The Express.
London, England, 1863-02-17 00:00:00

au whether an adjudication could stand against a married
woman.
The Commissioner—The new act says that any person
who has been in custody for a certain time may be made
l..okrupt. whether a trader or not.
Mr. &mood thought it a cams omittus in the new
smt in not providing against a married woman being made
bankrupt by the registrar.
Mr. Macrae said be believed it was the lint cue of the
►ind that had occurred.
His Honour said he would take time to consider it.

SURREY SESSIONS.
(THIS DAY.)

NEW COURT.
(More J. E. Johmos, Esq.)

ASSAULT UPON A SERVANT GIRL BY A LADY
AT NUNHEAD.
lire. Mary Landers Thomas, a widow lady, residing in
Loden-grove, Nunhood, Peckham, surrendered this morn-'
pig to take her trial " for that she, on the 18th December
Lot, and for four months previous, being legally liable, as
• maltlan, to provide for one Sophia Jarvis, re a mutant,
peceseary food, did wilfully, and without lawful
excuse, refuse and neglect to provide the same, and also at
various times within the same period of four months, and
particularly on the 6th and 18th of December last, unlaw-
folly and maliciously did bodily (harm to the said Sophia
Jerrie, so that the health of the said Sophia Jarvis was
liable to be permanently injured."
The complainant is a poor girl, who bad been brought up
from her infancy in the schools at Sutton, in Surrey, by the
parish authorities of St. George's, Southwark, and was sent
out to service at the house of the defendant, aced appeared
in a very sickly state.
Mr. Sleigh, specially retained with Mr. Thomson, in-
structed by Mr. Fitch, clerk to the guardiansof St. George's,
Southwark, prosecuted ; and Mr. Robinson and Mr. Oppen-
beim defended. The court was very much crowded during
the inquiry, and the defendent, an elderly lady, was allowed
a seat behind her counsel.
Mr. Sleigh, in opening the ease, said he was sorry
to have to appear against a pawn like the defendant,
• lady by education and position, on such a charge
uthat set forth in the indictment, but be had a duty
to perform not only for the protection of the poor
workhouse girl who would soon appear before them,
but to the public. The case was one of the grorest
mature, end he was sure that after bearing all the
evidence they would be sanded that the poor girl had been
cruelly ill-treated and nearly starved. The learned counsel
amend that the cruelty at last became so intolerable that
is we compelled to run away in a clandestine manner, and
at wee to Mr. Filcher, the master cd the Button
whe, seeing her emaciated coaditica, reported the
eireumetnacies to the pariah authorities of St. George's,
Southwark, and the present proosedinp were taken,
Sophie Jarvis, the nrosecutrix, was then called. She was
d rather diminitive sue, but seemed much improved sines
is was before the magistrates at Lambeth. She maid—l
as 17 Lot October. My father died in 1855 ; sinew then I
ism been in the St. George's ladustrial &heel, at Mitcham,
him* to the perish of St. Gene, Southwark. In
Weber, 1881, I west into the service of Hrs. Thomas. I
wen In geed health then, and was to have la 6d. a week to
do the house-work and live in the house. No other servant
en kept. I slept upstairs in a room by myself, and dor-
.* the first three mouths Mu. Thomas behaved very
kindly to me. After Mr. Orekarell, one of the relieving
'Seen, came in June last an alteration took place. He
sew me in the preemies of llra Thomas. He said to me
" You have taken some postage stamps." I said I had sot
seen any. She said I had taken some tate also. I said I
bad taken some, as I had not had sufficient food. He (Mr.
Cockerel!) then left. After be left the primmer began to
91-use me, by beating me on the bends with a stick. She
did that nearly every day until I came away. She usedthe
rolling.pin owe, and the young gentleman's • rod. LI/
bands soon became very sore and much
sometimes they bled. Prior to the beating my
were well enough, but now they are extremely sou sad
covered with brumes. (Shown to the jury.) The second
finger of my left hand la much hark and I cannot bend it.
Nett on the 19th of December, and a fortnight before
that she struck me on the back, bead, and eye with the
tubing rod. The wound bled very much from the eye
and he. The next mornise it was so much swollen
that I mold not see out of is. On that day I ran
away. My mistress cut my hair elf the beck
of my head about a month before I left. She said
my bead was untidy. I had no comb, and had had
no thole to put it right. The liredtaizrair I had 2s. al,
alter Mrs. Thomu bought my which amounted
to 15a Bd. I have never received any maw hem her
slue. Almost a week before I left she told me to en.
dries. I was obliged to do so, sad when I was eadremed
she ordered me into the yard. Mrs. Thomas stood on a chair
and ordered Miner George, 12 years el age to fetch a pig of
water. He did so and she threw it ovum. (Somalian.) She
ordered the lad to fetch another yell of water, whit* she
also' threw our me. Then she made me lie dews es
the cold mum This was the 181 k of Desember. I bed
than as only my chemise. A third pail et water 111111
throwa 011111110, aid I meld bandly get my tem* then.
She held me dews while she seat her ems for another
pall of water. (Renewed samation). That wen biennia sad
elm threw it ever me aced aid me is get lap end drew. I
could barley net my breath, but she gashed tae shag to
my ream. On the Collegian day I ran away. After Mr.
Ocielowell left I had coffee, with a little milk but so wager,
and dry breed for breakfast. Sometimes I did not
have say hreektest. Before Mr. Cockerel' came I bad
bread and lamb. I had for discs boiled rim but so
matt. I had ankh* elm bet that for lour whim
The femikr Rad mesh mat, dew% mid hash ; somsffimen
they bed maildinns lib% 1 was not easy. I sakes
bad Nen In. es I was era be bed abet 6 or 7 in the
' ehmslw I rely Wei * gales 11=ie &Intl withers of
Ole I sews slobs any Amps or mime.
Oremempinsil JP, Mr. sever IMAM*
them. I sew mid that I had hiss dews and e:inge
No, Dirs. Theme. did it with the allas. Shiba
▪ my dirty ; but I MO We 4110....115h
went any /es a month ; sad dealog did Mom I ea/aid
ae sternums,. as I was so hungry. When she came back
she eleentad as with steeling things, and that she
vivid mai as to prison. I catered to her that I bed
tam yolege stamps, but that waa lianas. I bad bees
Mian's service, but I was disehuged became
I was too young. Mrs. Mann has charged me with theft.
About a fortnight before I left her I coffered to Mrs.
Mena that I bed robbed her. After I left Mrs. Man I
war be Mr. Pitcher's in the Old Kent-read. At the
7.:1 Thomas told me to undress I was in the kitchen.
Ma me to go into the open yard. I west shoat tee
the yard, sod muter George was sent fLeZ
elf water from the back kitchen. Mn. Themes
fear pas of water on a chair and threw the centeuts over
as. It lasted altogether about a quarter ef an boor. I nerd to
valise table when any company was there.but not otherwise.
The eisha dined in the kitchen, but I did net dine with
them. bet to a little room. On the 6th of J I was
1111 emmileed at the polls court, and the meciad on
lie WS. I was very weak then, but I am stronger sew.
The Nat nee always kept in the store-room.
Mr. Mime— Do you mean to gay it was not left in the
ealesked larder I

