The Press. — London, England, 1855-12-15 00:00:00

DECEMBER 15, 1855. site funds. These last acts appear to have led to the most distressing feature of this case. Almost the whole of the property of the bank has been pledged, and Mr. Strahan's private estate was resorted to for the same purpose. The large sums so raised had dis• appeared, and there was no alteniative but the payment of the acceptances and other liabilities as they became due, or bankruptcy. In the vain hope that the anticipated funds would yet be forthcoming in time to avert the im• pending ruin, recourse was had to those means of raising funds the consequences of which are now being visited on the bankrupts. In conclusion, it appeared that the present defi ciency of the bank amounted to 524,022/. 18s. 5d., of which upwards of 483,000/. were involved in Lord Mostyn's debt and the Italian railroads. The assets are estimated at 127,6701. 16s. 7d., and a dividend of two shillings in the pound was declared. An adjourn. ment was finally ordered to the 11th of March, and the bankrupts were removed back to prison. THE TRIAL OF ROBERT HANDCOCK FOR THE MURDER OF HIS WIFE took place before Baron Parke, at Exeter, on Saturday last. The murder was committed in August, under peculiar circumstances. The prisoner bad a delusion that his wife had been unfaithful to him, and for some months had not only personally threatened to murder her, but had re peatedly told his neighbours of his intention. He ultimately put his threat into execution, killing his wife while in bed by striking her on the bead with a hammer and cutting her throat. The fact of the murder having been proved, the evidence of several medical men was heard in testimony of the insanity of the prisoner. Baron Parke carefully pointed out to the jury the exact bearing of the law with regard to insanity, which does not extenuate a man suffering merely from a delusion, if he were clearly aware of the nature of the act be was about to com mit. The jury retired for a short time, and on their return gave a verdict of Acquittal, on the ground of insanity. The prisoner was ordered to be detained during the Queen's pleasure. AR ABOMINABLE CASE OF ILL-TREATMENT OF AWIFE was brought before Mr. Hammill, at Worship-street, on Monday last. Henry Hancock, an artificial flower-maker, was charged by his wife with the fol lowing ill-usage : My husband is incessantly and most cruelly ill-using me, and starves me. At halfpast twelve at night on Saturday week he returned home perfectly drunk. I had been waiting for him all that time until then in the dark, as I had no food, no candle, no coals, nor money to buy either with. I complained to him of his cruelty, and told him he had only sent one pound of bread home to keep myself and the two children the whole day. He swore at me. said I could not starve while I had bread, and laid hold of both my arms, and twisted them back. He then struck me violently in the left side, and dragged me about the room in such a manner that I have had a pain in my aide ever since from it. I am very ill indeed from ill-usage and starvation, and my two children are also ill from want. After beating me in the way described, I screamed out for the police, upon which he said he was ready for me, ran out of the house, and I have never seen him since till now. lie has often beaten me in this way before; he did so a few days after my confinement with my first child, and repeatedly since. I have been married five years to him. He has a good busi ness if he likes to attend to it, but he comes home every night muddled with drink. Three weeks ago I took out a summons against him, but would not prosecute, as he pro mised to treat me better, although he had then struck me v i o l en tly in the face and kicked m e for merely going after him to a bagatelle-table, where he was wasting his money, and he then got a low woman to abuse me. He has twice separated from me, and one night I was obliged to stop away from him, as I dare not sleep with him sometimes from his pinching and kicking me. Other evidence proved that the prisoner could and did earn N. a week, which be spent in low debauchery, while he starved his wife and children. Mr. Hammill sentenced the prisoner to six months' hard labour, and at the expiration of that time to find bail for another six months' good behaviour. A GENTLEMAN, MR. MARTIN, OF WHITECHAPEL, accom p a nied by seven wretched ch ildren, appeared before Mr. Hammill on Tuesday at Worship-street, to request his interference on behalf of the poor little creatures brought into court. Mr. Martin then briefly stated that he had found these children, be numbed with cold and utterly destitute, huddled together on Saturday night outside the Whitechapel Workhouse. On applying to the workhouse authori ties for admission for the children, the official curtly told him that the children "wouldn't lodge there," and slammed the door in his face. Mr. Martin, at his own cost, then got them shelter and food in a lodging-house for a day or two, and had now brought them before the