The Dewsbury Chronicle, and West Riding Advertiser. — 1894-03-17 (Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England)

VARNER TRIED AT LEEDS  A.SSTZ ES.  SENTENCE OF DEATH.  The Crown Court of the Lc.ces Town Hall was only about half filled at half-past. ten o'clock, on Tues(ley, when the jury were sworn in to try the case of Philip Garner, 49, iabour2r, who is indicted for the wilful murder of his wife, ::;t Doncaster, on the 2nd of Dcaember.The case should in the ordinary course have corns before Mr. Justice Vaughan "Williams at the last Assizes, but, after reading the depositions, his Lordship directed that the prisoner should be put had: for inquiry into the condition c) his mind. The prisoner, whe is a man of medium build, with a shaggy brown beard and thick hair,' pleaded not cuilty in a firm voice.  CkENING TnE CASE, Mr. Thornton conducted the prote,eution, and the prisoner was defended, at the request of Mr. Justice Willis ms at the last Assizes, by Mr. }..loyd. . In the course of a lengthened hearing of the case, counsel for the prosecution said prisoner was formerly in the Army, and had been in Yorkshire since 1,237. On Saturday the 25th of November, he arrived at Doncaster, and, accompanied by the deceased, went to the house of Michael Cole, who had died since the the last Assizes. Cole took them to :t Imiging-house kept by a man named Ileylc. The two stayed together there, apparently on the best of terms, and next day they went out for a walk together. They went to an inn and stayed there for sonic time, during which they had something to drink. After leaving they turned from the road and went across a footpath leading through the .tiehis to what were known as the Low Pastures. Immediatkly afterwards two boys, who were followit,g them,- saw the prisoner getting out of a ditch and as lie got out be rubbed something off his hands. The boys passed him, and looked into the ditch, where they saw the woman lying face elir.vnwards, her head covered with blood. Assistance was got, and the woman was taken to the. Doncaster Infirmary. The prisoner went straight from the scene to the Borough Police Office at Doncaster, and naked the constable on duty there whether the Low Pastures was in his district. When. he was told that it was, prisoner said : "My wife is dead there. I have killed her with a hammer. I have knocked her skull in. I have tried to do it before but failed. I have done it this time. I have blood on my hands (at that time he showed the officer his hands which were blood-stained); you will find her in a ditch near the stone stile in the Low Pastures. The hammer is laid by her side. I have had the hammer by me for several weeks." Since the last Assizes evidence had been obtained of the condition of the prisoner's mind, but he (counsel) did not think that the evidence would avail very much to set up a defence of insanity. Witnesses were called to beer out this statement, . including Poliee-ocoistable Turfin, who deposed that when be had the prisoner in his custody the latter said, 'f I have not lived with my wife for two years. She broke my home up at Norton, and has been on the streets keeping another man. My mind cannot stand it any longer. I took. her there for the purpose." . Inspector Reever of the West Riding Police, said he found, from inquiries he had made, that the prisoner had hitherto been a very respectable man, although of a wandering and restless disposition. There was one conviction against him, and that was for being drunk. Further cross-examination went to show that the woman was of very bad character indeed. Dr. Lewis, medical superintendent of the West Riding Asylum, lArakefield, said he examined prisoner on December 12th, and found him in perfect possession of his faculties. From the statements that he made, can you form any conclusion as to the state of his mind on November 26th ?—"Yes, I believe he was free from any delusion whatever. This concluded the case for the prosecution.