Widnes Examiner. — 1908-03-07 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

WIDNES MURDER CHARGE. plaints of missing letters numbered about thirty, and In the course of his charge to the grand jury at the went back as far as July last. Mr. Singleton said his client had no need to commit Liverpool Assizes on Monuay, Mr. J ustice Ridley referred at some length to the charge against John the thefts. He was earning between 235. and 295. per Byrne of murdering /Lose Ann Byrne, his wife, on week through his connection with the Post Office and November 3rd, at Vidues. The body of Mrs. Byrne, the brewery. The prisoner said he deeply regretted % between half-past five and six o'clock in the morning of what he had done. He did not know how he had given way to temptation. He had a good wife, and was very November 3rd, was found upon the, pavement in front respectably connected, and had never been in prison of the house in which prisoner and his wile lived. before. Counsel suggested that prisoner should be There was no blood near, uor any sign of a straggle, bound over under the Probation of Offenders Act, and The woman was fatally injured ou the left temple,there added that his relatives were quite willing to be responwas extravasion of blood at the back of tue head, and wounds not of a serious character on the arms. Bible for his future good behaviour.Evidence of prisoner's previous good character having One of the doctors found a small piece of wood in the been given, back of her head somewhere near toe injury. The The Judge said it was impossible to bind the prisoner doctors said that, although the woman might have pro- over in a case of that kind. As a postal employ. 3 he ; aimed the fatal injury to herself by falling out of the had been trusted by the public. A few years ago it was window, she COUla nut have produced the other injuries the in rule to punish such offences with penal in the salad way. further, she could not, according to s the eviaeuce, have got through the window. A man and servitude. He would not do that in this case, but Cobbmust go to prison for twelve months with hard labour ' wife living next aoor said that they heard a quarrel . between Byrne and his wife, as the man said, "on the morning sole of midnight." They heard the two call each other names, and heard the prisoner say,' You ' will have to clear out of this house and let use rest." Then they heard a noise as of one person running down the stairs. That was almost all the evidence there was, unless, he added, that both of them had some drink the night before. ' There was, however, no evidence of their having quarelled during the night or of their having gone to bed in any but, a friendly spirit. ile (his loruslap) did not feel a very strung presumption that it had been shown that the prisoner had been the cause of his wife's death. No douot the circurastauces spoke of a good ' deal of violence. It was fur more probable that the deceased was pushed out through the door than that she fell through toe window, though there was evidence that once before she got through the window at night . while walking in her sleep. The matter was in a most ' unsatisfactory position. There was no strong conviction in his mind that guilt could be brought home to the prisoner, and if the grand jury did not think there was a probability of a conviction it was their duty to throw the bill out. ! The grand jury returned a true bill against Byrne, and the trial was fixed for Friday.