The Press. — London, England, 1858-08-21 00:00:00

812 By the prisoner : At the time I was married to you I should say you were about twenty-four years old. I was acquainted with you but six weeks before I consented to accompany you to Scotland to get mar• tied. The last time I saw you at Liverpool was on the 18th of November, 1851. Mr. ROBERT STUART, a member of the English and Scotch bar, deposed that he was conversant with the law of Scotland, and that the proceeding spoken to by the last witness constituted a valid marriage ac cording to the Scotch law. The prisoner then made a long, rambling state ment, the effect of which appeared, so far as it could be understood, to be that the prosecution had been got up through a malicious feeling on the part of some persons towards him, and he made a long statement relative to the offence of which he had been formerly convicted, and declared that his re ports were true, and that he had been unjustly con victed. He then asserted that the witnesses were all mistaken in saying that he was the person who was married to Miss Sailleir in 1842, and declared that he was in Paris at that time, and he could have pro duced witnesses to have proved the fact if an oppor tunity had been afforied him of doing so. The COMMON SERGEANT then summed up, and the jury immediately returned a verdict of " Guilty." Mr. SLEIGH then proposed to go on with a second indictment for a similar offence. The prisoner begged that the trial might be post poned, and he asserted that he could prove he was not the person who had married Miss Sadleir in 1842. Mr. SLEIGH said he believed the prisoner was uttering an impudent falsehood. The prosecutrix had been put to very great expense in bringing a witness from Ireland, and he hoped the court would not postpone the trial. The COMMON SERGEANT said it appeared to him that there were no grounds for the postponement of the trial. The prisoner was then charged with feloniously intermarrying with Margaret Murray at Sligo, on the sth of March, 1853. Mr. SADLEIR was recalled, and he gave the same evidence as upon the previous rharge relative to the marriage of the prisoner with his sister in the year 1842. Miss MARGARET MURRAY depose , ) that she became acquainted with the prisoner at Sligo, in 1851, and they were married about ten months after they first became acquainted. Ar, this time the prisoner practised as a doctor, and he also gave lectures, and was known as Dr. Tucker. He represented himself to her to be a single man. One child was the result of their union. They lived together about three years, and the prisoner then left her, with her consent. The prisoner married her in the name of Borromeo, and he was known by that name at Sligo, as well as by the name of Tucker. The Commos SERGEANT having briefly summed up the evidence of the case, The jury at once returned a verdict of " Guilty." Mr. SLEIGH said he thought it right to inform the court that the prisoner appeared to have treated several other young ladies in a similar manner, and after plundering them of what little property they possessed, he left them in several instances in a state of actual destitution. Miss Murray's case was an exceedingly bad one. She was entitled to a rever sionary interest in the sum of 2501., which he induced her to sell, and having obtained possession of the money, he squandered it away, and be then treated her with great barbarity and cruelty, and ultimately deserted her and her child. After this he got up the pretended conference of the Italian delegates, and defrauded several newspaper proprietors of money for the pretended reports of the proceedings of those delegates. The prisoner was taken into custody upon that charge at Reading, upon a warrant, and at this time it appeared that he was getting his livelihood by lecturing upon electro-biology. The prisoner, in an impudent manner, said that what Mr. Sleigh had been stating about him was not true. _ Mr. SLEIGH said that perhaps his lordship would put a few questions to Miss Murray as to the manner in which she had been treated by the prisoner. The young lady was accordingly asked by the C ommon Sergeant to give the court information upon the subject, and she said that the prisoner obtained possession 0f270/. belonging to her, and that while they lived together he did not use her well, and frequently struck her. The Commox SERGEANT, in passing sentence, said be believed it was quite useless to address any remarks to such a man as the prisoner upon the subject of the crimes he had committed. It was clear he had for many years got his living by frauds, not frauds of the ordinary description, but by seducing young women under the pretext of marriage, and then plundering them of what little property they possessed. He was young, and he would have time for reflection upon his past career, anti in order to afford him an opportunity for such reflection he should order him to be kept in penal servitude for four years. TII E PRESS, AUGUST 21, 1858. Mr. SLEIGH then said that the Society for Enforcing the Law for the Protection of Women, by whom this prosecution was instituted, had been put to great expense in procuring the necessary evidence, and he applied to his lordship to order the costs to be allowed. The Corituns SERGEANT ordered all the usual