The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-08-15 00:00:00

MURDER BY A MADMAN.

LANCASHIRE ASSIZES

On the morning of Sunday week the lotality of
Wilmot's Row, Newcastle-under-Lyme, was thrown
into a state of the, utmost alarm by the rumour that
Stephen Dickenson, a shoemaker by trade. had killed
his Widowed arid aged mother. The door of Dickenson's-
house was broken open, and the poor woman 'was die-
tovered lying at the foot, of the stairs, Weltering. in .
blood. The blood had issued from"two wounds' off the
head. She, however, was alive. IV seems that the old
woman, who is about 70 years of age, lived with her
son, who for some time appears to have been labouring
under a strange hallucination that a man was looking
after him in order to shoot him. .At intervals during
the previous week his mind seems to have been in a
rambling state ; and his mother, to whom, he appears to
have been affectionately attached, sat up with him- on
the Saturday night, a young man volunteering to lieeP
her company. The son went up-stairs to'lie down, and
between three and four o'clock 'on' the Sunday morning
his mother was about proceeding up stairs to take him
some tea, when he met her at the bottom and struck her,
two blows on the head, with, it is believed, the post of
a stump bedstead, but whether the 'blows were intended
for his imaginary fee is not known. The unfortunate
woman expired on Friday morning. •
On Saturday the borough Coroner held an inquest on
the body, when the following evidence was'adduced :
George Francis Crutchley, engineer, stated that on the
previous Saturday night the deceased came to his house
and asked him if he would come and sit up with her,
for she 'was very much frightened about her son, who
did not seem right in his mind, and whose strange con-
duct had prevented her taking rest fOr the past three or
four nights. She added that he had been saying that
he was going to be shot, and other strange things, and
she did not like to stay with him. Witness went to the
deceased's house, and found Stephen' sitting by the fire-
side. Witness said to him, ,6 Well, Stephen, how are
You ? Your mother told me you was not well:" He
replied, " Middling, middling," in a very sharp tone of
"Ice, and shortly afterwards lay down on a sofa, and
complained of a pain in his head. His mother bathed
his head with vinegar several times, ands advised him to
go to bed, to which he replied that he should go when
he thought proper. About twelve o'clock he jumped
up suddenly and said he should go to bed. 'He then
left the room, previously asking his mother to make him
Some herb tea. After Stephen had gone up stairs the
deceased set about preparing the tea, and witness lay down
on the sofa. He dozed a little, but was aroused by a
cry from the deceased. He jumped up and asked
" What is the matter ?" The deceased said, " Stephen
is standing on the- top of the stairs with something in
his hand, and he has hit me on the head." Witness
asked, "He has not hurt you, has he?",, She said, "Yes
he had," and witness then saw that her head was bleed-
ing badly. Witness went to the street door and tried to
•
open it, but not being able to do this, he kicked at the
door until some neighbours came and assisted him to
force •it open. The deceased 'was then removed to a
neighbour's house, and witness went to the polio station.
—Dr. Hallam stated that he was called in to attend the
deceased at four o'clock on the previous Sunday morning.
He found her in a state of exhaustion, and insensible.
He discovered two contused wounds at the back part of
her head, the skull being exposed. Witness had that day
Made apost mortens examination of the body. His opinion
was that the deceased had died from the injuries she had
received. He thought these were caused by a blow given
by Some blunt instrument. IVitnesslnew Stephen Dick-
enson.' On Friday week he received an order from the
relieving officer of the parish to attend to him. He
found him in an excited restless state. He said John
Mayer, a scavenger, was in the hou7e, and wanted to
shoot him (Stephen Dickenson). 'Witness asked him if
be had seen this man, of whom he appeared to be afraid.
Dickenson replied no, but he had heard his voice, and
was sure it was Mayer. Witness said he would tell the
police to take Mayer up, and this seemed to soothe. him.
He also seemed to be labouring under some delusion of
a religious turn. Witness told a man named Turner,
who was in the house, to keep a strict watch on Dicken-
son, and remove his cobbler's knife out of his way. Wit-
ness sent him some medicines, and saw him again on
Saturday, when he appeared to be better. Witness saw
the relieving officer the same dayiand told him he would
have to make arrangements for' sending Dickenson to
the lunatic asylum. Witness was decidedly of opinion
that Dickenson was insane, and was so at the time he
committed the assault on his mother.—Superintendent
Booth produced a thick piece of wood, apparently the.
post of a small old-fashioned bedstead, and a candle-
block,. with one of which it was-supposed the unfortunate
man struck his'mather, Mr. Booth said he had a con-
versation with Dickenson on Monday morning, in .the
course of which Dickenson said he had been waiting
• some time to do what he had done,- and added there were
two men coming after• him. In reply'to Witness, Dick-
enson said it was with the candle-block he struck his
mother, and he showed witness how he did it, striking
with the hammer end with great force. He said his
mother had been behaving very ill towards him for some
time. He had got a deal of money and she had spentit.
He said he'svas not sorry he struck his mother; she and
two men were conspiring to' kill him. Witness was
decidedly of opinion that Dickenson was insane. The
Coroner summed up the evidence, and the jury almost
immediately found that the death of the deceased was
caused by the blows given by Stephen Dickenson, and
that he was at the time in an unsound state of mind.

