The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1867-04-16 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

MURDER A? COLCHISTII.—On Friday morning Mr. J. A. Church, borough coroner, concluded an inqunr7 at Colchester upon the body of a woman found in the neer Cothe. The body had ayperently been in the water live or six weeks, and, although little notice had been taken of the circumstance in the interval, its diaeovery receded to the recolleetion ot the inhabitants of the neighbourhood that on the evening of Saturday, February 23, aereams and cries of diskette, apparently from a woman, were beard in the direction of a garden adjoining the river. The deceased, whose name was Mary Ann Pettit!, 26 years of age, was the wife of • railway labourer, who had left her In the Colchester Union Workhouse while he went in search of epsploywent She was in company with a man named Henry Page Deeper. on the Fnday writhing referred to, at 6 o'clock, and near the apot on the banks of the river from which the cries were beard. The deceased and Draper were in and out the publiehouse several times, and in the intervals were walking up and down the Ipewish•road ; and what was heard of their conversation ooaveyed the impression that she was unwilling to go in the direction Draper wished. The last tints they left the poblichoum together was about half Test 7 o'clock, and about 90 minutes to 8 the cries of distress was heard in the direction from the river side. Draper was sworn, and admitted that he was in company with the woman during the afternoon and evening up to 7 o'clock, or thereabouts ; that after they left the Rittman he made a proposal to her, which she would not allow, and he then left tier. He did not kill her. The jury gave • verdict of "Wilful Murch-r against If en 7 Page Draper." The accused vehemently protested his innateness. Lis was immediately taken ii.to custody, and the Coroner committed him for trial at the July Anises at Chelmeford.  MOILDNIt AND SVICIDI —On Monday the bodies of • woman and child (the child clasped in the woman's arms) were discovered in Om Regent's Canal, at Paddington. On Wednesday Dr. Labeller held an inquiry. The woman was found to be Miriam Hughes, married, and aged 24; the child wee her daughter Elisabeth, aged eight months. Polieasergeant Hoskin produced • letter found on the body of the woman. It was as follows : I "Whoever picks me up, I am Mrs. Hughes, 3, Salem. road. Moseow.road, and my deer baby. Go to Mr. Hughes, boutmaker, 3, Salem road, Mmeow•road. He has been • bad man tome; but mind, God forgive him." William Hughes, the husband ',hived to, having been swore, said he had not seen lila wife for • fortnight. Thvy disagreed so much that tboy came to an arrange. nivot to @operate. He wanted to take case of the child, and offered to put it out tc nurse at ss. a week, but bis wife would not let him. He banded • letter which be bad received from his wife into murk the latter part of which was sa follows :—"So you shall never me me or my dear baby dive no mote, unless you meet me before you get this. I hope, if you have any one el .e, you will never say and do to lier as you have dons to me. You say I never was • wife to you. lii have not I hope the nest you have will. So I must say good bye for ever and I ever. From your wife and Mild, and E. Hughes." The medical man engaged in the case deposed that death resulted from drowning in both cases. The injuries to the bodies were caused after death. The jury found —"That Miriam Hughes committed suicide whilst of unsound mind, and that Elisabeth was drowned by her mother."  A SMISATION Pi • JUST Box,—Os Thursday afternoon, at the Sheriff's Court, before Yr. Commissioner Kerr, a juryman objected to go into the box where two other jurors had already taken their seats, on the pound that one of them wee a convicted felon. His Honour: You are cooking a serious charge against • person who has been returned by the Sheriff as fit and proper to take the °Mae of juryman. Of what has he been imprinted? Juryman : Of pretty latency. The person against whom the objection was made here said. "This is all don. out of spite. We are neiebbours. end he owes me • grudge." His Honour : Have you ever been convicted? Juryman objected to: IdW get into trouble. His Honour: I know of no law under which you can claim exemption upon the ground stated. We apply to the sheriffs, who compile the list, to furnish us with the names of certain oiliness. At and proper persons, to try the muses. The sheriffs have returned to us a certain list, and amongst the names I find that of the person to whom objection has been raised. Ido not consider that you have any right to claim exemption nor to raise the objection in consequence of the conviction of the person alluded to. If the learned I counsel engaged in the cause shoes to object 10th. canon in question because of the conviction, it would be quite another matter. Mr. Collins. one of the counsel in the cause: Perhaps it would not be expedient to trya muse with a jury divided by personal feeling, and, therefore, It would be better for the juryman objected to to retire. His Honour: I cannot order him to retire unless he is challenged in the usual way. It was explained to his Honour that there was • full jury without the person objected to, and his services, as well as those of the juryman who bad complained, were dispensed with.