The Sun. — 1858-12-16 (London, England)

WIFE MURDER AT MANCHESTER.-SENTENCE OF DEATH.  Henry Reed, aged 40, who had the appearance of a cotton-spinner, was charged with having wilfully murdered his wife, Susannah Reed. Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Hopwood were counsel for the prosecution; Mr. Cobbett appeared on behalf of the prisoner. Mr. Wheeler opened the case. Matilda Dickinson was then called. She said the deceased was her sister and the wife of the prisoner. For some years they had been living separate. In September last deceased took a house in Coppercourt for herself and her husband, to live together again. The only furniture was a chair and a chest in the lower room ; in 111 e upper room there was a bcd on the floor, a shake-down, which witness had given them. On the morning in question witness went to take her sister some bread and butter Witness knocked and kicked at the door, but hearing no response, she looked through the window, and saw her sister lying at the bottom of the stairs ; she then forced open the door, and found her sister dead. There was no person in the room, and she cried out, "Oh, Henry, what have you done to this woman ?" The prisoner shouted from up stairs, " She's done it herself. She's hung herself from the bannister-stairs." She then screamed, and the neighbours came in. The prisoner came partly down stairs, and put his head round the partition to see who was in the room. Witness went for a policeman, and on coming up the court she cried out, " Oh, you villain, you've done it." There was blood where the head of the deceased was  _ Cross-examined by Mr. Cobbett—Was a married woman. Had not seen her sister for three or four months before the day in question. She lay like a person who had fallen down stairs. Do not recollect whether the prisoner, when he looked over the stairs, was undressed or not. Margaret Oakes, a married woman, a neighbour, said about half-past 2 on the morning in question, she heard a noise in the prisoner's house like a bang of a door. She then heard a moan ; raising herself in bed, she heard three distinct moans. She looked towards the prisoner's house, but there was no light to be seen. A few minutes after she heard the moans she heard some one come out of the prisoner's house and go towards the water-closet at the end of the court, and she then heard the watercloset door bang. She heard the same footsteps returning to the same house, and then heard the door locked. She heard nothing more. She next morning saw Mrs. Dickinson come to the door. She went across, when the door was forced, and heard her say, " Oh, my God, what have you done ? you have murdered my sister." She heard no answer. The prisoner came part way down the stairs, and bent round the partition, and put his head out to see who were in the house. Witness said, " It's a shocking bad job." Prisoner said she had done it herself. Witness said, "if you knew she had done it hersolf, why did you not make some alarm ?" He made no reply. She saw the deceased lying on the stairs. She saw a deal of Iblood on the floor, and the deceased was bleeding from a wound on the forehead. Her hands were held forward and breast high. Witness suggested that a police-constable should be sent for. The prisoner, who had now come down stairs, got hold of the deceased by the shoulders (when Mr. Dickinson was going for a police-constable) to lift her up, but witness said, " Let her be, man, till a policeman comes ; the woman's dead enough." He then went and sat down on an old tea-chest in the room. In coming downstairs he stepped past the body; he did not move it. There was no poker or tongs. She saw a rope round the deceased's neck.  Mr. John Elliott, house surgeon at the Manchester Infirthary, said it was not possible for the de