South Eastern Gazette, 17 July, 1860.

EYNSFORD. The late Fatal Case.

Verdict of Wilful Murder against the Prisoner.

On Friday last an adjourned inquest was held at the "Chequers" public-house at Crocken-hill, an outlying district of this parish, before J. C. Carttar, Esq., coroner, to inquire into the circumstances attending the death of Cordelia Covill, which occurred on the previous Friday, the 6th inst.; resulting, as was alleged, from a brutal assault committed on her by a man named John Grainger, who, as stated in our last, was apprehended immediately after her death, and was remanded by the magistrates at Dartford to Maidstone on the charge.

From the circumstances attending the case, it excited a great deal of attention in the neighbourhood, but the evidence was not of a lengthy nature, the principal witnesses being a girl about thirteen years of age, the daughter of the deceased woman, who was with them all the time, and the surgeon who was sent to her by the prisoner.

It appears that the deceased had cohabited with Grainger, who tramps about the country attending the fairs, &c., for the last thirteen years, and previously to her death she left him. He went in search of her, and found her on Wednesday at Bexley-heatb, in company with Edward Colvill, her brother-in-law, in the road. He saw Colvill kiss her, and heard her say, "God bless you" to him; and he (Grainger) then went up to her, and knocked her down. She got up and asked Grainger to forgive her for what she had done, but he said that he would not. They then went together to a public-house, and he gave her a pint of beer, having a bottle of ginger-beer himself. They then went on further to another public-house, and had some more refreshment, and applied for lodgings for the night, but were unable to obtain them. They then went into a hay-field, deceased’s daughter being with them, and lay there all night. In the morning (Thursday) Grainger told her if she would tell the truth he would forgive her, and she said she had done so. He then struck her, and kicked her several times. After that they went to a public-house at Footscray, and had some refreshment, and from there they proceeded to the "Bull" public-house at Birchwood, where they had two pots of beer and a quartern of gin. They had words there, and Grainger again struck her. They afterwards proceeded towards Crocken-hill, and she again asked him to forgive her, and he said he would. After lying down in a wood to sleep for about two hours, they went to Crocken-hill, lighted a fire by the roadside, and lay down. The deceased, after a time got up, and drank some tea, and she afterwards requested Grainger to make her a drop of broth; but not being able to do so, he got some flour and a piece of butter and mixed them together and boiled them. Before it was ready, however, the deceased had a fit, and as he could not recover her he sent the girl for three-pennyworth of brandy. Rum was brought in mistake, and he gave it to her. He afterwards sent for a similar quantity of brandy three different times, which he gave to her. They were at the side of the road all the time. Finding that she did not recover, he took her in his arms, and carried her to a lodge a short distance from where they were, and made her a bed on some straw; and after undressing her as well as he could under the circumstances, he laid her down and lay down beside her. After they had been sleeping some time, the deceased got up, but immediately afterwards lay down again. In the morning, when Grainger awoke, he found his companion considerably worse, and he sent for more brandy for her, and got some vinegar to bathe her head; but she was then nearly if not quite dead. Grainger then went to Dr. Ashurst, at Famingham, and told him that he had killed a woman at Crocken-hill, and he must go to her.

He gave Dr. Ashurst money to pay for the journey, and said that he would go to the police and give himself up, and he was prepared to be hanged for it. Dr. Ashurst immediately went to the place described to him, and found the woman quite dead.

On Tuesday, four days after death, by the order of the coroner, Dr. Ashurst made a post mortem examination, and found the organs, with a slight exception, perfectly healthy. There were two marks in her neck, and death resulting from compression of the brain, caused by pressure on the principal vessels of the neck. He had no doubt that those marks were caused by fingers pressing on the neck.

The jury, after consultation, returned a verdict of "Wilful murder" against Grainger.

The prisoner, it seems, shortly after leaving Dr. Ashurst’s, was apprehended by Fowle, 65, K.C.C., in a public-house at Farningham, and at once admitted that he had killed the woman, and said he was prepared to suffer for it; and after a strong caution that whatever he said might be used in evidence against him, he made a voluntary statement to Supt. Brandon, of Dartford, which agreed in great measure with the evidence given above. He was taken before the magistrates at Dartford on the following day, and was remanded as before stated.

On Saturday morning last Supt. Brandon sent down Sergeant Dashwood and a constable to bring the prisoner from Maidstone for final examination, but the officers were informed by the gaoler that the prisoner could not be removed, as he had received a warrant from the coroner for his detention, the investigation having resulted in a charge of wilful murder against him. Mr. Brandon explained these facts to the magistrates, and the clerk was directed to communicate with the Secretary of State, for an order for the prisoner to be produced before them. Should the order be granted, the examination on the capital charge will be taken on Saturday next.

South Eastern Gazette, 31 July, 1860.

Manslaughter at Eynsford.

John Grainger, aged 35, a travelling hawker, was charged with the manslaughter of Cordelia Covill, a woman with whom he cohabited, at Crocken-hill, in the parish of Eynsford, on the 5th July; the grand jury having ignored the bill on the coroner’s inquisition for "Wilful murder," Mr. Deedes appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Ribton defended the prisoner.

