The Press. — London, England, 1856-03-08 00:00:00

I MARCH 8, 1856. Yalu an Volta. THE. MARCH SESSIONS OF THE CENTRAL CRIMINAL OUST were opened on Monday with the usual cere monies. The Right Hon. J. A. S. Wortley, M.P., Recorder, in his charge to the Grand Jury, regretted the remarkably heavy nature of the calendar. first edition contained the names of 110 prisoners. regretted to find that there were no less than seven charges of wilful murder and manslaughter, that there were five prisoners charged with murder, ' that the cases involved the destruction of the Ives of no less than nine human beings:— During the last twelve months, after having for forty years enjoyed the blessings of peace, they had been famili arised with all the horrors of war, and there was no doubt that, during the same period, the most heinous crimes had been committed by persons of high station, by persons also holding a high position in the commercial and banking community, and also by persons in a more humble position f life; and in this court there had certainly been a most 4iusual number of cases involving the destruction of human life. It was no part of his duty, or of that of the grand jury, to enter into any consideration of the causes that had led to this state of things, and whether it arose from any peculiar circumstances in the state of the country of the law ; but the subject was one that was entitled to ire reflection ; and it certainly ought to urge them all to everything in their power to extend education among to people, and improve their condition, as the most effectual means for the prevention of crime. Although the cases to which he had alluded were of a very heinous character, yet it would not be necessary for him to detain them at any length by referring to the facts connected with them, because none of them appeared to present any difficulties in point of law. learned Recorder then briefly referred to the cases of Bousfield, Mrs. Somner, and three cases of child murder, in all of which, he remarked, he feared it would be the duty of the grand jury to find bills. He then alluded to the remaining cases, the court was opened. .HE PRISONER BOUSFIELD, charged with the murder of his wife and three children, was tried at Central Criminal Court on Thursday. The evidence differed in no material point from that pre viously given before the coroner. Mr. Ballantine attempted a defence on the plea of insanity, but the found the prisoner Guilty. Mr. Justice Wight man then passed sentence of death, without hope of mercy. WESTRON, the murderer of Mr. Waugh, is, by the decision of the Home-office, to be condemned penal servitude for life. _ _ _ Mn. WILLIAM DUNN, of Staines, charged by the mtli-Western Railway Company with fraudulently riding in first-ciass carriages with a second-class • -ket, drowned himself last week at the Royal Baths, , ewgate-street. He is said to have been seriously lharrassed. HANNAH BRAMWELL, charged with the murder of infant by drowning it in the Serpentine, was tried and Acquitted, on Thursday, at the Central Criminal Cone. `IRS. EMILY RYDER, who on the 2nd ult. destroyed infant, was tried, on Thursday, and Acquitted on .gr dof insanity. THE RIAL OF RICHARD RAYNE AND JOHN CANE, the murder of Mr. Robert Stirling, at Winlaton, near Burnopfield, Durham, on the Ist of November ' has been postponed in order to enable the police follow up some fresh and important discoveries. THE TRIAL OF THE FOUR POACHERS, James Garver the three Thurgoods, charged with the murder - Sir John Tyrrell's gamekeeper, took place at Chelmsford, on Monday, before Mr. Baron Alderson. . identity of the prisoners was incontestably proved, and strong circumstantial evidence to prove that James Thurgood fired the fatal shot. The jury re turned a verdict, convicting James Thurgood of being accessory to the murder, though doubting whether really fired the shot. Sentence of death was passed, and the other three prisoners, having pleaded guilty to common poaching, were severally con demned to four years' penal servitude. FREDERICK QUENNELL, charged last week with an attempt to murder William Hurcum, while in the Surrey Theatre, on the night of the 23rd ult., was brought up on remand before Mr. a Beckett, at ithwark, on Monday. Hurcum, who had suffici ,ntly recovered to give evidence, stated that the prisoner had several times during the evening of the assault threatened to murder him, to have his blood, do for him, and to be hanged for it also; and that ile he (Hurcum` was on the landing taking his It's money the prisoner struck him a violent blow the head and knocked Lim down insensible. Other witnesses corroborated this statement; saw prisoner strike the blow with an iron rod, and 'card him exclaim, "I will kill you." An attempt 4as made for a further remand or summary treat ment of the ease, on the plea of previous provocation, Mr. a Beckett refused in so grave a case, and prisoner was fully committed. THE Stx PRISONERS charged with the murder of Dorothy Bewicke, at Waterloo, near Maften, on the Ist October last, were tried last week at Northum- THE