The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1904-07-23 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

PRISON NB'S ACCOUNT.  Prisoner gave evidence on his own account. He did not seem to realise anything of the gravity of his position, and his counsel continually told him he must behave himself. He gave hie &newer, for the most part as though he were amused, and irequently laughed as he acklressed a reply to the judge. He said he went to Hoyhike occasionally to .me his brother Henry. On 7th Juno he went with reference to the will of his mother, who had died at Bedford. Jackson had often tried to keep him from the home, and there wes always a row with him when he got there. He went to the home one cold Seineday, and Jackson carried an shamefully, taking a poker to drive him from the home. On the 7th of June he reached the house at shout three o'clock. He asked for Jackson because h• did not want to get his tea without him. Mrs. Woodall., however, said, "Never mind, you get your tea," and he did, although be would rather have waited for Jackson. He bad no tailings against Jackie:in at that time. When Jackson came into the kitchen he gam primmest • " pm per lot" of provocation. He said he (prisoner) had no right to entei the house without his permiss[on. Then after tea he got a pair of tongs and said he would tit him (prisoner) with them. Prisoner was very much afraid of him. He mime toward, him, but did not exactly hit him with the to, and that was how the revolver came to be drawn. He had no intention whatever of hitting Jackson. It was not true that he had slept on the beds in his ordinary clothes or used bed language. Mr. Roberta: Were you afraid of him? Had there been a queavel? Prisoner, laughing: Oh, aye, there must Aram been a quarrel for that to be drawn oat, I can tell you. Mr. Roberts, addressing the jury for prisoner, emphasised the fact that Jackson'e account of what trespired in the kitchen was entirely unoorroborated, and the jury bad no reason to loc.ept it se the correct ver— sion in preference to Slingeby's account. Be the prisoner) had told them that Jackson had • pair of tongs in his hand, and was attacking him, und that he only fired in melfdefence, and to compel Jackson to desiet from the attack. He appesied for the benellt of the very grave doubt that must be admitted to exist, to he given to the primmer. Hie lordehip,anninting up, drew attention to the fact that prisoner was the only witness who had referred to the tongs having been need. Mrs. Wooden had not been asked where the tonge were when she saw Jackson rising from the floor after tallies for the second time. . _  _ The jury, after conferring for a few mo- , 'rents in the box said they found prisoner guilty of shooting with intent to do grievous lodily harm. me lordship, addreesing prieoner, said he was a very fortunate man to have escaped conviction fey the more serious crime of intending to murder. He could not underetand what the &ate of defendant's mind , was at the time, that he could have fired ' three shots at a man at short range. Even on hie own showing, the provocation had been ven-y trifling, and he had been convicted on the clearest possible evidence of intending to do grievoos bodily harm. The sent!MCA was tan years' penal servitude.