QSR1863/4/5/2

Depositions of Eliza Smith, widow of Leighton Buzzard. Frances Creed, wife of Francis, coachbuilder of Leighton Buzzard. John Cosby, common lodging house keeper of Leighton Buzzard. William Champkins, police constable of Leighton Buzzard. William Clough, superintendent of police for the division of Leighton Buzzard. Philip Wynter Wagstaff, surgeon of Leighton Buzzard. In the case of John Frazer accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding Eliza Smith with a putty knife.

11 August 1863

From: 1863 To: 1863

Eliza Smith: she was staying in the house of John Cosby and had been there a month. She had been living there with the prisoner as his wife. She was not his wife. The prisoner was a glazer and came from Scotland. She had lived with him for 2 years and 6 months and they had been travelling about the country together before coming to Leighton Buzzard. She had a child of her own living with her. On 10 August the prisoner was very quarrelsome and intoxicated with drink. He was in the habit of getting drunk. She was 42 years and the prisoner was 35 years old. The prisoner went out in the afternoon and returned about 6pm. He was drunk. They went to bed about 11 pm and she undressed the prisoner and put him to bed. He was unable to undress himself. They did not sleep in the same bed but she slept in a bed in the same room with her 6 year old son. The prisoner was quarrelsome after he had gone to bed and he wanted her to go to bed with him. She refused. He called her nasty names and she could not sleep. The prisoner got out of bed 3 times and came to her bedside, wanting her to get into bed with her. She refused to let him and he returned to his own bed. This was between 1am and 2am. She was just dozing when she saw the shadow of him getting out of bed. He took hold of her hand and asked if she would get into bed with him. She refused and he struck her in the mouth. There was no light in the room and it was quite dark at the time. She knew it was the prisoner by his voice. She found herself wounded in the face and blood poured out. She called for assistance. The prisoner got into bed again. When she called out a young woman and her husband came to the room and a light was brought. She told them what had happened. She could not see what she had been stabbed with. The cut went through her lips and cheek and knocked out one of her teeth. She informed the police and the prisoner was taken away. The prisoner had the putty knife earlier that day and said he would do something with it. Frances Creed: wife of Francis and they lodged at Cosby’s lodging house in Leighton. On 11 August, between 1am and 2am, she heard screams and Eliza called to her saying “John has stabbed me”. She and her husband slept in the adjoining room. A light was got and she went to Smith’s room. He husband followed. Mrs Smith was leaning forward and bleeding profusely from the mouth. The prisoner was lying on the bed and appeared asleep. There were 3 beds in the room but she only saw Mrs Smith, her child and the prisoner. She called the prisoner to get up and to see what he had done. The prisoner made no reply and so she pulled him off the bed onto the floor. The prisoner said “Fanny don’t hurt me”. As she pulled him from the bed a knife came with him. She saw no blood on it but there was a slight stain of blood on his sheets. The prisoner said he had struck her with his fist not a knife. He was taken out of the house. John Cosby: the prisoner, Eliza Smith and about of about 6 years old had been lodging at his house for about a month. The prisoner was often tipsy and quarrelsome and was so when he came home that day. He heard the prisoner threaten Smith with a knife, saying he would put it into her if she did not mind. He had heard Allen threaten Smith before. At 11pm the prisoner was stupid and quarrelsome and he left the prisoner, Smith and the boy in the same room together. About midnight he heard a row in the prisoner’s room and he went to the room. The prisoner said he would be still. About an hour after he heard the cry of ‘murder’ and he and his wife got up and struck a light. They went to the prisoner’s room and there were several of his lodgers there. The prisoner was out of bed and the 2 Creed’s had hold of him. Having heard the prisoner had stabbed his wife he sent for the police. Mrs Smith was leaning over the bed and her mouth was bloody. He saw the knife in the hands of Frances Creed. PC William Champkins: he took the prisoner into custody and told him the charge. The prisoner made no reply. He took the prisoner to the station. He saw Mrs Smith, who was bleeding from the mouth, and there was a great deal of blood on the floor. He saw some blood on the prisoner’s night shirt. He received the long knife from the witness Cosby. Superintendent Clough: the prisoner was brought to the police station by Champkins. He found the small knife on the grass plot before the station house that morning. He showed it to the prisoner who said he knew nothing about it. He told Allen he believed he had dropped it when the constable had brought him there. The prisoner made no reply. Philip Wynter Wagstaff: he examined the wound in Eliza Smith’s face. Either of the knives produced could have made the wound but in his opinion it was the smaller knife. The lip was cut inside, apparently again the teeth and a tooth was broken. The wound was triangular. The blow would have been violent. The wound was not serious and he considered Smith could not have inflicted the injury herself. Statement of the accused: “I didn’t strike her with no knife”

item

Frazer, John,
Smith, Eliza,
Creed, Frances,
Creed, Francis,
Cosby, John,
Champkins, William,
Clough, William

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, surgeon, coachbuilder, lodging house keeper, knife, wounding