MEMORABLE TRIAL. THE CAMDEN TOWN TRAGEDY. EXTRAORDINARY PUBLIC EXCITEMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 25, 30 January 1908, Page 2

MEMORABLE TRIAL. THE CAMDEN TOWN TRAGEDY. EXTRAORDINARY PUBLIC EXCITEMENT.

AMAZING SCENES IN COURT AND STREET. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 20th December. Tho current week hab been memorable for the trial of a young artist npmed Robert Wood on tho charge of having committed what is known as "The Camden Town Murder"— or, in other words, of having killed a girl named Emily Dimmock, by cutting her throat as she Iny in bed. Seldom has any similar case created anything like such extraordinary public interest and cv-an, excitement, and certainly such a scene as/ that, which instantly followed the jury's verdict has never before been witnessed in an English Court of Justice. What makes tho case so extraordinary is nob merely the tremendous public excitement, but still more the fact that this could have been aroused by a case more <than commonly squalid and uuromantic in its circumstances and surroundings.. ' Thess wero depressingly commonplace and uninspiring from the dramatic viewpoint. , The victim was a girl of the class known as "unfor--tunate," She was rather a pretty girl and liked displaying herself in a .feminine sailor's costume in which ehe admittedly looked > very woll. The accused, Robert Wood, was a . clever young artist in good employment, a member of a highly respectable family, with whom he resided. ' Unfortunately Robert Wood differed from the rest of the' family in being deplorably, addicted to certain immoral i habits, and ' it . is noteworthy , that it ,was to, this lamentable tendency that he owed tho suspicions cast upon him and tho sufferings of his arrest, imprisonment, and trial. It was in reality a case of Florence "Maybfcick over again, tvhp it wil} •bo remembered was convicted of murder and sentenced to death, and who actually suffered a long term of penal servitude nominally for murdering her hus-. band, but really for immoral misconduct/ with another mnn. In this present case there is little. doubt that Wood's moral fibre had been weakened by his loose habits and that this is the true explanation of ths scores of silly and apparently purposeless lies which he told with surprising fluency on being taxed with 'his alleged crime. For here enters another dramatic persona who was destined to become almost its most prominent character, the "other" young woman, RubyYoung. ' So far as one can judge Ruby Young had discovered and resented her lover's associations with Emily Dimmock. Then came the tragedy. Emily Dimmock was found murdered in her bed, having been dead some hours, and "the woman scorned" Ruby Young, gave a- hint to the police, with the result that, her erstwhile lover wus arrested and tried for his life. Mean, whiles Wood, imagining probably that Ruby Young— despite his desertion — was, too fond «f him to do him mischief, actually endeavoured to suborn her as a witness and; .asked her to assist him in fabricating nn alibi by stating that he had been with her when, •on the theory of the prosecution, he ought to have been engaged in murdering licr rival. .This seems all tlie moro fatuous inasmuch as a real and tr.uth.ful alibi was lit hand, his father . .and brother, people of unquestioned . repute and credibility, being' prepared. \fy s\vea$ — as they, subsequently . ,did — lhat' he was, ,at ; tioni^ jn bed at the lime, when the murder' must have been 'Indeed his 1 utterly ' foolish story did far more ' toward bringing' his neck into the tioose than all the evidence of the prosscution combined, as Mr. Justice Gianthdm, before whom he was tried, pointedly showed. Tho- manifest offorts on ths part of Ruby Young tOj swsar away her exloyer's life ,did not meet with favour at tfee hand*; of thepublic, who rossnted_the attempt with ((uite remarkable promptness. In fact jhe - ran a very close risk, pf being mobbed( and perhaps lynched,- during' the progress of the trial, only escaping once through an> Unoffending stranger ' being mistaken for her and instantly 1 mobbed, and oa a seoond occasion, at the close of 'the trial, by being secretly smuggled away in tlis garb of a . charwoman. ' AT THE ENp OF THE TRIAL. A particularly impressive description of the strange scenes inside and outside . Newgate at. the end of \ the trial is given by a special reporter of , the Daily Mail. It is so very good and accurate, apart from its extreme interest, that I make no apology for quoting it in <?xtenso. The vrriier says : — The • trial of Robert Wood for the murder of Emily Dimmock, at Camden Town has been |ull of extraordinary incidents and strange passages, but its closing scene was unprecedented ;n; n tho whole history of- courts of justice. At one miuuto past eight last night the prisoner's terrible ordeal ended, when the jury returned- a verdict of Not Guilty, amid excitement which , can scarcely be described, • and which has never before bgen witnessed. As the, words of the verdict- reached the crowded audience in the court the death-like silence was broken by roar after roar of applause. Men and women seemed to lose control of th'tiir emotions. Hats and handkerchiefs ivcro waved frantically ; women ciied for joy. In the -uproar and tumult the efforts of tho ushers of the court to repress vn.^. frantic, demonstration were utterly futile. The surge- of cheering rose and fell, and rose again, resisting .all check and control. , , . In vain, Mr. Justice Grantham. seated on the bench in his scarlet rooes, raised his hand high nbove his head, and mutely .motioned to the people to be silent. The cheers could not be stilled. ¦ His Lordship's threat to ordev the clearing of the court was completely drowned in the tumult. Nat till the audience saw tha tall and imposing figure of Mr. •Marshall Hall, the brilliant King's Counsel, who has so ably conducted tho defence, standing in his place, facing the Judge with flushed, cheeks, did the extraordinary demonstration cease or was Eilenco restored. Then, as men realis-' e<l that it was his moment of victory, as counsel for the' prisoner, the uproar died away. "My lord," he said, in a ringing voice, which reverberated through tho court, "I have to as!? you that the prisoner be. discharged." , "Yes," answered tho Judge qnjckly. And Robert Wood, who stood waiting for the word, at once swung alertly on his heel and left tho dock. . DRAMATIC MOMENT. The most dramatic moment in the greatest murder trial of recent years was reached at twenty-five minutes past six, when Mr. Justice- Grantham swung himself round in his seat, .so as to face the jury, and began to sum up tho results of the six days' ' proceedings. Sir Charles >Mathews had just concluded a clear, cold presentment of the case for tho prosecution. isefor© that for two hours and a half Mr. Marshall Hall had pleaded with passionate eloquence, for tho prisoner's acquittal. The first words of the Judge s charge would give soo»b indication of the fate in store for.

