. We doubt not that the foregoing acknowledgment of guilt by the unhappy culprit will be satisfactory to the court and jury before whom he was tried, as well as to the minds of the friends of the deceased.