The Sun. — 1850-09-24 (London, England)

THAMES.  William Robinson, a coal whipper, aged 28, was brought before Mr Ingham, charged with attempting to murder Lydia Short, a woman about 30 years of age, who was led into the court with her head bandaged, and in a very weak state from loss of blood.  The prisoner, a malicious, savage fellow, has been frequently in custody for assaults and outrages, and came out of prison last Saturday. He was suspected of murdering a woman named Caroline Willis, who died under suspicious circumstances, and on whom a coroner's inquest was held two years ago. The prosecutrix, in a low tone of voice, said that she lived at 10, Taverner's-walk, Shadwell, and had cohabited with the prisoner for some time. On Saturday night they quarrelled in consequence of a friend of hers, a young man, coming to see her. The prisoner asked her if she was going to sleep with him? and she said she was not, and there was a sailor upstairs, and she was going to stay with him. The prisoner asked her to turn him out, and she said she would not. The prisoner forced her into another bedroom, and threatened and commenced beating her. She struck him twice, and he took up a knife and drew it across her head, and inflicted a dreadful wound. line blood gushed forth in torrents, and she fell down from weakness and swooned away. (The woman, who looked very ghastly and was very faint, was then conducted to a seat near the witness-box.) The prisoner, who was much excited, said he gave " his wife" (the prosecutrix) 4s. out of ss. which he had received on Saturday, and she got what she wanted for housekeeping with the money. When he came home late on Satarday night, and not seeing her down stairs, he asked where Lydia was, and the woman below refused to tell him. Hearing a noise in a room above he went upstairs, where there were two men—a white sailor and a black sailor, whom she intended to rob. He made her come down stairs, and asked her if she was going to sleep with the white man upstairs, and she said that the " darky " was right for ss. if he (the prisoner) had not spoiled it. He told her to go into her own room, and she said she would not, and threw a plate at him, and in the scuffle which took place some images and a teapot were broken, and she fell against the edging of a wainscot and cut her head open. She was very drunk at the time.  The prosecutrix was recalled, and said she was was not quite sober, but she was certain that the prisoner cut her head with a knife. She had cohabited with him at different times for eight years. Two women of questionable character -and appearance gave evidence of the quarrel, which arose in consequence of the prosecutrix expressing her intention of sleeping with the sailor, and said they found the prisoner holding up Lydia Short, who was bleeding profusely, and he said she had done it herself with a teapot.  Mr. Daniel Ross, a surgeon of High-street, Shadwell, was called into the station-house on Sunday morning at one o'clock, and found the woman in a state of syncope. There was a wound on the right temple above two inches in length, completely dividing the temporal artery. The woman lost a large quantity of blood, and all her clothes were completely saturated with it.  In answer to questions by Mr. INGUAM, the witness said the wound was an incised one, a clean cut. The sharp edge of a broken plate or teapot might have inflicted such a wound.  Stockley and Button, police constables, said they found a large clasp knife on the prisoner, and discovered the remains of a broken image aril a broken teapot in the room where the woman received the wound. There was no blood on any portion of them. They saw nothing of a broken plate. Mr. Ross examined the knife very closely, and said there was no blood upon it at all. The wound might have been inflicted with it.  Mr. INGHAM said, the edges of the broken pieces of teapot were jagged, and he should not think it likely the wound was inflicted with any of them. Mr. Ross said he could not at present say what would be the consequence of the Wound.. Erysipelas might ensue.  Mr.