Henry Covill, a labourer at Lewisham, said:— The deceased was my mother. I saw her dead at the "Chequers" public-house, Crocken-hill, two days after her death. I had seen her alive the previous Sunday, at Greenwich. On the following morning the prisoner came to me in a brickfield where I was at work. He asked me where my mother was, but I could not tell him. He said "It is no use telling me that lie, as I know you have seen her." I said, "If you will go home until dinner-time I will see." He came to me at dinner-time, and said that if I would tell him where she was he would give me a sovereign, or anything I wanted. I told him I could not tell him — that I last saw her at Greenwich, at my cousin’s. We went together to Greenwich, and after I enquired there about my mother I told the prisoner that she had gone towards Crocken-hill. We then went together to Black-heath, and the prisoner said if he could see my mother lying dead at his feet he should be a happy man.

Maria Covill, a girl about 12 years of age, daughter of the deceased, said:— The prisoner Grainger and my mother had lived together for some time, and I was with them. They travelled about the country, and sold earthenware. I remember my mother’s death. We got to Crocken-hill over night, and slept in the open shed all night. My mother died next morning. While in the shed my mother said she thought she could feel her brains turn. After that the prisoner sent me for three pennyworth of brandy, and my mother took it. The prisoner left, saying he was going after the doctor. A day or two before my mother’s death we were all at Bexley-heath. When the prisoner first came up to say mother he knocked her down; that was two days before she died. My mother then got up, and after going on some distance she sat down by the side of the road, and the prisoner struck and kicked her when she was down. We then went on together again, and that night we all three slept together in a hay field. The next morning the prisoner hit and kicked my mother again when she was standing up. She asked him not to do it any more. After that he hit her again, and she fell to the bank at the road-side. There was quarrelling between them, but I did not hear what it was about. We went on to Birchwood corner, and from thence to Crocken-hill. After we left Birchwood my mother said that she felt pains in her head, and in her back.

By Mr. Ribton:— I never know my mother to have fits, and never before heard her complain of pains in her head.

William Everist said that he went to a shed in his occupation at Crocken-hill, Eynsford, on Friday morning, and found the deceased lying there dead. He examined the body, and saw bruises upon it.

Thomas Style Fowle, 65, K.C.C., said:— I found the prisoner at the "Chequers" public-house, Farningham, on Friday, the 6th July, and apprehended him on a charge of causing the death of his wife. He said " I know I have done it, and I hope to be hanged for it." He then said he wished to make a statement as to how it was done, but both Sergeant Dashwood and myself cautioned him. He, however, said that on Saturday, the 30th June, when they were at Croydon, the deceased left him, taking with her nearly £10 of his money; he went in search of her, and found her near Bexley-heath, in company with another man. They went into the "Bull" public-house, at Birchwood, and he struck her and kicked her. They then went on to Crocken-hill where they went into a lodge, and she got much worse, and he did not know what to do with her. He said that she asked him to forgive her, and he said that he would not at the first, but afterwards said that he would if she spoke the truth. He then sent for brandy, and finding that she got worse, he went to Farningham for the doctor.

Supt. Brandon, of the Dartford division, K.C.C., said that on Saturday, the 7th July, he saw the prisoner in the lock-up at Dartford. The prisoner wished to make a statement, and he cautioned him against doing so. He, however, persisted, and the statement was taken down in writing, (This statement, which we gave a short time ago, and which was in accordance with the evidence already given, was then read).

Dr. William Robert Ashurst, of Farningham, said that on Friday, the 6th July, the prisoner came to his house about half-past ten, and he said "I want you to go up the road to see a person I have killed." He also said that after he (witness) went to Crocken-hill to see the deceased, he should give himself up to the police. He paid five shillings for witness to go up. Witness sent his assistant, and on the following Tuesday made a post mortem examination, by order of the coroner. There were several marks externally, evidently bruises, both on the thighs and arms. On the right shoulder there was also a mark, caused by some blunt instrument. The marks had been caused by blows or kicks, but those on the arms appeared as if the deceased had been held by some one. The marks were not such as would cause death. There were marks about the neck, just under the jaw, on each side, as if caused by pressure, and they appeared as if recently made. On removing the skull the membranes differed from what they are in their natural state, and there was a quantity of clotted blood under the membranes. His opinion was that the blood was caused by pressure on the principal vessels. Blows or falls might have caused that compression of the brain. The state of the brain was in his opinion the cause of death.

By Mr. Ribton:— The brain itself was in a healthy condition, but judging from the appearance of it he should not think that the deceased bad been subject to fits. The extravasations of blood was caused by a rupture of the vessels. If the woman was naturally weak, and she had drunk several glasses of brandy and beer, the rupture of the vessels might have taken place naturally.

By the Court:— When he made the examination the body was partly decomposed. He could not tell so well at that time the state of the vessels as if his examination had been more recent. There were no marks of violence on the outside of the head.

Mr. Ribton having addressed the jury, his Lordship summed up very minutely, and the jury, after a brief consultation, returned a verdict of "Guilty."

The prisoner was sentenced to three years’ penal servitude.