Widnes Examiner. — 1891-05-02 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

THE MURDER AT OLDEIAM.  SENTENCE OF DEATH. Attlanehester Spring Assizes, on Wedneedey, Alfred William Turner, aced twenty, ieeeourere was ,arraigned before Mr. JusticeiWright for the murder of Mary Ellen Memel, at Oldham., on the 29th March. Mr.sFoard, who ireith Mrelre:eand prosecuted, said the young woman who had beeckilled was the eweetheart of the crisoner, and was about eighteen years of age. They had known ,eiteh other seven or eight months, and had frepnently walked out together. On the night of Sunday, the 19th March, Turnercalled at the girl's lodgings foe her, and after a little dearer she left the house with hisn. Later the same evenieg the prisonerran into the illatcrields PaficieStation in a 'very excited tate of mind. The officer in-charge of the station conceived him to be drunk. The pirleoner thnewetimself upon a chair, and; holding his head: in his hand, .told the officer that the yotsec woman with whota be had been walking had, aleng with himself, been ‘..ttacked, and had suffered .censiderseele injury. Letering more into detail; he said that two men had icjamped over a wall • near to Where he =dello young wocean were together, end beganeto illtreat them both. .Turner said he strove 43 long aiehe could vitiethe men, butthere were no merks ean him as of a struggle, His hands aud coat, however' ..were partially covered with blood, and he explained :this by sayingthet when be got away from the men he feu& the girl lying six yards army, and bellied to lift berkip he found herthroat was out, and in lifting her be got the blood on this handsa.nd coat. He added that he was aura she vras idead, and allied that a policeman migtet bc sent with him to the spot, which was about half a mile; away, near teethe Woodstoak Mill. A coad:able was sent with the man, and near to the Woodstock Mill they found the deceased woman. Ifer -throat was cut, and she was removed. and-on the following day she diet.- There was not tile slightest, doubt thatcthe prisoner was the man who caused the, death of the woman. Ee. understoed that the defence to be set up was insanity, and the simple question for the jury wes whether atetire. time hie cut tho woman's Croat he was sane enough to understand the nature arid consequence of the Act. Evidence was given in support of the. epan'..rig statement. A girliname'd Caveney said that some elaysebefore the murdee prisoner thve.shed Moranthecause die *ex:mid not walk out with him. Police-inspector Uarburton evoke as to twhat had oecueredne the police statioe,e.ndAhe subsequent rinding of the injured woman. in cross-examination by Mr. .J W. Hamifterneheelaid he understoodthat priseaer had once (peen tried for shooting Et a polieeman. For the defence, witnesses were ctEed, who swore that the prisoner had been most eccentrivie his conductefrom time to time.edis mother said that prisoner's greatgrendfather .committed suicide, and the great grandfather's brother had been since 14, an inmate.of a lunatic aeylum. Prisoners mother added that since thirteen years of age her son had given her greet trouble by his extezordinaryetonduct. When e. child he WAS'S sufferer &nen eronvulsiotze, andithe doctor 'who attended ber at his birth said that et would be a inevey if the child died, for if be hoed he would cause :her much trouble before he wan livventy-one. 'The Judge, in surnmingap, said that care was needed not to weaken the .criminal law by acquiting personsof criminal actseasexely because they were of weak trrind. if -that were done, half the criminal population in the country would be committing crime with a probability of going unpunished. It was not sufficient to prove a masenerely to be of weak Mind. If the prisoner the act knowing at the time what he did, their duty wa s clear, and any clemency that followed must be left to the consideratioa of the Crown at a future day. The jury, after an absence of ten minutes, returned a verdict of" Guilty," with a recommendation to mercy. Sentence of death was pronounced, and the prisoner was lea below. As he descended the steps he cried out, " Goodbye lads ; goodbye," and a voice from the gallery answered," Goodbye lad."