Offence: Killing > murder
Verdict: Guilty > manslaughter
Punishment: Miscellaneous > branding
374: THOMAS MUNN was indicted for the murder of Benjamin Fisher with a certain instrument, called a chissel, by giving him a wound on the inside of the right thigh, of the depth of four inches, and the breadth of one inch; on the first of April , of which he languished until the 10th, and then died . *
"The prisoner was an apprentice , the deceased
"a journeyman to Mr. Silvanus Hall,
"a carpenter ."
"It appeared upon the evidence, that the
"deceased and the prisoner, were joking, between
"jest and earnest; that the boy behaved
"improperly, and the deceased said he would
"give him some proper correction: to which
" the boy said, if he did, he would strike him"again, and that instantly the deceased was
"wounded."
"The account the deceased gave of it, in
"the hospital, was, that the boy threw the
"chissel at him, which entered his thigh. He
"said, he freely forgave him, for he believed,
"the prisoner did not mean to hurt him."
"Mr. Hall gave the prisoner a very good
"character; he said, the deceased and the
"prisoner were frequently playing together,
"and that the prisoner was very fond of the
"deceased, and had set his name down in a list
"of persons he meant to treat, upon the day
"he was bound apprentice."
Not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter only .
B .