Georgiana Clarke

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Tony Beale on 21st May 2021

OLD BAILEY Cont'd my daughter was present. (Upon reference to this witness's deposition, she had used the word "stuck" instead of "stabbed" before the Coroner.) ELIZABETH WILKINS . I am the daughter of the last witness, and am single—I lodge with my mother on the ground floor. On Saturday evening I went out with the prisoner at eight o'clock, and returned again shortly after—I did not go out with the deceased—I came home with the prisoner about half-past ten or near eleven o'clock—we had met the deceased when we were out—I did not go up stairs with them when I came in—I remained in ray own room—they both came into my mother's room with me—it must be near upon eleven o'clock—they seemed to be on the best of terms—both went up stairs very friendly together—they had been up stairs near upon half an hour when I heard a loud talking—I could not distinguish voices at all—they were both talking, and he more than her, as if quarrelling—I heard something very heavy fall on the floor—I thought at the time it must have been a chair or table—I could not say which it was—soon after that, I heard her run down stairs and go out—she did not call at our door as she went by—she went out of doom—I heard her return in about ten minutes with Mr. Jones—I saw Jenkins again between eleven and twelve o'clock on Sunday morning—I heard him go out before I saw him—I went into the room, he was in bed—I asked how he was—he said he was very bad—that was the last time I saw him—she had come into our room on Sunday morning, and my mother asked her at the same time how she came to do it, and she said she was in a great passion, and she would serve any man so who called her a bad name (mentioning a very bad name)—she said he had been having a great many words with her concerning a young woman (Phoebe Davidson) who would not come up to supper, and he had put her apron on the fire, and was going to tear her new bonnet which she had just had made—she had made the bonnet herself, I went out with her to buy the stuff—she said he had his hand up to strike her, and she told him if he hit her again she would hit him—she told me he had hit her several times—he had often beat her before, I know—they appeared on very friendly terms that night—she always showed great affection for him, and was very sorry for what had taken place. Cross-examined. Q. How long had they lived together there? A. I have been in that neighbourhood twelve months, and always knew them very happy together—she always was very kind and friendly towards him and appeared of a very kind, humane disposition—she frequently received ill treatment from him. GUILTY of Manslaughter only. Aged 24. Transported for Fourteen Years. Before Mr. Justice Vaughan. New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851 granted 22/1/1841 Georgiana Clarke 31 Bond (14yrs) per ship Mary (5) granted to marry John Perry 29 Bond (7yrs) per ship Captain Cook (3) Rev Thomas Makinson Sydney New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788-1842 Bound Indentures 1834-1835. From London Widowed protestant who could read and write. 5' 0 1/4" pale complexion brown hair and eyes. C50/55

116

Tony Beale on 21st May 2021

New South Wales, Australia, Certificates of Freedom, 18/2/1859 C50/55. Wife of John Perry per ship Captain Cook (3) FbS

116

Tony Beale on 21st May 2021

Old Bailey Online 585. GEORGIANA CLARK was indicted for the wilful murder of Henry Jenkins. WILLIAM DUNSTAN STANLEY . I am one of the beadles of St. Pan-cras. On Monday evening, the 26th of January, between six and seven o'clock, I was passing along Zion-terrace to Argyle-place—I saw a number of people collected—I went up stairs in a house in Argyle-place, in the front room, first floor, and saw five or six persons there, and a man lying dead on the bed—the prisoner was sitting on the side of the bed, near the corpse—I asked her how the man came by the cut in his side, which I could see, (it was bound up, but I put the wadding on one side and saw it)—she said, by cutting a piece of wood to put on the fire—I asked her if See originalClick to see original she was a married woman—she said she was married to Jenkins, the deceased—I asked her where the knife was—Phoebe Davidson came up stairs, and took the knife out of the cupboard—I asked Davidson if that was the knife—she said it was—I said, "Can you swear to its being the knife?"