The Express. — 1847-11-15 (London, England)

AND HIS OWN BODADIL—The inhabitants of Reading were alarmed on Friday by the report that the wife of a blacksmith, resident in East-street, had been cruelly murdered by her husband, and that he had himself committed suicide immediately afterwards. On inquiry, it appeared that the culprit was James Hersey, for some years past in the employ of fitr. Rimell, shoeing smith, Friar-street, in that town. For some time past Hersey bad entertained a suspicion of his wife's fidelity. His accusations were always emphatically denied by his wife, and it is ascertained that there never was the slightest ground of suspicion against her. However, quarrels have frequently arisen between them, and it is only a few weeks since that the deceased was brought before the magistrates, and held to boil to keep the peace towards his wife. During the past fortnight, the wretched man has almost entirely neglected his work, stating, as an excuse, that be was unwell. On Wednesday the keeper of a beershop next door to his own house, having heard that he was poorly, inquired how he was, to which he replied, "There's nothing the matter with me, Mrs. Nutt ; bat I have seen things that are wrong, and I have staid at home to find them out." On Friday, about 4 o'clock, the wretched man and his wife were heard quarrelling by the neighbours ; and, during the altercation, deceased sent out his son Charles, who had just come home from school, to fetch his brother then playing in the street. The poor little fellow had just descended the flight of steps ' in front of the house when he heard a great noise behind him, and, looking hack, he saw his mother rush out of the front door, followed by his father, who, at the same instant, felled her to the earth with a poker which he held in his hand. The woman fell senseless outside, the man retiring within the house, and closing the door after him. The boy ran immediately for assistance, and finding a police-constable returned with him to the house. The woman was found lying on the door-step in a pool of blood, which was flowing copiously from wounds in her head. A surgeon was immediately sent for, and she was removed to the hospital in an insensible state. The constable proceeded into the passage, at the further extremity of which he found Hersey, lying on his face, covered with blood. After groaniag heavily. twice, he expired in the officer's presence. A medical examination discovered that he had inflicted a gash eaves his throat, extending from ear to ear. The appearances were such as to leave little doubt that the wretched man, after having kaocked down his wife, closed the door, and supplying himself with a razor, went into a shed or outhouse in the back yard, and there inflicted the first gash. From this place he appears to have walked halfway aerate the yard, where, from the large quantity of blood which has escaped, he is supposed to have made the final cut. The wretched man then threw down the razor on the pavement, and attempted to return into the house, but in so doing be seems to have stumbled against the door-sill and fallen headlong into the passage, the position in which he was found.—The wife, though still alive, has continued in an insensible state, and is in a very precarious condition. The deceased had four chit. dren, the eldest of whom is 16 years of age. AN INQUEST ON SCOTT, TILE TRAINER, has been held before R. Clarke, Esq., of Reading. Scott was found dead, lying on the floor of his sitting room, on Tuesday last, at his residence, close to the heath. Mr. Brown, surgeon, of Sunning-hill, who was called in as soon as the body was found, early in the morning, having given an opinion that apoplexy was the cause of death, the jury immediately returned a verdict to that effect. The deceased had attained his 63rd year.