30 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. [Feb. 



kerchief tied over it. He ex- 

 pressed a similar opinion to 

 Bishop, that they were not mur- 

 dered by any third person. John 

 Robinson, a publican, saw Knigh- 

 ton, last, on Friday week, between 

 8 and 9 o'clock ; gave him a pint 

 of beer, which deceased said he 

 would pay for when he came the 

 next day. Witness was of opinion 

 they had not been murdered. 

 Spencer being reexamined said, 

 he was ordered by the Magistrate 

 to secure any property he could 

 find ; he enumerated the particu- 

 lars, from which it appeared clear 

 there had been no robbery. The 

 Coroner observed, that he was 

 disposed to concur in opinion 

 with the witnesses, that these un- 

 fortunate persons had not been 

 niurdered by any stranger or 

 strangers unknown; indeed, the 

 circumstances appeared to lead 

 to an opposite conclusion. No 

 robbery had been committed ; no 

 traces of blood were visible on 

 the stairs, the windows, or in any 

 part of the house on the outside 

 of the bed room ; the bloody 

 razor found between the bodies 

 belonged to the deceased. The 

 melancholy tragedy seems all to 

 Imve been performed within the 

 walls of the bed-room. Had both 

 the parties committed suicide ? 

 or had one, and which of them 

 killed the other, and then com- 

 mitted suicide ? The wound on 

 the chin of the wife could scarcely 

 be thought to be inflicted by her- 

 self. In the absence of all testi- 

 mony upon these points, the jury 

 must be governed by the superior 

 probabihties. The jury instantly 

 expressed their unanimous opinion 

 that Knighton had been the 

 author of his wife's death, and 



hadthen cooHnitted suicide. Thie 

 introduced a question as to the 

 sanity of Knighton at the time, 

 and, it being put to the jury, 

 there was an equal division of 

 numbers for and against ; but at 

 length the foreman gave way, 

 and it was determined that he 

 was not in a state of mental sanity 

 at the time. 



Suicide ofHaitch the Murderer. 

 The above unfortunate wretch 

 terminated his existence yester- 

 day morning the 20th at half past 

 eight o'clock, by nearly severing 

 his head from his body. Although 

 this wretched culprit, while he 

 was under examination at Bow- 

 street, assumed an air of negli- 

 gence, and hoped that he should 

 have more fortitude than to be- 

 come his own executioner ; yet 

 it was pretty evident to those 

 who watched his conduct, that it 

 partook of a character conveying 

 powerful suspicion. While in 

 the custody of Harry Adkins, he 

 was handcuffed and ironed, and 

 two persons were continually kept 

 to watch over him; and when 

 Smith, the gaoler of Bow- street, 

 delivered him into the custody of 

 the keeper of Newgate, he inti- 

 mated that he ought to be watch- 

 ed with considerable caution. 

 This morning, when he was called 

 out with the other prisoners who 

 were to be tried, from the j'ard, 

 he ran to the privy, and shortly 

 afterwards he was found with his 

 throat cut from ear to ear, and 

 his head nearly severed from his 

 body. The place, as might be 

 expected, was a complete gore of 

 blood. Near to him was found 

 a crooked razor, and not far from 

 it a document, written by himself, 

 in which it was stated, that the 



razor 