of aliasay,,was-charged with forging a bill oracceiitance
for. £5O„ ,in May last. In that; month, the prisoner
went to the house of Mr. Swan,, a publicansof Scotland-
,road, and engaged for a coal office, and board and
'lnking in ttel represeailig` hiniself 'a 'coal
agent. On the 31st of June, he gave the'landlady a
bill of exchange for £5O, purporting to be accepted by
Messrs. Dennis & Co., coal merchants, of Jersey. The
prisoner .borrowed several small snms of money, the
bill being held as security. It was proved that the bill
was all in the handwriting of the prisoner, as was also
the signature of the acceptors, which was that of a firm
which never had any existence. Another case of a
similar character was proved' against the prisoner; in
which, he bad passed off a bill of acceptance ,for £75,
and had raised £6 upon it. The constable who appre-
hended the offender 'at Birkenhead, spoke to finding
several forged acceptances upon 'the' prisoner. The
prisoner made a long rambling statement., and upon
being found guilty, 'f begged .fer mercy." His lordship
said the prisoner was both a plausible and a dangerous
min; and although he had been twice before convicted
for a similar offence; it had no effect Upon him: Sen-
tenced to seven years' penal servitude.. 1
ATTEMPT AT CHILD MURDER AT WEST
,DERBY.
Aria Murphy, 27, was, charged with having, on the
12th June, caused the death of her infant child. Mr.
'Deighton appeared for the prosecution, and the prisoner
was undefendei by counsel. The facts of this case were,
that on the 21st of May, the prisoner was admitted to
the West Derby Workhouse, and on the 31st was
delivered of a female child. On the 12th of June, she
took the child out of the workhouse and left it in a
field, buried over with some turf The jury found the
prisoner , guilty of a common assault, and she was
sentenced to four months' imprisonment.
STABBING AT TARBOCK.
William Jones, alias Johnson; 67, was charged with
wounding Thomai Woods and William Aldred, witlt
intent, &c. On the morning of the sth of July the
prisoner was seen plucking flowers in the garden,
and being asked what he was doing, he replied,
"Getting a nosey. " As he had SWAP fowls in
bag on his back, it was determined to have him
taken to the police station, and the assistance of the
two men were brought into requisition, and on his way
there the prisoner attacked the two 'men, and stabbed
them in several places in their bodies. The wounds
were dangerous incised wounds. By the advice of his
lordship, the jury found him guilty of unlawfully
wounding, not being in legal custody, and he was
sentenced to six months' imprisonment, with hard

EMPLOYES' HOLIDAY.—The annual holiday of the
employes of Mr. Harper Twelvetrecs, of Bromley-b3-
/30i; London took place on Monday, the 6th August,
when an excursion train of sixteen carriages, filled with
upwards of 800 workpeople and their friends, left Bow
Station for Hampton Court, where a day's recreation
was enjoyed in the state apartments and extensive
picture gallery of the palace, and the beautiful gardens.
The brass band cennected with the firm accompanied
the train, and played at intervals during the day. The
games and sports on the village green, and on the
spacious lawn of the hotel, were Well maintained; and
the entire party returned, reaching Bow Station at ten
o'clock, delighted with the enjoyments of the day.
(-beera, "three times three,"' were given repeatedly by
the party for Mr. and Mrs. Twelvetrees,---and frequent
-vfi.shes expressed for a similar day's Pleas= under the
mallagegleut-ei tlleif employer,

