The Express. — 1862-11-01 (London, England)

THE MURDER IN THE CITY.  (Concluded from yesterday's Express.) The jury retired at half-peat four o'clock to deliberate upon their verdict. At six o'clodelthey returned into court, and the foreman of the jury gave the verdict of Guilty, but he said, at the same time, that they were desirous of recommending the prisoner strongly to mercy, on the ground that they believed that after the prisoner and his wife went up to bed on the Sunday night they had bad a quarrel about the girl Humbler, and that the act was committed in a fit of anger. Mr. Hemp, the deputy-clerk of arraigns, then inquired of the prisoner, with the usual form, whether he had pmi anything to say why judgment of death should not be upon him. The prisoner, who during the whole time the learned judge was summing up, stood leaning upon the front of the dock with his hands chirped and his eyes upturned, as though engaged in prayer, immediately addressed the court in a firm clear solia and said, "I can safely declare upon my word and honour that lam as innocent of my wife's death u an unborn babe, or of knowing anything about it. Any man who could destroy the life of his wile, with his own flesh and blood in her body, hanging is too good for him. I swear before God that lam innocent of this crime ; it is not in my instinct to do such • thing—l could not do it for the world. There is a greater Judge than your lordship, who knows all. I fear Him more then any earthly judge, and I thank God I have not got this crime to answer for."  Chief Baron having put on the black cap proceeded to pass sentence upon the prisoner. He said that he had been convicted of the crime of wilful murder, upon the person of his wife, on the 13th of September. That she had died by an act of violence the evidence did not leave the smallest doubt, and the proposition that she did not destroy herself appeared to him to be almost as clearly established. It also scarcely required the sinistance and aid of medical skill to be enabled to form the conclusion that after the act of viotenoe had been committed the body had been placed in an artificial position, so as to create a belief that the deceased had destroyed herself. He entertsioed no doubt from the evidence that the murder must have been committed either on the Sunday night or the Monday morning, and it appeared equally clear that the deed most have been dose by himself or the young woman Humbler. Some of the observations that had been made by the learned counsel who had defended him so ably were undoubtedly entitled to attention, particularly when he urged the abeam* of a motive for the commission of the crime. It certainly was difScult to ascribe any motive either for the act of suicide milts commission of murder, but at the saes time it was certainly squall > difficult for any one to tame to the opinion that, upon the evidetios, the jury had sot arrived at a right conclusion. They bad accompanied their verdict with a recommendation to mercy, and they assigned as a roma for the recommendation their balist that it wee probable that after he sod his wife had retked to their bedroom on the Sunday night, • quarrel or diesgresmest took piece betwees them, on accoast el the gift Humbler,  and that the act might have been committed in the course of that quarrel. With respect to this girl, he thought he might say without any hesitation, so far as the allege. tion that she was concerned in the murder, that there was no case against her upon which any jury would have been warranted in finding her guilty. He (the learned judge) had therefore felt it hie duty to protect him from what roust have been the consequence if they had been jointly tried, namely, that, in addition to the direct evidence against him, he would have been seriously prejudiced by the counsel for the young woman Humbler, an he would in all probability have been compelled to do, charging him with the murder, and showing that he alone was the person who committed it, in order to save her from the chance of being consiaed. The learned 'edge then said that he would take care that the recomm to mercy wee for. warded to the only quarter where any effect could be given to it, but taking into consideration the nature of the crime be did not feel himself justified in holding out any aspects. tion that it would have effect. He then pared the awful sentence of death upon the prisoner in the usual terms. The • when the learned judge had concluded, spin 'him, and said, "My lord, I should say that any man who was guilty of such a crime as this ought to have no weerey." He wee then removed from the bar still protesting his innocence.