The Sun. — 1848-06-13 (London, England)

THE MURDER IN THE HOUSE OF CORRECTION. Yesterday an inquest on the body of 'William Henry Woodhouse, a turnkey, was held by Mr. Wakley, in the House of Correction, Coldbath-fields. Mr. Notch and other magistrates were in attendance at a quarter past ten o'clock in the forenoon. The jury proceeded to view the body of the deceased, and on their return the prisoner was led into the room handcuffed. 'He is a man between fifty and sixty years of age, with hair inclining to gray. He appeared quite calm and collected, and, on entering the room, he first looked at the Coroner intently, and then glanced round at the jury and auditory, with a stoop of his head. His lips were compressed, and he listened to the proceedings with evident attention. The following witnesses were then called and examined : _ _  Mrs. Eliza Maria Ferris, who was deeply affected, said she was the deceased's sister. She had seen the remains of the deceased, and identified them. His name was William Henry Woodhouse. He was born in the year 1814. William Allen, a warder in the prison, gave evidence as to the alarm that the deceased had been stabbed, and finding him in the prisoner's cell dead. He gave information to Dr. Wakefield. Dr. Wakefield confirmed this. He examined the body, and ascertained that some weapon had entered the heart. It might have been with such an instrument as that now produced (a shoemaker's knife). The wound was the cause of death.  William Cooper, a warder, deposed that he had heard the prisoner ask the deceased whether he meant to report him. Deceased said, " Certainly I do." He afterwards asked him if he meant to stop his bread ?  Alfred Waddilove, a prisoner, saw deceased go into the cell where the prisoner was confined, and saw him deliberately stela litim with the knife now produced. Deceased exclaimed, " Oh, my God, I am stabbed 1" and he fell down.  Henry Young, another prisoner, had heard the prisoner threaten the deceased if he reported him. The prisoner here denied this, and said he wished to report another prisoner, which was riot listened to. Mr. George Laval Chesterton, the governor of the prison, deposed that the deceased complained of the prisoner, and brought him before him on Saturday morning, at a quarter before eight o'clock. He (prisoner) made an unfounded complaint against another prisoner, which, being discredited, was not attended to. He complained that another prisoner (No. 14) had asked him if he was the man who had been sent there for killing his children. The prisoner was not a fit associate for other people. The prisoner here complained that he had been treated in a " rascally" way, and put in irons. Mr. Chesterton denied this. He had been used kindly, and all the prisoners could prove it. The knife was used in shoemaking, and for cutting the ends of the rope in the oakum-room. They employ trades' work in the establishment, and were obliged to have such implements. Sub-warden Owen produced a written confession of the prisoner on Sunday, which he made voluntarily, that his daughter would be implicated in other charges ; that he concealed the knife, and that he did not mean to murder Woodhouse at first, but others, especially a warder named Latham.  Mr. VVAILLEY summed up, and said the jury could come to no other conclusion but that of wilful murder; and  The jury, after a moment's consideration, returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder against George John Hew son."  There being a legal question as to the prisoner's term of imprisonment, pursuant to his sentence, not having expired, and the authority of the governor to detain him, the coroner bound over the jury, in the sum of 201. each, to appear at ten o'clock on Wednesday morning, to sign the inquisition ; as it appears his delivery must proceed from an order from the Secretary of State, or by habeas corpus.