Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1870-11-12 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE ALLEGED MURDER AT GATESHEAD. ONE OF THE PRISONERS COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. On Monday morning, at the Gateshead Borough Police Court, before the Mayor, Aid. Bigger, John Sowerby, B. J. Prockter, and Edmund Cntwshay, Esqs., the two ladsTliontas Keeney and Ralph Simpson—charged with rinsing the death of Hannah Robson, by, throwing her from the Quayside, in Hiligate, on the morning of the Mal ult., were placed in the dock for further examination. The evidence taken on the last 'occasion was read over by the clerk to the magistrates, Mr S. Robson, and the following additional evidence was. taken :—Anit Coulson said site saw the two boys, Keeney and Simpson, with the deceased in a passage in Dann's Buildings, and heard some conversation between them.—A woman named Mary Jane Lough gave similar evidence, and added, in answer to a question put by Mr Bush, who again appeared for Keeney, that deceased was so tipsy that she. could not get down the stairs without Keeney helping her.—Charlotte M. Williams, in addition to the evidence given last week, stated that the two prisoners wore the same shaped caps as those word by the men she Saw with the woman, and were about the seine age. In cross-examivation by Mr Bush, witness said that she heard the splash first and then the screams. The man made a rush : towards sonic objects with his hands raised in front of him, but he might have been rushing forward for the purpose of preventing the woman throwing herself into the river.—James Johnson was called, and proved that the two boys slept at Ferry's Glass Works on the night of the occurrence front about one o'clock.—Mr Joel, solicitor, of Newcastle, who appeared for Simpson, asked that his client might be discharged, as there was no evidence to connect hint with tho affair beyond the fact that he was in company with the lad Thomas Keeney after the poor woman got into the water. Neither was he an accessory before or after the fact. However the deceased came into the water there was no evidence to support the assumption that any intention or arrangement existed between these boys that she should be thrown into the river, and therefore his ' client could not be an accessory before the fact. To make him an tv...cessory after the fact it would have been necessary for hint to have done something more than be in Keeney's company after the occurrence—it would have been necessary for him to have done some act for the purpose of screening or hiding the principal offender.—Mr Bush, on behalf of Keeney, submitted that it had not been proved that his client had acted with any violence to the deceased, -there being only one witness out of all • those called who sail anything to lead to the belief that he was at all violent, and even that one only said that he seemed to be knocking her head against the wall. The Woman was in a helpless drunken state, and it might very easily happen that site fell into the water, or threw herself in, and that Keeney seeing her fall into the water, rushed forward to prevent her. There was no reason saggusted why Keeney should have pushed the poor woman into the water, except that it was to get his. threepence back ; but if he had wished to do that he would not have pushed her into the water. Was it not much more probable that the tipsy woman, 2ing on the margin of the river, had fallen over? was also inobable that she had thrown herself „ —r, especially as it was known that she had twice before that day tried to get into the water from the seine place, and had get the hand of one man, who prevented her front doing so. He thed called a lad named John Bone, who stated that he saw the deceased about half-past eleven on the night of the 22nd October running along the quay at Hillgat3 towards the water. He also saw the railway watchman get hold of her and bring her back. She broke away from him and endeavoured a second time to get into the water, and when brought back again she said that it was George who had put her where she was, and she would do it after.—The magistrates retired, and after an absence of about a quarter of an hour returned into court, and dismissed Simpson, but committed Keeney for trial at the assizes.  It is stated that at Mold gaol a dozen officials have been employed in looking after two prisoners. To pass off an inferior article, many copy the labels, packets, &c., of Mes,rs.