The Express. — 1853-01-12 (London, England)

WORSHIP-STREET. Witliem Balton, a journeyman blacksmith, w:.s charged with a municrons assault upon his mother, an infirm and aged woman, with a hammer, whereby her life had been seriously endangered. The comßlainant, who was is such a state of acute personal suffering as to require the assistance of two 'Akers to support her to the witness box, where she was scarcely able to give het evidence, stated that for a considerable time past she had provided the prisoner with board and lodging at her house in Wheeler-street, Spite Melds, and with the exception of an occasional scanty allowance from his weekly wages, he depended solely upon her for subsistence. On leaving home on the previous morning the prisoner directed her to have some cocoa in readiness for him at the time of his return, but not having the means of procuring fuel to light a fire for that purpose, she was unable to comply with his request. Between seven and eight o'clock in the evening the primmer returned home in a state of intexication, and finding that his expected meal had not been prepared for him, he burst open the door of her room, and after assailing her with the coarest vituperation caught up a large hammer, with which he struck her repeated blows about the head, arms, and every part of her person. After beating her until she was a complete mass of bruises, and was reduced to a state of partial insensibility, the prisoner ultimately seised hold of her, end dragging her towards s large tub filled with water, plunged her into it, declaring that he would settle her at once. She was struggling to extricate herself, when some of the lodgers who had been attracted by her screams, at length hastened to her assistance and rescued her from further ill treatment. Sergeant Ding, H 22, stated that having received information that a man was in the act of murdering his mother, he hastened to the house, where ho found the complainant lying upon the floor, and presenting a half-drowned appearance, her dress being saturated with water, which was dripping front it, and he also observed that the ,sack part et her cap was stained with blood. As the poor woman was writhing about in an evident state of extreme pain, Le rained her in his arms and gave dine:ions for her immediate removal to the hospital, and having ascertained from the persons present that her iejuries had been inflicted by her son, who had locked himself in one of the upper rooms, he proceeded there and took him into custody. On their way to the station-house he was iuformed by the lodgers that they had been compelled on several occasions to interfere for the protection of the old woman from the prisoner's violence, and that he would certainly murder her unless proper means were adopted to secure her safkty. Tho sergeant handed to the magistrate a certificate from Mr. Bell, the house surgeon at the London Hospital, which stated that the complainant had sustained numerous severe contusions and 'accretions about the head, arms, chest, legs, and other parts of her person. On being asked if he wished to say anything in answer to the charge, the prisoner, in a sullen tone, rep:ied that all he had to say was that he did not attempt to use the hammer until his mother had seized him by the hair of the head, when ho merely gave her " a trip or two with it now and then," to induce her to relinquish her hold. The priseaer was remanded.