PRESS. berland, before Mr. Justice Willes. The evidence was purely circumstantial, turning upon the identity of a strap and part of a certain halter, as well as an ash stick, found in possession of the prisoners, with those used to bind the murdered woman's legs, and with a newly -cut hazel stick found under the deceased's bed. The prisoners were broom-makers, and in the habit of cutting sticks. Mr. Justice Willes summed up with great care, analysing the circumstantial evidence with remarkable closeness. The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty in refe rence to all the prisoners. _ . AT THE OXFORD CRIMINAL COURT this week a child of twelve years of age, William Sopp, was tried be fore Mr. Baron Bramwell, for the wilful murder, on the 2nd of October last, of another child of four years of age, Silas Rosier. It appeared from the evidence and from the confession of the prisoner that the two children went on the hills to cut furze. While the prisoner was cutting the furze with his billhook the billhook flew out of the handle and struck the de ceased a violent blow on the temple. "He tumbled and rolled about on the ground," said the prisoner in his confession to the constable, " and I was afraid, if people thought I had tried to do it, I should go to gaol, and I killed him." 1 (the constable) said, " I suppose with the billhook you gave me last night ?" He said, " Yes." I asked how. He said, " I cut him on the head." I asked him if he cried. He said, " No, he could not cry." I asked him if he made any noise at all, and he said, " No." After killing him the prisoner dragged the deceased to the mouth of a neighbouring pit, and threw the body down. The defence made by counsel was that the child would probably have died from the first blow, and there was no evidence to prove a deliberate intent. Mr. Baron Bramwell, in summing up, said the jury must decide whether the prisoner had such mischievous discretion as to make him criminally responsible. The verdict was Not Guilty. ptlant. 3 Ti Cout t eoni the regrE Its h lie sevel that and lives Du years arise( that, been holdi come ofhf unusi hams grand that from or of grave do er the effecti the c chara them with (Mc( The cases of el feare true and t TF murd the evide vious atten jury man mere; Wi decis servit ME Soutl riding tick e Newt em ha her tried Crim ME her ii the g Tu for tl near last, to fol TH and • of S Chet The prov( that, turn( acces he I pass( guilt demi FA atter Sun brou Sout entlj pris( assal to d( whit Weel on Othi the 1 hear Was men but the T. Don Ist THE TIPPERARY JOINT-STOCK BANK. THE petition to wind up the affairs of the Tipperary Joint-stock Bank, in which Mr. Sadleir was concerned, was heard on Tuesday at the Rolls Court, Dublin, and the disclosures then made in evidence before the Master of the Rolls exposed as gigantic a planned system of fraud as was ever practised by any one man, or connived at by others. The question for the court to decide was who should have the carriage of the proceedings. On the one hand it was proposed that the confidential solicitors of the Sadleirs should have the winding up, but the creditors petitioned strongly against this. The Master of the Rolls, in delivering his opinion upon the question, briefly reviewed the leading facts of the case:— Why, I believe, in the recollection of no living person has there been a case of such gigantic fraud upon the com munity at large; and it appears from the statements before the court that the late John Sadleir was permitted by his brother, the sole director and manager of the bank, to overdraw his account to the extent of 200,0001., without the knowledge, consent, or privity of a single other contri butory or creditor, so far as the court has heard or knows. The liabilities of the bank are altogether, in round num. hers, 400,0001.—it was in a state of the most hopeless in solvency on the Ist of February last—and the assets are not pretended to be more, in round numbers, than 30,0001. Yet a report was issued from the Tipperary Bank to every person in Ireland through the columns of the public press, the effect and result of which was, that on that very Ist of February, 11;06, the Tipperary Joint-stock Bank was in such a flourishing state, that it was not only enabled to divide six per cent. among the unfortunate, deluded, and defrauded contributors, let also to give to each proprietor a bonus of three per cent. upon a paid up capital of 100,0001. ; and after the payment of such bonus and dividend, that a surplus of 3,3031. 12s. 4d. would still remain to be added to the existing reserve fund, which would amount to 17,3751. 