The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-12-11 00:00:00

WILPUL

James Pager, grocer, at Salford, was charged with
having on the 20th a August last feloniously set
.fire to the house which he occupied in Salford. From
the evidence it appeared that on the afternoon of the
day in question, the premier, who is a married man, with
two children, sent them off to Southport on the afternoon of
the day on which the fire occurred. The prisoner was in the
shop after eleven o'clook, when he told Mary Gibbons, his
servant, to go to bed. She did so, and soon after going to
bed she was awoke by the prisoner calling " fire, fire." A
neighbour, named Tanner, had his attention attracted to the
fire in the prisoner's premises. He opened the door leading
from the kitchen into the shop, ,and heard a crackling noise
and saw a very dense smoke in the shop. The prisoner was
there, and Turner said to him, " this will be a worse job
than the last," 'meaning the fire which had occurred in
Pager's shop on Trinity Sunday, the 3rd of June last.
Thomas Whitfield also proved that he was attracted to the
spot by an alarm of fire. On going to the premises he saw
the boarding which separated the cellar from the shop was on
fire, and directed the prisoner's attention to it. The prisoner
and another man went and got some water, which was
thrown on the fire, and the prisoner then said " I don't
thnk there's much danger now." Witness then saw the
shop was on fire, and told the peisoner so. There was
afterwards an explosion in the shop, which drove out
the window and window shutters of the shop. The gas in
the cellar was burning from the end of a lead pipe which
bad been melted.—William Atherton, superintendent of fire-
engines in Salford, was at the fire, and had also been'at that
which took place on the prisoner's premises on Trinity Sun-
day. After the fire he examined the premises and saw that
the fire had originated under the counter, near to which point
also under the counter was an old tea box, containing loose
papers, which had been partially burned. Next morning he
went to the premises along with Mr. Taylor, superintendent
,of police at Salford. On examining the, premises the stock
appeared to be very small, and the furniture did not appear to
be of more than about £6 or £6 in value. James Taylor,
superintendent of police in Salford, took the prisoner into
custody on the charge of setting fire to his shop. The stock
and furniture were insured for £3OO with the Anchor
Insurance Company. The value of the stock, which mainly
consisted of chicory, and the furniture, did not exceed £2O.
Thomas Lamb, wholesale grocer, in Eccles-street, Manchester,
had been in the habit of supplying the prisoner with goods, on
the security of bills, one of which for £22 10s. he had had
goods for to thefallamount, and for the otherof equal value
he had had goods.to the extent of £7, after which he refused
to give any more goods, as no money had been paid. The
policy for £3OO, withthe Anchor Insurance Company, was put
in and after numerous legal objections proved. This closed
the case for the/prosecution.
Mr. Fearnley, at great length, addressed the jury on
behalf of the prisoner. The Judge summed np the evidence,
and after a-short-consultation the jury returned a verdict of
" Guilty." • Sentence of death was recorded against the
prisoner_; .but the learned judge intimated,that although the
crime ofarson was still a capital one in the eye of the law,
it wouldbe for. Her Majesty to determine what course would
be followed out as a punishmentin the present case.
[At an early stage of this case, his Lordship, while asking
a question of one of .the witnesses, complained that he could
not hear the answer. He remarked, " this isa very bad court
to hear. in. Ido not know whether lam heard when I speak,
but -I. rather fear Lam not distinctly heard at all times."
Mr. Monck.—Precisely, my Lord, that ds the case fre-
quently, and in particular when your Lordeihip is summing
up to the. jury, •when we find it impossible to hear some of
your. expressions.
His Lordship.—,Exactly so. That is because I turn my
face to the jury when address them, and 1 hope they hear
me ; but I am sure those at a distance, or those who are
behind me, cannot hear.
This latter position of being behind the judge when he
addresses the. jury, is the precise one assigned to the re-
porters. They are-seated in the grand :jury box, and as the
learned judge triily,says, they cannot hear.]
Maxemanamea.—John Woods, 'bootbinder (39), and his
wife, Jane Woods (27), were charged with the manslaughter
Appleton, at Liverpool, on the Bth of September.
The facts of the case were in some degree singular. A lodger of
the prisoners' .an old .man named Nolan, had fallen into arrears
of his rent, arid a ;quarrel arose between him and them. Nolan
was :a clippie, and had.a wooden leg, and in the course bf the
quarrel he calledout the deceased, who had nothing to do with
any of the parties, and merely interfered to see fair play " to
the cr4kple," as .he said. In course of the scuffle, Appleton
received a blow.which knocked him down, and he fell with
his head heavily against a railing, which caused concus-
sion of the brain, ending in death. The jury acquitted the
male , prisoner, but. found the female guilty, .recommending
her •to mercy. His Lordship said, taking into account the
recommendation of the jury, and the fact that she had been
alreadya,considerable time in prison, he thought the ends of
justice would be sufficiently answered by a sentence of three
months' imprisonment.
ST 1.16171(3 Cssn.—..-Briiget Simpson, weaver,eged 33, was
charged with stabbingleeeph Kelly, at Ashton-under-Lyne,
on the I.o.thi.of Novemberlast, with intent to do him grievous
bodily harm. It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner
and her huglsand weregoing home from Staleybridge on the
night; in:question, when they were overtaken by the prose-
cutor. After some trifling remarks, a quarrel ensued between
them, andtthe prisoner's husband and the proseentor struck
each other. the course of the scuffle, Kelly was stabbed
about the heal several times,as it was alleged, bythe prisoner,
with a knife. "•The wounds were chiefly inflicted on-and about
the head. :The jury, after .a .-ehort consultation,•-returned a
verdict of-'". Quay of unlawinily wounding?' Hie '1 ordship
sentenced the prisoner to be imprisoned for three months.
The oeurt,rose at ten minutewLto seven o'clock, to meet this
morning at o'clock.