—she said, "Yes, it is; is it not George? "(speaking to the prisoner,) and the prisoner said it was—I produce that knife—I then asked the prisoner to tell me whether she actually was a married woman or not, and she replied that she was not—I asked her if she and Jenkins had had any quarrel—she said they had, on the Saturday night, about Phoebe Davidson—she said the quarrel was because Davidson would not come up to sup with them—Davidson lodged down stairs—I found so many people there, I said nothing further, but desired them not to bury the body until an inquest was held—I went down stairs, and went to a neighbouring beer-shop, and not feeling satisfied, I sent for Campbell, a sergeant of police—he came, and we both went to Dr. Jones that night, and from what Dr. Jones told us, we felt ourselves in duty bound to take the prisoner into custody—I went to the station-house, and then returned and got the deceased's clothes, which I have here—there is a cut in the clothes—it has gone through the great-coat—the prisoner said the clothes were hanging up behind the door, and I found them there—the cut has gone through the great-coat and two waistcoats, in the place corresponding with where the man was cut in the side, and it corresponds with the knife—his shirt was cut also in the same place—there was no under-coat—the shirt has been found since—I did not see it found—there was no appearance of any wood being cut in the room. Cross-examined by MR. CLARKSON. Q. Did you know the deceased? A. I did not—I had not seen Dr. Jones in the room when I went there—I had seen him below in the house—he was just coming out—there were five or six persons in the room—they seemed much alarmed at the man's death—there was a great deal of wretchedness and misery—the prisoner appeared agitated and distressed. SAMSON DORKIN CAMPBELL (police-sergeant E 14.) I went on Monday evening, with Stanley, in consequence of what he said—we got there about half-past seven o'clock, and found the prisoner in the room, sitting on the foot of the bed—there were other people in the room—I asked her if she was the person who cohabited with the deceased—she replied she was—I asked her then, how the accident had taken place, by which the man had lost his life—she said, that in cutting some wood to put on the fire, to fry some sausages, the knife had slipped and cut him—she said it was on the Saturday night—I asked her if there were any other persons in the room, except herself and the deceased, at the time of the accident—she said none—I asked her whether she had alarmed any of the inmates of the house previous to fetching the doctor—she said she had not—I learned from her that Mrs. Wilkins and her daughter lodged in the front parlour, and a young woman, named Phoebe Davidson, in the back parlour—those were the only persons she mentioned to me—I asked her whether she and the deceased were good friends, or had any words within a short time of the accident—she said, "Oh yes, we were quite good friends"—I said, "Are you quite sure that you had no quarrel at all with him, shortly before that?"—she said, "I will tell you the truth, we had a few words, he lifted his hand to strike me; I turned ray back from him towards the table, and at the same moment I saw he had lifted his hand, I heard him call out, "Oh, I am cut'"—I asked her how could that be reconciled See originalClick to see original with her former statement, that he had been cutting wood, as he could not be doing two things at once, cutting wood and string her at the same time—I used these very words to her—she made no answer—I asked her if she had any objection to tell me the subject of the dispute between her and the decesed?—she said, "It was relative to the young woman, Phonebe Davision, who lived in the back parlour, and he went to strike me in consequence of the words we had about her"—I then told her I should feel it my duty to take her into custody, which I did—she remained in my custody during the night—she stated that at the moment she found he had met with the accident, she ran for Mr. Jones the surgeon—she apppeared very much distressed and agitated—in fact, it was with some difficulty I could get her from the body—I tore her from it—she threw herself on the corpse, and I could hardly get her from it—Phobe Davidson was present during the whole conversation—the prisoner stated, in her presence, that the deceased was very angry with her because Phoebe Davision would not came up to supper—she remained in my custody all night, and about six or seven o'clock in the morning, I ascertained a Catholic clegryman had visited the man—I went to her to ask where he lived—she said she did not know, and she said, "Oh, Jenkins, Jenkins, little did I think it would have come to this; you have often threatened to stab me and yourself, but little did I think it would have come to this"—I said, "You do not mean to say he stabbed himself, do you?"