The Plumstead Murder.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 553, 6 January 1891, Page 3

The Plumstead Murder.

The trial of the young man Lyons for murdering an artillery sergeant named Stewart took place at the Old Bailey on a recent Thursday, in a court crowded to suffocation with sympathising friends of the prisoner, Unfortunately for the latter, the tench was in possession cl that cut-and-dried old lawyer Sir James Stephen, perhaps the very worst judge who could have tried such a case. Mr Geoghegan (acting for Lyons) pleaded that the crime was only manslaughter, as the unfortunate boy had simply been provoked to madness when at length he stabbed the soldier. -It was shown that after the .horrified Lyons discovered his mother and the sergeant together a quarrel of three quarters of an hours’ duration took place before the latter would leave the house. During this lime Stewart mocked and taunted young Lyons till (as the lodger deposed) the lad was screaming-with passion. Finally he rushed off to the kitchen to get a knife. When he returned both the sergeant and hie mother had gone on*. Lyons, still suspicious, followed, and presently came upon a shameful sight, which would have turned to lave the blood of any son possessing human instincts. The howl of rage he gave and the gleam of the knife alarmed Stewart, who had barely time to shield bis paramor ere he was lying stabbed to the heart. Sir James Stephen, to whom the law’as it stands is a much more important thing than mere justice, ruled that though the provocation Lyons received was undoubtedly very great, it was not sufficient to reduce h’s" crime’from murder to manslaughter, The jury, however, disregarded His Lordship's ruling, and found Lyons guilty only on a charge of the minor offence, at the same time recommending him strongly to mercy. Judge Stephen’s notion of mercy was seven years’ penal servitude, but it is not riikely the youth will serve more than a quarter of that time. Public opinion con bluets the sentence excessive, and pteseptly a a petition will be presented to the Home Secretary praying for partial mitigation. The miserable mother, whose depravity (for it turns out the deceased sergeant never seriously propped marriage to her) "brought about the ghastly tragedy, has been latterly subjected to almost every known form of humiliation by her neighbors. A letter from ‘ Jack th*. Kipper,’ threatening unheard of atrocities, was one of the punitive practical jokes played upon the poor woman by some Plumstead 'Arries. She will now sell her cottage and leave the district. Lyon’s attitude throughout the trial was absolutely impassive, and no sooner had sentenoe been pronounced than 'he promptly-turned his back and left the-dddkl