The Sun. — 1862-09-20 (London, England)

LAMBETH.—MURDER. OF A WlFE.—Henry King, described on the police-sheet as being a carpenter, was charged with cutting and wounding a female, named Sarah Ann Day, with intent to do her some grievous bodily harm. The woman was stated to be so seriously injured as to be wholly unable to attend to give evidence. Charles Cooke, 168 L, deposed that on the preceding afternoon he was visiting a friend at No. 75, Tower-street, Westminster-road, when the prisoner came in and stood on the threshold of the parlour in which the prosecutrix, Sarah Ann Day, was sitting. The prisoner at that time had a hammer, a chisel, end a screw-driver in his right hand, but he subsequently passed the hammer into his left hand. He remained in conversation with the prosecutrix for two or three minutes, when he suddenly stepped forward and struck her very violently on the lower part of the abdomen with the chisel and screw-driver. The prosecutrix gave a fearful shriek, and the witness sprang upon the prisoner to prevent him repeating the blow. The prisoner struggled with him and freed himself, and witness not then knowing the woman had been stabbed, allowed him to leave the house, which he did in a very hurried manner. Directly he had gone the prosecutrix told witness that she had been stabbed, and in consequence he went in pursuit of the prisoner, and found him at a neighbouring beer-shop, when he charged her with stabbing the woman, and took him into custody. The prisoner denied that he had even struck the woman, much less stabbed her.  George Pike, L 95, proved that his attention having been called to the occurrence, he proceeded to the house and found the wounded woman lying on the floor in a fainting fit. He raised her up, and on her coming to herself she told him she had been stabbed, and he then observed blood coming through her clothes towards the lower portion of the stomach. On searching the room he found under her clothes the chisel now produced (a most formidable weapon), and he afterwards discovered the hammer and screw-driver on the counter in the front shop. He had compared the chisel with the cuts in the clothes the prosecutrix was wearing, and had found them to correspond. A certificate from Mr. Donahoo, the surgeon, who was at once sent for, was handed to the magistrate, stating that there were two wounds, one on the hip, and the other on the abdomen, and that both were of a very dangerous character. The prisoner, when called on, denied that he had either struck or stabbed the prosecutrix, who, he alleged, was his wife. The injuries, if any, were entirely the result of accident. Mr. Elliott remanded the prisoner for a week. Just as the court was about to rise, Cooke, the constable in charge of the case, announced to the magistrate that the poor woman was dead. in answer to questions put by Mr. Elliott, The officer stated that the deceased was about 30 years of age, had been married to the prisoner, who, however, prosecuted her for bigamy, and had subsequently induced her to live with him, but in consequence of his habitual ill-usage and brutality to • wards her she had left him. The prisoner had several times essayed to induce her to return to him, and had renewed his efforts in that respect, when, on her continuing her refusal, he made the attack upon her which has proved fatal.