DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70303#0109
WONDERFUL DISCOVERY OF A MURDER. 91
Jury (whose verdict wras not drawn into form, by the Coro-
ner,) desired the Coroner, that the body which was buried,
might be taken ud out of the grave, which the Coroner as-
sented to ; and thirty days after her death, she was taken
up, in the presence of the Jury, and-a great number of
people ; W’hereupon the Jury changed their verdict.
The persons that were tried at Hertford Assizes, were
acquitted ; but so much against the evidence, that the
Judge let fall his opinion, 44 That it was better that an
Appeal were brought, than so foul a murder should escape
unpunished.” And Pasch, 4 Car. they were tried on the
Appeal, which was brought by the young child against the
father, grandmother, and aunt, and her husband Oakham.
»—And because the evidence was so strange, I took parti-
cular notice of it, and it was as follow^th :—After the mat-
ters abovementioned were related, an ancient and grave
person, Minister to the parish, where the fact was com-
mitted, being sworn to give evidence according to the
custom, deposed, That the body being taken up out of
the grave thirty days after the party’s death, and lying on
the grass, and the four Defendants present, they were re-
quired each of them to touch the dead body, Oakham’s
wife fell on her knees, and prayed to God, to shew tokens
of her innocence, or to some such purpose (as her very
words I forgot). The parties did touch the dead body,
whereupon the brow’ of the dead, which was before of a
livid and carrion colour, (that was the verbal expression,
in terminis, of the witness,) began, to have a dew, or gentle
SAveat, arise upon it, which increased by degrees, till the
sw’eat ran down in drops on the face, and the brow turned
and changed to. a lively and fresh colour, and the dead
■person opened one of her eyes, and shut it again; and this
opening of the eyes was done three several times. She
likewise thrust out the ring, or marriage finger, three
times, and pulled it in again and the finger, and dropped
n 2 blood
Jury (whose verdict wras not drawn into form, by the Coro-
ner,) desired the Coroner, that the body which was buried,
might be taken ud out of the grave, which the Coroner as-
sented to ; and thirty days after her death, she was taken
up, in the presence of the Jury, and-a great number of
people ; W’hereupon the Jury changed their verdict.
The persons that were tried at Hertford Assizes, were
acquitted ; but so much against the evidence, that the
Judge let fall his opinion, 44 That it was better that an
Appeal were brought, than so foul a murder should escape
unpunished.” And Pasch, 4 Car. they were tried on the
Appeal, which was brought by the young child against the
father, grandmother, and aunt, and her husband Oakham.
»—And because the evidence was so strange, I took parti-
cular notice of it, and it was as follow^th :—After the mat-
ters abovementioned were related, an ancient and grave
person, Minister to the parish, where the fact was com-
mitted, being sworn to give evidence according to the
custom, deposed, That the body being taken up out of
the grave thirty days after the party’s death, and lying on
the grass, and the four Defendants present, they were re-
quired each of them to touch the dead body, Oakham’s
wife fell on her knees, and prayed to God, to shew tokens
of her innocence, or to some such purpose (as her very
words I forgot). The parties did touch the dead body,
whereupon the brow’ of the dead, which was before of a
livid and carrion colour, (that was the verbal expression,
in terminis, of the witness,) began, to have a dew, or gentle
SAveat, arise upon it, which increased by degrees, till the
sw’eat ran down in drops on the face, and the brow turned
and changed to. a lively and fresh colour, and the dead
■person opened one of her eyes, and shut it again; and this
opening of the eyes was done three several times. She
likewise thrust out the ring, or marriage finger, three
times, and pulled it in again and the finger, and dropped
n 2 blood