The Sun. — 1862-10-16 (London, England)

ALLEGED WIFE MURDER IN SHORE DITCH.  An inquiry was held by Mr. H. Raffles Walthew, the deputy coroner for East Middlesex, at the Suffolk Arms Tavern, Boston-street, Hackney-road, on Tuesday, respecting the death of Mary Anne Jones, aged 22. The case excited considerable excitement in the neighbourhood, in consequence of rumours that the deceased lost her life through violence inflicted by her husband, and crowds congregated in the street where the inquiry was held. Mrs. Martha Turner said deceased was her daughter, and resided with her husband, a hawker, at No. 65, Boston-street. She was a delicate young woman, and very jealous and bad tempered. She died on Friday last. She had a black eye, and she told witness on last Wednesday week that she had had a quarrel with her husband about a curtain, and that she fell against a door, and blackened her eye. She had to go to the doctor. Cross-examined--Her husband might have pushed her.  Mrs. Mary Ann Dyer, 65, Boston-street, said that she heard the deceased and her husband quarrelling some time since. Deceased told witness that she received her black eye by being pushed against a door by her husband. Deceased complained to witness of her head and chest. Witness never saw her husband strike her. He was a kind man. Mrs. Alice Frost, who resided next door to the deceased, said deceased was a very nice young woman, and had not a bad temper. On the night of last Tuesday week witness was awoke by loud screams, and cries of " Murder." The cries continued for a quarter of an hour. The next morning she was informed that it was Mrs. Jones who had been screaming. Mr. E. Pitt, M.R.C.S., Hackney-road, said that deceased called on him complaining of suffering in her head and chest. She had a black eye. She had inflammation of the membranes of the brain. The post-mortem examination showed the immediate cause of death to have been the inflammation of the membranes of the brain. The cavity of the cheat was partly filled with fluid. By the Jury—The inflammation of the brain might have been produced by a blow, but there was no proof that it had. Margaret Bell, boot machinist, said that she resided at 25, Boston-street. On Tuesday week she and her sister were awoke by a fearful noise in the street. There were screams of " Police and Murder." Witness went to the window and saw Mrs. Jones outside her own door and her husband on the threshold< He struck deceased violently with his clenched fist eight or nine times. She cried out, " Oh, don't kill me! You are murdering me! Don't strike my head." The husband went in and shut the door. Deceased went to the door and called out to her servant girl, " Mary, give me the baby. I will make away with myself, and trouble you no more." The whole disturbance appeared to have lasted a long time. The next morning witness saw that Mrs. Jones's eye was very black and bruised.  Clara Bell said that she was alarmed by the disturbance described by last witness. She saw Mr. Jones strike his wife a dozen times with force enough to kill a woman. He knocked her down. The row was so great that several persons came to their windows. It occurred between 1 and 2 o'clock in the morning. Mr. Baily, stepfather of the accused, said that he could produce evidence to contradict the last two witnesses, and called Mrs. Martha Beaumont, who said that she heard a quarrel between Mr. Jones and hie wife about three weeks or a month ago. He pulled her into the house by the sleeve, but did not strike her. It was about eleven o'clock at night. A Juror remarked that witness might be alluding to a different occurrence. The court was then cleared, and after an hour and a halt's deliberation an adjournment was decided upon by the jury for the production of further evidence. The Court accordingly adjourned.