costs to be paid, and at the same time said that it was a very proper prosecution. At the opening of the court on Tuesday, the Lord Mayor directed the prisoner, Alexander Charles: Bor roaieo, who was convicted on Monday of the offence of bigamy under very aggravated circumstances, and sentenced to four years' penal servitude, to be sent for, and he was shortly afterwards placed at the bar. The COMMON SERGEANT, addressing him, said that, front what had conic to his knowledge since his conviction, he had no doubt that his conduct had been very bad, and that he had caused an immense amount of misery to the unhappy women whom lie had deceived and defrauded, and he was afraid that the sentence he had passed upon him was too lenient for his crime. He did not intend to alter that sen tence; but his object in sending for him was to let him understand that he would still have to suffer the remainder of the sentence of imprisonment and hard labour for a year to which he was subjected upon the former conviction, and the sentence of ifour years' penal servitude would not commence until that sentence had expired. At the conclusion of the trial on Monday some private inquiries were instituted by the authorities of the court with reference to the conduct of the prisoner, and it was ascertained that he bad acted in the most cruel and heartless manner towards the unfortunate young women whom he had seduced. In one case he had deserted an unhappy young creature on the verge of her confinement, leaving her almost penniless, and taking with him all the money lie could lay his hands upon. In this case the sheriffs most humanely supplied the young lady with money for her immediate requirements until something permanent could be done for her ; and finding that Miss Murray, the young lady who proved the second case, and who, it wilt be remem bered, was robbed of 250/. by the prisoner, was also in a very impoverished condition, they very kindly gave her 5/. to pay her expenses back to Ireland. 51bs. or Olbs. was used each day : it Was for fillin g the small cases of coloured fires let off at Vauxhall or Cremorne. All the case.; used to be made in the back kitchen. No fireworks were made in the house Prisoner used to take the thi ngs to Peckham, whe n ; lie used to keep his stock. The fireworks were made at Peckham—all the most explosive ones. The coloured fire used to be filled into the cases by boy, and rammed with a small rammer and mallet:w struck too hard it would explode. He had never see n it dried. The falling of a case might c ause the coloured fires to explode. Witness had never seer the prisoner take fireworks from the house in tht Westminster-road ;he used to bring them from the factory at Peckham, and put them inside of the dour before they were taken to Vauxhall or Cremorno About five or six dozen of rockets used to be made daily, and they would be sometimes left three or four hours in the house in the Westminsterroad. Some of the smaller class of rockets used to be made Charles -street, at Mr. Suntees. Some mine serpents used to be made in the Westminster-road. Boys from ten to eighteen years of age m a d e t h er The composition of which they are made will horn, but not explode. The rocket composition used to I• made at Peckham, and brought by the prisoner Mr. Suntees. Alma. Coon used to give all tl orgiers. Witness nev•-r saw any powder at the hole in the Westminster-roal. Cross•exatninetl by Mr. GIFFARD: The prisoner had been married to Nlme. Gown about two years. She had carried on business about ten years. IV; proper care, there was no danger from these tit work's. Prisoner is a very careful. man. Mme. Cotnn was in the front kitchen when this occurred. Two little boys, who had been engaged in making the cases and filling them with coloured fires, we• examined, but did not add anything material to wl the previous witnesses stated. The remaining evidence proved that about tea minutes after the fire broke out the house blew • and a rocket flying into the house of a Mr. Gibson, another tireworkmaker at the opposite corner of street, set that house also on fire, and another plosion followed. Tile deceased child was passii itt the time, and got so injured that she died a sly time afterwards in Guy's Hospital. The case having been closed, Mr. GIFFARD submitted that there was no evi. deuce upon which the jury could return a verdi To constitute the crime of manslaughter, it mu. be shown that the person so charged hail committed an act, or omitted to act, the result of which caused death. The learned counsel quoted a case similar to this tried in this court in 1851, wh the late Baron Alderson stopped the case, say' that as no personal act, of the accused caused death, and he was not present, he could not be hell responsiblt. Mr. Justice WILLES said Vie case differed; it there shown that the fire had been caused by servant of the man charged, and the poor fel having lost his wife and all hi= children by the am. dent, he could understand the feeling which prompt , rd the late learned baron to stop the case. After some discussion, his lordship said it wf case for the jury. The fact could not be hidden this was a question whether trades of such a ci racter, imperilling as they did the lives of the publ could be carried on in such places, or