The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-06-20 00:00:00

UNIVERSITY "SPINNING" HOUSE.

(Sittings at Nisi Prius, before Lord Chief Justice Earle
and a Special Jury.)
CATTAWAY AND WIFE V. SMITH.
This was an action brought against the defendant,
one of the proctors of the university of Cambridge, for
having, in his official capacity, taken up and imprisoned
the wife of the plaintiff iu the "spinning" house of the
university as an immoral person, although it was known
she was the wife of a fireman on the Eastern Counties
Railway.
The fact of the woman's detention, which occupied
only half an hour, was fully proved.
Mr. O'Malley addressed the jury for the proctor, and
Mr. Edward James for the plaintiff.
The learned judge having summed up, the jury
returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £5O.

DAMAGES FOR DEFAMATION OF A
SERVANT'S CHARACTER.

:Sittings at Nisi Prius, at Westminster, before Lord
Chief Justice Cockburn and a Special Jury.)
DARLINGTON V. RAVENSHAW.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff, a servant
girl, against the defendant, a widow lady, residing on
her property, at Harvey-street, Cavendish-square, for
compensation in damages for defamation of character.
The defendant pleaded not guilty.
It appeared from the evidence of the plaintiff that in
August last she was in the employ of the defendant,
who at that time went to St. Leonard's, leaving her in
possession of the whole of the property in the house.
The defendant returned in September, and whilst she
was in the house she asked for a half bottle of brandy
which she left in the cupboard when she left town.
The plaintiff went to the cupboard and found it was gone,
but upon her return to the defendant she explained that
a charwoman had been in the house who was dis-
charged on account of her drunkenness, and that it was
very probable that she had taken it. After that the de-
fendant went again to St. Leonard's, leaving her in
sole possession of the property. Nothing was said about
the brandy until a Mrs. Murray was at the house, and
she mentioned it to the plaintiff, upon which the plain-
tiff said she would leave the service. She applied to
Mrs. Gazelling for a situation, who asked the defendant
nq to plaintiff's rharacter, when ii, was alleged the defen-
dant told Mrs. Gazelling that during her absence the
plaintiff had stolen half a bottle of brandy, and that she
drank it in the house, in consequence of which, the
plaintiff alleged, she was unable to procure a situation.
The defence was, that the defendant never used the
words complained of.
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages
£2O.

AN OBSTINATE GRAND JURYMAN.

EXTRAORDINARY SCENE IN COURT.

On the names of the gentlemen summoned on the
grand jury for the county of Surrey being called over to
be sworn, Mr. Stephen Miles, millwright, of Willow-
walk, Bermondsey, refused to be sworn.

Chairman— Why do you refuse to be sworn, sir?
Mr. Miles— Because I am not fit to do so. lam a
working man, and I don't like grand juries.
Chairman— That's no excuse. You have a right to
serve as well as your neighbours. I recollect excusing
you the last time ; you must serve now.

Mr. Miles—l object to serve. lam a poor working
man, and only the rich ought to be called on to serve on
grand juries. The last time when I was excused, I had
a contract to put up a machine in the country, and had
I not gone I should have forfeited the value.
The Chairman—That cannot be taken as an excuse on
this occasion. You must be sworn !

Mr. Miles—l object to be sworn on these grounds:—
I shan't agree with-anybody. I never did, and I never
can. (Laughter.)
Chairman—l am surprised to hear that from a res-
pectable tradesmen. Surely you can assist your neigh-
bours in performing a duty due to your country.
Mr. Miles—lt's of no use. I can't side with any-
body. (Renewed laughter.)
Clerk of the Peace—But you will have two sides to
choose from. (Laughter.)
Mr. Miles—l tell you, sir, I never did agree with any-
body yet, and I can't side even with myself. (Laughter.)
Chairman—Under the circumstances, Mr. Miles, I
shall not call on you at present to be sworn. Your
conduct is very extraordinary, as you ought to do your
duty and serve on grand juries, when summoned, as
well as your neighbours. If there is any faith to be
put in your remarks, 1 am apprehensive that if you were
sworn that your conduct would be a source of trouble
to your fellow grand jurymen, and under those circum-
stances I think they ought not to be troubled with you.
You may sit down. .

