Hongkong, on the 3rd inst., Charles Newman, a watchman unemployed, was indicted for the wilful murder of one Gutierrez, a Portuguese, at a house No. 153, Queen's Road East, on the night of the 8th August last. The Hon. G. Phillippo, Attorney General, prosecuted, and the Hon. Mr. Hayllar, instructed by Mr. Dennys, ai peated to watch the case on behalf of the prisoner. The following gentlemen comosed the special jury:—Messrs. H. C.
rdmann, W. Reiners, D. Gillies, F. A. Grobien, 'H. Dickie, L. Beyer, and P. A. da Costa.
The facts of the case have been so frequently alluded to in these columns that repetition would be a waste of space. Suflice it, therefore, to say that on the night named, the accused, who had been in company with the murdered man and a woman named Louisa Lockhardt, whom he (accused) was living with, unexpectedly returned home, and found the two in the huge. He went into a back kitchen and procuring a tomahawk, or axe, commenced a murderous onslaught on the unhappy pair, killing the man on the spot, and so severely injuring the woman that her life was for a long while despaired of.
It should be mentioned that Newman and Lockhardt had visited Shanghai only a short time before; and while in this Settlement, Newman threatened the lives of several people with revolver and knife, and was in consequence sent back to Hongkong with the woman, arriving there only the day before he committed the murder.
Evidence of the above facts having been given, The Jury retired for two or three minutes, and on returning into Court, the foreman, in reply to the formal enquiry of the Registrar, said they found the prisoner Guilty of wilful murder.
Prisoner, on being asked if he had anything to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon him, said that when he left Hongkong for Shanghai, he did so with the intention of occupying a vacancy there. When, however, hegotthere the disgrace that, he had got into in Hongkong was put to him. On applying to Mr. Johnson for a few lines of recommendation he refused io give them to him; he then applied to Captain Bolton, and he would not say anything for him. He then got into an excited state of mind, and did not know what he was doin; They then sent him down here to Hongkong on board a steamer, with the woman Lockhardt, and when he arrived here he was perfectly beside himself. It was not his intention to kill Gutierrez; he did not dot wilfully, His Lordship—Charles Newman, you have been found guilty of wilful murder, and no one, I think, who has heard this evidence can doubt but that perhaps when you went to the house on the night in question you were not aware that Gutierrez was there. But at the sight of him, your jealousy was aroused, and, giving way to your violent passion, you deliberately took that axe, and inflicted blows upon him which caused his death. That was wilful murder. Now I cannot forget that not long ago you received a lesson in this Colony of the absolute necessity of controlling the outbursts of your passion, That lesson has unfortunately been disregarded, and now your passion has again brought you to this stage. You sent that unfortunate man to a very early death, and the sentence of the Jaw is that your life must be given as a warning to other people that they must not give way to anger, and passion, and savage violence. The sentence of the Court is that you be taken hence to the place from where you came, and thence to the place of execution; that there you be hanged by the neck until you be dead, and that your body be buried in such place as the Governor may direct.
Prisoner—I have one request to m:
His Lordship~You have one request to make? What is it?
Prisoner—That when Iam dead, my body may be sent to San Francisco and buried in the Blue Mountain Cemetery.
His Lordship said that rested entirely with the. Governor, but the prisoner's request should be conveyed to His Excellency.
Newman was then removed. He made his remarks and request after the verdict was delivered in a firm and natural tone of voice, and betrayed very little agitation,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.