The Sun. — 1834-03-27 (London, England)

MARCH 25.  William Bray was indicted for the wilful murder of John Westlake, at Crediton, on the 31st of December last.  Martha Westlake, widow of the deceased, kept a lodging-house at Crediton, in which the prisoner, who is a tinker, and his wife, lodged. On the 31st of December last he came in, and wanted to take his wife away with him. She at first refused to go, but at last she went, and returned in a short time, saying that he was going to murder her. She ran up stairs, and the prisoner followed her with two large stones in his hand. I stopt him, and he dropt the stones. He then went up stairs, and I heard his wife cry " Murder" three times. I told her to come down that she might not be murdered. She came down. He followed her ; and when he came down he knocked me down, thinking, I believe, that  it was her. My poor husband said to him, " Don't kill my wife." "If I don't kill her I'll kill you," said the prisoner. He then struck my poor husband on the side of the head, and knocked him down, and kicked him twice on each side in the bowels while he was on the ground. My husband then got up, and told me to go for the constable, saying, " I have got my last !" I ran out to call the constable, and when I returned my poor old husband was dead.  Cross-examin ed—l have known the prisoner since he was a boy. - I never quarrelled with him before. He was drunk then. Sarah Williams came to lodge at the house of the last witness on the 30th December last. Between nine and ten o'clock in the morning I saw the prisoner come in with his box on his hack, and two large stones in his hands. I knew some of the parties before. The prisoner was very tipsy. He was out all night. The deceased was an old man, but he appeared to be in good health. The jury found him Guilty of manslaughter, and he was sentenced to be transported for life. Jane Skinner, aged sixteen, was indicted for unlawfully and maliciously setting fire to the house of Daniel Norrish, her master.  Daniel Norrish—l am a farmer at Sanford. The prisoner lived with me six years as a parish apprentice. On Friday last, at two o'clock, she told me that she smelt fire. I searched the premises round with some of my servants, and we could neither smell nor see any sign of fire. About five o'clock she ran out and cried out " Fire !" I ran backwards and found the linney over the pig-house on fire, which extended all round, and my dwelling-house, and all my but-houses, were consumed. Suspectine, her, I taxed her with it on Saturday, and she denied it. His LORDSHIP asked the prisoner if she wished to ask the witness any question ? " Yes, my Lord," said she, crying, " I wish to ask him to forgive me." Giles Wellsford, a constable, took the prisoner into custody on Saturday last. On the way towards Crediton I questioned her about the fire. She burst out into tears, and said that she had done it. Mr. HODGES, as anticus curia, suggested to the Court that a pig-sty, or a linney, was not within the meaning of the statute, which rendered arson a capital offence. It should be left as a question to the Jury whether the prisoner, in setting fire to the linney, intended to burn the house, for if she did not so intend, it was not a capital offence. Mr. Baron WILLIAMS thanked the Learned Counsel for the suggestion, and left the question in the above terms to the Jury, who found.the prisoner guilty "of setting fire to the linney, but not intending to burn the house.  Mr. Baron WILLIAMS reserved for the consileration of the fifteen Judges the point whether a  linney or a pig-sty of the description given by the prosecutor was within the meaning of the statute.