The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1876-01-22 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

THE LAW OF MURDER. The following is Sir J. E. Bardley Wilmot' s draft of a bill to amend the law of homicide, carrying out the recommendations of the Capital Punishment Commissioners, embodied in their report presented to Parliament in January, 1856.-1. The crime of murder shall be divided into offences of the first and second degree.—Murder in the Ist degree is the unlawful killing, &c. 2. Any person convicted of murder in the first degree shall suffer death as a felon.-3. Any person convicted of murder in the second degree shall be punishable with penal servitude for life, or for any period not leas than seven years, or with imprisonment with hard labour for any period not exceeding two years.-4. The degree of murder shall be found by the jury, on the facts submitted to them.-5. Murder in the first degree is the killing, with deliberate malice aforethought of a human being, in the peace of the King or Queen, regnant.-6. It is murder in the first degree where death has been caused by the wilful ad of any person when committing, or attempting to commit any felony, or when assaulting a Government officer in the lawful execution of his duty. —7. It is murder in the second degree where a verdict of murder is found by the jury, but not in the first degree.-8. Infanticide is murder in the second degree in ell cases where the death of the child has been caused by the unlawful and malicious act of the mother, provided that such act has been committed at the time of its birth, or within seven days afterwards.-2. In any trial for infanticide it shall not be competent for the jury to find a verdict of concealment of birth, but when such charge is made, it must form the subject of a separate indictment.-10. In every trial for infanticide, it shall not be necessary to prove that the child was completely born alive.-11. An accessory before the fact to murder in the first degree shall be liable to be punished as the principal; and an accessory after the fact to murder in the first degree shall be punishable with penal servitude for life, or for any period not less than ten years.-12. An accessory before the fad to murder in the second degree shall be liable to be punished as the principal; and an accessory after the fact to murder in the second degree, shall be punishable with penal ' sevitude for ten years, or for any period not less ' than five years, or with imprisonment with or without hard labour for any period not exceeding two years.-13. In the case of any person convicted of murder in the first degree, it shall be lawful for the judge to enter sentence of death to be recorded • whe_ he shall consider that special circumstances warrant his so doing, without proceeding to pass sentence of death.-14. Indictments for murder shall continue to be drawn as heretofore.-15. This Act shall be styled "The Law of Homicide Amendment Act, 1876."  The "Life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France,' from the pen of Mr. Charles Duke Yonge, Professor of Modern History in Queen's College, Belfast, is in the press. The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Company have announced a dividend at the rate of four per cent., =it three per oats last year. 04trAilaward