The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-28 00:00:00

SOUTHWARK COUNTY COURT.-YESTERDAT.

Sonoma lea. naionsw, Dawn loose.
BAAA%IAre r. Enolemma' Smug.
The defendant, a labourer recently in the employ of
Messrs. Mendslay and Co engineers, of the Westminster-
road, was summoned by the proprietors of the Waterloo
Loan Society for the balance of a loan for which he was
surety for another party.
The plaintiff proved that a loan was granted some time
ago to a person who had lately neglected to pay, end on in-
quiries being made for him, it was found that he had quitted
his lodging. The defendant being the surety, the society
came up= him for the arrears.
Defendant said he certainly was the surety, but he was
unable at present to pay a farthing. In fact, he was starv-
ing, owing to the strike of the engineers.
Ills Honour—What are you, then ?
Defendant—l am only a labourer, but when the engineers
were turned out we were compelled to hove al'o, and tieing
out of work so long, wnat little I saved is gone, and now I
am compelled to sell my clothing for food. I cant pay a
farthing at present.
One of the officers of the court informed his Honour that
he knew several of the labourers actually starving through
the engineers strike.
His Honour laid that under the circumstances he should
not call upon the defendant to make any arrangement at
present. It was a hard ease fur hint, and he must be pitied
as he had nothing whatever to do with the strike. This
was one of the melancholy resulta of the combination of
workmen, which not only ruined themselves hut every poor
person connected with them. Ile should adjourn the ease
for a fortnight.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.—YEsmaDAT.
Barons Ma, PPIUT•AT ADANN amerreee Jean.
Gauss OtTRAOI.
Renry Smogs*, IS, was indicted for having unlawfully
&smutted Elizabeth Ironmonger, with a felonious intent.
The presecutrix, a young woman 19 years ofage, deposed
that she had lived with her parents at Bromley, and on the
16th instant, in the evening, she left their house in the
company of a young woman named Matilda Parker to go
to a situation she hail obtained at No. 6, Bridge-street,
Milr'end. On arriving near a public-house called the Gun-
maker'," Arms, near the Canal-bridge, Mile•end, she stood
for a few minutes talking with her friend, and she noticed
two young men in conversation near them, one of whom
was the prisoner, she was quite sure ; and whilst they were
standing there, she heard use of them, sbe could not say
which, use a filthy espriosion toward, them, but that the
prisoner was one of the two she was certain, because he
stood so that the gaslight from a cornehandler's shop fell
full upon his face. When she left her friend, instead of
taking the right turning to go to Bridge street, she iu
mistake went in the direction of Bow-common. She
was followed by a man, whom she stud she had not the
slightest doubt was the prisoner, and she proceeded to de-
scribe a most goon outrage which was perpetrated upon her
by that man when she got on the common, and her evidence
clearly showed that the intention of the perpetrator was
that set forth in the indictment. She struggled and
screamed, and whilst resisting the attack upon her she
scratched the face of her assailant and kicked him, and on
hearing a door open, inconsequence as she suopored of her
cries, he left her and ran away. She went to the house, the
dour of which was opcied, and begged protection of a lady
whom she saw, aid who allowed her to go into the house,
and afterwards she went to her situations in Bridge.street,
and ir.formed Mr. Soler, whose service she was about to
enter, of the scandalous manner in which she had been
treated. Her father afterwards complained to the police,
and an officer took a man into custody en suspicion of being
the delinquent, but on seeing him she at once mid be was
not the man, but when the prisoner was apprehended on the
following day she declared positively the moment she saw
him with the policeman that he was the person. She was
quite sure that he was the man that attacked her. It was
a little after eight o'clock when she hest saw the prisoner.
In cross-examination, she said she did not snow the lady
into whose house she was admitted. She fainted away after
she was admitted, and when she left to go to her situation
the lady went with her. She first gave a description of
the man to her mother. She
marked with the small-pox. She could swear to the pri-
soner because he mood the nearest to her of the two see*
who were talking in front of the rornchsndler's shop, sad
she had a full and distinct view of his face. She Hiva eN
the prieoeier about ten minute.. peat S.
Matilda Parker, the person who accompanied the
mans is die sight in question, corroborated her cvideeaa
es tei Hee time mid place at which they saw the two sus.
dY ldeadial the prisoner as one of the men.
