The Press.
London, England, 1855-09-29 00:00:00

Salt mtb Volict.

MORE WIFE-BEATING AND BRUTALITY.
Mom cases of brutal assaults upon wives and wont( a
appear in the police reports of this week. The frt.
quency of these shocking attacks calls for some
preventive punishment more efficacious than that at
present in force. Why not try flogging ? The hand
of many a ruffian might be stayed if conscious that
the indulgence of his passion would be followed i y
an infliction of the cat-o' wine-tails

Walter We!lard, a powerful•looking young man, respects
bly dressed, residing at No. 7, Haywanl•place, St John'r
street, Clerkenwell, was charged at Clerkenwell Police-
court on Tuesday by Eliza Wellard, his wife, a sickly
young woman, with having violently assaulted her, by
which she was so seriously injured that her life is in

jeopardy.
The poor woman, who wished the charge might not be
proceeded with, as her husband was drunk at the time,
being ordered by the magistrate to proceed, said, with some
difficulty, that on Monday night last the prisoner returned
home in a state of intoxication, and, without the least pro-
vocation, he abused and ill-treated her very violently. She
ran away in terror into the back yard in order to escape
his violence, and shut herself inside the closet, from which
he dragged her, and, after beating her, he dashed her head
violently against the brick wall, which injured her dread-
fully. She bled much, and a surgeon was sent for, who
dressed her wounds, and she was now under his attention
and treatment. _ _

Mr. Corrie : Pray, what is he ?
Witness : He is a gilder. We have just commenced in
a small way of business, and if he is sent to prison 1 shall
lose all—it will bring us to ruin. When he drinks he is
mad, but when he is sober he don't beat me. He has beaten
me before, but I have forgiven him. [ Here she became
very weak, and was allowed to be seated.]
Sergeant John Herbert, IS U, produced the following
certificate from the surgeon :

This to certify that is suffering from a severe
wound on the scalp, extending quite to the bone, and the result
of which cannot at present be determined.
September III4ISM. L. M. GoDDARD, Surgeati.
Herbert added that he heard cries of " murder," and on
proceeding to the house No. 7, Hayward place, he found
Mrs. Wellard bleeding profusely from a wound on her
head. He sent for Mr. Goddard, who attended, and he
said she was in danger. She said he had used the poker
and tongs to her.
The prisoner said she fell over a tub and cut her head.
Mr. Corrie: I shall remand you for a week, and your
wife shall be properly attended to.
The prisoner was then locked up.
Mr. Corrie directed Sergeant Herbert to make some in.
quirie•s about the wife, &c. The sergeant in course of
the day communicated that he had made inquiries, and
ascertained that she was a quiet, industrious, deserving
woman. She was perfectly friendless, and received
scarcely anything from the prisoner.
Mr. Corrie said she must be attended to, and ordered
10s. to be handed to her out of the poor•box.

James M'Cann, 28, was charged on Thursday, at Won.
ship•su•eet, with the following outrage :
Elizabeth Clarke, a decently-dressed young woman of
pleasing features, but whose eyes were both shockingly
contused, and her nose so injured that she was obliged to
hold it with a handkerchief while giving her evidence,
stated that she was acquainted with a young man named
Green, residing in Paternoster-row, Spitaltields, on whom
she called on the preceding evening, and between whom
and herself a sort of lover's quarrel ensued. This, how-
ever, was made up, and had been over about five minutes,
when the prisoner, who lived in the same house, but of
whom she knew nothing, suddenly rushed into the room,
and, with an oath swearing he would pitch her down the
stairs, grasped her round the waist, dragged her out of the
room, and tried to fling her over the banisters. She clung
with desperation to the jamb of the door, and the prisoner,
on finding that he could not wrench her away with all his
efforts, dealt het• such a heavy blow in the face as to bruise
her eyes in the manner they now appeared. A violent
struggle ensued between them, in which the prisoner again
tried to fling her down the stairs, and, again not succeed-
ing, he seized her by the shoulders. dragged her back into
the room, and dashed her to the ground, her face down-
wards, with such violence that her head came in contact
with the leg of a bedstead,and she became nearly senselesa.
In this condition the prisoner again seized her, and endea-
voured to fling her down the staircase, but she clung with
tenacity to some of the furniture, and, her screams bring-
ing in one of the neighbours, a constable was procured,
an.l she was rescued from further violence.
In answer to the magistrate, the complainant added that
at one time she was completely stunned by the prisoner's
blows ; the bridge of her nose was broken, so that she was
now under the care of a surgeon, and she bled so dreadfully
that the sacking of the bedstead to which she cluing was
saturated with blood, which was also all over the room—in
fact, the room was smothered with it.
Mr. Hammill sentenced the prisoner to be cnmin;tted
to the House of Correction for six months, and kept to
hard labour.

John Penningheacl, a powerful labourer, was cha-gel at
the same court with unprovoked assaults.
Elizabeth Fieldwick, a seamstress, living in Prince's-
street, Haggerstone, stated that while s!tting at work
with her sister and cousin on the previous evening the
door was suddenly buret open by the prisoner, who lodged
in the same house, and who staggered into the room ill a
state of intoxication, and, after assailing them with the most
gross and disgusting epithets, told them he " was ready
to fight the whole lot of them." They were very much