Alston Herald, and East Cumberland Advertiser. — 1875-12-04 (Alston, Cumbria, England)

THE WIFE MURDER AT DINNINGTON.  THE PRISONER SENTENCED TO DEATH. At the Northumberland Winter Gaol Delivery, on Tharsday, before Mr Jastioe Denman Riohard Charlton (28), labourer, was indloted for wilfully murdering his wife, Sarah Daxield Charlton, at Diunington, on Jane sth. Mr Greenhow and Mr Liddell prosecuted; and Mr Blackwell and Mr Mil. vain were for the defence. The prisoner, who is paralysed in his right leg, was held up by two warders whilst the indictment was read over, and he pleaded "Not Guilty." Mr Greenhow, in opening the Mae, said the pri. goner was a labourer, and for a little while prior to June he e.nd his wife had lived apart. She went to the house of her sister, Mrs Bobeou, Gardener's House Farm, near Dinnington, on April 7th, and was oonfiued there on April 12th. The prisoner remained with her until she was weaned, and then went back to his own house. His wife, for some reason or other which he (Mr Greenhow) could not understand, remained at her sister's hones, and on Saturday, June sth, her husband weat to the house and saw her. Ile went into the book kitohea, where his wife and a servant girl named Lennon were, Mrs Babson and another sister named Mrs Bennett being at the time in the front kitchen. The prisoner asked his wife how she was, but she made no answer. He next said "Sarah, will you come back again ;" and she made no reply. Mrs Robson at this time came from the front into the back kitchen, and said to her sister "Sarah, open the front door." At that moment the prisoner with his left hand took hold, of his wife by the right arm, and with his right hand drew a revolver out of his pocket, and aiming at the side of her head fired a shot, but it missed her. He immediately put the revolver close to her head and fired a second time, and the bullet entered the right side of her head, and went through her brain; and he was not sure that it did not oome out at the other side. Mrs Robson was still in the back kitohen, and the prisoner fired at her, but the shot did not hit her, and she escaped into the front kitchen, and with Mrs Bennett fled into a pantry and shut the door. The prisoner followed and tried to force the door open, and succeeded in getting it sufficiently open to put the pistol partly inside and fire, and the shot injured one of Mrs Robson's hands, between the fore finger and thumb. He then went out of the bowie, and round to the window of the pantry, and fired through the window; but the shot did not hit anyone. The prisoner then went again into the bank kitchen, and on one of the farm servants going there a few minutes later, the prisoner and his wife were found lying near each other on the floor, and it was ascertained that the prisoner had shot himself in the head. A docker was sent for, and arrived at the house between three and four o'clock, and found Mrs Charlton dying from the wound in her head, and she died about one o'clock on the following morning. Near the prisoner a five-chambered revolver was found lying on the floor, with one chamber loaded. The prisoner had fired at least six shots, and there being only fire chambers in the revolver, he must have loaded some of the chambers a seoond time. This appeared to be a case in which only one verdict was open to the jury. The prisoner fired twice at his wife, and killed her, and from the evidence which would be given there would be no doubt it was pre. meditated, and deliberately done. The evidence for the prosecution having been given, Mr Blackwell, for the defeaoe, celled witbasses to speak to some kind of insanity that had shown itself in some members of the prisoner's family. The jury, after consulting in private for ten minutes found the prisoner guilty of min den. His minutes, said: Richard Charlton, you have been found guilty upon the clearest poseibla testimony, upon irresistible evidence, of the crime of wilful murder. A defenee has been attempted for you, but I think if that defence had prevailed, that the lives of the inhabitants of this country would have been far more unsafe than the law ought to make them. There would have been no protection by law adequate for the safety of Her Majeety's subjects if such a scrap of a case of insanity—indeed of no case at all—such as existed here, ahoald have been thought by the jury to have been sufficient to warrant them in finding you not guilty on the ground of insanity. You have suffered by a self. inflicted wound, and have crippled yourself for life; and it would be creel, it would be brutal in me to say one more word than is necessary. That this verdict is a right and tree one no one who has listened to the evidence can entertain one shadow of a doubt. I have nothing further to do than to do that which is the most painful of all duti,s which can fall upon a judge to perform, namely, to pass upon you the sentence due to your crime. (Sentence of death was then passed in the usual form.) The prisoner, who had been seated daring the trial, was held up by two warders whilst sentence was being passed upon him, and was afterwards removed to the cell below the court.  Mr Justice Fitzgerald has appointed the 16th of December for the trial of the Armagh election petition.  The value of print9d books exported in the last ten months was £734,076, against £710,827 in the previous year. In the last ten months the weight W5B 68,760 owt.  A SKATING RINK AT SUNDERLAND —A new skating rink is about to be established in Stmderland. Mr Councillor Coulson has already secured a plot of land near to the Hall School, Toward•road, and taken over the right to use the patent wheeled skates. SoLicrreas.—The amount of duty on attorneys last year, as appears by a Parliamentary paper lately issued, wss £94,591 10a, the number being 14,419. They are now termed "solicitors," and the duty is in coarse of payment.  A farmer named Ambrose Pryor, of Wheathampstead, Harts, was found dead in bed in Newman's Railway Hotel, at Cambridge, on Saturday, under circumstances which led to the conclusion that he had committed suicide by taking poison.