12s. 10d. Was there ever, if that state of things be true, so gigantic a fraud committed by any man or body of men ? The unfortunate contribu tors have been defeated and swindled out of their property by a proceeding of this kind, and it is most horrifying to think that one's property may be brought into such a state of jeopardy if they happen to subscribe to a bank on the faith and supposition that its proceedings will be carried on with common honesty and integrity. We have heard a great deal of the failure of a bank in London lately, and we have had the circumstances of that failure detailed ; but was there anything which occurred in that case to be com pared for one single moment to the fraud here disclosed ? And yet those bankers are now suffering from the conse quences of their acts. The proposition that he should permit the confi dential solicitor of the late John Sadleir to carry on the proceedings of the case, the Master of the Rolls characterised as one of the " most monstrous propo sitions he had ever heard " I think (observed the Master) the conduct of this bank ought to make every person cautious how they deal with such undertakings ; and the report which l will read, and which it must be recollected was published at a time when the bank was utterly insolvent—when Mr. Sadleir, with the knowledge and connivance of his brother, had over drawn his account by 200,000/..—and when the total debts 231 and liabilities of the bank amounted to -100,000/.—must stamp with dishonour and disgrace all who either directly or indirectly were implicated in its issue. The report of the bank, published on the Ist of February last, when the bank was hopelessly insol vent, alluded to by the Master of the Rolls, was as follows : At the seventeenth annual meeting of the bank the directors beg to lay before the shareholders the following report :—The directors are happy to have it in their power to report to the shareholders that the course of the bank continues satisfactory, and the improved aspect of affairs in the country induces them to feel confidence that the business of the bank will go on extending, and that the annual profits will be thus steadily increased. The direc- tors have the honour to lay before the shareholders the usual detailed statement of the accounts of the bank, with the assets and liabilities, for the information of the Then follcwed a detailed account, hy which a surplus of 3,303/. 12s. 4d. was made to appear to be carried to a reserved fund of 17,375/. 12s. 7d. The real state of affairs at this very time may be thus briefly stated :—Liabilities, 400,000/. ; cash in hand, 5,4001.; available securities, about 30,0001. more. The Master of the Rolls ultimately resolved to appoint as solicitor a person entirely unconnected with either of the Sadleirs or the bank, and recom mended the creditors to meet and select some soli citor subject to his approval. THE GRAND JURIES of Longford and Westmeath have presented addresses of congtatulation expressing their undiminished confidence in the great intellec tual powers, the impartiality, ability, and acute dis cernment of Chief Justice Lefroy, Baron Penne father, and Justice Torrens. The judges returned suitable supplies. Numerous addresses were in pro gress of signature. A DREADFUL MURDER had occurred in the county Galway, at Whitegate, near Woodford. Mr. Cal laghan, a solicitor who had lately bought the property of Whitegate, was cruelly murdered yesterday week on the high road within a few yards of his house. Mr. Callaghan, unhappily, had ejected many of the old tenantry and threatened others, which is sup posed to have engendered a conspiracy that led to this result. DARTEY CASTLE, the seat of Lord Cremorne, was destroyed by fire last Saturday morning. THE TRIAL of the murderers of Miss Hind is post poned to the next assizes. 6lution (Inttiligtntt. RuTTAND.—The Hon. G. H. Heathcote was re turned for this county without opposition on the 4th inst. In his address to the electors, the hon. mem ber expressed himself in favour of moderate reforms and of retrenchment in public expenditure, but de cidedly against the ballot and opening of the public institutions on Sundays. With reference to peace, Mr. Heathcote was of opinion that no peace but one real and likely to be lasting should be concluded. In event of peace ho should object to any great re duction of our army. BOSTON.—The resignation of Lieutenant. Colonel Sleigh left the field open to Mr. Adams and Mr. Ingram. A poll was held on Friday : at the close Mr. Ingram had obtained a majority of 225. NEw Ross.—The writ for the election of a new member in the place of Mr. G. R. Duffy has been issued. Swoo.—The nomination took place on Wednes day. The Right Hon. John Wynne, in the Conser vative interest, and Mr. Somers, as a Liberal, were Phi an glilitarg The result of some careful experimenta with various kinds of gun-metal, has proved the Nova Scotia iron to possess qualities far superior to all other descriptions, including Swedish and Russian. The Government have entered into large con tracts with the Acadian Iron Company for a constant and regular supply of this material. - - Captain the Hon. James R. Drummond, C. 8., has been appointed to succeed Captain G. T. Gordon as flag• captain to Vice-Admiral Sir George F. Seymour, K.C.8., G.C.H., Commander in-Chief at Portsmouth. Captain Gordon has completed the required time for his flag on the active list. It is stated that the Crimean Commission Board of General Officers will meet for business at the office of the late Clothing Board, Whitehall yard. _