The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1868-09-12 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

LIFE GUARDSMAN CHARGED WITH WILFUL MURDER.  A private in the Ist Life Guards, named Richard Robins, who is now on furlough at Northampton, has been taken before the borough magistrates lin a charge of having been concerned in the death if a young woman, named Eliza Shields, with whom he had kept company for more than a year past, and who had been found in the river Nene early on Sunday morning last. After the examination, he was rematole,l. _ _ _  On Monday the inquest was held before Mr. Beck, coroner, and from the evidence taken before him it appeared that the deceased wilt, a shin-fitter, and lived with her mother and step-father. She was twentytwo years of age. For some weeks past Robins has been at home, and during his furlough he has been out with the deceased a good deal at night. On Saturday she and a companion w.nt to a public-house t i find It bins, apparently according to app•Mtment, but at that Weir (nine o'clock) he told }WI' he was p•ii g tt take his pleesure till elev. n, us Win he would se • hr. Until that time she could go where she had been-- ti a music halL She im Robins again at elev n, awl the comp tad in left the m, after acting them gui iuts public-house tu•gether. Robins was next seen by a p•dieeman near the music hall about five winut• a to twelve, but dere were so many people about that he did not know whether a woman we with him. About tat-sty minutes past one on Sunday morning he saw Robins and a woman at the corner of Silver-street, but he could nut identify her as the vi sing woman who Lad been murdsred. He also S,VN the two again stoiffisrbr past twit o'clock. The wour.nhad on a black jiteket awl black hat, art fetes w•rresp•wdingt• those won by the dece iced. Robins was in undress unifonn. Anoth r police officer sac,- the woman, but could wit identify the deceased as Use same person. At half-past two o'clock three screams and a plunge into the water were heard close to the river Nene, which is about ten or fifteen minutes' walk fri an Silver-street. A man and a boy who heard the shrieks ran to the spot, and the latter stated he heard footsteps as of a person running away. The man sent the lad for a policeman ; and although he himself could swim, he never offered to get the woman out of the water, though he saw her moving,. He rattled at a Weise, but could make no one hear, and so he went back to the spot. As the body was then quiet, he started off for a police officer. The body was not got out until twenty minutes past three o'clock, and then no medical assistance was called in till about six &chick. After the body was identified Robins was apprehended by Detective Kemp, when the following conversation took place, after the officer had eautioued Robins : •  Kemp Do you know a girl named Shield, living it. the Kettering-road? Robins I ho is it right ? Is she drowned? Kemp: Yes, she in. When dhl in 50e her last? sc. miii, i.e last.  Kemp then askeil hint What time he left her, and Inc said about ten minutes pod 0110 aCIOCk :It the tip of Silver-street. Robins denied that Inc said he was with the young woman "lagt ; " he stated that Inc add he was with her n last-night." There were no marks of violence on the is sly, but from the post mortem examination it appeared that the woman was two months advanced in pregnancy. The coroner summed up at length, and b.ld the man who had seen the WOllllll.ll moving about in the water (a shoemaker named Garley), that if he were not ashamed of himself, every pi ruin in iourt was - a rebuke which received the hearty applause of everybody in court. The jury rethed to deliberate ; and in about half an hour returned with a verdict of " Wilful murder against some person unknown."