tho man in the dock. The court pack- - ed in every corner, was"" now 'in a state of the extremest tension.. Here and there, involuntaiily, people stood up to catch tho words. Mr. Justice Grantham began with tho remark that tho trial was the most re- 1 markable one in his whole experience. He told them in effect that, fcho witness M 'Cowan, who was alleged to' have seen Wood in St. Pauls-road on the -fatal morning, waa the man whos© evidence, if sufficiently strong, must guide mem very largely. But was his evidence of identification sufficiently strong?' "I do not think tho piosocution' have brought the case near enough to the prisoner " ? The Judge had not finished his Sentence,' but the pent-up excitement of the crowded court found vent- in a, crash l of' applause. ' ¦ "Silence!" cried -the ushers, and'ior a moment the cheers were smothered. Tho Judn:e went on — "with> the oxoep.tion of M 'Cowan." ' But, even M'Cowan's identiScaiion. was, in his opinion, not sufficiently definite. "It is my duty to point- out," he said, "that, unless tho evidence* is convincing, you ought to give tho prisoner the benefit of any doubt.'.' ' Audible sighs of relief went np. Cheerful whispers ran round the conrt. . -Ihecolour showed' again in the cheeJaKof the prisoner in the' dock. The jury .camo back after-fifteen:'min-utes' consultation. ! -. • "Do you find the prisoner , guilty -or not guilty?" tboy were asked. .• .-;, _ "Not. guilty,". exclaimed the foreman in loud, clear tones. .Then:.broke forth the storm which Judge and; officials >were powerless to. check. „ Wood sprang :forward, reached over the deck, and grasped Mr. Newton, his' solicitor, -by tho hand. The strained feelings' of a-hjjn-dred people w#re let loose, and uproar reigned. Wher> Wood had left. ,lhre dock ladies .were wiping .away thn -tears which- only • came . now the crisis • was over. - ,i • ..'.,, As the people .filtered out- of court down to the. centra) hall there came -up to them hoarse, -rolling .cheers from "the streets, and through the windows, they caught a glimpse, of fxsnzied thrones waving- hats and handkerchiefs. , „ SCENE OUTSIDE -THE COURT-. One of the remarkable incidents connected with tJitT J*ial was, "thfe 'speed with which the r,esult wfts communicated to the street outside the Old Bailey. Within thirty seconds' of the verdict the news, was known in th& street^ and a wild cheer went up. -The ¦ cheering continued for nearly 'half an*' hour 1 , and was followed by the ' siriging of . 'Tor lie's a jolly good fellow."' No 1 doubt existed as"f;o tho feeling hi tfieimmensa crowd. It was all* in the prisoner's favour. News had ' come * out earlier that the Judge had summed up on w th9 whole in Mb favour,' and the- gathering was in cheerful mood. - ¦• * . ' "They are going to maffick td-nighk,, ' sai^ a constable, "and''\ve, "shall have a job." ¦ They 'had much responsibility, but it was managed very well. -Now and then as ' people were leaving the court false alarms! of J Wood's ' departure sprang ~iip ,ahd away fan auctions" of >the crowd;>' which helped to- lessen?' the task of- the police. ' "•' '«, '" V Timo after time the-, crowd tried r to charge the Court-house/ and reiriforcements of police poured out till nettily 300 ruen were on dnty in tha short e'pa.o» covered by the front of the Court-house, and the portion of the 'building on tho Ne^gate-sl reet side: -Evert "this 'body of constables had no chance for & lime, till Mr. Wood, father of the- prisoner, with his son Charles, came 1 oat 6f tho principal doorway. -