Northern Times. — 1857-12-04 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

ATTEMPT TO MURDER AT BLACKBURN.—James Farraday, aged 37, a tinman, stood indicted for having, on the 15th of September last, feloniously stabbed and woanded Agnes Lakeland, with intent to murder her. The prisoner and the prosecutrix were related by marriage, the prisoner having married the woman's sister, who died soave years ago The prosecutrix was a married woman, but had lived with the prisoner as his wife for some years up to the 12th of September last. They lived together on comfortable terms, but on that and the following day there had been some quarrelling between them, and she threatened to leave him which made him very angry. On that night she got some of her clothes away, but went to her work on the Monday as usual. She again talked to him about leaving, and said if he would go to Belfast, she would find him money, for they had better part before something uncomfortable occurred. She was led to make that statement in consequence of his having before threatened, that if she ever left him, he would follow her to wheresoever she might go, and would murder her. This he had threatened to do frequently. The prisoner, who had been drinking, refused to li ten to that proposal. The prisoner went to bed about six o'clock in the evening, but between one and two in the morning the prisoner was heard to go down stairs and strike some matches. After vs ,ndering about the house for some time, he went to the bed side, where the woman was lying, and putting his hand upon her head said, " Agnes, love, I want to speak to you." She then felt a gash in her throat, and c-ied out,' Oh, I'm stabbed." She was bleeding profusely from the throat and attempted to go down stairs, when the prisoner followed her, and turned her into the yard, where she remained until the arrival of the pslice' who found her almost senseless from the loss of blood. Several witnesses were called to prove the above facts, after which Mr. Kay addressed the jury on behalf of the prisoner, arguing that at the time the offence was committed, that he was in such a state, brought on by drink, as to render him incapable of following any delibera'e intention to inflict injury on the prosecutrix. A number of witnesses were called to show that, previous to this charge, the prisoner was a quiet and well behaved man, and much respected. Mr. Cross replied, contending that drunkenness was no excuse for committing an offence, and as to insanity, which was a'so set up, hr did no' see that any reliance could be placed on it, and said the reel question the jury wouldehave to decide was whether the prisoner, at the time he committed the offence, inten lel to kill the woman, or whether he only intended to 'do her mere grievous bodily harm. His Lordship summed up the evidence with great minuteness, and earnestly directed the attention of the jury to the principal points of the statements which tended to criminate the prisoner. The jury having retired, land kept in consultation for upwards of three quarters of an hour, returned into court with a verdict of guilty of cutting with intent to kill. His Lordship then proceeded to record the sentence of death against the prisoner, and in doing so, addressed the prisoner to the following effect :—The jury, after a very careful examination of the case, had come to the conclusion that he had been guilty of the most grave and serious charge of cutting and wounding the prosecutrix with intent to kill and mur. 'er. Ho had had the benefit of being defended by able counsel, who had urged every topic in his favour that ingenuity could suggest, but he could not see, after hearing the evidence, how they could come to any other conclusion, for it did not warrant the plea that was set up. It appeared that he had formed an unfortunate attachment with this woman, who stood in near relation to him, and that he had threatened, over and over again, that if she left him, he would murder her, and he had made that attempt. That was a most dangerous offence— dangerous to society, and must be punished. There was nothing to show that the prisoner had at the time lost the use of his proper understanding. This was one of the very few cases which still remained capital by the law, but in this case it would not be carried out, but in all probability, the prisoner would be transported for the period of his natural life.