The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-03-30 00:00:00

Legal.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.

TAUNTON, March 25.
The commission for holding the assizes for the county
of Somerset was opened in the new courts of this town
yesterday afternoon by Mr. Justice Crowder and Mr.
Justice Wiles. Their Lordships immediately after-
wards attended divine eerviee. The crown business is
very heavy as regards the number of prisoners, there
being 94 persons for Crud, but this has arisen in oonse.
quence of there not having been any adjourned outdone
held lust before the assizes, as has been naiad.
This morning the new courts were first opened for
actual business by Mr. Justice Wiles taking his seat in
the Nisi Prins Court. Loud and deep were the com-
plaints of the bar as well as the judge at the construction
of the courts, and the leader said and wished that
opinion to be recorded, "You cannot begin at
the wrong end in making • complaint, for everything
is wrong: not one thing is right.'' As, however, the
authorities now seem to be willing to hear the Bugg's-
tions of parties well versed in the working of courts of
Justice, although for five years they had been consulting
judges and counsel, we will not add to the disappoint.
ment of those who had bestowed much pains in en•
deavouring, we believe, to form model courts. The
building itself is very handsome, the Judge's lodgings
adjoin the court, and are fitted up in a very handsome
style, both as to arrangements and furniture, the latter
having been supplied by Mr. Stevens, of this town,
whose walnut wood cabinet in the Great Exhibition of
1851 attracted so much notioe.

CROWN COURT.

Mr. Justioe Crowder took his seat at 11 o'olock, and
In his charge to the grand jury eaid,—Gentlemen, be-
fore I proceed to notioe the OW/ in the calendar, allow
me to congratulate you, the county, and myself, on
assembling within these walls for the ant time for the
discharge of public business. Great expense has, no
doubt, been Incurred in the erection of the building,
and I know that the utmost exertions have been snide
for the completion of the courts, and the greateot pains
bestowed upon their construction, so as to produce the
utmost oonvenlenoe to all portals concerned in the ad.
ministration of justice, and I sincerely hope that upon
a practical trial those laudable exertions will be found
to be suoceosful. I ought also to offer you my grateful
acknowledgments for the lodgings adjoining, which are
admirably planned, and adapted to afford every *atom-
modation that the judges could desire. His lordihin
then adverted to the commitments in 1867 and 1868—
the oontrast was much in favour of the present year.
The table hod been snout satisfactorily placed before
him by Mr. Oakley, the governor of the gaol.

A KNOWING Owl—At the Weettninster Police Court
on Wednesday a woman, who gave her name Sarah Sul-
livan, but who is known by • number of aliases, was re-
examined, charged with frauds upon the benevolent.
She waa apprehended and remanded on the charge of
obtaining £6 from Lady Astley, by pretending that her
husband had just died in the Consumption Hospital,
and, as she was obliged by the regulations of the estab-
lishment to remove the body directly, she wanted
money for the funeral. She gave her name on that oc-
casion as Mrs. Andrews. Lord Ilchester's valet proved
that the prisoner came to the house on the 31st of
January with a similar story, in the name of Chubb,
representing herself as a native of Dorset. She en-
treated a letter might be written to the secretary of the
Consumption Hospital to permit the body to remain a day
or two, until she could pi °cure money to pay the expenies
of interment. She was favoured with the letter, but
returned in an hour or so in great apparent grief, with
an answer purporting to come from an official at the
hospital, stating that he could not take upon himself
the responeibility of allowing the body to remain. His
Lordship then gave her £6 for the funeral expenses,
which she was to restore in a day or two.
Mr. T. Fish Marion, solicitor, Southwark, said the
prisoner came to him about the end of October, in the
name of Brown, of Rickinansworth, Hertfordshire. She
said she came up to town every Friday to see her hus-
band, and that day found he had died; in confirmation
of which she produced a printed certificate. Her hus-
band who had been taken into the hospital on the
recommendation of Lord Ebury—must be removed that
day, and she had no money with her. If she could get
• letter from • governor the body might remain till the
next day, and, thinking Mr. Maroon, son., might be a
governor, she hadcome tohim. Should she had found an
undertaker who would bury her husband for £5, with
half the money down, and at her earnest entreaty he
advanced her £3.

Mr. Robert Glenn, of Sydenhain, said that on the
9th of Ootober the prisoner called at his offioes, 31,
Hercules-court, and described herself as Mrs. Brown,
widow of a cooper of that name, who had worked for
him at Sydenham, and looking familiarly at him said
" Don't you know me!" He was taken off his
by her assurance and plausibility, and lent her Efnirie.,
which she was to bring him that night. He went home,
narrated the death of Cooper Brown to his family, and
on going out for • walk the first person, to his great
astonishment, whom he met was the cooper himself.
He then found • similar trick bad been played by • per-
son of prisoner's description • week before.
William Henry Theobald, a clerk at the Consumption
Hospital, proved that all the deaths spoken of by the
prisoner were fabulous.
Hereford, chief offloer at the Medioity Society, had
a list showing that the prisoner had been committed
seven times for three months, ones for ten weeks, once
for • month, and, lastly for six months, for similar
frauds, which she hugenerally oommittedin•thickblack
veil in order to baffle identity.
Mr. Paynter regretted that benevolent persons parted
with their money without making sonic inquiry, and re.
mended the prisoner for another case to be preferred
against her.