The Express. — 1851-07-25 (London, England)

WILLIAM. CHARGE OF NI:HOER AT SHEFFIELD.  Williams baltersby, 22, and Eliza 11'st 'awn, 21, were charged, the former 'eith the wilful murder of John Wilkinson, at Sheffield; and the latter with aiding and abetting iu the said murder. The indictment included a count for manslaughter. The prisoners pleaded not guilty. The accused Eliza Wilkinson was the wife of the deceased, and the prisoner William Battersby is the cousin of the female prisoner. The deceased, his wife, and Battershy all lived in the same house, along with a little girl, the daughter of the deceased. The prisoner was living there as a lodger, and hail been so for some time. The principal evidence adduced was as follows : Joseph Glossop, of Park-lane Mill, Sheffield, carter, and Charles Hatton, of Duke-street, grocer, spoke to seeing the deceased in apparent good health, proceeding homeward on the night of the alleged murder, Saturday, May 3. Ann Wilkinson, aged ten years' daughter of the female prisoner and of the deceased, deposed to suppin with her parents and the other prisoner (Battersby) on tW night of the murder. She then went to bed, and heard nothing until she was called up by a neighbour (Mrs. Johnson) neat morning, and unlatched the kitchen door. She had heard words previously between her father and mother about Battersby. Elizabeth Johnson proved that the female prisoner came to her house on Sunday, the Ith of May, about 7 o'clock in the morning, and stated that she and her husband had been quarrelling during the night, and she escaped out of the window from her husband. She was without shoes, and at her request witness went to Wilkinson's house (or her shoes, and roused the little girl. Witness then saw the deceased lying dead on the floor, and gave the alarm. A white-hafted spring knife was found near the body ; and the ceilings and walls were sprinkled with blood. The police were sent for, when Mrs. Wilkinson said she wished she had stood her ground, and let deceased kill her too, She said Battersby had gone to Wiper the previous night, and that she leaped out of the window about 12 o'clock, and had been concealed in an outhouse for some hours. On the police taking away the clothes of Battersby, she expressed a hope there was no blood on them, and remarked he had cut his finger on the previous Thursday. Mary Lund, a neighbour, denosed to the female prisoner going to her lime at 2 o'clock in the morning, stating that bar husband had taken a razor to kill her, and that she had is=ssit alba window. Janson, husband of a previous witness, deposed to bearing antes as of chairs and tables knocking about the Weis at dreraced about midnight. Daniel Attwood, police officer, deposed to finding a shirt and trowsers, belonging to Battersby, both of which were stained with blood. He apprehended Battersby on the Monday following at Mrs. Johnson's. Samuel Linley, another police officer, found a pair of stockings in the Hue of the oven marked with blood; he slso produced • poker with blood stains on it. Witness examined the window, snd gave his reasons for the belief that the female prisoner could not have leaped out of it as the represented. . .