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The Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser Wednesday 2 Mar 1836
Page 3 Column 1 & 2
MURDER OF A CHILD BY HER FATHER.
[Abridged from The West Briton.]
Some time since we had to record the murder of a father, far advanced in life, by his only son, which, it will be remembered , occurred in the Eastern part of this County; and we have now to notice, under circumstances more aggravated, the deliberate, the cold-blooded murder of a young daughter by her aged father. Without any further prefatory remarks, we will proceed to lay before our readers the evidence adduced at a Coroner's Inquest, held at St. Day, on Monday week, before Hosken JAMES, Esq. on the body of Caroline MANUEL, who had been shot by her father, Philip MANUEL, at Carnmarth, in the parish of Gwennap, on the previous Friday.
The Jury proceeded to view the body, which presented an awful spectacle, and afterwards adjourned to the parish vestry.
The following witnesses were then examined:-
Henry PETERS, of Gwennap, miner, is 16 years of age, lives near the dwelling house of Philip MANUEL. On Friday afternoon, between one and two o'clock, he saw a man going before him with a gun in his hand, pursuing two girls who were running, and he observed the taller girl turn round and throw a stone at the man; witness was too far off to hear whether any words passed or not; the girls then ran on as before, and when about 100 years from witness, and the same distance from the girls, the man put the gun to his shoulder and fired; after which he turned back, and the girls followed him; the man came within 40 yards of witness, when he recognised him to be Philip MANUEL. Witness stood on the hedge, and saw the girls climbing up MANUEL's garden hedge, and looking towards the house; about half an hour after, MANUEL came out again with a gun in his hand, and the girls, of whom he had lost sight some time, were running away from MANUEL down the road; they were going from the direction of MANUEL's house, and when about twenty yards from his house, and the same distance from witness, MANUEL put the gun to his shoulder, and fired at the girls again, upon which one of them fell – witness then went home – he told his mother of it, and when back again, when he found a man holding one of the girls in his arms, but MANUEL was not there – witness did not hear any provocation at all on the part of the girls, nor any words from MANUEL – the girls were MANUEL's daughters – after MANUEL had fired the second time, he turned and walked quietly back towards his own house – it was not the deceased who threw a stone at MANUEL.
Christian MANUEL was next called – she appeared much affected, and at first refused to answer the questions put to her by the Coroner, saying, “It is my father!” After some time however she consented to be examined, and stated that she was seventeen years of age – the deceased was her sister – on Friday morning they went together to see their father – witness's father and mother had been separated for eight or nine years – witness and deceased sat down on the common, and were reading a book, when they saw their father coming over the hedge of his enclosure – he went up to them and said, “What art doing here?” They replied, “Come up to see you, father.” He said, “You shall feel me too.” Her father commenced repairing the hedge of his field. Witness and the deceased went to him – deceased said, “father, your pony is not as pretty a pony os ours” - he replied, “Thee hast no pony, and if thee hast thee'st stole un.” Their father then made use of very bad language to the deceased, and threw stones at her, upon which witness threw one stone at him. He then went in and bought out a gun, and fired at the deceased – deceased came to her, and said, “Oh! I have a shot in my hand,” showing her right hand, which was bleeding – that was the first time her father fired, and he was then about 20 yards from the deceased. Witness and the deceased afterwards went into MATTHEWS's house, adjoining the house of their father – the deceased at that time went out, and her father ran after her, when she returned to MATHEWS, and MANUEL scolded MATTHEW's wife for allowing them to go into her house, and said several times, “If they don't leave, I'll shoot them.” John MATTHEWS said “You wont aim to shoot Christian (witness) because she is a life on the place” - her father replied, “I ought to know who I am going to shoot, I a'nt going to shoot she.” About half an hour afterwards, her father came out again and fired at them, but missed his aim – witness ran away, and the deceased tried to shelter herself in the adjoining lane – MANUEL then ran out into the lane and deceased ran away, when witness heard the gun fired – upon which she turned around and saw her sister fall, who looked up to witness and said, “I'm shot, I'm killed, tis in my throat” - witness looked at her throat, and seeing it bleeding, said “Pray to the Lord to have mercy on you, my dear” - deceased responded “Lord have mercy on me!” - Witness put her hand to the throat of deceased to stop the blood, when she fainted, and witness thought her to be dead – her father then went down to the place where the body of deceased was lying, and said “Thee wasn't walk home to night!” and said, “If thee doesn't carry her home, I'll shoot thee too.” Witness said to him, “shoot me, and let me die with her.” Thomas MOYLE came to the deceased, and lifted her up, and called to witness that her sister was not dead – witness then went back and her father also returned and said, “Shot is she?” Thomas MOYLE said, “Yes, and you shot her.” - her father replied, “No, I didn't shoot her.” Deceased was then carried into MATHEWS's house, and witness observed her father walking leisurely through his field, towards Redruth.
The Coroner recapitulated the evidence, and the Jury retired – when after more than an hours deliberation, they found the following verdict: - We are unanimously of opinion, that Philip MANUEL has committed the crime of WILFUL MURDER, and we return a verdict accordingly:- yet, from our own knowledge of the man for many years past, and from personal observation of his conduct, we are of opinion that the peculiarity of his disposition, and the natural irritability of his temper, were such as would justify any man in considering him to have a mind at times bordering on insanity – His father, and several other members of his family have died mad – and although we find nothing in the evidence to justify us in returning any verdict short of Wilful Murder, yet we would wish to recommend these circumstances to the notice of another court.
The Coroner then bound the necessary parties, to prosecute, and issued his warrant for the committal of MANUEL to take his trial at the next assizes.