CROWN COURT.--YterEatety.
(Before Mr. BARON Alakatiii.>
Baron Martin took his seat on the bench in this Court
precisely at nine o'clock, and proceeded with the trial of
• the Hinting prisoners ' '
THE CHARGE OF WIFE MURDER IN
LIVERPOOL.
Thomas Rawlinson (41), a carter, was indicted for
the wilful murder of his wife; Mr. Presten Was for the
the prosecution, and Itfr. Pope defended the prisoner.
The facts of this case • have recently been published in
detail in the Times, on the 15th June last. The prisoner,
a carter, lived with his wife, the deceased, in a cellar in
Mason-street, Wapping: The former was described as
an industrious hard working and sober man, while the
latter was a most dissipated and immoral
,character.
About twelve (Mock on the day in question, the prisoner
werit'home to get his dinner, when he ascertained that
his wife was drunk in bed, having been on that morning
drinking with a flatman and two women. He again
endeavoured to obtain adthission, and after 'knocking
several times, she came and opened. the door. He
asked her what there was for his dinner, *hen she called
hini sonic filthy expression aid ran into the back cellar.
He •said, 'lt 'is' a- hard -thing for a man tO'comehome
after a hard day's work and find-no dinner," and took
,up a saucepan and struck her on the forehead with it. I
She fell, and then the husband tret assistance and had
her' washed and Put to bed; hut she became 'so bad that .
she was • removed to the Infirinary," when after under-
going a painful operation, she expired in -a fent days,
from the effects of the blow.on the forehead.. Mr. Pope
on behalf of the prisoner made a most effective speech,
in the tours° 'of which he ably dePicted the miserable
life the prisoner must • have lived with such a dissolute
' wife, and elpquently, urged upon. them to look at the
provocation he had received and find a verdict of man-
slaughter. The jury, after considering the case fQr
some little time, returned a verdict of "guilty pf man-
slaughter," with a' reconimerniatitin to mercy. His
lordship said the only verdict that could possibly
be returned in that case,'-and sentenced the prisoner to
be imprisoned for one mouth.
CHILD MURDER AT MANCHESTER.
Anne Billington, 34: stood charged with the wilful
Murder of her new-born male child. Mr. Aspinall
prosecuted, and .Mr. -Hopwood defended, the prisoner:
On the '2nd of Auneethe prisoner, was living •in-Manohes-
ter, and it was suspected that she was eneiente, but that
she had always denied. At an early hour that morning,
heweveie'stains were found in pairts of the house, which
led to the aliscovering .of a bUndle containing 'the body
of child.- ...This child :had an' incised wound- on its
throat, which the medical witnesses were of opinion had
been inflicted during life. It was proved that the
prisoner had recently been delivered. For the defence,
Mr. Hopi'vood, in an able speech of .cerisiderable length,
argued that the offence committed was one of concealing
of birthmere thart that of murder, and appealed to the
jury to take that -merciful view -of- the question. His
lord§hip,surnined_np the evidence, and the jury returned
a verdict of concealment of birth. Sentence, eighteen'
. '
months' imprieontnent. •
BIGAMY AT MANCHESTER.
Thomas' Bathe; a respectable. looking man, described
es being 30 years ,of age, stood indicted with havilig;',
in the month of April last, married Sarah.. Jackson, ;at
-Macclesfield, his former wife, whom he had married in
Manthesteviir 1855; being Alive:- h 6 two marriages.
were.proved, and,tha wives were Owed .in the witness
box. . The prisoner,. in his defence,- attempted to charge
the ai'•st- wife with drinking and other immoral habits,
but-that wa-sniost emphatically repudiated by the wife,
who prdclueed a-letter frcini the prisoner, expressing his, ,
unalterable love and affection for her. •-Sentence deferred.
CHILD_ MURDER IN LIVERPOOL,
_ ,
Catherine MiCarthy, 35, stood indicted with. having
caused the death of her female infant child on the 3rd •
of July last.,„. On that day the prisoner was in a fearful
state of intoxication, with the Child in her arms, and at
night, while at the •honse "of a:feniaTe.friend;.sh'e went
to sletip upon the sofa, and in the course of the night
fell off upon the child, and caused its death, The
child was six months old, and it was discovered that it
bad died from suffocatiOn. His •lord Ship deiignated
this-as a most shocking case of'neglect- on the part of
one who -should-, have protected the child-, but through
drink had 'caused its death. Guilty. Sentence deferred.
FORGERY AT LIVERPOOL AND BIRKENHEAD.
•
Henry Kriaresborough, 48, who described himself as
a coal 'igent, but 'Who, it is.Vebll-knoWn, has a number

