Star. — 1821-08-14 (London, England)

MURDER BY STRANGULATION. William Akers was indicted for the wilful murder of Patience Ellis, a single woman, by strangling her with a pocket-handkerchief, at Wickham Bishops,-in this county, on the 19th of June. It appeared in evidence, that the deceased, who was about thirty-five years of age, had for many years been a helpless cripple, incapable of doing any thing to assist herself. She lived with her mother. The prisoner lodged in the same house, in which there was also another lodger. About six weeks before the 19th of June, the day the deceased died, she had been poorly and confined to her bed, hut was on that day observed to be better. On that day, about two o'clock, the deceased and the prisoner were left  alone. Shortly afterwards be charged a girl, grand-daughter of the deceased's mother, svhu al„, lived in the house, not to disturb the deceased, arid left the house. After some interval the grand. daughter went into the room of the deceased, an found her dead. She gave an alarm, upon which the prisoner and other persons came in and examiner, the body, which exhibited various marks of violence, which were then thought to be the effects of mortified-I tion. The prisoner soon after went into the village. and communicated the death of the dece-r-ed, although not requested to do so, bespoke a coffin for her, giving the size of it, and desiring thra no one should measure or examine the body. At his request the corpse was two days afterwards enclosed, and he himself screwed down the coffin. At the re. quest of the grand-daughter, the coffin was opened again, but soon fastened down. Shortly after it was' said that the deceased had been pregnant, in cone. quence of which the body was examined :gain by a medical main who declared that she probably died of dropsy. In a day or two sul;eequently, in coast. quence of reports of a disagreeable nature Lecoming pre 'alent, the body was agaia examined by another surgeon, who was of opinion that she had died bs violence, and that she was eight months gene wiLti child.—A Coroner's Inquest was then summoned, the prisoner saying that he should like to he on the Jury. He afterwards declared t%at the deceased had hum! herself, that he had found her suspended from thr tester of the bed, and bad with his own hands cut her down. It appeared that the tester of the bed could not possibly have supported the weight of tie deceased. The next day the pr.'s. our was apprehended, upon which he acknowledged that be was the father of the child of which the deceased way pregnant, and produced a silk handkerchief with which he declared she had destroyed herself. This was the substance of the evidence. A great number of witnesses were called to prove the einterent circumstances upon which the charge against the Rimer rested. The prisoner, in his defence, said he was innocent, and that his motive for concealing the manner of the deceased's death, was to prevent her being buried in the highway for suicide. One witness, who had known the prisoner for 1 years, gave him a good character for 'amenity an,, kindness of disposition. The Learned JUDGE summed up the evidence for the Jury with minuteness and precision. He desired them to take the whole case into their consideration, and if they had any doubts, to let those doubts operate in favour of the prisoner. The Jury immediately found the prisoner Guilty. and sentence of death being passed upon him, he was ordered for execution on Monday tyesterday). The prisoner was perfectly composed during the whole trial, which lasted from nine in the morning until half-past three in the afternoon.  The trials of Messrs.