Star. — 1818-01-14 (London, England)

CHARGE OF MURDER. NiBLEOROUGII4T nit Eir,--David Evans, a journeyman soap-maker, about forty years of age, was brought up from St. Anne s Watch-house, charged with the wilful murder of his wife, by striking her repeatedly with a poker on Saturday night, at his lodgings in Falconberg-court, Crown-street, Soho.— Ann Desmond stated, that she occupied the first Boor of No. 3, Falconberg-court, over the prisoner's bed-room. On Saturday night her husband came home drunk, and after having had a few words with the prisoner, who busied himself about • the street. door, he threw himself on the bed with his clothes or. The prisoner used very bad words to witness after he had got into his own room. Witness waited On. the.stairs, and heard him beating his wife; her groans were loud and repeated ; she alarmed the other lodgers, stating that murder was being committed in the house; but she could not rouse any one, and she dared not go alone. The groans of the deceased grew more languid; she did rot see her the next morning: Witness saw the prisoner the next morning wiping spots out of the floor with a wet cloth, in the front parlour. Rebecca Mucclewhil, a genteel-lcoking married woman, who occupied an apartment in the second' floor, corroborated the former witness relative to the groaning of the deceased, until after two o'clock in the morning: it was like the moaning of a dog. Vr. Webb, Constable of St. Anne s, examined the front parlour, and found' the floor and the wainscot round the room lies= withblood. An attempt had been made to c it, but the very moulding:. of the room out of reach were splashed with it. Ile could not find any of the deceased's clothes, but a pair of boots, which were bloody. He _afterwards saw the body in the cefrm, in the bo.rocuo, covered Over with a sheet. The cap the head was in a gore of bleed, arid a long of hair was matted  viat,b one mai: of blood ; the kick Part of the ilea,l was beat to atoms, so that a fingirtentld be bared in the wounds. This room was also besprinkled-Ai blood. Witness took a poker from the fire, whirl from the appearance of blood, was no doubt the nt; strnment of death. The prisoner refused to gr,-e sty account of the clot es; but witness crtsnAd a man named Davis, who resided next dew, vi.g worked with the prisoner, near St. Ciles's Chr.rch, them in a bundle. Webb traced thebrr.dle, and clothes confirmed the horrid fact. _  George Gillen, scat to the WatCh-house-kcslt, corroborated Webb, and added, that the prim. told him that he quarrelled with his wife becautef4 could not account far twoAillings and ter_ 1„%,(,, halfpenny, out cf eight shilftgs; that he wett fit.! one public-house to vnother until lie was drunk, azd that a mai told him he was living with a woman net his wife. He then related about wiping the bi off his face, applying warm bricks, &c. The prisoner's defence was an echo of what hs b-. told Webb and ; that Davis 1.71-1 he wt„ about until he got very drunk, and that he found . sail going on leaving the first house. S% hen he tz one he could just remember that an Irishmaz haj Istrack him ; and one of the women, Demiond, him that her husband had criminal latowle42 of his wife. He next spoke about the money shuit, ing kicks to her feet, making her tea in cier going to bed, and that Davis and he fotmdies dead in the bed in the morning. Ms eau; +r , was had from Westminster. sagistrate.—Jiow often did yo raike her? and the town so bloody? Prlscoor.—l suppose the blood moo Irons soy WM he I was very tipsy, and do Lot resoeniter steddrg her rice sla once.  Alagicume.—llow came the blood es the yokes? Pri►oner.—l might have struck We bead when she wet by the fire-place, as I tried to pick her or, but being giddy, :Is her fall again, I helices. ' The prisoner was remanded till Friday, whmtii undertaker and his man, and the twe worm laid the deceased out, were ordered t Ettn,.2.