Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1863-03-25 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

THE CHATHAM MURDER.—At the Maidstone assizes, on Wednesday, Robert Alexander Burton, 18, described as a carpenter, was charged with the wilful murder of Thos. Frederick Houghton, at Chatham, on the 23rd of July, 1862. This cage stood over from the summer assizes, and the circumstances under which the crime was committed were very extraordinary. The deceased was stated to be a very nice little intelligent lad, nine years and a half old, and it seemed that on the 23rd July lest, he was walking with his mother in the town of Clifitki% tile poor lad had parted from his mother, which he did Shortly afterwards, the prisoner appeitred to have decoyed him to Chatham Linea, and when they were close to a large heap of chalk, he attacked him, forced him to the ground, anti stabbed him in the throat with a knife, and thus caused his death. The strange part of the transaction was that the prisoner did not seem to have ever quarrelled with the deceased, or to have borne him any ill-will, and on the day following the murder he went to one of the county constabulary stationed at Chatham, and voluntarily admitted that he had murdered the boy, whose body had been found on the lines, and he gave a circumstantial account of every circumstance conmeted with the horrid act. After he WWI committed for trial he never seemed desirous to screen himself for a moment from the consequence of his crime, but, on the contrary, he continually stated that he was the person who had killed the boy, and that he wished to be hanged. Under ordinary circumstances he would have been tried at the winter giniii delivery of last year, but it appeared that at this time he had expressed a positive determirmtion to plead guilty, and Mr. Ribton, who had been retained to defend him, applied to the court to postpone the trial to these assizes, in order that an opportunity might be afforded for bringing forward evidence as to the state of the prisoner's naiad.. It seems from inquiries that have been made, that since ho has been in custody, however, he has never exhibited the slightest symptom of want of intellect, and so far as outward appearance goes he has always seemed to be fully aware of the character of the offence, and to desire to suffer the Mat penalty of the law for it. When placed at the bar Burton pleaded guilty. He was asked if ho understood the nature of his plea, and declared that he did. Mr. Justice Wightman then urged that it would be much better that the prisoner should plead not guilty, not as denying the crime, but as expressing a wish to be tried. Yielding to these solicitations the prisoner, whose sole desire was said to be that he might he hanged, withdrew his first plea and pleaded not guilty. Witnesses were then called and examined, and cross-examined, and it was made clear that the prisoner had committed the crime with which he was charged.—Mr. Ribton in addressing the jury for the defence, did not deny Burton's guilt, but pleaded that when he murdered the boy he NVAS insane. The jury, however, found a verdict of guilty, And the prisoner was sentenced to death. He treated the matter with the greatest soolneasi sad en klariniik desk Nadi "Thwak Pei ow ifrild - '