Northern Times. — 1857-06-20 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

JANE.  COININIITTAL OF THE PRISONERS FOR WILFUL  MURDER.  The inquiry into this case was resumed yesterday at two o'clock,-and, as usual, the court was. much crowded. The prisoners having been put forward, the first witness called was William Davidson. lam an able seaman, and was on board the Martha Jane. Rove seemed to me to be in good health when he came •on board, and was about thirty years of age. He saw him at the wheel the day they sailed. He saw the second mate " lick" the deceased, the second day, by the captain's order. He was " licked" with a whip. Saw the prisoners beat deceased several times whilst he was in irons. He was nearly all the passage in irons, and he was beaten almost day and night. He heard the deceased ask the mate to let him go to a portion of the ship to obey a call of nature, but he would not let him, as he was fastened to a ring bolt. He dirtied the deck then, and they " licked" him as hard as they could. The deceased asked what it was for ? and they replied for having dirtied the deck, and then deceased said he could not help it, as they- would not let him go from where he was He corroborated the evidence about the abominable treatment said to have been practiced by the. captain, in putting the filth into deceased's mouth, and said be raw that done twice. He corroborated the evidence about the gagging of d; ceased, about the water cask, the dog, and- other things. The prisoners :beat the deceased nearly every hour, day and night, during the whole voyage. The witness went on at much length and gave the came evidence as the other wnress, which we have already pul.o. fished in detail.. The deceased wry covered all over with putrified sot s. Frorn -what witness saw of the body, he thinks that it wasnhe ill-usage of the prisoners that. caused such. Cross-.examined by Mr. Aspinall :I did not know the man before he shipped. Don't know if he had been in jail before that. To me he appeared in perfect health. I doe's know if he had any internal disease at the time. The cres3sexamination was continued at much length, but nothing to shake his direct evidence was elicited. The Captain, be said, never did anything harsh to others of the crew.—Edward Clarke, the carpenter of the ship examined : He said the deceased appeared to be in good health when be came on board, but he thought he wan insane. Saw the prisoners beat him. The second mate came for a hammer and chisel to open the water cask. The witness gave deceased a drink of water while be was in the water cask. He corroborated generally the evidence given by the previous witnesses, and in reply to Mr. Aspinall the witness said he thought deceased was not well at first. .He said the captain asked him for a prayer-book before the deceased was buried, bat he had not got one. Thomas Kennedy, a boy who WFS on board ,the ship, was next examined, also James 'Cahill, who was sailor on board. These witnesses corroborated the general statement made by the other witnesses. Eliza Reberton, a cousin of deceased, and wife of a captain now in port, said she resided a Gosport. She said deceased was about 32 years of age, and was married. -He was a healthy, robust man in his constitution. For the last few years he used to have fits of insanity. A brother of his, is in an asylum at present. Mr. Wall: surgeon of' the Northern Hospital, said he had heard the evidence, and assuming die evidence to be true, that death was caused by exhaustion, much accelerated by the treatmant he received. Mr. Aspinall asked the surgeon a few questions, and he said, taking the evidence of the lade, ho would say the deceased . was subject to fits of insanity. The expesure to the weather, the confining hire is a cask, the biting of the dog, and the hangitie am up, would, of Course, accelfeate death. Dr. Penningtou was also examined, and said undoubtedly death was accelerated by the treatment he received. He ould not conceive a case where such treatment would n tit have accelerated death; with an affection of the brain Ihe hanging was most dangerous, as it would congest the brain. Mr. Mansfield said the only course left open to him was to commit the prisoners for trial for murder. Probably the grand jury might reduce it to mansteuglet Th Prisoners were then fully committed. The case lasted I to seven o'clock.