-SECOND COURT.
(Btfore Gilbemtirtdereon,,Rog„ Recorder of LicerpGod.)

YESTERbAY.

BURGLARY AT NoTPLE.--,-Geecee Rigbye, 38, stonemason,
John Rigbye, 46, stonemason, andihmes Leyland, 26, ,collier.,
,vere charged with,a,burglary at thekouse of John Melding,
Wiudle, on the Wtb. of Septeniberovhen a linsey petticoat
and a yard of gingbannwere stolen., (At the night in question,
tiac prosecutor's housewp entered by tbmee men with blackened
faces, who were recognised•as the pribontrs. All the prisoners
wow found guilty. ,John Rigbye and Leyland had often
been summarily eoavicted previously. John Rigbye was
sentenced to twenty years'Aransportation,and the other two
prisoners to fourteen years'. transportatiameach.
•CONCEALMENT or fitrqtr.—Jane Mess, SO, described as a
servantgirl, living in Bradlay's.court, Manchester, was charged
with halving concealed the.bigth of a child, of which she had
been delivered on the 26th of
_August. The jury returned a
.verdiet of.guilty. Sentencedeferred.
ALlagilm ROIIBBRY Airlittx.—Williazi hVillgoose, 26,
canal boatman, was charged with robbing aolm. Stirling, an
engine Otter, of ajacket, a purse ,centaining two .shillings in
silver and .other articles, at Astiv,.on the jad November.
Prosecutor ,la 3 asleep on a sofa beerhouse„ when the
akrisoner and another man not in ,austady, wentintorthe room,
had some drink, and then left, The
~fury acquiited the pri-
soner, and he was discharged from custody.
;FORGERY.—Epbert Stephenson, .clerk, .aged ,who was
.charged with forging a receipt for the sure of ,£4 4s. at Liver-
pooLlm the .16thof July last, with intent to defraud ;Daniel
Baugh, pleaded ;guilty, and was sentenced to be ;imprisoned
for 6.me months.
The ,court then adjourned, at a few minutes before seven
o'clock, nine,o'cloek this morning.

Cu.suox or ItoAxty.—At the Police-court yesterday, Mar
garet Ferguson was charged with bigamy, in having married
one John Clarke, her linsbaud being then alive. Evidence of
the first marriage was given.; also, that she had, at St. Mar-
tin's Church. in this town, married Clarke. After their
marriage, the prisoner told Clarke that she had lived with a
man named Ferguson, but he was dead. The prisoner, in her
defence, said she was married to a person of a different per-
suasion, and she never considered it a lawful marriage. Her
husband left her with a family of small children, with nothing
to support them. They had been separated twice by 'order of
Mr. Mansfield, and he had been committed to gaol. She
could also prove, she said, that she bad received a letter con-
taining the news that he had been drowned in the Caledonian
Canal. The magistrate committed the prisoner for trial at
the next assizes, but admitted her to bail—herself in X4O, and
two sureties of £2O each.

LECTURE ON THE AUSTRIAN CONCORDAT.—A lecture on
this subject was delivered last night, in the Clayton-hall, by
the Rev. Dr. Taylor, in connection with the Working Men's
Protestant Reformation Society. The Hall was crowded in
every part ; and the reverend lecturer, in an eloquent address,
which took him two hours to deliver, examined, with great
minuteness and ability, the different articles which constitute
the concordat, and pointed out that in each of them the
animus of Popery was clearly manifested in its antagonism to
popular liberty, to religious and civil freedom, to pure
morals and true religion. He gave a succinct but striking
illustration of what may be expected from its future opera-
tions by reference to the past. The lecture was much and
frequently applauded. At its conclusion a vote of thanks,
proposed by Mr. J. Shaw, and seconded by Mr. Worrall, to
the Rev. Dr. Taylor for his able lecture, was passed with accla-
mation. The doxology was then sung and the meeting
broke up,