Nantwich, Sandbach & Crewe Star — 1891-11-13 ()

MURDEROUS OUTRAGE.  Ab the Enfield Petty Sessions John Walter Barra, thirty-eight, labourer, of St. Alban's•cottages, Nursery Road, Soutligate,was charged, on remand, with maliciously cutting and wounding Mary Bur 1.01 and Wm. Burrell, by stabbing them with a knife.  From the evidence of Mary Burrell given on a previous occasion, it appeared that the prisoner was one of three brothers, and the prosecutrix was the wife of the eldest brother. -For some weeks past she and her husband had been.living with the prisoner and his mother at the above address. Her- husband was ill and confined to his bed. On Sunday, the 25th ult., William Burrell paid them a visit, and on leaving went into the next door neighbour's. Prosecutrix retired to bed about ben o'clock, her husband sleeping in the same room in 'a separate bed. Prisoner enter the room afterwards, when she was in bed, and seized her by the throat, saying, " Well, Poll, you will have to have it." He had a knife in his right hand, and she asked him what he meant. He made no reply, but she then found blood on her arm. She 'called out, "He has cut me," but she did not feel the wound. Her husband got out of bed and crawled down stairs for assistance, leaving witness alone with the prisoner. William Burrell then rushed in from the next house and released her from the prisoner's grasp. She heard prisoner say to his brother, "I'll serve you the same." She ran from the room, and screamed out " Murder," and William's wife hurried in. Then her husband ran downstairs,- and the wife called out, "He's stabbed." His head and arms were bleedkng, _ _  s William Burrell, labourer, of 60, Travers Road, Southgate, now appeared to give evidence. On Oct. 25 he went to 7, St. Alban's-cottages, to , visit his mother. He left shortly after ten o'clock, and went into the next door neighbour's. When there he heard screaming in his mother's house, and returned to see what was the matter. His brother Charles opened the door. Witness rushed upstair and saw the prisoner holding his sister-in-law by the throat, forcing her back on the bed. The woman was bolding his arm with both hands. Witness said, "What are you doing ? " and prisoner said, "I'll serve you the same." At that time witness did not see any knife. ,He seized- him and pulled him away from the woman, who went out. Prisoner then took hold of his bead and held him by the hair, and it was when be was being held that he was wounded. By the Bench: They had been on the;best of terms at home, and witness could not understand .why his brother should attack  Mary Ann Burrell, wife of the last witness, stated that she was with her husband on the day in question, and followed him when he went into the room. She saw the prisoner holding the prosecutrix down on the bed. Her husband told prisoner to get out, and he said,'" If you don't go away, 1111 serve you the same." Her husband then tried to pull him away. Witness took a child that was in the room down-stairs, and, returning, saw the prisoner strike her .husband on the back of the head. The prisoner had a knife in his hand, and after the blow her husband's head began to bleed. Police-constable Joseph Head, 275 Y, stated that on the day in question he heard cries of " Murder ! "from the direction of 7, St. Alban'scottages. He went there,and in the bedroom he saw the prisoner struggling with Willatn Burrell, who was bleeding from a wound in the head. The prisoner had a knife in his right hand, so he took the knife from him. Prisoner was very violent, and almost mad with passion. When his excitement subsided witness told him that he had stabbed his brother, and prisoner said, " What? me stab my brother? With what? If I did stab him I will go to the police-station quietly." The man had been drinking, but was not dritnk. Witness took him to the station, and ou the charge being read over to him, he said to,the proseeutrix, "I will do seven years for you yet." The prisoner, who in reply to the charge said, " I know nothing about it; I have nothing to say," was committed for trial. •