The Sun. — 1861-09-11 (London, England)

BOW-STREET.!  THE HOLBORN MURDER.—William Cogan was this morning placed before Mr. Henry, charged with the wilful murder of his wife, Mary Ann Stokes Cogan, by cutting her throat with a razor.  Mr. Lewis, of Ely-place, attended for the accused. On entering the court Cogan was accommodated with a chair, and after saying " Good morning" to his solicitor he assumed an easy position, and appeared to watch the different witnesses as they gave their evidence with great interest.  The witnesses examined were Mr, Paynter, the surgeon, who examined the body of the deceased ; Mr. Fortescue, house surgeon, of King's College Hospital ; Inspector Mackenzie, and Sarah Harwood, sister of the deceased ; Police-constables 144 F and 36 F, who severally repeated the evidence they gave at the coroner's inquest, and which appeared in the late edition of The Sun last evening. The observations the prisoner made to the constable 144 F previous to the murder, when he was met in Holborn, occasioned Mr. Lewis to cross-examine the man, but without shaking his evidence in the least. He remained positively certain that the words Cogan said, when he diet him after quarrelling with his wife on the first occasion, were " I'll have no more of this; I'll settle it to-night or to-morrow." The second time he saw him he (Cogan), being unable to speak, nodded when he was asked " Have you cut your wife." The constable,- however, said when he first saw Cogan ho did not anticipate that he intended the slightest violence to his wife.  Police-constable F 82, in the course of his examination, said he omitted to state yesterday, before the coroner, that when he saw Cogan in the hospital he (the constable), putting his hand up to his throat, asked the prisoner whether he had served his wife as he had served himself, and he nodded assent. In cross-examination, he said the reason he had omitted to mention that circumstance to the coroner was because it slipped his memory. He, however, mentioned the circumstance to Inspector Mackenzie when he first saw him after the occurrence.  The statement taken from the witness was hero handed to Mr. Lewis, who, after reading it, said the words did not appear.  While Inspector Mackenzie was describing the appearance of the room on the discovery of the murder, the prisoner seemed to watch him with great anxiety, and every now and then applied his handkerchief to his forehead ; but on the whole during the examination his manner was quiet and attentive.  At the termination of the examination of the witnesses,  The prisoner was cautioned in the usual manner, and asked what he had to say in answer to the charge. He denied killing his wife.  The depositions were then read over, and the magistrate fully committed Cogan to take his trial for wilful murder. The crowd outside the Police-court and Station-house dining the whole of the day was immense. At an early hour most of the inhabitants of Newton-street and the surrounding neighbourhood, chiefly costermongers, commenced assembling in Bow-street, as it was well known that the prisoner Cogan would have to cross the road in passing from the station to the court. Before the prisoner was brought out about 20 or 30 constables made a clear way, and then Cogan, accompanied by Inspector Mackenzie and several other officers, walked to the Police-court ; the crowd behaving in a much more orderly manner than was expected. During the whole of the time the prisoner was under examination the people remained collected outside, the majority having made up their minds to witness his departure in the prison van.