The Sun. — 1857-07-16 (London, England)

MURDER.  Charles Finch, 26, a sullen, determined-looking young man, was charged with the wilful murder of Harriet Freeman, by cutting her throat, at the parish of Ravenhall, on the 24th May. It appeared from the statement. of the learned counsel for the prosecution, and the evidence adduced to support it, that the prisoner was a labouring man belonging to Raven hall, and that during the Russian war he entered the Land Transport Corps, and was employed in the Crimea, and returned from thence about a year and a half ago. The deceased was a respectable young woman belonging to Kelvedon, but a few days before the 24th May, which was on Sunday, she had been in the service of a farmer named Upson, at Raveuhall. The prisoner and the deceased had been what is termed keeping company together both before and after the prisoner had been to the Crimea ; but it would seem that shortly before the fatal occurrence he entertained the impression—for which, however, there did not appear to be the slightest foundation —that during his absence the deceased had received attentions from another man, and he was repeatedly heard to declare that he would do her some injury. They were walking together on the 19th of May, and the prisoner a day or two afterwards told one of the witnesses that he had a razor in his pocket at that time, and that he was jealous of her in consequence of her having been intimate with some young man in London, and that he would do for her the first opportunity that offered itself. On the following afternoon the unfortunate young woman left her master's house about three o'clock, for the purpose of going to church, and just as she arrived at a stile in a field near the town the prisoner suddenly jumped over the stile, and without saying a word he inflicted a wound on her threat with a raz He then went away a short distance and returned and gave her another wound on the throat, and subsequently a third, one of them severing the windpipe, and being of a very dangerous character. The deceased contrived to make her way to her master's house, where Mr. Tompkins a surgeon of Witham, promptly attended and dressed the wounds, and for some time there appeared a prospect of her recovery. but on the 26th of June she became worse, and died on that day ; and upon a post mortem examination it was discovered that the injuries the deceased had received had caused extensive inflammation of the windpipe, and that this was the cause of death. The prisoner was taken into custody sitting in a ditch near the spot where the dreadful deed had been committed, and his jacket and cap, covered with blood, were found near him ; and a razor, which was the instrument he had made use of, was picked up close by him. He appeared to make no secret of his having committed the crime, and was originally committed to take his trial for wounding with intent to murder ; but upon the event of the death of the deceased subsequently taking place, the coroner's jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against the prisoner, and he was now tried upon that inquisition. The jury returned a verdict of guilty. Sentence of death was passed in the usual form.