The Press.
London, England, 1854-03-18 00:00:00

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A STATUARY AND SCULPTOR in Gloucester•place,
New-road, Mr. Smith, appeared at the Bankruptcy
Court for examination on Saturday. The debts were
considerable, but the bankrupt ascribed his difficul-
ties solely to his having been made a dupe by a Count
Dunin, the inventor of a "model man," which at
tracted some considerable attention at the Great Ex
hibition of 1831, but who had lately disappeared,
after having a fiat of bankruptcy struck against him :

Mr. Smith said he was introduced to the count four years ago.
lie lived in Westbourne-terrace, and had a inagniticently-fur-
Whiled house. Witness was introduced by Mr. Tilbury, a coach-
maker, and he furnished him with statuary. The count said be
was at work on his own invention, that his expenses had much '
increased, and asked witnese to accept bills. The count had a
workshop, and several men at work upon expanding figures.
Witness first accepted a bill for 2401.; that was paid, and three
others. Had never accepted accommodation bills except for
Count Duuin. Ilad been iu trade thirty years. Kept no billbook,
but made notes on the wall when bills were due. Witness
used to ask the count for the bills that were due. The count
would say," Don't fidget so," and pretend to get into a passion, and
thrust a piece of paper into the tire, on pretence that it was the
bills, which witness at the time believed. The count used to talk
about his estates in Russia, and that the figure he was making
was for the Emperor of Russia, in order to induce him to get
his estates restorei to him. It was well known that the Emperor
of Russia took great pains in the dress of his soldiery, and would
have their clothes fit them well. This was the purpose for which
the expanding figure was intended. The casket of jewels which
the count showed him appeared to be very valuable; he said he
intended it for a present to a lady whom lie was about to marry,
and who possessed a large fortune. There was one ruby fit for
a Doge of Venice. He also saw an armlet of great value. The
count at ono time rented a workshop of witness, in which he em-
ployed many men at work on models.
Ills liosoutt said the ease would hold out a useful lesson to
two or three classes of persons. It showed how frequently men
of science and of skill In their peculiar vocations were led away
from the course of strict propriety; and he (tile Commissioner)
thought it would not be just to judge them according to the or-
dinary rules of trade. The bankrupt in this case had carried on
business fur many years without a stain or blemish of any kind
on his reputation. lie was going on prosperously, until his path
was suddenly crossed by this so-called Count Dwain. The cer-
tificate would be granted forthwith. He wished the words of
the RC "unavoidable loss and misfortune," had not been so strict,
as he should have been glad if the bankrupt could leave the
court with a first-class certificate, and if he (the Commissioner)
could consistently with his duty give him one he would with
great pleasure do so. He was reluctantly obliged to grant the
certificate only of the second class; but was bound to pronounce
that Mr. Smith's character was as unstained as that of any other
man who had left that court.

Mn. STEPHEN SMITH, an agent or rent,collector,
appeared at Lambeth Police Court on Monday to
answer an information laid by order of the chairman
and commissioners of Inland Revenue, charging him
with giving a receipt without affixing thereto the re-
quired stamp of one penny. Mr. Phinn, M.P.
counsel to the Board of Inland Revenue, observed
that it was the determination of the commissioners in
every case like the present, where the act was violated,
to press the law with the utmost rigour. The charge
being proved a mitigated fine of 51. was inflicted on
the defendant.

AN INNKEEPER AT WESTBOURNE, IN SUFFOIJC, named
Emery Spriggs, was tried at the Lewes Assizes on
Tuesday for the murder of his wife. It appeared
that on Twelfth-night last there was an entertain-
ment given at the prisoner's house, and that, after it
was over and every one gone, some sudden quarrel
arose between himself and his wife. Early next
morning he called up a woman who lived near, tell-
ing her to come over, as he had shot his wife, whose
body, on her reaching the house, was found lying on
the threshold of the taproom, and quite dead. The

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counsel for the defence pointed out the distinction
between the crimes of murder and manslaughter—
that the former arose from wickedness of heart, and
was performed with premeditation, the latter from a
sudden heat of passion. The jury adopted this
view of the case, and found the prisoner Guilty
of the lesser crime. He was accordingly sentenced
to transportation for life.
AN ADJOURNED CERTIFICATE MEETING took place
at the Bankruptcy Court on Tuesday in the case of
Mr. Strutt, a solicitor of Buckingham-street, and
proprietor of the Era newspaper. The accounts
were very voluminous, but the general result has
already appeared :
His HONOUR said: 1 cannot go beyond a second-class certifi-
cate. That will he granted after the matter has stood over, to
give time for the bankrupt to complete the purchase the debt*
alleged by the assignees to be of doubtlial value. beoond-cdaan
certieate accordingly.

