The Press.
London, England, 1858-11-13 00:00:00

THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 13, 1858.

1106

A NOVEL APPLICATION was made to Mr. Elliott, at
Lambeth Police-court, on Tuesday, by a lieutenant-
colonel in the army, on behalf of a person accom-
panying him, and whom he represented to have
served as sergeant in his regiment during the years
1802 and 1816, that he might be empowered legally
to carry on the trade of a vintner. The applicant
handed in a paragraph from a newspapt r, quoting an
act of lieorge 111., in support of the statement that
any person having served in the Militia or Fencibles
in the years mentioned were authorized to set up in
business for the sale of any article they chose, and in
whatever town they pleased. His worship, however,
pointed out a special saving clause in the fourth
section of the act, to the effect that "it did not give
liberty to any person to set up the trade of a vintner,
or sell any wine or other liquors, without licence first
bad and obtained."

MR. RICHARD ROPER Wag again brought up on
Saturday, at the Greenwich Police•court, on the
charge of setting fire to his house, at Greenwich, and
thereby causing the death of his two children, and
with an attempt to defraud the Kent Fire Insurance
Company. The witnesses examined were those who
had given evidence before the coroner's jury. The
prisoner was further remanded.
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION, affecting a considerable
portion of house property subject to the powers of
the new building act, was brought before Mr. 13eadon
at Marlborough•street on Thursday. The act requires
a certain space for light and air to be left in the rear
of a house. The defendant summoned in this case
(Mr. Higgs, Charles-street) had covered over with a
skylight the space required to be left open ; but it
was contended that as provision was made for light
and air the spirit of the act had been complied with.
The magistrate, however, seemed to think otherwise,
bat adjourned the case for further consideration.
AN IMPORTANT CRIMINAL TRIAL wag opened at
Edinburgh on Wednesday. It will be remembered
that, in the month of September, the death of a ser
vans girl took place at Polmont, near Stirling, through
the attempt to procure abortion, and that William
Reid and a young surgeon, named Thomas Girdwood,
were charged with the crime. Immediately after the
fatal result Girdwood committed suicide, and Reid
was captured in endeavouring to make his escape.
The facts revealed are of a peculiarly distressing and
painful character. The bulk of the evidence taken
was that of the medical men who had examined the
body of the deceased, and its tendency was to show
that ihe operation had been performed by a profes-
sional person. On Thursday, after the several wit-
nesses had been examined, the Lord Advocate
a.ldressed the jury for the prosecution, and the Dean
of Faculty for the prisoner. The Lord Justice Clerk
summed up strongly against the prisoner. The jury
retired at thirty-live minutes past five, and were
absent about one hour, when they returned a verdict
of "Not guilty on the first charge, of murder; and
guilty on the second and third, amounting to cut.
pable homicide." The prisoner was sentenced to ten
years' penal servitude.

house and inviting a number of his workpeople from
the mill to assist in firing off two cannon and letting
off some fireworks. For the purpose of causing the
cannon to give a louder report, they were rammed
hard, by the end of the cannon being placed on an
anvil and the ramrod struck with a sledgehammer.
In loading one of the cannon in this way, either a
piece of ignited wadding had remained in the cannon
after the last firing or the blows on the ramrod
struck fire, and caused the powder to ignite and the
cannon to burst. The effects were fearful. One
man had both his hands shattered dreadfully with the
fragments of the cannon, the left hand merely
hanging by a piece of skin; his left leg was broken
in two places, and he is considered to be in a very
dangerous state. Another was severely wounded
about the thighs and legs, and his trousers were bet
on tire. A third was knocked off the trestle by the
force of the explosion, and lay on the ground on his
back, but rose nuinjure.d. A fourth bad the first
finger on his right hand blown off, and was badly
wounded about the face. His clothes were also set
on fire. Mr. John Shiers, jun., who was near at the
time, received a wound in the fleshy part of his
thigh, but not a dangerous one. Mr. Shiers and
several of his children were standing near, but, with
the exception of Mr. John Shiers, none of them were
injured.

A Most LAMENTABLE EVENT has just occurred at
Greenock, in which it is feared one person, at
least, will fall a sacrifice—arising, as is supposed,
from using poisoned game. The facts are these :
A flesher in town has been in the habit of selling
dead rabbits, a regular supply of which he generally
received from parts of the Highlands. Of late the
supply has not come to hand, and as some customers
were very anxious to get them, he was induced on
Saturday to purchase a pair from a person who
casually dropped in to sell. These were resold to
one of his customers, a shopkeeper in the neighbour.
hood. On Sunday the rabbits were cooked, and the
whole family, consisting of husband and wife, the
husband's mother, three young children, and the
servant gill, partook of them. Immediately after-
wards the husband was seized with violent pains in
his bowels, and afterwards every member of the
household became also unwell in the same way, but
after suffering for some time they all recovered, with
the exception of one of the children, fifteen months
old, who is not expected to recover. The supposition
is, that the rabbits had been poisoned, probably with
the view of detecting poachers.

A HATER OF CRINOLINE was brought before the
Liverpool Police-court on Saturday. Two young
ladies named Hayes, the daughters of wealthy
parents, in company with their governess, were pro-
ceeding along the Prince's-park New-road, on
the Friday afternoon, when Mr. John Huntingdon,
a corn merchant., came towards them, and when
passing stooped down, took hold of Miss Mary
Hayes's clothes in his right hand, and with the left,
which contained a knife, commenced to cut the hoops
of her crinoline, saying, " These hoops, these hoops,
these hoops, I will cut." However, he was unsuc-
cessful, as the hoops were made of steel, and he
offered no further violence, but walked on, accom-
panied by a large black dog. On information being
given to the police, detective Holme proceeded to
one of the defendant's stores in Mill-street, and there
saw a dog which the governess identified as the one
she noticed with the prisoner, and on the prisoner
being called in she also identified him, and he was
consequently arrested. The defendant was identified
by all the ladies, who swore most positively that he
was the person who accosted them so roughly. For
the defence, Mr. Deighton, barrister, put in an alibi,
and called witnesses to show that Mr. Huntingdon
could not be the person who committed the offence.
His worship, in giving his decision, said there was
such positive swearing on each side, that it became
extremely difficult for him to form an opinion on the
whole of the evidence. It would be most unsatis-
factory to himself to come to any conclusion on the
subject. He had resolved to refer the matter to the
consideration of a jury, and he would, therefore,
commit the prisoner for trial at the next sessions.
The assault was of a strange and peculiar description,
and the alarm produced by it on the young lady
might have been serious. Under all these circum-
stances he had determined to send the defendant fur
trial. He did not wish to put the defendant to any
inconvenience, but when the depositions were taken
he would admit, him to bail, in his own recogni•
zance in 501., to appear at the sessions to take his
trial, and let a jury decide the question. The
depositions were then taken, and the defendant was
admitted to bail in his own recognizance of 501.
Mr. Woodruff attended with the young ladies, and
there were several mostrespectable•looking ladies iu
court, who seemed quite anxious about the decision
of the case.
A MRS. BARNETT, residing at Chelsea, has died
from an overdose of ipecacuanha received as a
medicine from St. George's Hospital, of which she
was an out-patient.