—she said, "He might have done it, for my back was towards him?"—I said. "You told me last night, you always lived very happily together?"—she said, "Oh no, he has often beat me, and left me weltering in my blood: as my late landlady, who lived next door, can testify." Cross-examined. Q. Did she tell you how long they had cohabited together? A. I think she said they had been together nearly four years—Phoebe Davision is single, I understand; she had a child in her arms—the prisoner apperared in an afficted state at the time—in such a state as I should expect to find a woman who had lost her husband—I think Phoebe Davision was in the room the whole time—these persons were in very poor circumstances—I called on her landlady next door, and had a conversation with her on the subject to which she referred—the story was confirmed to a certain excent by the landlady—she mentioned one instance that she knew of—she stated that they had been together to market that Saturday—it apperared, according to the statement made in the prisoner's presence, that the deceased, Wilkins, and herself had been drinking together after his horse—the house is a loading house in Argyle-place, which is between Judd-street and King's-cross—I understood the deceased to have gone himself once to Mr. Jones after he was wounded. WILLIAM JONES . I am a surgeon, and live in Judd-street. I was not acquainted with the deceased before the accident—on Saturday, the 24th, between ten and twelve o'clock in the evening, I saw him at No. 1, Argyle-place—the prisoner came to my house for me to go—she seemed very much distressed—I went with her, and found the deceased in the front room, up stairs—I do not recollect whether he was in bed—he stated that he had cut himself in cutting wood—the prisoner was with me—on examining, I found an oblique would, extending between the seventh and eighth rib on the left side, about three quarters of an inch long—it appeared to be made with a sharp instrument penetrating obliquely from the left side to the right—it had entered on the left side—there was only blood on the See originalClick to see original shirt—the bleeding of the wound had ceased—his pulse was affected, but I do not conceive it was from the blood lost, but rather from the shock or fear in his mind from the accident—I did not think seriously of the wound—having dressed it, to cheer him up, I told him to consider himself more frightened than hurt—being an oblique wound, it was impossible to state what would be the result, as I could not see to what depth it had gone—I then gave him some ammonia, &c, with an idea of accelerating the pulse, to raise the pulse to bring on re-action—the next morning, about eight o'clock, I was surprised to find him at my house, which is about one hundred or one hundred and fifty yards from where he lived—I found his pulse considerably accelerated and fuller—he complained of pain in his stomach—I have learnt since that he had taken something to injure him—I immediately ordered him to be bled, to produce fainting—I ordered him to be sent to bed, and kept quietly, and to take two ounces of castor oil—I intended him to be bled till it produced that effect on the pulse—that is a general rule when we order bleeding, to faint—my assistant bled him in my shop instantly—he was to walk home after he had rallied from the fainting—my assistant is in the habit of bleeding, under my direction, four and five times a week—I have found a good effect from bleeding for incipient inflammation—the pulse was fuller than it was the night before—the characteristic pulse is a small pulse, but a quick pulse—this was on Sunday morning—I saw him twice that day—in addition to that he was ordered to have a mustard poultice applied all over his stomach—this was at eight o'clock in the morning—he died at six o'clock the following day—he did not die from any internal bleeding, but from peritoneal inflammation—(I examined the body after death, on Tuesday morning, at eight o'clock)—I did not inform him he was dying, and I cautioned the prisoner against letting him know my opinion—I told her twenty hours after the accident, that there was not the slightest chance of his recovery—that was after the bleeding—I did not see him take any brandy, or any spirits—I did not learn such a thing had been administered till the inquest. Cross-examined. Q. I think you say the treatment you resorted to after seeing him on Sunday morning, was under circumstances of entire ignorance on your part, as to what he had been doing himself, or what he had taken? A. I thought he had taken nothing but what I ordered him—there