Star. — 1828-08-12 (London, England)

CROWN SIDE.—MURDER—MANSLAUGHTER. Edward oldield was charged, on the Coroner's Inquisition, with the wilful murder of John Wallace, at Woolwich, on the 4th of April last. He was also indieted for killing and slaying John Wallace (manslaughter). Mr. LAW stated the case for the prosecution, and then called the following witnesses: Philip Holloway—Was in the company of John Wallace, at Woolwich, on the 4th of Aptil; they went into the Prince of Wales public house; witness soon came out again, and saw his mother and sister standing on' the opposite side of the street; three soldiers, of the corps of sappers and miners, came up, and one of them, without the least provocation, struck his mother on the breast, and said, " Take that, you —." Witness's brother then came out of the Prince of Wales public house, on hearing the cry of the woman when she was struck, along with two or three other persons, and demanded of the soldiers why they struck the woman ? The soldiers replied, "Curse you, what is that to you?" Several abusive words passed, and then one of the soldiers struck one of the other party, and a general affray commenced; it lasted only two minutes, at the end of which time the deceased (Wallace) ran into the public house, and said he was stabbed, and witness saw the bit od dropping from his back ; Campion, a constable, then came into the public house, and took witness to the barracks, where the men were turned out, but he could not at the time identify any of them; when he came back to the public house, Wallace was dead; the soldiers appeared to be intoxicated. Sophia Andrews, the mother of Holloway, the pre-1 ceding witness, stated, that she was struck by one •of the Sypers, as stated by her sun; an affray took place, but who utuck the first blow she could riot tell ; she saw a bayonet in the hands of one of the Sappers. Campion, a constable at Woolwich, went to the Prince of Wales public-house about nine o'cl.'ck of the evening of the 4th of April, and took Holloway to the barracks ot 'the Sappers and Miners; lie saw a bayonet hanging at the bed of one of the soldiers; drew it from the ss Abbard, and found it to be stained with blood, which appeared to be fresh ; the prisoner was in the bed, and was asked if that was his bayonet? and lie said that it was, and then witness gave him in charge to the corporal of the guard. George Winter, the corporal of the guard, stated, that the prisoner Oldfield confessed that he was the man who did the deed, and that the reason why he did it was, that when he came up he was twice knocked down, and then he drew his bayonet in self-defence. Mr.Dakin, a surgeon, proved that the bayonet wound was the cause of Wallace's death.  - George Hilton, a Sergeant-major of the Sappers and Miners, and William Jackson, a gunner of the Royal Artillery, gave the prisoner an excellent character for humanity and general gond behaviour. Mr. Baron GARROW summed up the evidence, and observed, that the charge was presented in two shapes. A Coroner's Jury having found the crime to be murder, and a Grand Jury having found it to be manslaughter. It was for the Jury now to say of which of them crimes the prisoner was guilty, or whether he was guilty of either of them? It was cleat that the prisoner, under the circumstances, was not justitiei in using his bayonet. Guilty of Manslaugiter. Sentence—Twelve months imprisonment and bard labour, and to eater into a recognizance in TOL to keep the peace.