QSR1864/1/5/10

Depositions of 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. [case carried over from QSR1863/4/5/2]

27 October 1863

From: 1864 To: 1864

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: nothing to say.

item