Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1888-12-08 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

ATTEMPTED ESCAPE OF THE PRISONER. The boy Husband, under remand at Havant on the charge of murder, has made a daring attempt to escape from his cell at the Police Station by forcing off the small wooden corn municatine door in the iron door of the cell. Be wfla.i supplied with a spoon and fork at dinner time, and was left quietly eating, sitting on the bed. An hour or two later the attendant found a small wooden door taken out and gone. The door was fixed on curled hinges to the ironwork of the large door on the bottom side, and opened horizontally like a small table, it being used for resting plates on while passing in the food to the prigoner. The latter apparently forced back the curl of the hinges with the spoon, getting the . door completely off, and leaving an aperture , quite large enough for escape. At • height of four feet from the floor the cell opens into the corridor, which has a ventilating window fronting in to West-street. Had the boy escaped from the cell it would have been necessary for him to have forced the window or main door of the corridor. Afterwards the prisoner was more effectually secured. The inquest was reenrned on Tuesday.—The I Coroner thought the boy Husband should be present or represented—The Deputy Chief Constable said however, it would be contrary to rule, and said, jury therefore decided that the boy need not attend.—Sergeant Knapton further deposed that the prisoner denied the crime when arrested, and when he visited him in his cell said :—" I never did it. I was standing at Mrs Faniden's door when she closed it. I heard the boy cry, and saw him fall." Witness also gave similar evidence to that adduced at the magisterialenquiry.—The Coroner said that an analysis of the spots on the prisoner's clothes bad not yet been completed.—A plan of thescene of the murder was handed to the Coroner by Mr Anthony Lewis, land surveyor, who rave it as his opinion that, if deceased was struck at the spot where the knife was found, the prisoner, standing at Mrs Farnden's door, would have seen what happened, but not at the spot where the victim was found. Dr. F. St. Quentin Bond described the wounds. There was s cut inflicted before death on the finger of the right hand, and a punctured wound in the throat, which caused death. The wounds were inflicted by a person standing behind the victim, and given in • backward direction. It would not be possible to move the body after the fatal blow without leaving traces of blood.--Superintendent Kinabott, of the Hants constabulary, corroborated the evidence of Sergeant Knapton as to an interview with the boy Husbend and his arrest after the inquest. —The enquiry was adjourned. Robt. Husband was brought 1113 on remand on Wednesday before the Havant Bench on e charge of murdering Percy Knight Searle on the 25th November. Prisoner, who appeared quite composed, was allowed to sit during the proceedings. The Court was crowded. Sergeant Rnapton said this morning prisoner was crying, and said to him, " I have just thought of it I saw another boy when I was crying murder. It was Charlie Rogers." —Prisoner said firmly that he had no questions to ask.—The prisoner's father, who neglected to attend the trial as ordered, was sent for, the magistrate telling him on his . arrived that his son was in peril of his life, and he should be present on the child's behalf.—Professor Sidy deposed that he examined the blood stains on the boy's shirt. No other garment was stained. The blood spots on the shirt must have been at least a month old. Ethel Whitebread, seven years of age, deposed that on Monday morning she saw from the opposite side of the street the prisoner sharpening a knife.—Mrs Searle, the mother of the murdered boy, said she was not aware of any quarrel or unpleasantness between her son and the prisoner.—The Magistrates, after deliberating for ten minutes, committed Husband for trial on the capital charge. The prisoner, who made • long statement respecting what he saw on the night of the murder, was committed for trial at the Anises.