Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1878-07-27 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

REDDISH.  CIIAEGB OF WIFE YIURDOn.—AL the Manch* ter Summer Assizes, on Monday, before Mr Justice Lopes, Thodias Temnpson, 44 labourer. was indicted for the murder of his wife, Emma Thompson, at Reddish, ou the 6th instant.. Mr Addison and Mr M•Reand prosecuted, and the Hon. A. B. Elliott, defended.—The prisoner and his wife had been about two months resident in Seddou.street, Priory Lane Reddish They appeared to be quer. releeme persons, and lived together on bad terms, and they also seemed to be addicted to drink. : Shortly alter seven o'clock on the evening of the nth inetaut, the prisouer's wife, who was under the f o toaft considerable raebviie. influence of drink, took refuge in the house of Mrs diet yff at g rbeboeyunrt.l w hndls the subject violen.s. Her lair was dishevelled and her head was bleeding ; there were bruises on her face and forehead, and finger marks upon her throat In two or three minutes afterwards the prisoner left his house and walked to the top of the street, as if looke g for his wife. After hie return, hie wife, whose w. uncle had been bathed by Mrs Bluff.went away to Stockport, and on the return journey she tailed at a public house, about half a mile from home, and hurl a glass of wine. The landlord tamed her tint on account of some had language she need, and she then went home, it being 11 o'clock when she arrived there. In a few minutes afterwards the megbboura heard the deceased scream loudly. At &et else screamed," Oh ! Tom, I'm dying," and then "Oh! Tom, don't." In a ten' minutes after. wards the prisoner left the house, and, going down the aired, knocked at the house of a man mend Walton, and said, "-am, my week le dying, won't you help me ?" Several neighbours went into the house, where they found his wife lying deadou the floor. One of the neighbours said, "Tom, yos've done it. I expected it before—referring to agent. rob he had with deceased a week previously—and he replied "Not me; I have not touched her. She Ia in a fit" He seemed tube very much grieved, and, placing his hands under the deceased's head, exclaimed, "Oh! Emma, Emma, I've not done it. Oh ; my poor wench, my poor wench." The land. lord of the public, house from which the deceased was ejected stated that she seemed to be quite lusher at the time (twenty five miuntes to eleven • o'clock), but one of the neigebeure void that as the • deceased returned up the street to her home at 11 ' o'clock she staggered and was apparently tipsy. Mr W. Bale made a post-mortem examination of the body, and gave it as his opinion that death had resulted from effusion of the blood on the brain, caused by the head either receiving a violent blow or falling heavily against seine hard substance. IR believed that deceased had neither fallen ia eSt nor been wreck down, but that ohe had bees pushed down. If she had Sallee of her own accord the degree of violence would not home been suffi Ment to produce the effects referred to—Os the clime of the sane for the prosecution, Mr Elliott submitted that no case had been made out.—klis Lordship held that on the evidence wnich had been given no jury could find Me prisoner guilty of murder, but there was evidence upon which the , jury must consider whether it was a case of mew slaughter or not.—Mr Ebbiett, in addressing the jury, said there was no evidence to show that the prisoner Gomm tted actual violence to his wife, the, whole of the evidence as to the occurrence being., a purely circumstantial character. The prisoner's , conduct immediately after his wife's death went • to show that he had no intention whatever of ill. jilting her m was . —The p 'Boner w found gailtY Of manslaughter, and he was sentensed to , Wel" months' hard labour.