I awoke by his sawing my throat with a pen-knife

Found in the Old Bailey Historical records - of passing / spurious interest!

CHARLES HAVILAND MILLARD, Breaking Peace > wounding, 11th September 1906

MILLARD, Charles Haviland (54, law writer) , feloniously wounding Eliza Millard, with intent to kill and murder her, and to do her grievous bodily harm. 

Mr. Beaumont Morice prosecuted.

ELIZA MILLARD  . Prisoner is my husband. We lived at Harringay. On the night of July 31 we were in bed. I awoke by his sawing my throat with a pen-knife produced.

I jumped out of bed, and caught hold of him, and after a time quieted him, and he put the knife away. He said he was doing it because somebody else outside wanted to murder me, but he would not let them, and would do it himself; he did not want me to be "mangled."

I went downstairs into the kitchen and sat there, but occasionally watched him. He came down and took some matches up. I saw some light in my son's bed-room, and thought he had come in.

I went up and found the curtains burning. I put them out, and then I saw a flare downstairs. I went down and put that out. I saw my husband in the room with a poker in his hand and he hit me on the head with it as I turned to throw the blind out. He said he would kill me.

My son came down and I saw some policemen outside and my son got one. Prisoner was taken to the station. He brought a table knife out of his pocket in the bedroom. He said it was for someone outside who meant to come in, and he wanted to protect me.

He was under Dr. Savage nine years ago for his head. He had been drinking and a little affects him. It was the heat that finished him off I am sure. July 31 was very hot.

He is a quiet, affectionate husband when all right, and is a good man. He had not the faintest idea what he was doing. The wound was really nothing. I was frightened of the fire—nothing else. I was not hurt by the blow on the head.

Verdict, Guilty; but not responsible for his actions at the time. Ordered to be detained in Brixton Prison during His Majesty's pleasure.