The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-23 00:00:00

THE CHARGE LGALIST HRS. GIANT.

Mr. Grantham applied to the court to allow the trial of
I Mrs. Grant, the widow of Major Grant, of the Indian
; army, who is accused of wilfully and feloniously setting
fire to her dwelhog.bottes, at Brighton, to be postponed
to the spring assize*.
Baron Chanson said that the matter was mentioned to
bias at Maidstone, hot at that time he bad not the power to
act judicially in reference to an camas alleged to have been
committed in another comity. He had originally understood
that Mr. Baron Martin, by whom the case was postponed
at the summer assizes, intended it to come on at the present
gaol delivery, but from inquiries he bad made, both of the
learned judge and the concord retained in the cause, he bad
reason to believe that there was some doubt upon the point,
and he therefore thought he should not be justified in re-
fusing the application.
The trial consequently deeds over to the spring &MIMI.
Guorpe alultry, 18, • respectable-looking youth, described
an a pupil teacher, was charged with feloniously forging and
uttering an order for the payment of 1:001.
Mr. Ronne!! prosecuted ; and the prisoner was defended
by Mr. Begley.
The prosecutor in this ease is the Rev. Mr. Roper, who
resides at Hove, near Brighton. Mr. Roper is a very
aged men, suffering a great deal from differeut bodily
infirmities, among which was that of being nearly blind.
The prisoner was employed by Mr. Roper as an amanuensis,
and it was his duty to attend lino every morning and to
read to him in the library, and to write from his dictation.
Occasionally, it appeared that he employed the prisoner to
fill up the bodies of cheques for hint but, although his sight
was defective, he invariably put his own signature to the
efieque• as well as he could. The prisoner seemed to have
left this employment on the 16th of July, having been
engaged in the =DIM above stated for about nine months
adit appeared that cis the 18thof the same month the
cheque in question was presented at Messrs. Glyn 's, who
went the prosecutor's London bankers, and paid to a
stranger, who could not be identified, over the counter.
The case against the prisoner rested entirely upon evidence
with regard to his handwriting, several witnemes expressing
• pontive opinion that the body of the cheque and the!
signature were wntten by the prisoner. It appeared
in the course of the case that during the last twelve months
the prosecutor was very feeble, and that he was almost
entirely blind, and could with great difficulty recognise any
one who was close to him, and it was likewise proved that a
great number of persons might have had access to his
cheque-books, and that occasionally the bodies of his
cheques were filled up by different members of his own
. .

Thi; learned Judge, in summing up the case to the jury,
told them that if they should think that the prosecutor bad
been induced by any dem* to sign this cheque, and that
tie signature was genuine, he was of opinion they would
not be justified in oonvictior the prisoner upon tic present
indictment, although he might possibly be amenable to some
other charge. The tint question, therefore, for their confide.
ration ass whether a forgery had in point of fact been com-
mitted, and if no, whether the 'velem:* made out to their
satisfactioo that the prisoner was the person guilty of that
offence.

NThe jury,
t,. after • short deliberation, returned • verdict of
ut Gloa

NORFOLK ClRClllT.—Anmsauar, Dz.'. 21.
10 the ease of Joseph Baker, charged with arson, which
was proceeding when our parcel was despatched, Mr. New-
tOD, for the prosecution, addressed the jury in reply,
and his lordship summed up, observing that the question
was if Hobbs' story was true ; and if it was not be must
have committed wilful and malicious perjury. Spiesand in-
formers were people who were riot looked upon with a very
favourable eye, but this man was only acting in eccordauce
with the orders of his superior. His story was confirmed by
the fact that the policeman had gone by a abort time before
the fire broke oat, and if Hobbs did not hear this from the
primmer he would hardly have gunned it. Then there were
mark. in the hedge, and a pert which its priaouer spoke of
was broken, and several other circumstances. His lordship
having gone through the facto of the case, the jury returned
a verdict of Sot
J•.mw lhoos, 29, glaaablower, Eli Aloholt,ead John Draper,
30, shoemakers, pleaded not guilty to a chargeof unlawfully
eateriug, together with other persons unknown, to the num-
ber of three or more, smith' close of land at Broughton
on the night of the god October last, armed withbludgeona,
for the purpose of takieg and destroying game.
Mx. Markby appeared for the pr recut ; Mr. (;reborn
defended the ',hooray Draper ; the other poisoners were
undefended.

Itappears that on the night in question Mr. Tyringham's
two gamekeepan were aroused at about two o'clock, and
having procured the assistance of four mem, won to a neigh-
bouring cover, when they found some nets set, and shortly
alter came op to five or en roes, who rushed upon them lied
attacked them with large nicks, and barn& inflicted consi-
derable injury on the keepers, made their escape. The
keepers afterwards found a quantity of nets and some bags
sostsdning 13 rabbits and a here. Two days alter this the