" In the very serious, duty of proving previous comic-
lions, generally performed by governors and other
superior officers of gaols, and which often can be satis-
factorily performed by no one else, the allowance is so
inadequate to the needful expenditure incurred, that
governors of gaols cannot ordinarily discharge this duty
Without serious pecuniary loss in every :instance, and
goierriors Of gaols cannot now ordinarily be relied upon
to discharge it 'at' all' unless served with a suhpeena,
which involves expense to the public, but does not save
the governor. from pecuniary loss. :It .inay be further
stated that in the case of pawnbrokers, whose. assistance
is constantly needed in the tracing of stolen property,
the grievances of the -present system are very serious,
and are the subject orstrong complaint.
"The grand jury, whilst giving all due credit to the
promoters of reformatories and schools,. whose efforts
the grand jut.); earnestly desire eh ouH not be counter-
acted' by other causes, believe thtt the results of the
circumstances to which they have adverted may be dis-
tinctly traced in, this county as a material cause of the
lighter calendars at :assizes and quarter sessions, and the
reduced number of .inmates of our gaols, and as leading
to the existence of .a larger amount of criminal popula-
tion at large and unchecked, engaged in the perpetra-
tion of crime themselves and in the corruption of others.
A natural consequence appears to be the extension in
this county, and probably elsewhere, of crimes of the
more serious class, to' which yoUr hirdship adverted in
your charge.
And the gram jury finally declare their, belief that
unless the scale to which they have adverted—intro-
duced, it may he observed, by the sole authority of the
-Beeretary,t4 State, without any sanction of Parliament
—be abandoned, and a more equitable system *intro-
duced, all efforts for the ,diminution of crime, and for
the amelioration of society, will be rendered compara-
tively nnavailing by a Misplaced economy, and that the
amount of serious crime shoWn in the Calendar for the
present assizes, which your lordship' and the grand jury
alike lament, is likely to . continue, and probably to
increase. "ALGERNON F.qtraoN, Foreman."
The Court soon after adjourned.

• NISI ..PRIUS,,COTIRT.—Yza'rERDAY-
(Before Mr. Baron WrLDE.) •
ACTION FOR TAT. RICOVERY OF A SECURITY.—BETTS
V. GOLESTONE.—In-this case Mr: Edward James,
and another learned counsel, were for the plaintiff, and
Dr. Wheeler, Q.C., And Mr. Higgins, for the defendant.
From the opening statement of _counsel it appears .that
the plairitiff is a tassel and fringe manufacturer at Man-
chester,' and • the defendant is a eleth cap manufacturer,
in the same place. It happened 'that in January last
the plaintiff .bad the misfortune to have his premises
barutrand pending the settlement with the:lnsurance
CoMPany, he wanted assistance to'earryloii his business.
He made an application to the defendant for a loan of
£l5O, statiing to hiinithat 'as 'soon as he had settled with
the Insurance Company, he .Would repay the amount.
The defendant refused to make a loan without security,.
and the plaintiff called upon Mr. Shyers, from whom he.
obtained £250 worth of' silk, which he agreed to deposit
with the_ defendant as security for, the loan for twelve
months. The terms of the loan were that £l2O should
be lent, and £3O given for the use of that money for
twelve months ; if the money was returned within that
time, a 'corresponding reduction was to be made. After
receiving the silk, the 'defendant went to several parties
and offered the silk for sale; among others, he went to
Mr. Shyers, who immediately recognised his own goods.
In due time the plaintiff received' £1,500 from the
insurance Company. Ho offered to pay the defendant
the £lso, and asked that the silk should be re-
delivered; the defendant refused, disputes occurred,
and it was agreed that the matter should be referred to
arbitration, one arbitrator to he selected by each party.
The arbitrators decided that the defendant should
deliver up, the silk, but he refused to abide by that
decision ; the plaintiff had, therefore, brought this
a.etion.'to -tecoVer the silk: The defendant's case was,
that although the money had been lent, no silk was
deposited as security. In support of this case, a number
of witnesses, including the defendant and others, were
called and examined. Their testimony' was to the
effect that the defendant had never received any silk
from the plaintiff as a deposit for this loan, but that he
had seized some. from him in virtue of a former judg-
ment. In 'cross-examination, it was shown that the
former judgment had been allowed to go by default;
and it was also shown that the defendant had destroyed
the dates on the invoices. His lordship said, before the
conclusion of the evidence, that he thought the case had
gone far enough. It was a disgraceful exhibition, and
he hoped the defendant's 'counsel would' call no more
witnesses.' This request was acceded to, and a verdict
was entered for the plaintiff, with immediate execution.
LAVERY 2). Tura,Ev.----The plaintiff in this action was
a wine merchant in Manchester, and the defendant was
a publican in the same place. This action was brought
to recover the sum of £B3 10s., the balance of an amount
which was due for liquor supplied to the defendant
wherewith to carry on his business.- Mr. Temple, Q.C.,
and Mr. Leresche, were counsel for the plaintiff, and
-Mr. 0.-crcud, uuncluutud tl,e case for the,defendant.
The original account had been upwards of £2OO, but
several payments have since been made, reducing it to the
amount now claimed. The defendant put in several
set-offs, and he also set up in defence that an agreement
had been made between himself and the plaintiff that
he should give up possession of the house and shop if
the plaintiff would relinquish all claim against him.
Some of the set-offs were allowed, but the agreement
was denied by the plaintiff. The jury, after a brief
consultation, fbund.a verdict for the defendant.

