JOHN COE WAS MURDERED BY JOHN WOOD - C W LEE's Diary - Mosborough History Meeting Group

MURDERER SENTENCED TO DEATH, PAINFUL SCENE

At the Yorkshire on Saturday, before Mr Justice Stephen, John Henry Wood, was placed at the bar, with the murder of John Coe, at Rotherham, near Sheffield, on the 19^th February last. The case for the prosecution being one of strong circumstantial evidence, was concluded on the previous evening. The prisoner and the deceased had been in company together for several hours, from early in the afternoon until after 11 o’clock at night. They went from public-house to public-house, and were length affected with liquor. In the outskirts the town, near to a haystack, the prisoner murdered the deceased by beating in his skull with a hedge stake, and then robbed him of his watch and money, amounting to upwards of £2. Before the murder he had neither watch nor money, beyond very trifling sum, but, after he had taken away the life of his victim, he had plenty of cash to spend, and had possession of the deceased’s watch and chain, and there were other circumstances in the case clearly pointing to him the murderer. or the defence, it was urged that the watch found upon the prisoner was not that which belongs to the murdered man, and that the prisoner and the deceased had known other a long time, an ware the best friends, a circumstance negating the presumption that he was the murderer.

While the counsel for the prisoner was addressing the court a very painful scene was witnessed. The prisoner, who had been looking unusually wretched all the morning, as if had spent a sleepless night ami been able to take but little food, threw cried out, “God have mercy on me” “Oh my heavenly Father:” “Lord receive my soul!” He became utterly prostrate, and during some minutes a medical gentleman who happened to be in court, the governor of the prison, and two warders were engaged in administering brandy to him, and otherwise endeavouring to restore him quiet. At length he recovered somewhat, and again took his seat at the bar.

The learned judge summed the evidence with great minuteness and was occupied in so doing two hours and a half.

The jury retired at ten minutes to two and returned into court at a quarter-past two o’clock with a verdict of guilty. His Lordship assume the black cap, in a very solemn manner passed sentence of death upon the prisoner, immediately after the delivery of the verdict the prisoner asserted his innocence, and on being removed from the bar when sentence was given he declared that he had never seen the haystack where the deceased was murdered, and again declared that was innocent.