The landlord of the Gunmaken' Arms deposed that the
prisoner, wham ho had known for three or four years, was
in his house on the evening of the 16th of January.
Holden, 427 K, stated that he took the prisoner into ear
tidy ins skittle-ground the day after the assault was eon.
witted. There were three fresh scratches on his face. Ha
took him to Mr. Boxer's, where the girl was hying, and else
immediately said he was the man by whom she had hem
assaulted.
Mr. O'Brien, for the prisoner, said the answer he had te
make to the ease was that there was a othenbe sets the
identity of the prisoner ; and urged upon HIM /MN with
much force, the many fatal mistakes which had made
by juries in questions of idehtity, and the frogneneywale
which the Secretary of State was called apes as mins
verdicts given by juries in eases where the defines has hew
one of mistaken identity.
Evidence was then given to prove that at the time die
offence was committed the prisoner was at home, No.
Regent-street, Stepney. It appeared that the spot where
the prosecutriz first saw the two men was within a few mi-
nutes' walk of the place where ho lived, and where it was
said he was at the time.
Mr. Parry, in reply, contended that the evidence did not
clearly establish the alibi.
The learned Judge summed up the case, and
Thejury at once returned a verdict of Guilty.
The learned Judge quite concurred in the verdict, sad
said the rewritten' had given her evidence in a very cre-
ditable manner. He sentenced the prisoner to one years'
imprisonment, with hard labour.
BITING A Max's Nose OPT.
Nicholas Quirk, a tall, powerful.looking Irishman,
pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting John Costello. The
first count charged a malicious wounding, by biting off a
piece of the nose of John Costello; the second, a common
assault. The prisoner pleaded guilty to the latter.
The prosecutor was an Irish labourer, and lived in
George-yard, Islington. He stated that the prisoner and a
gang of others broke into his bedroom between 12 and 1
o'clock in the night of the 10th inst.,_and he got out of bed
and struggled with the prisoner. He threw him down,
and, whilst he was holding him on the door, be raised his
head and bit off a piece of his nose. The prosecutor's face
was bound round, but he removed the bandage and exhi-
bited the injury the prisoner had inflicted. The lower part
of his nose less wine.
The learieedJudp sentenced the prisoner to three months'
imprisonment and hard labour.
The grand jury, on owning into court to be dischareed,
expressed through the foreman their opinion that a grand
jury was not required fur the investigation of the eases tried
in that court, and eulogised the conduct of the police.
The learned Judge agreed in the opinion of the grand
jury, both in respect to the conduct of the police, and the
non-necessity fur the grand jury at that court. The princi-
pal difficulty in the abolition of grand juries was whilst
there was no public prose-cuter, what was to be eubdituted
fur that tribunal; but with respect to that court, if the grand
jury were abolieheil that difficulty would nut exist, IA there
would still he the grand jury at the Central Criminal Court,
the jurisdiction of which comprised that of the serious.
The grand jury was then discharged.
Bonus. Na. Wilmot.
ROBBIKT Mr A DitMESTIC SIIRTANT.
Celia Welsh, 36, was indicted for having stolen two
hoots and ether articles, the property of George Lane Vic-
tor Grey.
The prosecutor's wife stated that she lived in Lunen-
Street, and the prisoner hail been in the habit of acting an
her servant. On the 29th of September she was out all
day, and on her return die missed a number of articles, in-
chiding two gold ring., said the property mentioned in the
indictment. The prisoner absconded, and was net appre-
hended until the 9th of the present month.
Two pawnbrokers predeeed portions of the property
which had been pledged by the prisoner.
The prisoner said she was sister to Mrs. Grey, and had
IMged the articles at her request.
The prosecutor's wife denied that she had ever done so.
The primmer persisted in her statement, and said the ease
was got up purely out of revenge. She then said that her
dieter, though married to Mr. Grey, was the wife of a man
named Mills, and that this prosecution was gut up against
Ye fee having threatened to disclose the matter.
Mr. Witham (ta Mrs. Grey)—Have you been married to
thspreseestor
The witness said she was his wife.
The primmer said she had got a husband and two chil-
d:ea at Portsmouth.
Mm Gray said that was twenty-two years ego.
The prisoner was found Ow*, end she was asateneed to
is tenons' bud labour.