The Sun. — 1862-03-01 (London, England)

MURDER OF A GIRL AT WINDSOR BY HER FATHER. John Gould, aged 39, who appeared in the garb of a labouring man, was indicted for the wilful murder of his daughter, Hannah Gould, at Windsor, on the 30th of December last. The prisoner, who has been a bricklayer's labourer, lived with his wife and only child in a cottage, situate at Clarence Clump, Clewer-lane, Windsor. He has been long known as a man of unsteady and dissolute habits, and much addicted to intemperance. Although having but one child (with whose murder he was charged), he has been so idle that his wife has been obliged to accept a situation as under or day nurse at the Windsor Dispensary and Infirmary, in order to obtain a livelihood. On Monday, the 30th December last, the day of the murder, the prisoner's wife went out as usual to the infirmary, leaving her daughter, Hannah Gould, a fine girl, about eight years of age, in charge of her neighbour, Mrs. Clark, the wife of police sergeant Clark, belonging to the Windsor force. About 3 o'clock on the afternoon in question the prisoner returned to his house, evidently the worse for liquor. The de ceased was in the house at the time, with a daughter of police-sergeant Clark, of about the same age, both of whom had been engaged in lighting the fire. The prisoner said to his daughter, " You're a naughty little girl not to clean up the place." The poor little thing innocently replied, " I could not do it." The girl Clark then made for leaving the house, and asked the deceased to go with her, but the prisoner said, " No, I want to do something with her." The girl Clark left the house, and just as she got to the door she saw the prisoner take a razor from off the shelf. She then walked away, and two little boys, who had also been in the house, accompanied her. In about half an hour, afterwards the prisoner went into Mrs. Clark's house, and said, "Mrs. Clark, I want you." She left with Gould, to go to the house, and be did not utter a word to her on the way. When Mrs. Clark got into the house she saw a large quantity of blood on the floor. Gould entered the house first, and Mrs. Clark, seeing what bad happened, said to him, " Oh, you vagabond, you've cut the child's throat." He made answer, " I done it—l done it." The child was lying at the bottom of the stairs, on her knees, with her head lying on the bottom step, and her throat cut. She was dead. Mrs. Clark was so frightened that she ran out of the house, and when she looked round she saw the child on the bricks in the passage, having evidently been thrown out by the inhuman father. A cry of "murder," was raised, and Charles Coker, a labourer, living in one of the adjoining cottages, ran out to see what was the matter. He saw the prisoner's child lying outside the door, with her throat cut, and the prisoner having said that he did it, he (Coker) went in search of a policeman, and prisoner was taken into custody. Other evidence was adduced that went to show that the prisoner was at the Prince of Wales beerhonse, Clewer-lane, about half-past one o'clock. He asked a man, named Reuben Turner, to fetch him a pint of beer. Turner said he had no money, but the prisoner told him to fetch it, and he would pay for it. They drank together, and shortly afterwards the prisoner said, " I ahall be locked up tomorrow." Turner remarked, "Lord, Jack, don't talk like that ; what are you going to be locked up for ?" Gould replied, "For murder." Turner then rejoined, "Nonsense, don't talk like that." Gould did not say what murder he referred to. Turner left the public-house, Gould remaining in the taproom. Before Turner went away Gould said, " I shan't be living on the Ist of April," but he gave no reason for saying so. Gould, though suffering from the effects of drink, was not, in Turner's opinion, so drunk as to be incapable of knowing what be was about. The defence was, that the prisoner had, some years ago, received an injury on his head which at times rendered him incapable of knowing what he was doing. The jury returned a verdict of guilty. The learned judge passed the awful sentence of death upon the prisoner, who, throughout the whole trial, exhibited an air of indifference, He left the dock after saying a few words to the deputy-governor of the gaol.