Mr. Miles (seizing up his hat)—Thank you, sir, that's
what I want. Then I may go. (Laughter.)
Chairman—Oh, no, Mr. Miles. You must remain
in court at present. . .

Mr. Miles—Very well. I'll take my seat again.
The other grand jurymen having been sworn, the
chairman said he had no remark to make to them except-
ing that he had no doubt they would do without the
gentleman who had just sat down. They performed
their duties so well on the last occasion that he should
at once dismiss them to their room. The grand jury

then retired.
Mr. Miles—l suppose I can go now, sir
Chairman—Yes, you may go ; but I hope you will
think of it, and perform your duty like a man on another
occasion. lam afraid you have imposed on the court.
Mr. Miles then quitted the court.

Two young gentlemen were drowned by a boat cap-
sizing in Belfast Lough on Saturday evening.
A not of Garibaldi's is quoted :—" I came to Sicily,
where I beat an army without a general : I am now going
to Rome, to beat a general without an army."
The Journal de Constantinople announces the death
in that city of Reout Pasha, who was five times Grand
Vizier ; he had attained the advanced age of 93.
Thole is another case coming on very shortly before
Mr. Justice Cresswell that will cause surprise to the
fashionable world. The husband, who is the defendant,
is an Irishman; the wife has the reputation of being the
handsomest woman in England, and is from one of the
southern counties.
ENGLAND AND FRANCE.—The prize of 50 guineas
offered by the Rev. Dr. Ernerton, of Hanwell College,
Middlesex, for the best essay on the immense importance
of a close union of England and France, has been
awarded by the adjudicators—Lord theßrougham, he Earl
of Clarendon, and the Earl of Shaftesbury, to Rev.
W. N. Molesworth, M.A., P.C. of St. Clement's, Roch-
dale, the author of various publications. The French
adjudicators—Messrs. Thiers, Mignet, and Merimee,
have not yet awarded the prizes of 1,000 francs and 250
francs offered by Dr. Emerton for the best French
essays on the same subject.
SINGULAR EXPLOSION OF AN OLD RUSSIAN CAN-
NON AT LEEDS.—An elderly man, named William
Brown, is now lying dangerously ill at the Leeds Infir-
mary, from injuries received last Wednesday, by an
explosion at the Pottery Field. Foundry, Hunslet,
Leeds. For some time past Messrs. Cooper and Co.
have been melting up old Russian guns; and, in order
to guard against accidents, instructions were given to
the men that all the pieces should be tested before being
placed on the fire. These instructions, however, do not
appear to have been carefully followed out in the pre-
present instance, for the old man very imprudently put
a red-hot rod of iron into the muzzle of an old gun, in
the chamber of which some powder and rubbish seems
to have accumulated, and the result was that the gun
exploded with considerable violence, and inflicted very
serious injuries about Brown's face, chest, arms, and
other parts of the body.
Two MEN BURIED ALIVE.—An accident of an
alarming nature, endangering the lives of two colliers,
occurred on Friday last, at one of Messrs. Dixon's pits,
at Tipton. Two men, named Davies and Evans, were
engaged in a part of the pit about nine o'clock in the
morning, when an immense mass of coal and dirt gave
way above them, and buried them several yards deep.
Between four and five in the evening the two sufferers
were released from their perilous position. Contrary to
the expectations of those present the men were alive,
hut insensible. They were dreadfully bruised and dis-
figured.
AN ARTIST IN DIFFICULTIES.—The Illustrated London
News contains letters and sketches from its special cor-
respondent at Palermo (Mr. Frank Vizetelly). Here is
his postcript :—" Palermo, June 7.—1 intended to send
you five sketches by the Caradoc, which leaves to-day
for Naples, but I am unable. During the days of the
fighting, and immediately afterwards, I was so much
about in the sun, and this, combined with the stench of
the dead blocking the narrow streets in all directions,
brought on an attack of fever that completely knocked
me up for three days. I sat amongst a pile of dead, for
two hours or more, at the White Benedictine Convent,
sketching the horrors there : and this, I believe, brought
on the attack. I have five rough sketches, made in
different parts of the town, of injury done by the bom-
bardment to life and houses, and of different points,
where the fighting was most severe, and these sketches
it was impossible for me to finish on the spot, as I was
exposed to falling houses and chance shots. Had I not
been knocked up these would have been sent off ; as it
is, I will despatch them the first opportunity."

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