was nothing about the wound on Saturday which led me to conclude the result would be fatal—I could not conclude that, as was evident from the nature of the wound—the immediate cause of death was inflammation about the internal parts in which he had received the incision—the peritoneum, when wounded, takes inflammation very soon indeed—a wound, externally, if sufficient to produce inflammation, without the peritoneum being wounded. COURT. Q. It is the character of peritoneum inflammation, you say, to give a low, quick pulse? A. We understand, by the pulse I describe, a quick, small pulse; that is, a sort of pulse I should desire a patient to be bled with under those symptoms. MR. CLARKSON. Q. It became evident to you, on Sunday morning, that inflammation had began? A. Yes, and it was the consequence of the wound—it is the nature of the peritoneum, when wounded in the slightest degree, to be inflamed—in this case, it was wounded in two places; and, even if wounded in only one, it is the nature of that membrane to take on inflammation—brandy would certainly have tended to increase the inflammation—drinking would make the difficulty the greater—the prisoner came to my See originalClick to see original house two or three times on the Sunday—she was in very great affiction and distress, and paid him the greatest possible attention. COURT. Q. You would not have thought it judicious and discreet to bleed him, if you had not first given him ammonia to raise him? A. I do not say that I would—it would have been highly injudicious to bleed him, when, under the shock and fear. MR. CLARKSON. Q. Did you apprehend that internal bleeding had followed the wound? A. I could not discover, on dissection, that it had. COURT. Q. You opened the body, and I ask you, was the wound, it your judgment, the cause of his death? A. I think so—there was effusions of fluid into the cavity of the chest—not of blood—it is the nature of inflammation, for that description of fluid to flow, much more than can be taken up, and so it remains in the cavity—I have not a doubt the wound was the cause of his death. MR. CLARKSON. Q. Did the pulse rise after what he went through in your shop? A. Decidedly; I took about twenty ounces of blood from him, besides what he lost from the wound—he only came to me once; I was astonished to find him there—many individuals, after losing blood to a considerable extent, are perfectly capable of walking a considerable distance. Q. Having received a severe wound on Saturday night, and losing twenty ounces of blood, should he have gone out in the cold? A. There would not be any objection. COURT. Q. The considerable effusion you named was not blood, but arising from the peritoneal inflammation? A. Yes; that effusion was the cause of his death, and that appeared to have been caused by the peritoneal inflammation which was caused by the wound—it was not by the bleeding, or any other cause. MR. CLARKSON. Q. The wound might have existed, and yet inflammation might not have appeared? A. I do not think it possible—the very process by which it was to be healed would be inflammation—I think if he had had raw spirits, or brandy-and-water, the inflammation would have been more likely to have a fatal tendency—I did not know of his taking spirits, until the inquest. PHCEBE DAVIDSON . I am single. I lived in the same house with the deceased and the prisoner—I had not seen the deceased on the Saturday evening—I occupy the back parlour—Mrs. Wilkins occupied the front parlour—I went up stairs at half-past eleven o'clock on Saturday night, not long after the accident—the prisoner desired me to come up stairs—she said he was hurt, and asked me to come up stairs—I went up, and found Jenkins in bed—he said he was cutting wood, and the knife slipped—I did not see the wound, because it was strapped—he said he was more frightened than hurt—I asked him which knife it was done with—he pointed to one on the table—there was no blood on it—this is the knife—I continued with him until nearly three o'clock—the prisoner was there all the time—when I left him, he appeared better—I went to bed, and saw him again at a quarter past five that morning—I had no conversation with him then—he said nothing to me at that time about the prisoner—I remained with him about half an hour—I saw him again at eight o'clock—he said nothing to me then—on Sunday afternoon, between three and four o'clock, he asked me if Georgian a had told the people below—he did not say what—I said, "Yes, she had"—there was only Mrs. Wilkins and her daughter below—when he asked me, I said she had—and he said, "Then she had done for herself"—the prisoner was not present—she