The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1846-12-15 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

NISI PRIUS COURT.-THURSDAY.  ALLEGED MURDER AT LIVERPOOL.  James Hunter, 37, was charged with the murder of Charles Winslow, at Liverpool, on the 24th of November last. Mr. Blair conducted the prosecution, and Mr. James appeared on behalf of the prisoner.  Mr. BLAIR stated the facts of the case, which were as follows :—On the night of the 23d ult., the deceased, Charles Winslow, with two other persons, named Marley and Bryans, were drinking at a public-house in Strandstreet,- neer the corner of Crooked-lane. All the parties were sailors, and they were far advanced in liquor. They left the public-house about midnight, and proceeded along through Canning-place, towards Crooked-lane, where they saw two men, apparently sailors, standing at the corner. Some words of an angry character passed between the deceased and the two men, hut how it arose did not appear, and they then went up Crooked-lane together quarrelling. A private watchman, named Seymour, went up the lane, where he saw six or seven mendressed like sailors, and three women, quarrelling and fighting. lie saw the deceased near where the affray was going on, and immediately afterwards the prisoner came down from the forth r end of the lane, and struck him a blow in the stomach, but whether with a knife or not he could not say. The deceased turned round, made use of some exclamation, and then ran towards Canning-place, in the direction where Bryan and Marley had gone. Seymour followed the deceased, who came up to Marley, and complained of being stabbed, having at that time received the wound which subsequently caused his death at the hospital. The prisoner was found guilty of Manslaughter. His LORDSHIP, addressing the prisoner, said, the case indeed was one of an aggravated character, the act was a most cruel one ; and, though the jury had negatived that degree of malice which made the offence one of wilful murder, instead of manslaughter, it was morally as well as legally speaking, but just below that of wilful murder. The use of such an instrument as that produced, was an offence of the deepest aggravation ; it showed a cruel disposition, and a recklessness of human life and suffering, and it was fit to make such an example as might be a warning to all of the consequences of such violence, and the use of an instrument capable of producing such fatal effects. He sentenced the prisoner to be transported for life. Simon Hickey, 40, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with having stolen .1:38 in gold, and some silver, the property of Henry James Russell, on the high seas. Sentence deferred.  Richard Smith, 51, pleaded guilty to a charge of having in his possession a mould for making counterfeit coin.—Sarah Jenkins, alias Hannah Smith, 24, pleaded guilty to uttering two counterfeit shillings at Great Bolton.  William Hamby, 24, was charged with having at Li. verpool caused the death of George Lockley, by neglecting to attend an engine of which he had the superintendence, belonging to the Liverpool and Bury Railway, which was employed at the works near Walton-on-the-Hill. The jury immediately acquitted the prisoner.