Witaem—No, sir. They ably kept sprats there, sod such
The pastry wee eiways kept locked where the meat
was. Ify hoods were sem like this until Mrs. Thomas
beet nu.

Rimaansiasel by Mr. ffierigh—Before I went into Kn.
Thomas's servioe I had the full use of my hoods without
any swelling or inj ry. Since I have left Mrs. Thorosa's I
have bees in the in6rmery of the schools at Sutton, and
have been well attended to.
Mr. Robinson—l object to that question. It is really
ramming up the case against the prisoner.
Chairman—l think it would have been better to have
asked her were she bad beea.

Re-examioation contioaed—Yes. Thera beat me cruelly
with a 6shiog-rod until I wee compelled to confess I stole
some postage stamps. I never stole any bat Ilan taken
food because I was marries. When at Yrs. Mann's I stole
a sixpenoe. I was discharged three weeks afterwards. The
sispenoe was on the table, and I took it up and pet it in
my pp**. I was never dishonest before or since then, ex-
cept *kiss food. Yrs. Thomas said I stole two seeks mad
half of potatoes. (Laughter.)
Mr. facdrh—Had you taken potatoes!
Whams—Yu, because I woo hungry sad could gat no
food.

(The preseentrit's deposition takes lido» the megietrani
was here put in and read by Mr. Greig, the sleek of the
mem.)
Mr. W. Cockers% one of the relieving akin of South-
wark, examined by Mr. Thomann—l know the complainaat,
and wheat she left the school, to go to Mrs. Thorns@
@lie was is good health ;so she was whim I called to see
her at Mrs. Thome*. When I saw her afterwards, as the
22nd of December, at the lodoatnal Schools she was very
emaciated, and had ,black eye and • cot on the lam. Whoa
I called on Mrs. Thomas in June, the hitter told motile girl
had stolen some tarti. She acknowledged it, as she was
hungry, and liked them. Mrs. Thomas also said she bed
stolen postage Amapa. The girl denied it, and aid the had
not seen any. At that tams she looked in very 004 heath,
Mr. Joseph Pileber. master of the St. George ilodm@tryl
Schools, at enttou—Sophia Jarvis lime use seder ray aeries
in 1859, mad west into the smoke at Mr. Norris. I did
not see her while is defendant's service. Oe the
22nd of December hit I west to Its. Thome, wording to
directions, to inquire about the eomplainaat, who had ab-
sconded from her service. I told bar the girl preeeeted a
very bad appearance. She bad a black eye, her bad was
cut ; also her hair cut off, sad heeds braised, and the
bad told me she bad dome it, also that she Gad
thrown water over her. Mrs. Thoteasoilr, that she
did Meow some water over her, poor hewn she
was so dirty. She said the girl bad bobs so very badly
and she had so much trouble withlber that she wee going to
return her. She told me she had doles postage stamps, two
gado of pot•toei a ...aka, and two poen& of lump sepr.
She bad also stolen some port sad sherry. Mrs. Thome ad-
mitted that she smelt her at the time, and meld sot
detect it. She also told me that the Mask no won
mused by ruriaimg against some weed. Wm and that
during her ahem» is Use men*, the girl hod taken tbe
kepi boa made, one of her ebim's Akers. and iliad all
her Wit bed bees tampered with. I observed about her
hair being cut off. Mrs. Thome. said eke cut that se
became it was dirty.