SUPREME COURT.

Evening Star, Issue 3239, 8 July 1873, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

CRIMINAL SESSION. Tuesday, July 8. (Before his Honor Mr Justice Chapman.) MANSLAUGHTER, William Aitken was indicted for the abovenamed offence. Mr Wilson appeared for the defence. From the evidence adduced for the prosecution it appeared that on the Ist May last the deceased—a woman named Elizv Main, the wife of a miner residing on the banks of the Molyncux at the upper end of the Dun- - stan Gorge—visited the township of Clyde. Daring her stay she called at the local hospital, where her husband was confined as an inmate. In the afterpart of the day she was seen by one of the witnesses, and at that time had all the appearance of being sober. Shortly afterwards prisoner called at a hotel and purchased a bottle of brandy, stating that he had a friend with him in the house. He (prisoner) lived immediately behind the hotel, bis bouse being situated between the hotel and the stables belonging to it. The hotelkeeper had occasion, at an advanced hour of the afternoon, to go from his house to the stables. In passing the door of prisoner’s house prisoner asked him to go inside and “see a sight.” On doing so, he found deceased lying on a sofa in one of the rooms, with her clothing so disarranged as to leave the lower portion of the body exposed. At that time deceased was lying with her face downwards. The hotel-keeper, who was adduced as a witness, re-adjusted her clothing, and in doing so he fe[t that her body was warm. He had no suspicion at that time of anything being wrong. Prisoner volunteered a statement to witness, to the effect that proceedings of a disgusting character teok place in the house. Still later in the evening a communication was made to witness at the hotel; and, on going to prisoner’s house, he found the woman lying on the sofa dead. The body was at that time lying on its back. The medical evidence attributed death to suffocation. The case for the prosecution was that suffocation had been caused by the prisoner in pursuance of his immoral purposes. Drs Hocken and Bakewell were examined for the defence, and gave it as their opinion upon the evidence given that the cause of death was alcoholic poisoning. (Left sitting.)