The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1890-03-22 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

ALLEGED ATTEMPTED MURDER OF TWO WOMEN.  STRANGE EFFECT OF HALLUCINATIONS. At the Borough Police Court yesterday, before Mr. Preston, James Doyle, a labourer residing in William-street, was charged on remand with attempting to murder Alice Doyle, his wife, and Mary Doyle, his sister-in.law ; he was further charged with feloniously wounding them. Dr. Cornwall, Hamilton•sqnare, surgeon to the police force, said that last Saturday, the 15th inst., he examined the prisoner. He had also examined him twice since at the request of the police. On the 15th he found the man very excited, eionfased in his ideas, and suffering from delusions. Mr. Preston: What sort of delusions? Witness :Such as would come to him if he was in • chronic) state of alcoholism. On Tuesday he was worse, unable to sleep, and a draught had to be given him. Since then he had had more rest and was now in a fit state Io understand what was being said in his presence. Dr. McWhannel, senior house surgeon Borough Hospital, deposed that the two women were brought to the hospital on Friday the 14th inst. Witness then chscribed the injuries which the women had sustained, wounds on the head and hands. The lobe of Alice Doyle's ear, badly torn, had since dropped off. All the wounds, except that on the ear, could have been done by a hammer. The wounds were now getting on well. It seems that whilst the women have been in the hospital it was considered necessary to take the depositions of the woman Alicia. Her statement went to show that she lived with her sister, at 22, William.street, and last Friday morning, about half-past six, prisoner came into her sister's bedroom where she had been sleeping, and attacked her without any provocation. Proseentrix stopped here and said to her husband "I am telling the truth James, I don't care if I die, perhaps I will never get better." He struck her with something on the head and about the body, and she must have become insensible, for when she came to there was no one in the room.  Mary Doyle, wife of the prisoner's brother, was also beaten in a similar manner, and P.C. Burns stated that he met the prisoner in Chester-street at 8.80 on the morning in question. He cam* up to the officer and exclaimed: Mr. Burns, I am your prisoner. I had • fight for liberty this morning, Mary Doyle 11.01 a knife in her hand, and my wife a revolver, and I hart nothing but a little hammer to defend myself with. When formally charged in custody be replied slept in One MOM, the two women slept in another. I heard a noise and I looked out. I saw Mary Doyle with a knife in her hand standing on the stairs. My wife had a revolver. . I called Simon, and asked him to bring me a couple of matches. When Simon opened the door and came out I " nipped " In with the hammer. Burns said he found the two women in their night dreams, covered with blood, and in the front room of the house he found the broken hammer produced, covered with blood. John Doyle deposed that the hammer had been in the house some time and was kept downstairs and in a box in prisoner's room. Prisoner had recently acted in a strange manner, and spoke to witness about his wife and sister-iu-law having pistols. Prisoner's wife was a bad woman and had driven him to act as he had done. "She had drove him completely off it." Prisoner was committed for trial at the assizes.  Suppose, ImPUDIINT