magistrate for his disposal. In answer to the questions of Mr. Hammill, Mr. Martin stated that there was no relationship between the children—that some were orphans, and the rest had been deserted by their parents. After some further conver-ation the children were sent direct in charge of an officer to the board of guardians. THE CAPTAINS OF THE Two TRANSPORTS, SalOCiR and Equator, were charged by Government before t be inagibtrates of Portsmouth on Tuesday last with THE PRESS. attempting, while being in Balaklava, to embezzle five bags of Government biscuit. It appeared from the evidence that the Salucia was laden with a cargo of biscuit, and that, on the night of the 28th of September, five bags were secretly put into a boat and sent on board the Equator. Suspicion was aroused at the lot's, information was given, and the authorities in Balaklava searched the Equator and found the five missing bags. The various depositions of the Balaklava witnesses having been read, the magistrates committed the defendants to take their trial at the Winchester Assizes, but accepted bail in 6001. each. A CASE OF FORGERY AGAINST • CLERGYMAN of high connections was tried before Mr. Baron Martin, on Tuesday, at the York Assizes. William D. 13eresford, cousin of Lord Decies, was charged with having, in November, 1848, forged an endorse ment to a bill of exchange, purporting to be drawn by Major-General Marcus Beresford (now in India), at that time Adjutant-General of Ireland. The facts of the case were simple. The prisoner, on a visit to Mr. Kay, of Manningham - hall , near Bradford, in October, 1848, presented the bill of exchange at the Bradford bank. The manager, being unacquainted with the prisoner, declined to discount the bill with out the endorsement of some person known in the neighbourhood. Mr. Beresford, returning to Man ningham-hall, asked Mr. Kay's son to endorse the bill. Mr. Kay refused, and Mr. Beresford, leaving the ball, returned to Bradford. Two days later, having written to Mr. Kay to forward to the bank a letter left behind at the hall, Mr. Beresford called at the bank, and opened the letter, which proved to contain the bills of exchange endorsed with Mr. Kay's name. This name was forged. From that date to the 10th of April last the prisoner had not been met with, although known to be living in London. Mr. Kty, on that day, meeting the pri soner, gave him into custody. Mr. Kay in evidence denied ever having endorsed the bill, and swore to the forgery. The defence set up turned upon the length of time which bad elapsed since the commis sion of the offence, that there was nothing to prove that the bill was not a good bill, and that throughout the whole transaction the prisoner bad given bis own name without concealment. The learned Judge summed up briefly, and pointed out to the jury that the sole point to consider was whether the endorse ment was forged or not. The jury, after a short consultation, found the prisoner guilty ; and the learned Judge briefly sentenced Mr. Beresford to " tran sportatio for life." ALICE GREY, who was brought up at the Birming ham Police court on Saturday last, was removed by order of the Treasury to Wolverhampton to answer the charge of perjury in the case of the two boys, Perry and Randle. The proceedings, which were of a formal character, resulted in the prisoner being remanded to Stafford Gaol for a week. JOHANNA DUTTON, who was charged under circum stances of peculiar brutality with murdering her own child in September last, was tried at Nottingham on Tuesday. The jury returned a verdict of "Ac quittal." MR. WALTER GORRINGE, the collector of St. Mary's Hospital, charged with embezzling large sums be longing to the trustees, was re-examined on Wednes day betore Mr. Broughton at Marylebone and com mitted for trial. 6itttion 3nttlligtnt.t. ROCHESTER.—A report that the Hon. F. Villiers, M.P., has accepted the Chiltern Hundreds, has brought out two candidates for this city, Mr. W. H. Bodkin, on the Conservative interest, and Mr. Philip Martin, of Leeds Castle, on the Liberal side. Mr. Bodkin on Monday issued an address to the electors promising at a future time to explain his political opinions, but briefly stating that with regard to the war he was in favour of its vigorous prosecu tion, and against any abatement of our efforts, until a peace should be obtained upon terms honourable to England and her allies, and like!) , to secure the permanent tranquillity of Europe. GREAT YARMOUTH.—Mr. Rumbold, the Liberal member for this town, will retire at the next election. The lion. Colonel Vereker has been requested to offer himself for the representation. STAFFORDSHIRE.—Mr. Smith Child, the Conserva tive member for the northern division of this county, has, on the solicitation of the Conservative committee, reconsidered his determination to resign. MEATH.—The nomination of candidates took place on Monday morning, and the show of hands was declared in favour of Mr. M'Evoy, the candidate of the Roman Catholic party. A poll was then demanded for Mr. Meredyth, the polling to commence on Thurs day morning and terminate on Friday evening. At the close of the poll on Thursday the numbers were —M'Evoy, 1,069 ; Meredith. 