The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-07-25 00:00:00

CHARGE OF PERJURY AT THE LYE.

At the W. .reest, rshire Asstaes. on Saturday, telore Mr
,nat, e use, .lam, s Littlew .od, ton b wee Indicted
to w.laply siA e rtupUy !vying else evidence before
Rupert Melds. Esc) . the Jule of the County Court, at
•oreester, linldeit on th 23rd of April, at Stoorbridige
on OP- h-ariog of a c4age beteeeo Major Baker (plaintiff)
• d Par d Bakt r defendant).

Mr Civo. With Mr. Hoserd Saint), prosecuted, end
Mr. Cml.rbill &feuded _ . _

Mr— C hvera high b•iliff for the Stourhridge County
Can't formally deponed .0 to the acttou be.ng heard on
ti • der named, and the defendant gi•ing evidence on be.
h•lf I the plaintiff.
Cr s.z m,ed Lb. Jadge gave • v-rdiet for pkin.
if!; £5O datnaea.

Mr. 9 Fiell deposed to taking nc.tes at the County
Cony, iu the cape .• 3alv, r Bak r." the pri.oner
g.ve evidence He : 1 Went ill.. saab 11,jor Baker,
and ea+ him struck by Dseid B.ker, wbo *lgo struck
Id ,jor Baker's wife on the bosom, and knocked her
do.”

David Baker. the defer dant in the ease in question,
de, hr.,: that on the 27th of Scot. whir lie Ite4 occasion
to ord., ii. Is other ale,' ,r off his preroisee, is he bad
been ki icing door. B. refused to go, aad set for a
uolie-m.o. Did not strike Id .jor brother); nor hie
was Pr 140.01. was OA present at the trial.
In eress.examiestion tots anthem admitted that he bad
been defeated in • ease before the Mamatrates and that
ki, brother brought an action aJainat him in the County
Court, sod got • verdict for £6O damage., and that he
afterwardn tiled hl. petition in • fer• days
la dok r. .If* I the last ...toe... Rave eorrobors•
tyn v dene...d mid th e went for • hOlicrulitt
hut did not know whai took place while she woo away.
Matilda Baker, moth. of Itixidr and Baker, farther
a irroborated. she did not see the prisoner preat.nt Mir-
ing the doturba ,cc.

_
emwalustiou, witness admitted that she had
Iman OM *Ma wig evalmated $e fin

Hitwine terms of imprisonment: a mmth, a fortnight,
ma a mouth. . . .

The Lordship asked counsel if they thought the prim".
see could be cot. victed on the evidence of such a With..., I
but the learned gnu'lentan for the prosecution called j
other nitilenee to corrobora e the facts of the disturb.
atter, and that the prisoner was sot on the scene, nor did I
such events tratisptre as sworn by Inni in the County
Court case _

----- --
Simeon Harper, of Quarry Bank, deposed that he wee
• nasbnaker. At the end of September he wee at Ten-
burv, at the Royal Oak Inn, between ten and stereo
o'eMek at sight On the 27.6 September he saw the pri-
ewer just oat of Tenbnry Prisoner struck him an the
back wish • wick He !melted him if he:knew where he I
could get lodgings, and prisoner waked into Teobury
wish ham. There wee • youth named Dimmock with the
prisoner at the time; no one else. I enbury is *boot 30
m.le% trot the Lye

John Styes, of Quarry Bank, said that he went an a
vieit to Tenbury on the 27th September Saw the priers
ner there, and inked him if he knew e here he could get
lodgings. :hire Cartwright was present. It was just
out of Tenbary. There were two others with him. It
was quite dark.
tiara Cartwright gave corroborative evidence.
titer hearing other evidence,
. .

Underbal. for the defence, contended that it was
impossible for the witnesses to hear in mind the pullet.
ler date. as they could not tell the dote of any other
letter. he had in& d them about; and all the witnesses
admitted that it was desk There must be a doubt on the
jury's mind, slid he nekod the jury to give the prisonur
tine beeefit. and disc ergo him. But he abou.d call a
number of witnesses to prove that the prisoner was pre-
*,
t during the diAtiroatice. as sworn at the County
Court. find he should ask hem to weigh the evidence of
both parties, and see which was telling the truth.
ilaj .r Baker was then called, and gave similar cS idence
to thai ivhhh he had given before, and swore that the
prisoner was present, and a.sisted in carrying his wife
Into the house and niacin* her upon the sofa, after she
had been earth k try David Baker.
Other with...es were also coiled on behalf of prisoner.
The Judge then very careful), summed up, and said it
appeared that the two brothers were arrayed in deadly
haired sgainat each oilier, and pointed out the discrepau•
cies in the evidence for the prosecution; nod told the
jurp that if they hsd any doubt in their minds as to the
prisoner having cion.mitted perjury to give him the bene-
fit of

I he jury were locked up for three.quarters of an hour.
On returnuig. they said they had doubts in their minds,
and 1312013/1.1 give the prison, the benefit, and he was die.
charged.
The case occupied the Court for more than six hours.