labour.
GAROTTE ROBBERY AT WIGAN.
James Howarth, 29, and John Fannin, 19, were
charged with robbing a Mr. Glover, of Wigan, of a
sum of money ; but, as the proseCutor did not appear,
the prisoners were discharged with a caution.
BURGLARY AT MANCHESTER.
Edward Curran, 21, wns found guilty of receiving
stolen goods at Mandhester, and was sentenced to four
month& imprisonment.
ATTEMPT AT ROBBERY.
John Kelly, 24, was charged with altempting.to rob
James Gill, on the night of the 31st of Ma3T last. Late
on that night the proseeutOr was passing-through See-
phenson-squara, when he was attacked by two men, one
of whom put his arms round-him- and put his hand into
his pocket, hut, .as he had no money, he did not-care
about it. Re Called for the assistance of the police, and
the two men made their escape, but the prisoner was
subsequently apprehended, and the prosecutOr identified
him as the man who had put his hand into his pocket.'
For the defence a witness was called, and she stated that
the prisoner was not one of the party, and she told the
The prisoner as found guilty,
pobultice so at
sentence
time.hwasd w
deferred
until the character of the
female hadTheen ascertained: - - - .
The grand jury 'having, completed their•business- at
stherles.eicaesss.;i, received the tha.uks of the , ceurt fon their
and presentedt
the followings memorial with ;
reference to fees paid to witnesses at assizes and sessions,
which his' lordship stated should be"forktkitided fO the

BROADBENT V. HINDLE.—This was an action to
recover damages for the nonpayment of a bill of ex-
changer accepted by the defendant and endorsed by the
plaintiff. The defendant denied giving his acceptance,
but this was proved, as was also the fact that the bill of
exchange was endorsed to Sykes, and then frcm Sykes
to the defendant. Before the case had gone to the jury
the bench directed judgment for the plaintiff to the
amount of £5O 2s. 9d.
BREACH OF CONTRACT.—LECKIE V. MCMATH.—Mr.
rope was for the plaintiff in this case, end Mr. Manesty,
Q.C., for the defendant. The plaintiff and defendant
were originally for a short time in partnership as boot
and shoe merchants, but from some cause or other it
was thought desirable that the partnership should be
dissolved, and the agreement mentioned in the first count
of the declaration was drawn as the terms on which the
separation was to take place. The agreement was that
the plaintiff was -to Purchase from the defendant all the
goods he might require in the course of his business, and
the defendant was to sell those goods at the wholesale
price. This' agreement was dated the 10th of April ;
and the first order which' was sent to the plain-
tiff after- that- was on the 12th of April. About the
carrying out of-this and the succeeding orders com-
plaints were frequently made, and on the 10th of May
plaintiff wrote to the defendant complaining of the way
in which he was carrying out. that,agreement. In con-
sequence of some legal objection it was agreed that a
•
verdict be entered for the defendant, with leave to move
for a reference.