702. MANCHESTER.. —Sir John Potter, Mr. Oliver Hey , wood, and Lord Palmerston are spoken of as probable candidates at the ensuing election. 1191 *abal anb Rear-Admiral the Hon. R. S. Dundas, Commander in-Chief of the Baltic Fleet, arrived at Spithead, from Kiel, in H.M.S. Duke of We/U*9We, 131, on Monday night. Admiral Dundas landed on Tuesday morning, and proceeded at once to the official resi dence of the Port-Admiral, Sir Thomas Cochrane. H.M. Ships Royal George, 120, al(11114S Watt, 91, Orion, 91, and Majestic, 80, have reached the home ports during the week, from the Baltic. Major-General Patrick Grant, C. 8., of the East India Company's service, who served with great dis tinction in the Sutlej and Punjaub campaigns es Adjutant-General of the Bengal Army, is stated to be the successor of General Anson as Commander-in- Chief at Madras. Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Parker Campbell, C. 8., 90th Regiment, has been promoted to the rank of colonel in the army, for his distinguished service in the field. Captain Charles Graham, C. 8., obtains his flag by the death of the late Admiral Carthew. The good service pension lapsed by this gallant officer's decease has been bestowed upon Vice-Admiral Sir John Coode, K.C.B. Captain Keppel, C. 8., as Commodore, with Cap: talus Yelverton and Key, will command the gut. boat fleet in the Baltic next year. Mr. J. Elliott, a surgeon in the royal navy, who by sentence of a court-martial was lately committed to the Devon County Gaol, at Exeter, for two years, for cruelty and neglect in the Crimea, while serving with the naval brigade, died on Tuesday last, from an attack of fever, and inflammation of the brain. Captain J. Buckley has been appointed Barrack master at Chatham, vice Major T. Smith, Aldershott. The Barrackmastership of Maidstone is to be discon tinued, the duty to be performed by the Barra4t master of Chatham. Four regiments of Irish militia, the Cli re, Kerry, Roscommon, and Mother, are under orders to proceed to England. A notification has been made to the colonels of the household regiments oft cavalry, that officers, half of each rank, who are entitled to furlough at this time of the year, may, if they wish to see foreign service; volunteer as supernumeraries to the different cavalry corps at Scutari. The Quartermaster -General has issued a notifica tion informing the army that all officers and men on duty travelling through France en route to to the Crimea, or vice versa, will be carried at haf fares by the French railway companies. Certificates must previously be obtained either from the Quarter master-General at the Horse Guards, or from the Commandant at Scutari. A modified form with reference to the transmission of remittances by soldiers has lately been issued from the HorselGuards. The name of the officer com manding the company to which the soldier belongs and that of the soldier himself are now omitted, • form of receipt, to be filled up by the paymaster and delivered to the soldier, added iu lieu. A new knapsack has lately been invented by a private of the Sappers and Miners. The peculiar advantage offered by this invention is, that the chest and back are relieved from pressure and the arms left at perfect liberty. With the kit it weighs 18 lbs., and can be put off and on without assistance in ten seconds. It is considered a great improve ment on the old forms, and now awaits the inspeo. tion and approval of Lieutenant-Colonel Yorke. The canteens in the home barracks are about to be subjected to an entire change. It is proposed to abolish the present system of merely taking a certain rent, with a monthly charge per ten men, from the master of the canteen, and establish a board of officers, who will assemble every month, to regulate the prices and examine the quality of the articles sold. LIEUT.-GENERAL JAMES LINDSAY died at Genoa on Wednesday week last. The gallant general had seen much service in the Peninsula, and had the honour of being the father of the gallant Captain Lindsay, who so distinguished himself at Alma. Colonel J. Cox, K.H., obtains the rank of major general by the deaths of Lieut.-General Lindsay , General Sir John Brown, and Major General Markham. The next senior colonel Iffr the list is Brigadier-General J. R. Craufurd, now commanding the Guards' Brigade in the Crimea. This promotion gives a step, withon purchase, in the Grenadier Guards, by which Lieut. Colonel the Hon. A. F. Foley succeeds to the own mend of the Ist battalion. Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Elli s on becomes Captain and Lieut.-Colonel, and Li eu t en ant the Earl of Carrick gets the rank of Lieutenant and Captain. THE PERSUN CHARE D'AFFAIS, Saslin-Mach. mud-Khan, has left S t . Petersb ß ur E g for Moscow, together with the Secretary of the Persian Mission, Ali Aga Khan, to go and meet the Extraordinary Ambassador of the Shah, wbo is approaching slowly from the South..