The Sun. — 1859-12-16 (London, England)

LIVERPOOL, DEC. 15. (Before Mr. Justice Willes.) Mr. Justice Willes has arrived here from Chester, and this morning assisted Mr. Baron Martin in the trial of prisoners. James Hassall was indicted for attempting to murder Amelia Brown. Other counts charged other felonious intents. Mr. Charles Hopwood appeared for the prosecution ; Mr. Torr defended the prisoner. It appeared that the accused was a lodger in a house in Sackville-street, Manchester, where the prosecutrix and her sister, Mrs. Story, and her sister's husband lived. He was married, but had separated from his wife, and had for some time past employed Mrs. Brown to clean up his room for him. It was suggested for the defence that the two had been for some time criminally intimate. She had been a widow for the past three years, but strongly denied any improper intimacy between herself and the prisoner. Amelia Brown—l was taking breakfast with Hassall. As he was going to leave his lodgings I asked him if I should clean them that day. He said I might, as he would not go before Monday. This happened on Saturday. He asked me if I would go to clean for him at his new lodgings. I said no. He said he had heard I was to be married. I said it was a lie. I then got up to go. He got hold of me and slammed the door. I said, " Leave me loose, let me go." He dragged me to the other side of the room, and got hold of an axe from the shelf. I became insensible from fear, and was ill nearly 12 weeks, and am not well yet. I did not throw the pots at him. I did not threaten to stab him with a knife. I did not say I would selald him with the kettle, or dash out his brains with the axe. Cross-examined by Mr. Torr—l had not been drinking. I had not been on improper terms with the prisoner. I knew he had a wife. Eliza Story—l am sister to Amelia Brown. I heard her cry, " Let me go," and ran upstairs. I found the prisoner beating my sister over the head with this piece of wood. (The handle of the axe.) I tried to defend her, but he would not give over. I ran down to the door, and cried " Murder." Prisoner eame down and wanted to get out. I put myself in his way, shut the door, and bolted it. He said, " I will go with you to the police-office." John Birch—l am a surgeon. I was called to Amelia Brown. She was insensible. I found many contusions on the face, seven or eight wounds on the head, all to the bone, one of them a deep cut from the baek to the front of the head, eight inches in length. There was a fracture of the skull. Deep marks on the arm and wrist showed great violence --probably in a struggle. The handle of the axe might have caused the wounds and contusions ; it is rather sharp. I found the axe-head in the room. It has a splinter in it which fits the handle. It had no blood on it when I saw it. The statement of the prisoner before the magistrate was put in and read. In it he stated that she had thrown the pots at him, threatened to stab him, and had gone and seized the axe, and swore she would dash out his brains with it. Mr. Torr addressed the jury strongly on behalf of the prisoner, fairly going through the facts, admitting that he could not resist conviction upon the counts of the indictment of less enormity, but contending that the evidence would justify the jury in acquitting of any intent to murder. He called witnesses who proved the quiet character of the pri sonar. The learned Judge summed up the case, calling attention to the fact of the axe-head not being wet when found, and the medical evidence that the injuries might have been inflicted with the handle. He read the material parts of the evidence, and pointed out to the jury that, if not satisfied either of the prisoner's intent to murder or the grievous bodily harm, it was open to them to find a verdict of unlawful wounding. Verdict—Not guilty of intent to murder ; guilty of intent to do grievous bodily harm. The prisoner made again a long statement, repeating what he had said before the magistrates. The Judge characterised the act as a wrong, cruel, and savage one—not a single blow, and altogether without adequate provocation, and sentenced the prisoner to four years' penal servitude.