could be to be properly carried on when it was found such buys as those who had been examined were , gaged to work at them. It made him shudder Is. think of the danger which existed to those who passed along. Mr. GIFFARD, in a very able speechoentended there was neither act nor omission upon the part the prisoner to render him liable to conviction. The jury acquitted the prisoner. ltcOents efftrats. THE AFFAIR AT ACTON-EXTRAORDINA DISCLOSURES. THE adjourned inquest on the body of John Gates, who was found dead on the Actorproad, on Mouthy night, the 9111 instant, stabbed to the heart va some sharp j instrument, was resumed last M oo ds afternoon before Mr. Wakley and a respectable t' HENRY GENRE was the first witness examined am a groom, and live at Ealing. On Monday n/ last, about ten minutes to twelve o'clock, I found body of the deceased close to the Priory, on the road, near the railway bridge. It wa s lying In middle of the road. There were two men stank close to it. I should not know either of them fig , l'hey cried out to the man who wa s driving waggon on which I was seated, " Don't run over fellow." The men were going towards London. of them was swinging a stick or cane in his hi but I could not tell exactly what it was, as it was dark. One of the men was tall, and , he other $l The man who was driving the waggon said," don't you pull the man out of the road?" but t made no answer. I then got down and dragged EMBEZZLEMENT. At the Central Criminal Court, on Wednesday, EdwArd Wellington Boato was indicted for felo. niously applying to his own use certain sums of money which had been intrusted to him by virtue of his employment in the public snvice of her Majesty. After some conversation between Mr. Sleigh and Mr. Robinson, his lordship agreed to allow the case to stand until next session, the accused entering into his own recognizances in 1001. MANSLAUGHTEE. William Bowyer B.mnetc surrendered to take his trial upon the coroner's inquisition for the man slaughter of Caroline Bridges. Mr. W. Pearce and Mr. Martin prosecuted; and Mr. Gift - tad defended. The learned counsel, having briefly stated the circumstances of the case to the jury, called HANNAH WELCH, who said that up to the 14th July lust she was servant to the prisoner and his wife, who was known as Mine. Cuion. They were artists in fireworks and lived in the Westminster road. They also had a place at Peckham, where the fireworks were made, and the prisoner, who kept a horse and cart, used generally to be engaged in taking the empty cases, which were made in the Westminster-road, to the factory at Peckham. Red fire used to be kept in cases in the yard of the house in the Westminster-road. Witness was in the house when the fire took place ; it was on Monday, the 14th of July, at about half-past six in the evening. She Was in tile back room upon the first floor at the timr, and hearing one of the boys call out that the place was on fire, she looked down stairs and saw smoke and light coming out of the kitchen. She got out into the balcony and escaped with some slight bruises upon the nose. Three buys were employed at the house in the Westminster-road. They used to fill cases and make them. The cases used to be filled with coloured fire, which she occasionally gave to the boys. Other cases used to be taken empty to Peckham. Those cases used to be made in the Westminster road. She did not know how many men were kept. EDWIN TUCKER said be was foreman to the prisoner, and had been so for eighteen months. Mme. Coton engaged him, but the prisoner used to pay him. They were man and wife. He was at the house about three-quarters of an hour before the explosion, but had not been there before that day. Red and treen fire used to be kept in the kitchen. It was used to fill what are called the coloured cases. The witness then explained the materials used in the manufac ture of the fire, and which contained in a certain degree the elements of combustion. The coloured fire used to be made fresh every day ; it was made in the front kitchen ; Madame used to make it. About • :I'7taanfh:ll ere:r ;hi fininaoli • body 1. The body e y Itneancen never b a va ee ' t e e b o th s : r ne t : h e e l' " n o r' cam bo r ti the tic' Col rouse in the B aw m from the she of the door frol dec to be made liol hree or four oft mad. Some elm be made in ha ine serpents road. Boss ne natle them, wa le will horn, ws n used to he 1 prisoner to rx :ive all the 1.1 at the house ea 01 be prisoner in two yeeri. at ears. IVA ri t these tire- of an. Mme. st tie occurred. 01 d in making 1,1 fires, were r 1 trial to what tl t about ten use blew up, Mr. Gibson, orner of the another es. was passing died a short was no evi• m a verdict. ter, it must 11 committed f which had ,toted a cast, . 1851, when case, saying caused the not be held tired ; it was used by the eb p hv o p o tr r hoem f fel low i ,aid it was a hidden that such a cha• A' the public, mild be said s found that ned were o- n shudder to e who passed intended that the part of vietion. S. ORDINARY ' John Gates, I, on Monday 5 heart with last Monday iectahle jury . examined: I ionday night , foun d the on the high I lying in the nen standin g r them again . driving the r on. his er dragged :oiusann,tnr;hdi a sht t lo l o. II Unairs, hard,to)yt.. but • 111