The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

850.   WALTER HILL (26) , Feloniously wounding   Honora Myers, with intent to murder; Second Count, with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

MR. PLATT conducted the Prosecution.

  HONORA MYERS . I am an unfortunate woman, and live at 2, Victoria-places, Shadwell—on Saturday evening, 26th July, the prisoner was brought by Sank Smith, a coloured girl, to that place—he slept with me that night, and promised, to give me 5s. in the morning—the coloured girl took his money, and she and the landlady had the clothes and money between them—in the morning the prisoner asked me where his things were—he knew very well where they were, for be missed them at half-past 11 o'clock over night—the coloured girl was after taking his money and things then—I saw her take them—I was sitting in the kitchen when she brought them down—she brought down his trousers and jacket, and what money he had, I suppose in the trowsers, she had between her and the landlady, and she took the trowsers up stairs again—I did not see what the money was—I did not see any money at all—she took it in to the landlady, whatever she had in her hand—I got up about 3 o'clock in the morning, and went out drinking, leaving the prisoner in bed—afterwards he came up to me in the street, catched hold of me by the shoulder, and stabbed me in two places, behind the back, and under my arm—that was about a quarter-past 7 o'clock, I think—I do not recollect anything about the blows myself, for I was tipsy—1 remember his coming down the street; but I do not recollect anything else before I found myself in the London Hospital on Sunday morning—I was then wounded—I was in the hospital three weeks—I came out last Saturday.

Prisoner. I was met by this woman on the Saturday night; she won't acknowledge that she robbed me, and it is no use asking her any questions. Witness. I did not rob him—when he came to the house he brought the girl of colour with him—that was about half-past 10 at night; they both went up stairs into a room—I knew the coloured girl—she lived with the landlady's sister; she brought him to the house—he went with her first, and slept with me afterwards; the coloured girl left him about 11—after she brought the things down she went straight away—I do not know whether she took his things with her—she took them into the room to the landlady, and she did not bring them out any more—I don't know what became of the money; they had it between them—I saw them divide it—I do not know what became of the clothes.

  JAMES HARWOOD . I am a labourer living at 15, Victoria-street, St. George's—on 26th July, about a quarter-past 7, in the morning, I was in Victoria-street, and saw the prisoner come to the prosecutrix, lay hold of her by one hand, and stick the knife in her back three or four times—I was the knife—this is it (produced)—the last blow was in the shoulder, and he could not pull the knife out again—the woman fell—I gave an alarm, and he was taken—I had not seen any altercation between them—the woman said nothing to him previously—I saw him go to the court where he was robbed; he could not find her there, and he came down the street and stabbed her—he had on an old pair of his shipmate's trowsers, a shirt, and a pair of boots; nothing else.

COURT. Q. You say he had hold of her with one hand, what part of her? A. By her left wrist, and struck her in the back—her back was towards his face—she did not say a word, only called out, "Oh," as he stuck the knife into her.

  EDWARD DILLON (Policeman, K 19). In consequence of information, I went to Bluegate-fields; I saw the prosecutrix there; she was wounded in several places, and was bleeding very much—I saw a knife sticking in her right shoulder; it was firmly fixed through her clothes and flesh into the shoulder, right up to the hilt, as far as it could go; we could not get it out—I placed her in a cart and took her to the hospital, where I saw the surgeon take out the knife—I returned to the station, and told the prisoner that the woman was stabbed in four or five places, and I believed she would die—the prisoner said, "Whatever if the matter with her; I have done it; she has robbed me of my clothes, and all my money"—I had gone to the house a short time before the woman was stabbed, and searched it, and I found a pair of trowsers between the bed and mattress, in the second floor front-room, where the prisoner said he had slept with the woman—I had seen the prisoner walking about the street, about three-quarters of an hour before—he was then in his drawers, shirt, and stockings; he complained of being robbed at this house—I went there and saw the prosecutrix, and told her in the prisoner's presence that he accused her of robbing him—she said, "I have not robbed him," and she rushed at him and struck him on the head with her fist—this was about three-quarters of an hour before she was wounded—she swore a word I should not like to repeat, and called him a black nigger—she said they had passed the night together, and when she awoke in the morning, the clothes were gone—she was very drunk and violent—the prisoner had no knife then—I advised him to go and get some things.

  DAVID HYMAN DYTE . I am house surgeon at the London Hospital—on Sunday morning, 27th July, about 7 o'clock, the prosecutrix was brought there—she had a punctured wound of the right shoulder, in which a knife was firmly fixed—it was buried to the depth of four inches; the whole length of the blade up to the handle—it required some force to get it out—besides that she had a lacerated wound, two and a quarter inches long, in the same arm, and two punctured wounds in the back, and a slight wound of the right loin—the wound on the shoulder was not dangerous to life—it was a very severe wound; the others were not so dangerous—she remained there about three weeks—she cannot move her arm very well yet; but she is now pretty well—it must nave required very great force to have inflicted the wound on the shoulder.

In the prisoner's statement before the Magistrate he alleged that the prosecutrix had robbed him of his clothes and money, and that with the vexation he struck her with the knife.

Prisoner's Defence. I did not mean to do anything to her; it is the first time I have been in England.

GUILTY on Second Count.—Strongly recommended to mercy by the Jury, believing his grievance to be very aggravated.

Confined One Year.