The Sun. — 1844-02-05 (London, England)

UNION-HALL.  Henry Froud, a bricklayer, residing in James-street, Kennington, was placed at the bar for re-examination, charged with cutting and wounding his wife with a poker, with intent to murder her. It appeared that on Tuesday evening last, about seven o'clock, the prisoner went home, and had a few words with his wife respecting his supper. During the quarrel he seized the poker and broke it in two by beating her ovsr the head and body. A" lad named M'llugh witn' sled the brutal treatment, and fetched a constable, who found the woman lying on the floor in the kitchen quite insensible from loss of blood. The surgeon who attended her sent a certificate, which stated that the wife was in a dangerous state, being enciente. Mr. COTTINGIUX, after hearing the above evidence, remanded the prisoner until this day. A The wife now attended, and apared to be suffering severely from 'the prisoner's violence; her head was covered with bruises and dhesive plaster. On being sworn, she said that her husband came home rather intoxicated, when she irritated him by upbraiding him. She seized the poker, which he wrenched from her, and broke it by its coming in contact with the stones. She denied that it was broken by his striking her with it. Mr. CorriNcHAN remarked that she was a foolish woman by endeavouring to cloak her brutal husband's conduct. He could not believe a word of her statement, for it was positively sworn to by a lad, on the first examination, that the prisoner actually broke the poker by striking her on the head, and that she gave the lad twopence to fetch a constable. He inquired whether the. lad was now in attendance ? The officer replied in the negative. His parents refused to let him attend again to give evidence ; in fact, they were angry with him for coming at all. Mr. CorripicHADt said, that he should remand the prisoner until Wednesday next,,for the attendance of the lad, whose evidence was so clear on a former occasion. He should order the constable to take a summons for him; dile did not then &Wend he should issue a warrant, for it was impossible tat he could let such a brute escape. He then inforined the prisoner that he should then Commit him for attempting to murder his wife. Mr. Cottingham told the wife that it was extremely fortunate that she had not received such severe injuries as he expected. He certainly did not think she would have survived her husband's ill-treatment. Shortly after the night charges had been died of, a poor woman attended before Mr. cottiogh am to.make the following application:_ She stated her name to be Catharine Beech, and resided in Kent-street, Southwark, where she gained a subsistence by going out charing. Her husband met with an accident about six months ago, by falling from a scaffold, and had been since then in Guy's HopitqL On Tuesday last he expired, and she had applied to follow her husband to the grave, which they refused to allow unless she paid a_ sovereign, when they would bury him on their own grounds, and pay the remainder of the expense. She had not the means of paying the sovereign unless she borrowed it from her friends, anti she did not like her.husband to be dissected. She, therefore, wished to know whether the Magistrate could not compel the hospital authorities to give up the body to her. Mr. ConINGILAX said he was not aware of the rep