CRIMINAL SITTINGS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 195, 18 August 1874, Page 2

CRIMINAL SITTINGS.

THIS DAY. SHOOTING A SHEEP. James Brooks was this morning sentenced to one year's imprisonment with hard labor. MALICIOUSLY WOUNDING. Margaret Cox was charged with maliciously wounding Julia Murray at Westporc. Mr H. Adams appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Shatter for the prisoner. Julia Murray : My husband, William Murray, resides fifteen miles up the Buller. I was living in Westporfc on the Ist of April. Prisoner lived near me. I went into her house that evening about six o'clock through the passage.' £ asked Mrs Cox whether she bad seen my little boy. She came out of the sitting-room in a temper, and asked what brought me there. I said I was looking for my little boy. She told me to clear out. I turned to do so. She pat one hand on the door, and took up an axe with the other, and struck me with it on the right shoulder, saying, "Toke that/ I said,: "On, my God ! Mrs Cox, you have killed me." I felt the biod pouring out. She then took hold of me, and threw me out, my forehead coming against a small cupboard that was outside the back door. She told me to go and look for my bastard, and shut the door on me. I called out for assistance. My little boy came, and said, " Mama, where does the blood come from ? " I got up and walked towards Mr Sutton's fence, about 500 yards from Mrs Cox's. I saw two men coming Bnd called one of them and told him to fetch the doctor as Mrs Cox had hit me and I was dying. Mrs Morris then came to my assistance, and I started to walk home. I saw Mrs Cox as I passed, but she took no notice of me. Dr Thorpe came soon after I got home. My clothes were cut through with the axe. (Clothes produced saturated with blood.) I was confined to my bed for three weeks. I never had any quarrel with Mrs Cox. I cannot account for her treatment of me. Cross-examined : T had a wound on ray forehead from falling out. My husband had been away three weeks. He did not strike me before he went away. I remember being in Manuel's hotel some weeks previously. I did not throw any glasses at my husband's head. I never received a bill for glasses broken on that occasion. I found my husband there playing cards, and he was just drinking a glass of brandy when I took it away from him. He did not give me a couple of black eyes in consequence. I did not see my boy from the time he returned with me from town in the afternoon until I saw him at Mrs Cox's. I only went two feet into the passage. I did not see an axe lying there. I did not say when I was in the passage "I have fallen 'on the axe, look at the blood." Rose Dupuis •. I was at Mrs Cox's house on the evening of the Ist of April. Mrs Murray came in. Mrs Cox told her to go out. She said, "I won't; wait a bit." She told her again, and she said the same. Prisoner then laid hold of her and made her kneel or sifc down. Just after, I heard Mrs Murray say "I have fallen on the axe, look at the blood." Mrs Cox came back and said "I have put her oat.", She then said " I'll let you ont now and go with you a bit to see she does not follow you. 1 ' I went out and saw Mrs Murray near a fence putting her hair up. ; By the Court : I fancy Mrs Murray came (o the house to pick a quarrel with me. She had threatened previously that she would have it out of me some day. Mary Morris, wife of , William Morris, laborer : Mrs Murray's little boy came to me on the evening of the lit April in consequence of which I | went to see Mrs Murray. I found her with her dress covered with, blood. She seemed quite stupid and. could carceiy move. ' A man came by and assisted me home with her. She fainted when she got home. Dr Thorpe came shortly after and we took . her clothes off, and he dressed the wound. Samuel Thorpe : lam a medical practitioner residing at Westport. I went to see Mrs Murray on the evening of the Ist April. 1 found her sitting in a chair very faint, and with the upper part of her clothes covered with blood. We took off her. clothes which were all cut through near the shoulder. I found a large wound about five inches long below the right shoulder. It was about three inches deep. It was an incised wound, from about an. inch from the spine ;acroaß the shoulder blade to the armpit, and had evidently been inflicted from; above. It might have been caused by a sharp axe. Ido not think it likely it could have been inflicted by a fall on the axe. ' ' '.'„-. ; - ;-.;'- This closed the case for the prosecution. . ;.' Mr Shapter, having opened the ease for the defence, called, David Roberts who said, I sharpened the axe produced for Mr Cox, on the Is* of April. I put it in the passage, on the left hand side about three o'clock an thei afternoon. ■ ,^WUni^;.va.estdleibed fi the position in whioh^ha" placed :6hQ;

