The Express.
London, England, 1864-07-22 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCIIIT.—Lowers, Jeer 2L
CROWN Stns—(Betas Mr. Baron Martin.)
THE RITRAORDINART CHARGE 01 ARSON.
Mrs. Margaret Grant, a lady-like looking person, very
handsomely dreamed, and stated is the calends: to be 39
years of sp, the widow of Major Grant late paymaster to
the tilt regiment, who was killed at Delhi during the
Indian mutiny, surrendered to take her trial upon an indict-
ment for felony, the offence alleged against her bong that
she did feloniously and maliciously sot fire to a dwelling
house in her commotion, with intent to injure and defraud
the owner of the premises.
The Hon. G. Denman, pC., wee specially retained, with
Mr. Roupell, to conduct the prosecution. tierjaant Ballow
tine, Serpent Parry, and Sir G. Honeyinan, were specially
retained se 14.1111.1 the primmer.

Ferjeant Beßerstrae. This the ease was called oa, made as
ap plication to the evert for the postponensent of the trial
to the next assizes. Be did so upon an affidavit made by
Mr. Teesdale, of the inn of Maples, Teesdale, and Co.,
solicitors for him. Greet, which stated that eartain officals
belonging to her Majesty's filet Rae., to which the
husband of Mrs. Grant wee in his lifetime paymaster, were
essential and neoresary witnesses for the defence, to prove
the circumetaaces in which the prisoner was left at the
_

distill of bar lambda, end also ti-speak to hes character,
and that satin regiment lad been ordered for Ireland, it was
impomible to procure the oftentimes of these oaken at
the yeeeent arum. Upon this ground the learned counsel
appealed to the court to postpone the trial.
Baron Martin said he was unwilling to pesthole, say trial
unless good and sufficient tense was shown for doing so, and
in the present ease it appeared to him that (widow* of the
kind alluded to by the learned serjeset would net be ad-
minable or relevant upon such a charge as arson, and that
the character, or at all events the ctrcumstanoss, of the pri-
soner hid nothing whatever to do with such a charge. The
absence of witnesses to speak upon these matters, it
appeared to bins therefore, wee no ground for • post-
pominseot of the bin,
Berjeant Ballantine said be should venture to suggest that,
with reference to one of the counts of the indictment im-
puting to the prisoner an intention to obtain money by the
act imputed to her, it was most essential and important to
show that she was possessed 'of ample means, and had con-
siderable property, and that it was therefore very
improbable that she should have been actuated
by any such motive as the one imputed to her.
Be would remind his lordship that in ordinary
oases of this description, it was the common course to
bring forward evidence that the party accused wan under
pressure, and in, debt, as a reason why it was likely that he
should endeavour to obtain money by the commission of
such an offence, and it appeared to him to be open to a pri-
soner to show that no such state of things existed, and that
evidence of this description was most material in a charge of
this description.
Baron Martin said he was still of opinion that evidence
of the character alluded to could not be reosived, but be
should be glad to hear what Mr. Denman had to say in re-
ference to the application for a postponement.
Mr. Denman said that he and his learned friend were in-
structed to prosecute by the authorities of the town of
Brighton, and the only object they had in view was that a
full inquiry, and such a one as would be likely to be satisfac-
tory to the public, should take plea. Under these circum-
stances, and • representation being made that witnesses were
absent whose evidence would be material on behalf of the
prisoner, he did not feel himself called upon to resist the
application, and he should leave the matter entirely in the
hands of his lordship.
Baron Martin then said that he would allow the trial to be
postponed, but he wished it to be understood that he would'
not have consented to the postponement if the counsel for
the prosecution hadlnot agreed to such acourse being
His lordship then inquired the present amount
recognisaneee into which the prisoner had entered foe be
appearance to take her trial ?
Mr. Avery, the officer of the apart, informed him that the
present recognisanoss of the prisoner were—herself in 500 i.
with two sureties in 250/. each.

-Baron Martin said tbst the prisoner would be spin
admitted to bail, bat he thought the reoognisances ought
to be increased, and that she herself should enter into •
recognisance in the sum of 1,0001. and find two sureties in
5001. each.

In the coarse of the morning the required sureties were
entered into, and the prisoner was then discharged from
custody, and left the court accompanied by her daughter,
an elegantly dressed young may, and several of her friends.
A prisoner named Job Snook alias James Macey, was
then placed at the bar to receive judgment.
He had pleaded guilty to a charge of feloniously setting
fire to a stack, and it appeared that he had been previously
convicted of a similar offence, and sentenced to penal
servitude. When he was brought into the dock, the pri-
soner conducted himself in the most violent and outrageous
manner. He raved like a madman, and shrieked out, "Why
don't you hang me—hang me at once—l want to he hanged
—you can't do worse to me than you have done ;" and it
required all the exertions of two of the county constabulary
and a warder belonging to the gaol to hold him in the dock.
Mt. Lineal, the governor of t'etworth gaol, stated to the
court that the prisoner had been perfectly quiet down to
the present time, and that he had no doubt that hie present
fit of violence was entirely assumed.
Baron Martin said he was of the same opinion, sad be
then addressed the prisoner, and said that he bad pleaded
guilty to a very serious offence, that of wilfully setting fire
to and destroying the property of a man who bad never
done him an ieury, and that be had been solely actuated
by a feeling of revenge and malice against all the world.
He found that in addition to this be had, while in the army,
been punished no less than a dozen times for different acts
of insuliordination and that he had been at length dis-
charged as a worthier character, and that since this he bad
been also convicted of the crime of arson. He felt it his
duty, under these circumstances, to order him tobe kept in
penal servitude for the space of ten years.

The moment the sentence wee pronounced the prisoner
appeared to become almost frantic with rags. He kicked
and bit at the officers, who were endeavouring to restrain
him, and yelled out, " flier, been flogged a dozen times,
you can only flog me to death. I want to be hung ; bang me
at once." With great difficulty he was earned to the cells
below, where it appeared that be tore off the whole of his
clothe., and it wee found necessary to handcuff his hands
behind Mtn, to prevent him from doing further mischief.
This concluded the criminal business.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.