Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1872-01-06 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

MURDER AT SOUTH SHIELDS.  William James and Edward John Nesbitt were brought up at the South Shields Police Court, on Tuesday, before Mr James Young and Mr Alderman Glover, charged with having wilfully caused the death of Louis Prichenbad, a German sailor, on • Monday morning.—MaSuperintendent Richardson, in applying for a remand, briefly stated the facts : of the case.—Margaret Ann Cooperett was the only • witness called, and stated that she was in the cunt- , pany of deceased between six and seven o'clock on Monday morning, iu a public-house in Wappingstreet, and on leaving the bar, the prisoners came up,• and James took a cigar from the mouth of Prichenbad. Deceased asked to have his cigar returned, when James struck hut in the mouth, and knocked deceased on his back. Prichenbad got up, and took off his coat, and gave it and his watch to the witness, when the latter pushed him into the HalfMoon Ina boarding-house. They were followed into the house by the prisoners, who made an attack upon deceasad, and also knocked Cooperett down. Deceased was sheved into a dark. room, and was again assaulted by James and Nesbitt; one of whom had a chair with which to strike Prichenbad. Mrs Julius, the landlady of the boardinghouse, then pushed the whole of the men oat of the house, James and Nesbitt by the front door, and the deceased by a side door. As soon as they got outside James and Nesbitt made towards deceased and rau him down to the quay, when -James pushed him over into the river. She heard Prichenbad say something as he was falling over the quay, but could not make out what he raid. She also saw him hold his hands up when in the water.—ln reply to the Bench witness said that James was drunk at the time.—The prisoner Nesbitt denied that he Patched deceased, and James said that Priehenhail ran down the quay and jumped overboard.—The prisoners were then remanded. On Tucsday afternoon, between one and two o'clock, the body of the deceased was picked up near to the Halfpenny Ferry, within a short distance of the scene of the catastrophe. Deceased belonged to Stettin, and was to havasailed from the Tyne on Wednesday. On Wednesday, an inquest was held at South Shields, before Mr Favell, coroner, on the body of deceased. Evidence was given that the deceased and a woman named Copperthwaite were in Wapping street, when William James came up and took a cigar from deceased, and struck and knocked him down. Copiierthwaite pushed deceased into a lioardiar-house, when he was followed by James and Nesbitt, Ivhis struck him, and the former took op a knife and struck deceased with it. The landlady of the boarding house pushed the whole of the parties into the street, and great disorder prevailed ii account of James shoutiag for deceased to conic, as he wanted to kill him. He ran from the house down to the quay, am! was pursued by James, who pushed him into the river. Nesbitt wanted to assist in getting Pritehenbad out of the river, but James would not allow him. Dr Coward made a post mortem examination of the deceased, and Muni] no marks of violenoe on the body. The cause of I leash was drowning. The jury, after hearing the evidence, returned a verdict of wilfal murdetagairst William James, who was cemalittel for trial. Nesbitt was discharged.