The Sun. — 1862-05-30 (London, England)

THAMES.—CILARGE OF WILFUL MURDER. George Cochrane, a man about 25 years of age, who has been in custody a fortnight, and appeared very ill and dejected, was brought up on remand before Mr. Wooirych, charged with the wilful murder of Thomas Courtenay. The prisoner and the deceased were both labourers in the employ of the Grand Surrey Canal Dock Company, and were on good terms with each other until the morning of the 16th inst., whenof thtehme affray which resulted in the death of one place.took Daniel Bolas, a Waterman and lightcrman, who 7aans the,Ceouprltienncaipya,land two witness, other dmt he ha t coming saw Ch down o eOld Gravel-lane, towards Wapping-dock Stairs, adjoining the Th times Tunnel entrance, They were  all intoxicated and quarrelling. The prisoner an Courtenay pulled off their jackets and began fighting. After a good many .blows were exchanged, and Cochrane had been twice knocked down, he got up and said he bad lost a sixpence, and that ha would fight all the harder, providing he found it.. The money was not found, and Cochrane said he would fight no me d. The deceased, however, struck at him again, üb`ed very bad language, and said, "You are bound to i',4ght me, and fight me you shall." Some more blows passed between them ; the prisoner got the worst of it, Jrnd was anxious to cease fighting, but the deceased, who pummelled him unmercifully, would not ail° yv him to do so.. Cochrane also twice said, " I'll alioN you to be the best man." At last the prisoner said, " If I am to fight it shall be with this," and put ikiB hand in firs left trousers pocket and took from it a' knife, with which he struck at the deceased, who stu g,.7ered ten or twelve feet and fell. A police-constable, named Edward Bishop, 506 A, saw the deceased Es truck I with the knife, and saw him fall. He cauced the deceased to be conveyed to St. Thomas's Hospitt.:l, where he died a few days afterwards. Mr. Daniel Biddle, house surgeon at St. Thomas's, Hospital, stated that he saw the dead body of Courtenay. There was a wound two inches in length extending downwards from the breckstbone and upwards. The pleura was wounded to the extent of half an inch. Inflammation extended over the whole pleura. There was profuse hemorrhalze, The internal mammary artery was punctured. The wounds described were the cans,9 of death. Bishop, the constable who had Orarge of the case, produced a sharp clasp knife which tie took from Cochrane. There was fresh blood upon it when he first saw it. The prisoner, who was deeply affected,• said that what the witnesses bad stated was quite correct.. The deceased provoked him to fight ; am: a; though he gave Courtenay the best of it, he fougi2t agaira and knocked out one of his (Cochrane's) teethe and: knocked him down twice. He gave the deceit‘-ed the best of the fight again, but was again beate.l and knocked down. His ankle was sprained awl very weak, and he took his knife from his pocket and thought to stop the prisoner. He had no intention of using the knife or to strike the deceased with it, and the first time he struck at him with the knife it was shut. He was very sorry indeed for what had occurred. Mr. Wcolrych said the offence did not amount to wilfnl murder. There was no malice prepense, and' it appeared that Cochrane did want to leave off fighting more than once. He felt bound, under all the circumstances, to commit the prisoner for trial at the next Old Bailey Sessions for manslaughter.