The Sun. — 1862-08-12 (London, England)

WILFUL ‘II.IIIRDER. George Gardener was indicx.. -d for the wilful murder of Sarah Kitty, a young woraal: to whom he had been paying his addresses, and who was his fellow-servant. The Hon. E. C. Leigh and Mr. O'Brien were counsel for the prosecution ; Mr. Stephen appeared for the defence. The prisoner, a short, thick-set young man, with a dogged cast of features, was employed as a waggoner at an isolated farm-house, a few miles from Henley-in-Arden, and on the road to Redditch. The deceased, who was employed at the same farm-house in the capacity of maid-servant, eight months prior to the murder, complained to the housekeeper that Gardener had made several unsuccessful attempts to kiss her ; he was, in fact, desirous of paying his addresses to the girl, who was extremely good-looking, and, moreover, pious ; but his attentions were a source of annoyance to her. Gardener's master remonstrated with him on the subject, and nothing further was heard of the matter, though one of the fellow-servants noticed that he was in the habit of watching the deceased through a little crevice which separated their bedchambers. The night previous he spent in drinking, and on the morning of the murder he talked wildly to his fellow employes about killing somebody, and said deceased would not draw him any beer; she deserved to be shot. His master was absent at a neighbouring cattle fair, and taking advantage of this circumstance, prisoner speedily carried his design into execution. His unsuspecting victim drew him the beer he said he required, and then retired to the washhouse where she was employed. The prisoner soon afterwards asked her to fetch the master's double-barrelled gun out of the house. She did so readily, knowing he was in the habit of shooting rooks with it, and she returned to her washing. He took the percussion cap of one nipple and nicked it, in order that when it was discharged it might not hang fire. He then put on the cap again ; and the girl was stooping over the washing-tub, when he fired at her, the charge entering the spine just below the neck. The poor girl fell back and died instantly. The housekeeper immediately came up to ascertain the cause of the discharge of the gun, and on seeing the girl told Gardener to leave the house; and, after obtaining powder and shot, as well as money from his master's desk, he decamped across the fields. He made his way to Stratford-on-Avon, where he mixed with the crowd of visitors who were commemorating the birthday of Shakespeare, and succeeded in disposing of his gun and shot pouch, and passing clean through the hands of the police, to whom the murder bad been telegraphed. He proceeded by train to Honeybourne, on the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton line, and having ascertained that he had plenty of time to catch the mail train to Oxford, he went to a publichouse in the village, where he was indulging in deep libations of gin, when the police walked in and apprehended him drunk. For the defence it was contended that the gun went off accidentally, and so killed the deceased. No witnesses were called. The jury found the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to death without the slightest hope of mercy.