The Bee-Hive : — 1869-05-22 (London, England)

DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO MURDER A WIFE. At the Clerkenwell Police-court, on the 17th inst., Richard Rouse Beech, aged 47, a painter, of Caledonian-road, Islington, was charged before Mr. Cooke with feloniously cutting and wounding his wife, Mary Ann Beech, with a knife, with intent to do her grievous bodily harm, at Caledonian-road. The complainant, who gave her evidence with great reluctance, and who appeared weak and ill, said—On the loth inst. I was sitting in my room with my. husband, when he endeavoured to cut my throat. He came in drunk and was in a passion, and I was the cause of it. He took up a table-knife and cut my throat and the side of my ' mouth. I put up my hand to prevent him, and in doing so he cut ;my thumb. He has not attempted 'such a thing before, and he would not have done it now had he .not been crazed with drink. We had both been drinking together. I think I was standing at the time he did it. By the prisoner—l have not been drinking for the past fortnight. I have been Charged and fined for drunkenness. Ido not think that you cut my throat intentionally. I wish the magistrate to forgive you as I have been a very bad ttlan to you. I was drunk at the time. Mrs. Barns, of 3, Liverpool-street, Islington, said— tilt above night, between nine and ten o'clock, I 4108, Caledonian-road, in the room next to that Oectlpied by the prisoner and his wife. They had been quarrelling, and previous to this affair the landlady Ind I had gone into their room to put a stop to it. A quarter of an hour afterwards the prisoner screamed Gilt that he had cut his wife's throat. I looked into the room, and saw the prisoner sitting on the side of the bed with a table-knife in his hand. He said he bad cut his wife's throat, and he should cut his own, and had the knife to his throat. I reached across, tattight hold of his wrist, and took the knife out of his 'hand. Mrs. Reeves came into the room at the time, and the prisoner went to the table drawer and took lin other knife out, and said he would destroy himself. She took that away from him, and she took the drawer Vilth the knives into the next room. He then rushed Wildly past me, and I tried to detain him on the stairs tail the police came. I held him until his shirt gave Wan and then he ran into the street, and up it as fast Vi'he could, screaming that he had murdered his wife. 1 sew the prisoner's wife lying on the floor with blood .on her. She was lying across the fender on her back— •l may say almost senseless, and she did not speak Until :she was picked up. Both the prisoner and his 191.,,je were very much the worse for drink. Mr. C. Mite attended the complainant, who, he said, was de'may drunk, not quite incapable, but in a chronic state of drunkenness. She was incapable as far as her Selyies were concerned. Police-constable Willis said ,ner was quite drunk at the time. Mr. Cooke -cautioned the defendant, and told him that "Wb.fat he might say might be used against him. The prisoner said—l don't know anything about it myself. do not remember anything about it, I am sure I do not. Mr. Cooke committed the prisoner to the Central Criminal Court for trial.