The Stockton Examiner, and South Durham and North Yorkshire Herald. — 1879-02-08 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE BANNER CROSS DWRDER.-VERDICT  AND SENTENCE.  The trial of Charles Peace, charged withlbe murder of Arthur Dyson, at Sheffield, on the 29th of November, 1976, began at ten o'clock on Tuesday morning in the Crown Court of the Leeds Assizes, before Mr. Justice hopes. It is unnecessary to say that intense and wide-spread interest was inanifested in the trial. Admis,.ion to the Court was by ticket, with the exception of a few seats. As soon as the Judge had taken his seat the prisoner was brought up into the dock from the cells below, in charge of two warders.  The 'Counsel for the prosecution were Mr. Campbell Foster, Q.C. and Mr. Shield ; and for the prisoner Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Stuart Wortley. The jury having been sworn, the prisoner was formally charged by the Clerk of the Court with the muraer of Mr. Dyson. He shook his head, and in a faint voice said, " Not guilty." The trial then pro2eoded.  Mr. 'Foster, in opening the ease, mid : I cannot disguise from myself, nor from you, that this case, from the public comment which has been made concerning it in the various newspapers, must have come before you in one way or another calculated perchance to bias your minds, and before entering uvm the case 1 beg and implore you, no far as you possibly can, to put from our minds, to put from your consideration, if you 'can, anything you may have heard about the case, and be guided entirely by the sworn testimony which will be given before you in aniving at your judgment as to the guilt or innocence of the prisoner. He stated the facts in a lengthened speech that he committed the offence with which he is charged, and that with malice aforethought he killed and murdered Mr. Dyson.  Mr. Johnson having handed in a plan of the scene of the murder  Catherine Dyson was called, and she attracted considerable attention, and stated that there was no struggle between them. My husband was not close enough to touch the prisoner. After my husband fell prisoner crossed the Recleshall Road and scaled the wall on the opposite side. There is is garden on the other side of the road, and a field to the right. A low wall separates the field from the garden. Some neighbours then came up, and after! wards Dr. Harrison came. My husband never spoke ! again, but died about ten o'clock the same night. The various witnesses giving their evidence, and having been cross-examined by Mr. Lockwood, the case for the prosecution terminated. . .  Mr. Loci:Wood made an eloquent and able defence to the jury, in which he contended that Mr. Dy,on's death was not the intentional act of the prisoner, hut called no witnesses. .  His Lordship summed up, and pointed out the Legal distinctions between murder and manslaughter. The jury retired at 7 30 to consider their verdict, and after an absence of twelve minutes returned with a verdict of " Guilty." The prisoner, on being asked why sentence of death should not be passed upon him, hesitated for some seconds, and then said in a feeble voice, which the Judge did not hear, "Would it be any use  Sentence of death was then passed in the usual manner, the convict remaining quite unmoved, saying nothing.  Of the eleven ladies entered for matriculation at the London University, nine have passed. The Honours List is not yet out.  The annual meetinu of the Exeter Reform Mae. elation has hen hell ami n vtilfactory report preiente4.