Star. — 1820-03-31 (London, England)

CHARGE OF MURDER.  Jane Palmer, an interestinglooking girl, aged 18, vats indicted, on the Coroners Inquisitiono for the wilful murder of William Gregory, on the 25th of August last. The Grand Jury had thrown out a bill for murder, but returned one for manslaughter. It appeared in evidence, that the deceased was an elderly man, and hawked pies about the street in the Borough. On the day mentioned in the indictment, the prisoner, who was beastly drunk, met the de ceased in Dover-street, Blackfriar'sbroadi about oue, o'clock, and asked him for a pie. He gave Ira' one, which she ate, and sbe desired- him to let her have , another ; and after eating that, she demanded a third, which he refused to give her, siting; " Ptay me what you owe me first.' She had some halfpence in her hand, which she offered him. He said, " No, you owe me sixpence; pay me that?' She still demanded the pie, but he still.refused ; upon which she swore at him and abused him. She then hit him with her fist, on the temple, two or three blows, and, putting her arm round his neck, hit him again as hard as she could on the head and breast. The deceased called out for help to the by-standers, not being able to assist himself, his pie-pan being strapped round his neck. Some of the spectatcrs took the deceased from her: she tiled to get at him again, and repeated her abuse; she said she would pay him off. .The deceased put his hand to his breast, and said he was a dead man. He walked away, leaning by the wall. In ten minutes afterwards he was seen sitting down in a breathless state; he attempted to walk away again, and after going about six yards he said, " I can walk no further."— He was then taken home to his lodgings in a cart, and in five minutes afterwards he died. There appeared to have been no malice on the part of the prisoner, and the deceased had known her before. On the cross-examination of the witnesses, it war. proved that the deceased had kicked the prisoner during the scuffle. Mr. James Cooke, a surgeon, said, he had examined the body of the deceased. There was a contusion over the left eye, occasioned from a blow or' fall. On opening the head, he found some extravasated blood on the brain ; the skull was not injured, but what he observed on the brain was sufficient to 'produce death. The chest and zhdomen were unhurt. The deceased appeared to have been in bad health, and of a weak habit of body. Apoplexy might have produced an extravasatioa of blood on the brain. Passion or exertion might have produced apoplexy, but, probably, in this case, it was occasioned by a blow or fall. The -prisoner in. her defence, stated that the deceased had kicked.her before she struck him, and she calleda witness to prove that he had kicked. her (In her side, and that she had not struck him until then. Mr. Caron GA RRONV charged the Jury to consider, first, whether the death of the deceased was occasioned by the act of the prisoner, because, if not, she was entitled to be acquitted altogethez ; and, next, whether, if it was so occasioned, there appeat:.d to have been in the prisoner any malice, direct or implied, because if there was no malice, she mast be acquitted of the charge of mu: der, though she might be convicted of mansiauiJiter. . The Jury, almost instantly, found the prisoner Guilty of Manslaughter only, and she was sentenced to five months imprisonment.