The Cannock Chase Examiner. — 1875-03-06 (Cannock, Staffordshire, England)

OPENING OF THE CORONER'S INQUF.gr.  The Inquest on the body of the deceased was opened on Monday afternoon, before Mr. E. Hooper, coroner for the county, at the Bird-inHand Inn. James-street, Ryecroft. Mr. Superintendent Cater was present on behalf of the  Walsall police.—AnnrJones, the wife of William Jones, coachman to Mr. Smith, of Ferndale, Handsworth, stated that she was half-sister to  the —Lee; sed.- His proper name was Bridgewater, but as his mother married again when he was very young, he had always gone by the name of Corbett. The dead body was that of her half-brother. and he was about 46 or 47 years  of age. He was a miner.—The Foreman Has nine o'clock on Monday morning. He said he the deceased been of sober habits ?—Witness: I , wanted to see me about a bother he got into have not seen the deceased for eleven years, and on Saturday night, he stabbed a man. He then cannot say.—A Juror : Previous to that had he cautioned him, and took down his statement as been of sober habits ?—Witness: He did not go! follows :—' Between eleven and twelve o'clock much into company.—The Coroner said it was , on Saturday night last, I was going up the road not hi a intention to go further with the inquiry from Walsall to Bloxwich, near the Horse and that des-, as the police had not had sufficient Jockey public-house, four men came up to me. time to obtain evidence. He should, therefore, , one man pushed another man against me, and adjourn the inquest for a post-mortem examina- tried to knock me down. I tried to ran away, tion to be made.—Having consulted the jury, it . and they followed me, and I stabbed a man was agreed to resume the inquiry on Monday , somewhere about the face with my knife, afternoon neat. and I lost my hat." He then gave MO the FERTHER EXAMINATION OF THE PRISONER, knife produced. He said, There is no On Friday (yesterday). Stokes was again blood upon it, but there is some upon my  coat." Me took him to Wale:di, to the Chief of Police, and he had since been in custody.—By Mr. Rhodos: He gave his statement perfectly straightforward. I have known him for a long time, and what I know of him is favourable to his character as a respectable, quiet inan.—This being the evidence, Mr. Rhodes addressed the Bench for the defence, and said it was for the magistrates to decide first of all whether they would take the charge as one of murder or manslaughter. He contended that the first could not be made out by the evidence; and with regard to the latter, he commented upon the evidence with a view of showing that the offence was committed in self-defence, and was one of justifiable homicide. He then referred to the law and definition of what was regarded as of justifiable homicide, and contended that no jury would convict upon the evidence before them. He quoted a number of cases that had been decided. If they determined to send for trial, then he submitted that they could not be justified in treating the case as any other but that of manslaughter, and, under the circumstances, if they decided to do this, then:he would apply that bail should be taken.—The magistrates decided to remand prisoner to Monday to complete the depositions, when prisoner would be committed on a charge of manslaughter; bail would, however, be taken, himself in £5O, and two sureties in £25 each. VERDICT OF JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE