The Sun. — 1846-07-23 (London, England)

PLATT). CHARGE OF MURDER.—James French, aged 35, was indicted for the wilful murder of John Steers, at Lyme Regis, on the 9th inst. The facts of the case were extremely simple. It appeared that on the night of the Bth July the prisoner and the deceased (who was 93 years of age) slept in the same room at a lodging-house in Lyme Regis. Two of the children of the landlord were also sleeping in the same chamber. About half-past twelve o'clock the people of the house were alarmed by cries of " fire," " murder," &c Jackson, the landlord, entered the room occupied by the prisoner, who immediately jumped out of bed and commenced attacking the deceased violently with his fists. He was in a state of nudity at the time, and whilst he was " beating and thumping the old man in every possible manner," (he prisoner) cried out " murder," " fire," as loud as he could call. Jackson endeavoured to remove the prisoner, who instantly gave him a violent blow which knocked him down stairs. At length a man named Hodder interfered and the prisoner was taken away from the bedside of the deceased. The prisoner then said, " It's a mistake, it's a mistake; it is not the man I thought it was. I hope I have not hurt him." The prisoner was thea taken into custody, and as he was going down stairs he asked for a glass of water, which, however, was denied him, and he said, "You can't refuse me a glass of water!" About eight o'clock in the morning a surgeon was sent for, and the deceased lingered until four o'clock in the afternoon, when he died. In the course of the same evening the constable who apprehended him asked him " How he could think of beating a poor old man in that way?" and he replied that there were a number of persons round him, and he thought they were going to murder him. "Some of them," continued the prisoner, " were dressed like warriors, with moustachios, and carrying swords in their hands. I wasn't going to be murdered, and so I took my own part." It appeared, moreover, that the constable asked him if he had any quarrel with the old man, and he said, " No; I never had an angry word with him." The constable stated in evidence that he believed the prisoner had been deranged, " More or less," for the last ten years. Some years ago, the prisoner was charred before the magistrates for ill-treating his wife, and it then became a question whether he ought to be imprisoned or sent to a lunatic asylum. Mr. Marden, a surgeon at Lyme, proved that he made a post-mortem examination of the body of the deceased, and that he found the brain was charged with extravasated blood. In his opinion, the deceassd died of congestion of the brain, arising from external injuries, which were very severe, the head and face of the deceased being covered with bruises. He had known the prisoner for some time, and, according to his judgment, he was not in possession of his senses.  Mr. KARSLIBE addressed the jury for the prisoner, and stated that he was prepared to call several witnesses, who would prove that the unfortunate man was labouring under hereditary insanity. Mr. Baron PLATT said it appeared to him to be quite unnecessary to call any witnesses to prove that the man was insane, as the evidence already given led to the conviction that he could not at the time have been in such a state as to render him responsible for his acts. Mr. Duke, governor of the county gaol, informed the Court that last night the prisoner was again in a very furious state, and that he attempted to " tear up" the iron bedstead in his cell, saying that he was beset by people who wanted to murder him.  The jury immediately returned a verdict of Noi Guilty, on the ground of insanity. The Learned JUDGE ordered the prisoner to be con fined in the gaol during her Majesty's pleasure.