The Sun. — 1864-07-30 (London, England)

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE,  NORFOLK CIRCUIT-CA3IBRIDGE, July 29.  William Morley Wallis was indicted for the milful murder of Maria Hunt, at Cambridge, on the 28th of February, 1864. There were also two other indictments against the prisoner—one for an assault on Maria Hunt, with intent to murder, and another for an assault upon Sally Harris Walker, 'with intent to murder. The counsel engaged upon the charge of murder were Mr Sergeant Tozer, Mr Newton, and Mr Abdy for the prose' cution for tho prisoner, Mr Naylor. Upon the other two  ; _ Tr;ll‘. f". tSa  ..~.~.. b .... ~z' r' -'  prosecution; Mr Naylor for the prisoner, The trial excited very great interest in this town from the peculiar circurestr.nces of the case, from the position of the parties, and from the nature of the evidence proposed to be offered.  The fact; as detailed by the learned Sergeant, were those : —That on the 28th of February (Sunday) Mrs Hunt and Mrs Walker, two old women of the ago of 78 and 70 respectively, who lived together in a cottage called Prospect Cottage, situated between Prospect-row and Melbourneplace, on the north aide of Parker's place,were in the house about half-past 7 in the evening, Mrs Walker being upstairs in a bedroom and Mrs Hunt downstairs, their servant girl, aged 16, having just gone down from Mrs Walker's room to see after Mrs Huut, and having very recently fastened the front and back doors of the cottage. While the girl was thus engaged Mrs Walker, who was in the room above, heard a noise as of some one ascending the stairs and called out, " Whoever you are, don't frighten. me," upon which Mrs Hunt f aid to the girl, " Take her up a candle ; she's 'frightened," and then Mrs Walker heard steps as of some one descending. The girl on opening the door found a man with his face covered with black, who rushed into the room with something bright in his hand, pushed the girl out, and then commenced a murderous assault on Mrs Hunt, as detailed by the medical evidence, from the effects of which she died on the 18th March. He then proceeded to attack Mrs Walker in the way detailed in her evidence. The girl ran to call assistance, and the neighbours on coming in found Mrs Hunt on the ground covered with blond, and in the house were found a man's hat, with an oilcloth mask, and another piece of the same oilcloth inside it, and also a knife, and an undertaker's cloak. Footsteps as of a man without his boots were found in a garden adjoining to Mrs Hunt's house, and a bludgeon loaded in a peculiar way was found in a passage near on the Monday morning. The evidence against the prisoner went to show that he returned to Cambridge from Granchester about 6 in the evening of the 28th, having a cloak on his arm, and was seen in prospect-row about half-past 7 with the same cloak. At a quarter past 8 a young man without a hat was found hiding in the passage of a publichouse in Prospect-row, and on being interrogated walked away, but so noiselessly that the witness imagined he had no boots on. Another witness about halfpast found a young man strongly resembling the prisoner in a passage leading oat of the East-road, close to the prisoner's father's house, where the prisoner lived. The young man was without a hat, and was stooping down in an odd way, and, after several inquiries which the young man evaded, the witness at last found out he was fastening his  boot. At the house of the prisoner's father were found several pieces of oilcloth, which corresponded with the oilcloth mask bound in Mrs Hunt's house, and a rough crape mask with two eyeholes. There was also found a ladle and