THE TRIAL or DR. WILLIAM SMITH, lately & resi-
dent at the village of SL Fergus, in Aberdeenshire,
for the murder of M•Donald, a farm servant, was
commenced on Monday at the Edinburgh High Court
of Justiciary. The respectable station hitherto occu-
pied by the prisoner, and the extraordinary grounds
of suspicion alleged against him, gave the trial a
degree of interest which has not been paralleled in
Scotland for many years, and the court-room was
densely crowded with a most respectable assemblage,
not a few of whom had come from the locality, a
distance of 150 miles, to witness the trial. 1)r.
Smith, it was alleged, had effected various insurances
on the life of M'l)onald, which were shortly about to
expire at the time when the unfortunate man was
found dead in a ditch near the prisoner's residence,
having been apparently shot with a pistol. The Lord
Advocate (who had come down ftem London for the
purpose), with the Solicitor-General (Craufurd), and
Mr. Clark, conducted the prosecution. The Dean of
the Faculty of Advocates and Mr. Young appeared
for the defence. The prisoner, a tall man, negli •
gently dressed, of fair complexion, and about thirty-
five years of age, pleaded " Not Guilty." Throughout
the day he maintained great composure, and often
evinced cheerfulness. On the first day only fourteen
out of eighty-one witnesses for the prosecution—
chiefly the relatives of the deceased—had been
examined. Next morning, on the meeting of the
court, the progress of the ease was stopped by the
absence of a juror, regarding whom medical evidence
was given that he was labouring under a degree of
mental excitement such as to disqualify him from
discharging the duty for which he was sworn. The
prisoner was, however, retained in custody, and anew
trial will be commenced as early as possible.
THREE MEN, named Marshall, Saunders, and
Myers, were tried at Bedford on Saturday, the two
former for having committed a burglary iu the house
of Mathews, a jeweller, of Leighton Buzzard, and
stealing a quantity of watches and plate to the value
of POOL, and Myers with having received a portion'
of the property :
This case has been very lately before the public. The pri
soners were men eminent In their walk of life, being well furnished
not only with the choicest tools for entering and escaping from
houses, but well equipped so as to appear smooth or hairy, florid
or pale, as the ease might be. They cleared out the prosecutor's
shop almost in the face of the town, and carried off the spoil to
London, whore a considerable portion of it was traced in the
possession of Myers, a buyer of stolen goods. When the prisoner
Marshall was committed to. Bedford gaol he had a smooth face,
but in a short time his whiskers began to grow, and of the carotty
colour spoken to by several of the witnesses. When, however
be was called to the bar and arraigned his own whiskers
were brown. The judge thereupon questioned the gaoler, who,
amidst peals of laughter, said they were rod when he was
locked up the night before. The judge then stopped the pro-
ceedings, and ordered the gaoler to take him out of court and
have his face washed. This was done, and the prisoner re-
tunied in his natural colours—red, very red.
After hearing the evidence the jury were locked
up for some time, and on returning to court delivered
a verdict of Guilty against Saunders and Marshall
for the burglary, and Guilty against Myers as a re•
ceiver. The court sentenced the two former to be
transported for twenty years, and Myers for fourteen
years.

A FRIGHTFUL EVENT took place in Birmingham on
Monday morning. A young man named William
Taylor, by trade a shoemaker, and residing with a
widowed mother in Sherlock-street, after attempting
to take the life of a young woman named Walton,
cut his own throat and almost immediately
expired. Mrs. Taylor, the mother, in attempting to
interpose, was severely cut about the arms and
wrists. Miss Walton was removed, and the surgeons
happily consider her recovery far from hopeless.
A LAsoe portion of the embankment wall on the
new dock works in Wallesey Pool fell into the river
on Monday, with a crash that was heard in Liverpool.
The masonry gave way it appears from the pressure
of water behind it to an extent of 200 feet, huge
masses of stone being precipitated into the Mersey.
The contractors will suffer a heavy loss, and the pro-
gress of the inner works of the docks will be delayed
for more than two months.
GEORGE WALKER, a Liverpool shipbroker, was
committed for trial by the magistrates on Monday,
charged by the Post-office authorities with having
fraudulently obtained possession of a letter and a
money enclosure for the sum of 114 105. 10d.

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