The Shropshire Examiner and all round the Wrekin advertiser. — 1875-03-20 (Wenlock, Shropshire, England)

WILFUL MURDER AT STAFFORD.  John Stanton, a young mon, a shoemaker, was indicted for the wilful murder of Thomas Nield. The prisoner was related to deceased, who was about 49 years of age, and had a wife and several children. Both men were engaged in the shoe trade. On the afternoon and evening of Saturday, the Itith of January, they were drinking at the Dog and Partridge becrhouse, in the Backwalls Sonth, a low part of Stafford, and there appeared to have been a good deal of wrangling between them, arising out of a remark made by Nield that his wife should no longer do his washing without payment. The prisoner used violent language, and struck null Shortly afterwards he left the house, declaring that he would do for Niebl, and wont to his lodging near, where he was seen by a fellow-lodger to take a sharp-pointed shoemaker's knife from his workbench, and pot it in his breast pocket. The prisoner then returned to the Dog and Partridge. where he sat down quietly for two or three minutes opposite Nicht. Afterwards, however, he went , and sat on the right hand side of Nield, and suddenly he was seen by sonic four or five witnesses to put his hand in his pocket, and pull out a knife, whieh he plunged into Nield's left breast. Having withdrawn the knife, he walked quietly out of the ! house, the rest of the company being too much astonished to interfere with him. The landlady shouted after him, •• You little villain, what have you done? You have stabbed your uncle." To this the prisoner replied, I have done it, and I am willing to be taken." A man whom he met outside and who saw him throw the blood-stained knife over a garden wall, I said to him, having heard the landlady's remark. "In , the name of clod, Jack, what made you do that ?" He replied, "I have (bile it, lad, and I intended to do lit and then walked on. He was. however, arrested before he had gone many yards further. Meanwhile Nield, who on receiving the fatal stab fell forward, bleeding from his breast, was lifted upon a bench, and a surgeon was sent for. It was at once seen that the wound was mortal. Nield never spoke after being stabbed. He lingered until eight o'clock the next morning. when he died. A peet-mortent exaMination showed that the knife had penetrated the ribs aud punctured the heart. Mr. Boughey, with Mr. Fallon', was for the prosecution and the prisoner having, in reply to the learned Judge, intimated his desire to be defended by counsel, at the request of his lordship, Mr. Selfe undertook the defence.•  The learned counsel in opening the ease against the accused, detailed the circumstances attending the commission of the act whereby the deceased man, Thomas Nield, met his death.  Evidence for the prosecntion was then adduced. It was a repetition of what has already appeared in our columns.  The Jury, after two minutes' consultation, returned a verdict of guilty and, in answer to the usual question why sentence should not be passed, prisoner said the witnesses had been swearing false Neild had struck him and Iriven him wild by his accusations of having illtreated his (prisioner's) wife. His Lordship, in passing sentence, addressing the prisoner, said: "John Stanton, you have been convicted on the clearest evidence of the dreadful crime of murder. You stand there a solemn warning to people not to give way to a revengeful spi•it. I do not wish to say anything to agravate your sell !rings at this moment. but I must, at the seine time, tell you that I cannot hold out to you the slightest hope of mercy." Sentence of death was then passed in the n -seal form, the prisoner meantime preserving a demeanour which betrayed far less concern than was evinced by scores of tnose present in the crowded court.