Home Secretary. . -
"The grand jury .. for the .southern. division ..oftbe
the,
randier' -in the scale of
to state their opinion that county of Lancaster, at the.iugust.assizes, 1860, desire
allowances ' to' `witnesses it BSe:4i:ens "aiiil.6asiz made
under. au.Order: of 'Secretary.
date February 9, 1858, has p
rir &ergo Greyobdaring
educed, and is likely to
continue to produce, a most unfortunate influence upon
the administration of justice aid
the state of crime. '
--•ing the geherial.usto the above
gn
"'The'scale of 'alio wante ira foercois0..P,1ri.o
order may be described as
r 6 -
der.recognisances
principle that all persons attending on _
to give evidence. ip criminal
expenditure,
reasonable compensaticu for their nee ,
their. hiss:of
and, to some extent and in certain cages, for
..,
time. 6ilrulfi. receive
s abused by
" This scale was; no:doubt, in, some - case
co, arid
the,gra.oting of excessive and improper,.°)'"l the thegratiajurY is .of opinion that measures for
~ ,
~
~, prosecutions e, utio.7fu
is and
pre-
vention of such abuses would have been proper
desirebte.7l,. - • . .
, )3 ',-iit.t pro-
he scale sanctioned by-Sir,George Grey
that
seeds upon a principle which is entirely opposite to
of the previoni one, and which maybe described as
being in substance, that'a uniformand low scale' of pay-,
Med, not more than fairlyadeqUate to the .wanes of an
unskilled labourer,: should be adopted
cases, with. a.higber one iu, the case of ,`members of the
profession of the law or medicine,' and a lower 0118. in.
the Case of the pollee.. ' • , . - ,
"The kit effect of- the7hetr in nivnldinary
iettle was not immediately
feltowitS charfider,_44l46 4.4nce bevarte,geMaY

"'The Rev: F. D. Maurice's contributions to the " En-
cyclopmdia' Metropolitana" on Modern Philoiophy are
to be published in a collective form by Messrs. R. Griffin
and Co

known. Its practical result is now clearly found to be—
and those members of the jury who habitually discharge
the ordinary ditties of Magistrates are painfully aware of
the fact—that there is in the great majority of instances
a decided and increasing 'disinclination to forward the
administration of justice by aiding in the apprehension
and conviction of o#enders, inasmuch as every person so
doing now subjects himself not only to trouble and
inconvenience, which, probably, he alight be very ready
to undergo, but to a direct pecuniary loss, which in many
cases is a very-serious one to himself and his family;
and that such should be the case is generally felt to be
grossly unreasonable and unjust.
A" Persons who are robbed are now in many cases most
reluctant to prosecute, inasmuch as prosecution only
subjects them to a certain serious loss in addition to
what they may have already incurred ; and with all
persons whose general or special duty it would be to aid
in the detection of crime, there is a general disposition,
more or less, to escape, if possible, the performance of a
duty which subjects the person who fulfils it to an inevi-
'table andlo him often a seristts pecuniary penalty.
" Asa striking illustration of these facts; it may he
stated that in the case of the police, who receive their
ordinary pay When in attendance at sessions and assizes,
the further alloWance is so inadequate to meet the addi-
tional expenditdre which they unavoidably incur when
living away from their own homes, that it is a great
hardship upon them to be required to undertake the dis-
charge of any duty involving attendance at sessions or
assizes, `and they naturally feel most reluctant to do so
unless when imperatively required, or unless they are
held harmless against loss from some other source.

LARGE POULTRY.—The largest sized poultry ever
seen in, this town, or perhaps in-England,
might have
been viewed for the fast few days, at the_ stall of Mr.
Brennan, in St. John's Market. A cock and two hens
of the Cochin China breed, the former standing fully
three feet high, and"the latter about three inches lower.
Tfiese`giantic Specimens have been prirchmed by Capt.
Samitels, of the world renowned Ship " Dreadnought,"
(which•sails to=morrow for 'New 'York) who intends to
astonish-, all Yankeedotri. when they arrive in the New
World.

- BIRKENHEAD POLICE-COURT.—THE 4350 ROBBERY.
—John Jennings, printer,, remanded on _ a__ charge of
stealing /350: worth of ,jawellery, in 1857, from the
dwelling-house of Mr. Blackwell, of Argyle-street, Bir-
kenhead, was again brought up before Mr. Bryans and
/1111-. Younghusband. R. Irvin, Watson a Manchester
-
detective officer, gave some unimportant evidence to the
effedthat he found the Chain identified by'the-Prose.:
cutor on the prisoner on the occasion of his conviction
lost the property of which the chain
for an aggravated assault in .857. Mr. Blackwell
phaving lost
a- portion. The prisoner was-farther
h ierr ievdafell,nd7wedhasd until t hdi
d-11, all
til"Tabu,
Actiss
tiay
o tf
entering a dwelling-how at Bir4nlieftd,_

THE DAILY TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1860.

CORRESPONDENCE.

MR. ROBERTSON GLADSTONE AND THE

RIFLE MOVEMENT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY TIMES.

