The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-12-18 00:00:00

THURSDAY.

The Court met this morning at nineo'clock.
CUTTING AND' WOUNDING AT• Lile-ERPOOL.—John Verdi.i
naut Grimer, a foreign sailor, was indicted for having, at
Liverpool, stabbed, cut, and wounded Lewis Schom, with
intent to do him grievous bodily harm. The prosecutor,.
whose evidence was interpreted, is a German,.by trade a shoe
maker. The prisoner, being also a German, was tried by a
jury consisting one half of foreigners and the other half of
Englishmen. The jury found the prisoner "Guilty of unlaw-
fully wounding," and his lordship sentenced him to be im-
prisoned and kept to hard labour for twelve months.
ATTEMPT TO MURDER k WOMAH AT. LIVERPOOL.—
John Brophy (22), Labourer, was indicted for having, at Liver-,
pool, on the Ist of October, attempted to drown Mary Ann.
Hammond, with intent to- murder. her. The details of this.
case, which occupied a considerable time iii hearing, showed .a
savageness of inhumanity on the part of the prisoner, such as
is but rarely unfolded even in a criminal court. The case
was clearly proved, and the- prisoner was sentenced •to be
transported for twenty-five-years:
STARVATION OP CHILDREN IN LIVERPOOL.— WilaTall
Aspinall (42), clerk,, and Mary Aspinall (35), his wife, were-
indicted upon the coroner's inquisition-for having, at Liver-
pool, wilfully killed Emma Aspinall,_ their- child. The pri-
soner Mary Ann Aspinall: was also indicted for killing and
slaying the said Emma. Aspinall. The court was •crowded
with spectators. This case,. which was a,sad • one; may be
briefly narrated. The-prisoners, who-lived in Eldon-place,
Vauxhall-road, had a family of ten children, . viz. :t-seven
sons- and. three daughters. The male prisoner was a clerk
in the• employment of the-London and North Western Bail,
way Company, at a salary of £75 a-year. His eldest son. 17
years of age, was also in the same- company's service, attan.
annual- salary of £2O. Notwithstanding this amounts of
income, the whole family was involvedinthe very extreme of
wretchedness, filtbiand misery, chiefly:, as• it appeared, thonrgh
the intemperate habits and gross negligence of the female
prisoner. The scene which•presenteditself to the eyes of the,
police when they entered the miserable dwelling was sickening .
to behold. On a squalid and nearly unclothed bed lay the
dead body of Emma, the child for -causing whose death: the
parents were put upon their trial,. and, beeide it lay another.at
the point of death, and which in feet died within a few hours
afterwards. The other children were stretched upon boards
on the floor, with only a thin piece- of dirty calico foe a cover-
ing ; or 'laid upon the uncovered bottoms of two - old
chairs and a• broken-sofa. The- dead child, one year and
ten: months olth and that which died soon after,. were in
the last stage of emaciation. Their bones almost literally
protruded throirgh the Skin, and externally their bodies
presented the appearance of skeletons. On a post
mortem examination, their stomachs were found; destitute of
any indication& of food ; and the medical gentlemen, three in
number, Who examined the bodies, stated it strongkt and dis-
tinctly that the. cause of deatb...was-the want of food. Evidence
was adduced. which, showed.s that the children were greatly
neglected • and that even the father and the eldest son—the .
sources of support for the whole Ismily—wers•likewise.sadtu,
neglected ia their meals and.otherwise ; but that on Sundays,,
when the father was at home, he was in the habit of getting
pig's-cheek, and making scup for the whole-family. It was
likewise• shown that the mother of this miserable family was,
in the habit of complainin that she did:not get sufficient
money, and that she upbraided her unhappy husband for not
giving her more, and stated that she should, have mutton
chops:and port wine for -her own support, adding that sbe was
sure he got money enough to afford her these luxuries. After
a trial which lasted fully seven hours,
-the jury retwaked a
verdict of " not guilty," as regarded the male prisoner, and
he was acquitted : in the case of the woman, they returned a
verdict of " guilty." The learned judge said he would defer
the sentence ; ea; on the following, day she was called up,
and, after an impressive address from his lordship, sentenced
to be imprisoned for two years, with:hard labour, the, first and
last week to be solitary.
_ .

On Thursday evening the court adjourned at a quarter
past seven.

FRIDAY.

The court met this morning at, nine o'clock.
Ural Apr.); MwAnv-ExTunri.--Jobn Leyland;, a respectable
young man, was charged with the manslaughter of Emmanuel
Speakman, at Pennington, on the sth of November last. From
the evidence, it appeared that the unfortunate event arose out
of the.`rejoicings held on that day at Pennington, in commemo-
ration. of Gunpowder-plot Day, and. of the- battle of Inkermaal,,
at which rejoicings fire-arms- were freely and incautiously used
by the prisoner, and also by, others. While he was discharging
a pistol, some one accidentally struck his arm, and thus gave
an unintentional direction to the pistol, the contents of which
were lodged in the head and back of the deceased, causing, his
death on the following day. The whole of the fatal transaction
turned out to be purely accidental, and the prisoner was dis-
charged, on a verdict of not guilty, given by the jury,
• MALICIOUS STANBING.—James Jacob, a seaman, a man of
colour-(25), charged with having, at Liverpool, on the 31st of
July last, maliciously cut and wounded Charles. Wire, was
acquitted.
MANsratTGRTE.E.---Edward Larkins,-ship's cook, a man of
colour (45), charged with the manslaughter of his wife, was ac-
-quitted.---Edward Glover, shoemaker (34), was charged with
having.caused the death of his wife, by beating her. He was
found guilty : sentence deferred.
SHOOTING WITH INTENT TO MURDER.—John 'Culshaw,
boatman (17), who was charged with having, on the 27th of
November, shot at John Fletcher, with intent to murder him,
was found guilty, and sentenced to be imprisoned for twelve
months, with-hard labour.
-
MANSLAUGHTER.—James Jeffers, tailor (23), was convicted
of the manslaughter of John Craddock, in a public-house
quarrel in November last. Sentence deferred.
CHARGE OF PERJURY.--George Howarth, factory worker,
was charged with having, at Blackburn, on the 27th August,
committed wilful and corrupt perjury. The jury acquitted the
prisoner. . .

MALICIOUS STABBING.-,—James Monntsey was convicted
of a charge of having maliciously wounded John Williams, at
Preston, and sentenced to be imprisoned for four months.
MANSLAUGHTER BY A PARENT.—Thomas Keegan, tin-
man (33), was charged with having, in November last, killed
his infant son, John Keegan. The evidence showed a long
course of wanton and atrocious cruelty practised by the father
against his unhappy child, until at last it fell a victim to his