The North-Eastern Weekly Gazette. — 1888-07-21 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE TRIAL OF JACKSON.  SENTENCE OF DEATH.  On Wednesday at the Manchester Asaizes, be• fore Mr justice Grantham, John Jackson was put up for trial for the murder of Assistant-warder Webb in Strangeways Gaol on 22nd May. The prisoner, who seemed much altered, was defended by Mr Wharton. There was an immense crowd • in the vicinity of the Courts, and the greatest difficulty in getting egress. In opening the proceedings Mr Addison gave a sketch of the circumstances under which the murder was committed. Mr Addison's argument was to the effect that, on the face of it, the crime was premeditated, as shown by the rapidity and cleverness with which its details were completed. The striking of the fatal blow, the climbing on the cupboard, the making of the hole in the ceiling, and the getting clear away did not, apparently, take more than ten minutes. This, youpled with the prisoner's previous employment in the matron's room, which gave him opportunities to mature his arrangements, showed the whole thing to be planned beforehand. Witnesses were then called for the prosecution, the first being Major Preston, the governor of Stra,ngeways Gaol. After photographs of the matron's room, the scehe of the murder, had been put in, Major Preston described the prison discipline, and gave evidence of the character and • length of service ot Warder Webb. His cross examination by Mr Wharton did not reveal anything novel. • Warder Bandon and John Dixon were briefly examined, and then Mrs Elizabeth Settle, the matron in whose room the tragedy was enacted, went into the witness-box. The witness, who gave her evidence with great clearness, spoke to Jackson and Warder Webb, who had charge of him, being up stairs attending to a leakage of gas. She heard sounds which aroused her suspicions, like the rumbling produced by moving furniture. She ran up stairs and tried the door, which she found locked. Somebody inside said, "It's all right." She replied. " It's not all ' right," and raised an alarm, and the door was broken in. She saw Webb lying on the floor with his head towards the door, resting on his left arm. There was blood near the window, and a hole in the ceiling, and Webb was without his boots. Nothing material was elicited in crossexamination.  Assistant-warder Young spoke to breaking open the door and finding Webb wounded. He asked Webb what was the matter. Ile replied, "I don't know. Where are my boots ?" In the room witness found a pair of prison shoes and some tools. There was blood on the tools.—The shoes were produced, and the Judge pointed out the stain on one of them.  The next important witness was Dr. Braddon, the prison surgeon, who was on the scene immediately after the discovery of Webb. He described the nature of the wound, and reported what passed between him and Webb whilst the latter lived. The wound had apparently been Inflicted with some such weapon as the hammer produced. The blow was delivered from the side, and not the end of the hammer. It must have been swung with considerable force. During the adjournment for lunch a painful incident occurred. The prisoner's father salted to he allowed to have a seat in Court. The Clerk of the Crown suggested, however, that it was better he should not be in Court. _ _ _ _  Witnesses frc.m Bradford, who spoke to the identification of the man Harnoar with Jackson, were then called. When recognised Jackson said, "I am Jackson or Firth. I am the man that has done it."  A further sensation was caused by the appearance in the box of Grace Webb, widow of the dead man. She was dressed in deep mourning, and cast a keen glance at the prisoner, who hung down his bead. She was only in the box a short time, and was called to identify a knife belonging to her husband which was found on Jackson. Mr Wharton, for the defence, offered no rebutting evidence, but made a long speech, in which he argued that the killing of Webb by Jackson was not premeditated, and that he had no guilty intention. The Judge commenced summing up at about half-past five, and the jury, after a very short consideration, brought in a verdict of guilty, and his lordship passed sentence of death, holding out no hope of mercy.