SlR,—The public and the volunteers are much
indehted to you for the spirited manner in which you
met the ill-judged attack of Mr. Robertson Gladstone on
the body of volunteers, in your paper of Thursday last;
and it is gratifying to perceive the local press of all
shades of politics, following in your wake. How that
gentleman could have worked himself into such a state
of excitement, it is' difficult to imagine. There are
parties who say it was meant to be a political onslaught
on the Earl of Derby, and that the dread of the eclat
which his lordship will very justly acquire by his kind-
ness and condescension on -the Ist of September next
got the better of Mr. Gladstone's judgment. That I
cannot believe, for it would evince a total absence of all
judgment ; and, holrefer Mr. Gladstone's judgment may
be perverted at times, yet his most determined oppo-
nents must admit that occasionally his senses are clear.
Mr. Gladstone has latterly made several exhibitions
of himself, and I really think if he cannot command his
feelings—which seems to be an impossibility, when
matters assume the least political turn—that he should
abstain from taking any part in such discussions, and
resign his seat at the council board, for such scenes are
very unseemly. It would be pleasanter for himself and
friends, and more in harmony with the sentiments of the
inhabitants of this loyal town. But as one or two facts
are worth a bushel of unsuppprted assertions, I will, for
Mr. Gladstone's information, and the satisfaction of the,
public, give you two :
A relative of mine, of the medical profession, came
over. from Manchester the other day, to witness the
review at Aintree. He is not only surgeon to a rifle
corps; but visits a large district under the Poor-law
Guardians, and I may add that his only son, a delicate
youth, is a volunteer.
While speaking about the rifle movement, he said the
.good it had done to the morals and health of the differ-
ent, corps in Manchester and the neighbourhood was
beyond all belief, and that parties who kept houses, tav-
erns, and billiard-rooms were nearly ruined in many
cases, and that they had told him "if matters (lid not
change very speedily, they would have to close them, for
that instead of their being full every evening, there was
now scarcely a young man to be seen." He went on to
say that, after business hours, the young men attended
closely to their dril, after which they were glad to get to
bed, having neither time nor inclination to attend
saloons, theatre•, and billiard-room. So much for
Manchester.

Now for Liverpool. In mentioning the above con-
versation here the other day, to a gentleman who has
the opportunity of judging of such matters, he statpd
that the same reformation had occurred in this toWn,
and, if possible, to •a greater extent; and added, "if
you have any misgivings on this point, ask Major
Greig." Nay, he went further, and said from his own
knowledge he knew that houses of questionable charac-
ter were far less attended than formerly.
So much for Mr. Gladstone's charge of immorality
against the volunteers.
Now, the camp at Crosby is conducted in the most
gentlemanly and soldierlike manner, as Mr. Gladstone
may ascertain if he will condescend to pay it a visit,—
it is not so much farther than his Seaforth estate.

The greatest credit is due to Colonel Bousfield,
officers and privates, and more eSpecially when we con-
sider the fearful weather they have had to contend with,
ever since they went down there, with the exception of
the last day or two. Of course Mr. Gladstone's petu-
lent onslaughts are little heeded, and carry very little
weight with them, and, under the circumstances, he has
done the movement a benefit ; but if he should imagine,
for a moment, that the movement is not in the hearts of
the people, and particularly of its members, let him ask
those parties who were at Newton on Saturday last,
and let him take up a prominent position at Knowsley
Park on the Ist September. I have little doubt that
the Earl of Derby would grant him admittance.

Is this the Mr. Gladstone of the Financial Reform
Association, and the leader of the advanced Liberals of
this town ? Good heavens'—Yours, &c.,

Liverpool, Aug. 14, 1860

DICKY SAM.

THE MYSTERIOUS CHILD MURDER
AT ROAD.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.
REMAND OF JOHN EDMUND GAGG

The prisoner, Edmund John, the assassin (according
to his own statement) of the child Francis Saville Kent,
was brought up, at two o'clock on Monday afternoon,
for examination at the Trowbridge Police Court, before
H. G. G. Ludlow, Esq. (chairman), W. Stancombe,
Esq., and the Rev. R. Crawley. M. Clark, clerk to the
magistrates, conducted the inquiry ; and Mr. F. Wells,
from the office of Mr. Dunn, solicitor, of Fi'orne, attended
to watch the case on behalf of the Kent family.
The effect of the incarceration upon the prisoner
seems to have had a silutary effect. Throughout the
morning he was engaged in reading the Bible, and he
also declared several times that he knew nothing of the
murder. The impression which we formed upon our
first view of him, that the prisoner was either a maniac
or suffering from the effects of deliriu►n tremens, was
confirmed by his appearance and conduct to-day. It. will
be seen that he now completely denies that he had any-
thing to do with the murder.
The prisoner, in reply to a question by Mr. Ludlow,
said his name was Edmund John.

