The National Register. — 1809-09-03 (London, England)

MURDER OF A LUNATIC.  The following most remarkable trial came no sit f Assizes, on the 21st inst. attended with some very r circumstances, particularly interesting to those w ho ranged persons belonging to them. William Bell was charged with the wilful mn Ham Brown, by violence and ill-treatment. v6h: care, as keeper of the AsylutA at Manchester, for t of lunatics.  Robert Brown (the brother of the lunatic), deposed deceased was so much deranged in his mind, that it by his family, to send him to the Asylum for lamati, and several of his .relatives accompanied him i, of March last ; that he went to see him shortly when he saw him, he was very had ; and Dr. Whist attends the patients, informed hina there was no getting better. He remained eighteen days in the then w:l3 fetched away. The deceased was very mu, but knew the witness. As he wasgetting into thecoi plained several times of his back paining him very was taken from Manchester to Hendon, where, on hi be very quiet, his straight waistcoat was taken off. ed sensible for several days, so much so, that he w' to steep with his wife. On the Monday after t, which he was taken away. Mr. Sanderson, the Gov Asylum, called to see him. After he was gone, the put to bed, and :shell lying on his back, he appeared utseasy, and, in consequence, the witness put his ha, hack to alter his position, when he called out, al great agony, " Brother, my breast-boue is tiro witness as::ed him who did it, when he replied, " and he appeared quite sensible he was dying. lie saik that afternoon, and every day afterwards, till the death. The deceased also told the witness, on the F: he was taking hint from the Asylum to his house, lila' were broke;: from his back-bone, except two ; and eeneeived him to be in a dying state. The witness, on his cross-examination, said, that the deceased first mentioned his ribs were broken, it proceeded from his rambling mind. On the eveni s.;:tierson's visit, the deceased complained so much being broken, that the witness was induced to feel t was then convinced of the truth of his assertion. T complained very-much of the prisoner, and said, it had broken his ribs and breast bone; and the witnel vinced his ribs were broken, cent for Dr. Agnew to The deceased lived two days after this ; and after witness went to the Asylum, and said " they had in brother," and made several threats against the prism This testimony was also corroborated by the wi' ceased, who said the.decased was continually comp, ribs, and attributed it to the prisoner; and that I prayed to God to release him from his misery. Here Judge Chambre stoped the evidence. He 01 although the deceased had lucid intervals. yet, no tics in general had a great dislike to their keepers spec: to the declarations of the deceased against tl he did not think they came up to the principle, re law, of a person being in dying state ; for the °a, that could be attributed to his being sensible of his his saying his prayers; and that his unsupported against the prisoner could :tot therefore he received, Previous to the decision of the Jury, at the req Cross, the prisoner's Counsel, Mr. Sanderson was gave the prisoner a good character for humanity tivefive years be was employed by him as keeper.  Tt is stated in an Edinburgh newspaper, that the yt Clergy= n, who undertook to read six chapters of the hour for 1000 buccebsive hours, after proceeding i tack thirteen days and nights, fell into► a profnul trance, from which he has never yet i4W °lce, altho deut Imola lives t