The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — 1826-04-07 (London, England)

UNION-HALL.  CHARGE OF MORDER:—VestEMiaiiiiis office was crowded to excess in consequence of the examination of a man who was charged on suspicion of having murdered his wife. The prisoners name is James Kcatnn, an Irish labourer, who resides in Union-court, leading out of Kent•strect. On being placed at the bar he did not evince the slightest agitation. George 31 autey, night-constable of St. George's. Southwark, deposed that on Wednesday night, from information brought to him at the watch-house, he went, accompanied by two constables, to the prisoner's house, whom he found sitting with several other persons, smoking and drinking. They asked him to go up stairs, and lie followed into the one pair of stairs front room. There they found from ten to a dozen men and women, who appeared to be comulting together; there was a bed in the room, and upon the bed we tumid the body of the prisoner's wife covered over with a blanket. On examining the body they found that the deceased had received two desperate blows over the left tetuple, apparently from sonic blunt instrument. The skull was dented in. She had another blow over the right temple, and other marks of violence appeared. There was blood flowing from her mouth, and the body was quite cold. The prisoner on being asked how the deceased came by the two blows on her lett temple, replied, that she had received them by rolling out of bed, and striking against the screws of the bedstead. M►isey added, that he instantly tuck the prisoner into custody. The prisoner here expressing an anxiety to speak, the Magistrate recommended him strongly not to say any thing at the present stage of the investigation. Ile, _however, said he was determined on speaking, as he did not wish to state any thing but the real truth, and proceeded as Gollows--" On Tuesday night I came home between nine and ten o'clock. I had been informed by some of the neighbours in the court that my wife had been over the water with a sailor for prize money, and had thank five or six glasses of gin! When I came home she was sitting in a chair at the door, and the sailor was in bed in sur room. Ile was a poor man, and 1 gave him liberty to sleep tberc. My wife asked me if I should hate any supper. I had some and went to bed, and she went to bed also. Nest morning I got up et MI o'clock, to go to my work. and she was then lying on the bed, upon her left aide. She was very ill, and hearing out what she had had to drink. I said to her, 'it serves you livid. what do you drink so for?' When I came home to breakfast, my wife was lying on her left side, with her head under the bedstead, against the wall. 1 spoke to her, and she made me no answer, upon which I end the two women lifted her up, while a doctor was sent for."  The :Magistrate suggested the necessity of making a search for the weapon that was likely to hare inflicted the wounds on the deceased's temples.  Maim, thinking that the 'wounds might have been caused by violent kicks, proceeded into the Flip where the prisoner stood, and having taken the shoe Or his right font, discovered two bob nails, with the heads projecting out a considerable distance beyond the toes. Upon examining the shoe, marks of blood were distinct on the sole, between the two nails spoken of.  The Magistrate immediately despatched the constable to the pri. soner's house, and on his return said, that he had compared the two nails in the shoe with the deceased'a temple. The heads of the nails anti the distance between them exactly agreed, and he had no doubt but they corresponded, and, in fact, that the deceased's death was occasioned by violent kicks from the shoe.  The prisoner was subsequently remanded for further examination.