Mr. Ludlow--Have you any other name besides
Edmund ?

Prisoner—Yes; but I should like to keep that back.
Mr. Ludlow—Do you refuse to give it?
Prisoner—Yes, sir.
The depositions taken at the previous hearing having
been read,

Sergeant Royle added that he believed the prisoner,
whilst in custody, was in a sane state of =incl. On Fri-
day evening, after the prisoner was in his custody, he
said, " The agreement between us was that when the
child was killed we should bury it behind the hedge, but
afterwards they changed their minds and we put it down
the water-closet. But I shall not tell their names at
present."
The prisoner, upon being asked if he .had any ques-
tions to put, said he had told a great number of un-
truths. I never said anything about Miss Constance
Kent.

The usual caution to prisoners was then read, after
which the prisoner said—l can only.say that it was cir-
cumstances that caused me to give myself up. I can
prove that I was in the Pratton-road, Portsmouth, on
the 28th and 29th June, and at Godalming on the 30th.
I have been so unfortunate and out of work that my
life became a burden to me. What with being tof
work and other circumstances, my wife leaving me and
taking away our three children, I did not care what
became of me. The two spots of blood on my trowsers
were caused by cutting my finger on the Thursday.

Mr. Stancombe—You have a mark on the back of
your neck; how did you get that?
Prisoner—l fell from a scaffold four years ago, and
was taken to the Westminster Hospital.
Mr. Stancombe—Did it hurt your head ;
Prisoner—Yes, sir.
Mr. Stancombe—Have you been in the hospital
since ?

Prisoner—Ter a carbuncle between my shoul-
ders, which was cut out by Mr. Barnard Hope. I was
in the hospital for three months. I have not been in
the hospital since. I obtained a letter from the hank
in Little George-street, by which I gained admission to
the hospital. When I met with the accident I was at
work at Pimlico, for Messrs. Piper, builders, of Bishops-
gate-street Without. I was on the scaffold repairing a
house. I have also worked for Messrs. Myers; and for
Mr. Macey, in the Strand.
Mr. Ludlow—You must understand that it is for
your sako that we ask these questions as to who you
are. As you refuse to tell us, we must further remand
you to make the necessary inquiries till Wednesday
next at eleven o'clock.
Prisoner—l would tell you who lam at once, but I
fear it coming to my mother'S ears. If you will
promise me she shall not hear it I will tell you at once.
Mr. Ludlow—We can't promise you that. There
are several gentlemen of the press here, and all that
has taken place' hereto-day will soon be known all
over the country.
Prisoner—l suppose you will allow me pens, ink, and
paper in my cell, that I may write.
Mr. Ludlow—Oh, certainly.
The prisoner was then formitlly remanded till Wed-
nesday, and removed from the dock.
Shortly afterwards he gave his name as John Edmund
Gagg, and also wrote a statement similar to that given
before magistrates. A report was very Current in the
surrounding towns, on Sunday and Monday, that the
missing night-gown had been found stitched up in a
mattress at Mr. Kent's house. We need scarcly say
(adds our correspondent) that there is no truth what-
ever in it.

The Earl and Countess of Derby and Lady Emma
Stanley leave town at the close of the week for
Knowsley Park, near Prescott. The grand review of
the Lancashire volunteer corps takes place in the park
on the Ist proximo.

BANKRUPTCY COURT.—YESTERDA.Y.—Wm. George
Young, brewer, Bangor, came up on his last examination,
passed, and had his certificate sitting fixed for the 7th
of September. Mr. Evans appeared on behalf of the
assignees.

CORONER'S INQUESTS,—Yesterday the Coroner held
inquests on two children that were overlain in bed.
The first was on the body of Harriet. Carlin, seven
months old, that was smothered in bed in Arley-street;
and the second on Mary .Jane twelve months,
that met a similar death in Rupert-street. The children
were smothered in the usual way, and the usual verdicts
were returned. It is curious to observe that the
majority of such cases occur on Saturday, Sunday,'
and Monday nights, when the mothers aro in a state of
iattnioation,