The Sun. — 1834-07-12 (London, England)

MURDER AT NOTTINGHAM.  Soon after one o'clock on Thursday afternoon, the inhabitants at the bottom of Beck-lane, Nottingham, were alarmed by cries of" murder," and a report was soon spread that a man had perpetrated that horrible crime upon the body of his wife, at the house of Mr. Peck, two doors from the sign of the Plough, in Beck-lane. A. concourse of people immediately collected, and soon afterwards a man dressed in a fustian jacket, light striped waistcoat, corduroy trowsers, with a white shirt open at the collar, and the whole saturated with blood, was brought out of the house in custody ; he appeared much agitated, and was conveyed to the House of Correction. The prisoner's name isW.Hinkley, whose father resides at No. 4 Court, Bold-lane, Derby. He was married eleven years ago, to the unfortunate woman whom he has driven thus untimely into the presence of her Maker. They had lived very unhappily together, and six years ago she left him, and came to Nottingham, and cohabited with a man named William Bull, who, we are informed, was acquainted with her previous to her marriage. About Christmas last the deceased returned to her husband, at Derby, and the latter set up a small eating-house ; but on Monday last the unhappy woman again quitted him, after taking all the money and various articles, and returned to Bull, who lodged on the first floor in Mr. Peck's house, in Beck-lane. The husband, deeply irritated by this double defalcation, came over to Nottingham by the coach, and went into a house opposite that where his wife then was, and bitterly complained of her conduct. He then went over to Peck's house, and walked up stairs. Soon after one o'clock, as Mr. Peck sat down to dinner, he heard a heavy fall upon the floor above, which was instantly followed by shrieks of murder. He directly hastened up, and saw Hinkley with a clasp knife in his hand, cutting at his wife's throat.  Ongoing up stairs, as we have stated, Hinkley and his wife were down upon the floor, near to the door, and the former had hold of the woman's neck with his left hand, and was cutting her throat with his right hand. Peck (who is an elderly man and well known in our market as a seller of confectionary), immediately grasped him by the collar, and in his efforts to disengage him, dragged them both towards the window, but so determined and desperate was the infuriated man, that he would not quit his bold, but kept stabbing and mangling the throat of his victim till she ceased to exist. Mr. Burrows, a constable, came in and struck him several times on the arm, and at last stunned him by a blow on the head, before he would relinquish the knife. He was then secured and sent to the house of correction, as we have stated. At six o'clock in the evening, a highly respectable jury was empanelled, at the house of Mr. Woolley (the- Plough), before Mr. Dunn, coroner, who was soon afterwards joined by Mr. Enfield. The jury, after having gone to view the body, returned to the Plough, and had the prisoner brought in. He appears to be about thirty-four years of age (the deceased was about thirty), strong and muscular. He betrayed no signs of levity, but was cool, calm, and collected ; and during the examination paid great attention to the evidence, frequently correcting the witnesses, and putting questions with the utmost deliberation.  Evidence having been adduced, a verdict of Wilful Murder was returned. The prisoner heard the verdict with but little emotion, and was then conveyed to the back door of the Plough, nodding to several persons as he passed along, and was put into a fly, which conveyed him to the town gaol, when he was delivered up. His behaviour was firm till Mr. Jackson was about to quit him, and then he seemed to give way a little. He has been twice in the House of Correction before, about five years since, for want of sureties to keep the peace towards his wife. The last time he was in prison six months.—Nottinghant Journal.