appeared to have an affection for him, and appeared very greatly distressed—he took three-penny worth of brandy at a quarter past five on Sunday morning—I and the prisoner fetched it together, but I do not know the quantity—I saw him drink it—I do not know what liquor he had had the night before—he had a glass of brandy-and-water of unadulterated brandy, from his mistress—I did not see that, but he said it was unadulterated—(I was before the Coroner, and at Hatton-garden)—I saw him return to the house on Sunday morning a little after eight o'clock—he had been to Mr. Jones—he gave me twopence halfpenny to get him some mustard—he appeared better then in point of strength. Cross-examined. Q. Where did Mr. Baggett, his master, live? A. At No. 26 or 27, Tonbridge-street, New-road—I saw him return a little after eight o'clock in the morning—he went to bed directly, and did not get up again—he went to his master's first, and then went to Mr. Jones—he said he had been to his master's first—he did not have more brandy when he came home—he had three-penny worth of brandy at five o'clock in the morning—he died about half-past six or a quarter to, seven on Monday night—he had not been dead a quarter of an hour or ten minutes when the officer came—while he lay ill on Sunday morning, he was affectionately attended to by the prisoner—he repeatedly called to her to come to the bed, that he might embrace her, and entertained the warmest affection towards her—she attended on him till he died—two of us had to push her down stairs to get her from his person. MARY WILKINS . I lodged on the ground-floor of the same house with the prisoner and the deceased—I had seen him on Saturday evening at eleven o'clock, before the wound was received—he was in my room before he went up stairs to his own room—the prisoner was with him—they had been out toge'ther—I do not know of their drinking any gin—I did not go out with him, or see him out of doors—they had not been gone up stairs half-an-hour when I heard a heavy fall—I did not hear any talking before the fall—I cannot tell what the fall was—it fell very heavy; and after the fall I heard a load talking—I could not distinguish which voice it was—it did not seem to be quarrelling—I was rocking my baby—the prisoner came down stairs to my door, and asked me not to make a noise, for she had stabbed Mr. Jenkins with a knife—I said, "Dear me, what have you done?"—she made answer, "Lend me the nutmeg-grater"—she did not say what she wanted it for—I lent her the nutmeg-grater—she told me she would fetch the doctor, and she went out to fetch him—she appeared very much agitated and distressed—she said she had fetched the doctor, and had the wound dressed—that was after Mr. Jones had been there—she had fetched him before she came to me—I did not go up to see him, nor have any conversation with her as to how it happened. Cross-examined. Q. Are you in the habit of taking spirits, or is it very seldom? A. I never do take spirits—I had not been to market on this night—the prisoner and the deceased came into my room—I had not been to any wine vaults with her—I recollect the words she said distinctly—she said she had stabbed Jenkins with a knife, not that Jenkins had stabbed himself with a knife—I do not recollect using any other words before the Coroner—I am sure I did not say she had stuck him with a knife—what I said before the Coroner was read over to me before I made my mark to it—her words were, "I have stabbed him with a knife"—I did not say "stuck" before the Coroner—I paid attention to the deposition when it was read over to me—I am sure she said "stabbed"—she did not say "struck"—I was not asked before the Coroner if I might not have mistaken the word "struck" for "stuck"—he never asked me that question if it was "struck," and I am quite sure I never used the word "stuck"—the word "stuck" was not read over to me—the prisoner came down to me about half-past eleven o'clock—it could not be after that time that Mr. Jones was sent for—it could not be much after half-past eleven o'clock—it was not past twelve—I went to bed after twelve—I saw her about half-past eleven, as near as I can tell—I did not go to bed till past three—I occupy the front parlour—the deceased occupied the front room over my head—a young man, named Fisher, occupies the first floor back room—he was not at home—I go out charing and washing—my daughter lives with me—she is not married—I have three boys, one of hers and two of mine—I never had a word with the prisoner—I was called on, on Wednesday, to repeat what she had said to me, before the Jury—that was the first time I repeated the words she said to me—my daughter was pre