The Sun. — 1852-09-22 (London, England)

ALLEGED MURDER OF A. WIFE BY HER HUSBAND.  , was charged with having On Monday, ftt the Lambeth Police Court, Richard caused sße Broad-street, st deathr e e t oLi fna jinahn Perry, by striking Peery, 54, described as a labourer, residing at No. apartments her on the head and body in a frightful manner. uhinscl:r'infee:th those George Mitchell said he lived at No. 22, Broadstreet, Lambeth,. occupied by the prisoner and his wife. They were continually quarrelling, and the female was almost always drunk. On Saturday evening last, between eight and nine o'clock, the prisoner and deceased came home, apparently very comfortable, and shortly afterwards the former went out, and wa'i followed a little while after by his wife Some time afterwards the prisoner brought some coals home, and fining the deceased was out and had locked his door he came down stairs, but at the same time she entered the house. They had some words about the door being locked, when the prisoner, who appeared to be sober, went to bed, and the deceased again went out. She returned at a very late hour, much intoxicated, when he heard them quarrelling, and immediately afterwards a heavy fall, which was succeeded by complete silence. His wife called out to him that she hoped nothing had happened between Perry and his wife, and immediately afterwards he heard th© prisoner put on his shoes and come down stairs, when be called out, " Who's this lying on the stairs ?,, rhe prisoner then returned to his room and brought a light down stairs. Mr. Elliott—You said you heard the fall in the prisoner's room ?—Witness replied that he did, but he did not her her go down the stairs after that. if He must have heard her she had, as he could hear the least thing on the stairs. The prisoner, when he came down to the landing near the door, called out to witness to get up, exclai▪ ming that his wife had no strength in her. Witness got out of bed and assisted him to carry the deceased up stairs, but he at once perceived that she was dead, and told the prisoner so. The latter exclaimed " Good God, you don't mean to say so 1" They then carri▪ ed her into the room, and put her on the bed, when he washed her face with cold water, and sent the prisoner for a doctor. The police shortly entered the house, and brought one in, when they pronounced her quite dead. Sergeant Atler, of the L division, here informed the magistrate that the place where deceased was found was 13 stairs lower than the prisoner's room. Mr. Elliott to Mitchell—llad she fallen down stairs, must you have heard her ? Mitchell—Yes ; I was not asleep, and I could have heard a cat walk down. Mr. Elliott—Then what you heard was the quarrelling, and the heavy fall in their room ? Mitchell—. That's all I heard, excepting the prisoner coming down and calling out, and his afterwards procuring a light when he roused me up. Margaret Mitchell, wife of the prece.ding witness, corroborated his evidence in every point. The deceased was covered with bruises from head to loins. Witness heard no scuffling on the stairs, the fall took place in the prisoner's room. Miller, 136 L, proved being called into the house between one and two o'clock on the morning of the occurrence, and found the body of deceased yet warm, upon which he procured medical attendance. Sergeant Atler, 4L, said, he also went to the house, when he looked at deceased, and perceived a deep cut on the left eye, and another one across the nose. They were quite fresh. When apprehended the prisoner told witness that his wife had fallen out of bed, and subsequently observed that it was hard for him to work all the week and then for his wife to spend all the money. There having been no medical examination, the prisoner was remanded.