DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70300#0109
ABRAHAM THORNTON.
85
soner then went with me to my house, which was about a
mile from the spot where 1 met him. Prisoner never men-
tioned a word all the way about the murder. On getting to
my house, he put his pony up, and said he should walk the
nearest way over the grounds to Sutton. He then came into
the house and had something to eat and drink. The con-
stable came in half an hour afterwards, and took him into
'Custody. He never attempted to go to Sutton, nor to men-
tion a single word about the murder all the time he was in
the house. He talked about farming.
Mr. George Freer sworn. Examined by Mr. Clarke.
1 am a surgeon. I live at Birmingham. 1 recollect being
sent for to attend at Penn’s Mills, on the 27th of May last,
to examine the body of the deceased. It was about half
past seven in the evening when I arrived; Mr. Hortin, a
surgeon, of Sutton Coldfield, was also there. The body
being placed in a small dark room, I desired it to be removed
into a larger room. During the time it was removing, I went
to examine the pit where the body was found; I there saw
the blood in various directions. When I returned from the
pit, they had undressed the deceased, and washed the upper
surface of the body. Much coagulated blood was found on
the lower part of the body, occasioned by recent laceration,
which must have proceeded from a degree of violence. I
took a cursory survey of the body then, but it being night, I
deferred the examination till the following morning. Next
day I proceeded to open the body. [It would be improper,
and indeed unnecessary, for us to detail the whole of this
gentleman’s evidence; the result was, that in his judgment
the deceased died from drowning, that she had the menses
upon her, that she had been recently violated, and that, up
to the period of that violation, she had been a pure virgin.
The coagulated blood that he saw by the human figure was
not produced by the menses.J
Mr. Fowler, a land-surveyor, of Erdington, produced a
plan of the different places alluded to by the witnesses for
85
soner then went with me to my house, which was about a
mile from the spot where 1 met him. Prisoner never men-
tioned a word all the way about the murder. On getting to
my house, he put his pony up, and said he should walk the
nearest way over the grounds to Sutton. He then came into
the house and had something to eat and drink. The con-
stable came in half an hour afterwards, and took him into
'Custody. He never attempted to go to Sutton, nor to men-
tion a single word about the murder all the time he was in
the house. He talked about farming.
Mr. George Freer sworn. Examined by Mr. Clarke.
1 am a surgeon. I live at Birmingham. 1 recollect being
sent for to attend at Penn’s Mills, on the 27th of May last,
to examine the body of the deceased. It was about half
past seven in the evening when I arrived; Mr. Hortin, a
surgeon, of Sutton Coldfield, was also there. The body
being placed in a small dark room, I desired it to be removed
into a larger room. During the time it was removing, I went
to examine the pit where the body was found; I there saw
the blood in various directions. When I returned from the
pit, they had undressed the deceased, and washed the upper
surface of the body. Much coagulated blood was found on
the lower part of the body, occasioned by recent laceration,
which must have proceeded from a degree of violence. I
took a cursory survey of the body then, but it being night, I
deferred the examination till the following morning. Next
day I proceeded to open the body. [It would be improper,
and indeed unnecessary, for us to detail the whole of this
gentleman’s evidence; the result was, that in his judgment
the deceased died from drowning, that she had the menses
upon her, that she had been recently violated, and that, up
to the period of that violation, she had been a pure virgin.
The coagulated blood that he saw by the human figure was
not produced by the menses.J
Mr. Fowler, a land-surveyor, of Erdington, produced a
plan of the different places alluded to by the witnesses for