%^ ono^77^.i^ I rae t0^ a y I man accustoined^edged be so .foolish aa7fco"placr^4Sowl_^ sharpened axe in such 7a dangerous? position. 7; .} - . y Charles Bishop: About fouror five -? in ihe afternoon on the first of April, I was working at the English church, and saw Mrs Murray pass. She appeared .07 be the worse for liquor. Later on I saw her going to Mrs Cox's and her little boy with her. Shortly after, I. saw her leaning against 7 my 7 fence. I was present when Dr Thorpe dressed her wound. He asked her where she got her drink from. She told the doctor she was passing Mrs Cox's when she ran out and struck ber with an axe, and was going to strike again when she said ♦•Don't hit me again, for if you. kill me. you'll kill my little boy. William Rawlings: I am a bnshman residing at Westport near Mrs Cox's bouse. From my door I can see Mrs Cox's back and Mrs Murray's front door. On the Ist April I saw Mrs Murray leaving her honse with her child and going towards Mrs Cox's. A couple of minutes afterwards I wen. inand heard a cry « Go out of my house" several times, and then Hooked and saw Mrs Cox shoving out Mrs Murray, who was in a sitting position, and got a bit of a fall at the 'doorstep. Mrs Cox then shut the door. Mrs. Murray was not standing and holding on to the door. The boy was standing crying at the end of the bouse. Mrs Cox bad nothing in her hand. Cross-examined:. My bouse is about 40 yards from Mrs Cox's. I couldn't look straight into Mrs Cox's passage. This concluded the evidence for the defence, and Mr Shapter and Mr Adams having addressed the jury, the Judge summed up, and the jury retired, and, after a quarter of an hour's absence, found a verdict of Guilty, with a recommendation to mercy on account of the exceedingly good character previously borne by the prisoner. Mr Shapter put in a testimonial of her good character signed by all the respectable tradesmen in Westport. His Honor, in passing sentence, Baid: Prisoner at the bar, it is a painful duty that I have to perform in passing sentence upon you in the face of such testimonials to your general good character, and even humanity, which I should ecarcely have expected, seeing;, that the act of which yon have been convicted, and, I think, properly convicted, was one of extreme inhumanity and barbarity I feel justified, however, io supposiog that you acted under a momentary impulse of rage, but still you' might have been led on even to murder, for if once anyone takes to the use of such weapons God only knows what the result may be, aud it was by His mercy alone that you did not take the Ufa of tho woman you so seriously injured. Your offence is a very grave one, and not one whit less than that of a woman, who I daresay you knew, who was the miserable instrument of depriving another of life in Westport not very long ago. I shall however, take into consideration your previous character, and the recommendation of the jury, and shall sentence you to one year's imprisonment with hard labor, . a sentence Which, but for Snch flOnWidarntiniia

leispondent of the jim^fOoloM ippy since the roY- shelved for rieinfaf;- -Biit *%he Ben exciting the Btantly harping 3 if he continues jroos vein the j filled, because p'pochpndrke to )ornain Bill was jtavely informed majority of the ild be educated be from ten to end- ' were some nbs in creation. ', he Would say /fonf.biandsome t allow them to College. They Bceiving missives id to be.offensive use oiF propriety nib young men. will at once see s of, any parent >f his children to it would appear gallant Colonel, 10 the. debate 00 lister's Marriage ed out ior pnblic .the possesses a lister-in-lttw, in ife nnder certain tain feelings, tbe merely mention use I think, sir, leman has done rievous injury— and. if he cannot tions, should be them/ 7 ng from a Mel-:—-Some strange class of persons to New Zealand .igration system, from Cork were trie importations, sts were crimped i* discharge from nd other London Zealand villages itinerant nigger irgy men, knifeother representn--88 of tbe mother ■ed that a statee English trewa--1 to be on the h Consul at New tt 40,000 skilled red to leave tbe :eed to England, :n officially denied orities. It^proimping offer of a for a long time 7 Ohio," and has England 20,000 would work in k from April to per week dnriog To this, their 1 to be added, west calculation, ren assuming that c 20,000 men to tes on these con.te of pay would bat tbe Laborers' we do not wonder rmers bave been It is Baid that nil do as much i Eoglish hands,f :, that we' don't of the Scotsman Dteresting to yoar that the use and are a good deal t there is every * motive power ber than steam, pith the necessity c jnst seen the 1 drawings of au ram cars ccarn r be mechanical means s at all. The an arrangement gs encased in springs, on a very ication of which are is- extremely bese springs are stationary steamnus of the. line, will propel the >ages for longer ixU.ing tramway todela I bave seen and worked perig reversible, and the break power The epriugs are k) the full-sized en tion, which is 1 very shortly on eenwicb. Many have expressed as to the result. »c. Bbight's Phosf People- are hope** ibility, Ntr?oos anression. of SpiritsBusicess or Study, , and Memory, Laseic, whose cases admit ty the new remedy xgen), wbich at once tement. imparts new ifeebled constitution, tageof these hitherto .maladies. Sold by «pers throughout the 'ampblets containing ined Caution 1— Be r. Bright's thosphoabroad; and avoid .the genuine article Uongol 7. _«r. mo«t diseases and

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