John Slee, police officer, apprehended Joseph Graham at Wetheral Shields. A pair of trowsers which were in his bundle were bloody. Joseph accounted for it by saying his nose had been bleeding.

 

Nanny Graham recalled, described the clothes belonging to Joseph.

 

Francis Boustead

Andrew Little of Hornsby Gate said about two years ago William Graham told him that the first gamekeeper that ever offered to take him he would fell him and put him where he would never get back again.

Michael Eland was in Graham’s house on the Saturday night, about seven o’clock; William went out but he did not see him with a gun.

Susannah Graham (?Probably means Susannah Hogarth) said he tried to persuade William not to shoot that night, as the watcher would be out. He said, “Then let him stand back”.

William Graham and Nanny Graham recalled and again examined.

 

Friday January 2^nd 1857

The inquest on the body of Thomas Simpson was brought to a close at Ainstable, before Mr Carrick, coroner, yesterday (Friday). On this occasion the court was thrown open to the public, and we are therefore enabled to publish a report of the proceedings.

 

Henry Smith, who said – I am a police officer, stationed at Longwathby. On Monday afternoon, the 17^th November, I accompanied John Pharoah to William Graham’s father’s house at about four o’clock in the afternoon. When I got there I met William Graham coming out of the house door. Pharoah spoke to him and said, “It is a fine day, William.”

William answered, “Yes, it is.” Pharoah told him he had got a warrant to search the house. William said, “My mother is burning a gun.”  I then went into the house, and saw William’s mother standing over the fire with a poker in her hand, pushing a gun stock into the fire below the oven. I took hold of her and pulled her away, and Pharoah took the stock out of the fire. She said before that that none of us should have the stock, without anything being said to her. I made further search, and found the barrel of a gun in an adjoining room downstairs, standing against the fireplace. I produce the barrel, and the stock.

I made a further search in the room upstairs, and found a pair of moleskin trousers lying on the bed. There were two beds in the room; the trousers were on the children’s bed. I observed that on the right leg, about the knee, there were marks apparently of blood. The marks had the appearance of having been rubbed or washed out. There was also a mark on the inside of the right knee, which also appeared to be blood. The trousers were rather damp. When I came downstairs, I held them up in the presence of William. The mother said they were Henry’s, and Henry spoke up and said, “Them’s my trousers, I got the blood upon them when I was hedging.” He did not say what time of the year. I then took William and Henry into custody. On the following (Tuesday) morning, I went out again. I searched up stairs and found a velveteen coat between the bed head and the wall. I searched again at seven o’clock of the same evening, and found the small end of a gun stock concealed in the flue of the oven. I now produce it. The barrel which I have already produced fits into this stock.