The Express.
London, England, 1852-07-31 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—WARWICK, Jun- 29.
&wag ma. BAUM ALDIMPON.
HENRY Box BROWN r, WILLIAM BINJAMIN SMITH.

NIWIWAPIS LIFILII.

This was an action for libel brsught by the plaintiff, who
bad formerly been a slave, against the defendant, the pub-
lisher of the Worrerhamplon Herald and &rasing/sant
Mercury, at Birmingham, for two libels published in that
r. Macaulay, Q.C., with whom was Mr. Field, stated
the case, showing that the plaintiff bad been a slave in
Virginia, had there married, had his wife and children
sold before his Lice, but had afterwards Named to the free
states, being somehow packed In a box. lie was subse-
quently lionised, had published • book, and when the law
of extradition passed in 1860 he was compelled to come to
England, with a panorama exhibiting the evils of slavery.
After being very successful is various localities he came to
Wolverhampton in March last, and opened his exhibition.
On the two first nights the receipts were very fair ; but on
Wednesday, the li th, the paper published a most unfair
notice, which was as follows :
l'asoriaans, OF SW/EST.—In consequence of as ad-
vertisement in our columns we looked in at the Corn Ex-
change on Monday evening to see Mr. Henry Box Brown's
panorama, which, like his oral representation of slavery, is
• gross and palpable exaggeration.. If the best and moat
authentic descriptions of American slavery are to be credited ;
if the pictorial illustrations of the southern states, given to
us by Banvard, Risley, Smith, Russell, and other artists
if the evidence of travellers in the slave states is to be relied
upon ; said lastly, if the statements of even former slaves
themselves are to be accepted and credited, then is Mr.
Box Brown's panorama without • feature of resemblance,
and his so-called " eloquent and poetical address" a jumbled
mass of contradictioas tad absurdities, assertions arithous
proof, geography without boundary, and horrors without
parallel. The representation, to our thinking. lostoad of
benefiting the cause of abolition, is likely from its want of
eraiseraVavece (sic in original) and decency, to generate
disgust at the foppery, conceit, vanity, sad egotisti-
cal stupidity of the Box Brown school. To paint
the devil blacker than he is, is, metes, • work
of eupererogetion, and to make the slave Mates a series of
inquisitorial chambers of horrots—a sort of Blue Beard, or
Giant Despair den for the destruction, burning, branding,
laceration, starving, and working of Degrees; and the
owners of slaves • class of demi.fiends, made of double
distilled brimstone—is shout as reasonable as giving his
satanic majesty a coat of black paint to increase his hideous-
ness. How clergymen and other respectable individuals,
and even portions of the press, could lend themselves to
such a iuggle we do not know; but testimonials from
such men (who doubtless received all Box Brown's descrip-
tions as unmingled gospel) are read before the audience,
and they are foil of fulsome compliment to the bejewelled
" darkey," whosesportly figure and overdressed appearance
bespeak the gullibility aim meet embalmer age emanation.
We had an intelligent American gentlesesa, who lea tea a
name throughout the civilised woriff, Tismier Ade at this
exhibition, and who has visited the slave sad
seen the development of slavery. in phew, Lite 411e-
dared to us that both the description and d
tion oral were as characteristic and messthiant of ther=
sal scenes and of slavery as a voltam eeMsge of s DM Maw
roes. We therefore caution thou was mg attoad II upset
sway amusemeat, as the horrors related is the richestatgger
styli ate as goal as • pantomime, and to be chary in giving
evidence to the astounding and horrified details with whit
Box Brown overwhelms his wide-sheathed and wonder-
gaping audiences. A gentleman present asked Mr. Box
Brown what part of Virginia the Dismal Swamp was in.
" Well, he daint sackly know ; taint somewhere in de
miadle of de state." ' But," continued the Interrogator,
"is it not on the borders of North and South Carolina ?"
" Well, he client knew; you might pat it in Carolina, but
he taut it was in Virgiany." Koch laughter followed this
confab, but after that section of the exhibition was ewers
the proprietor said, " There was • swamp in Virginia, bet
not the Dismal Swamp," a fact, we prernme, which may be
predicated of every state in the union. Such is the cha-
racter of the panorama, and we deeply regret that the pal.
lie should be gulled by that which can only give them a very
partial, unfair, and decidedly false view of American slavery.
The bondage of slavery is bad enough, and the principle
wicked enough, without evoking from the bottomless pit,
shades dark and gloomy, and auxiliary horrors to dress up
and horrify with this foul bloton the star-spengtedleamer." '
Again, on the following Wednesday, a eisem4 UMW of a
depreciatory tendency was published.
The average receipts of the exhibition wise Mem dill: le
701. a week in the gross—the profit Wag about aft a
week. In consequence of these libels the ressipts All mit
and the plaintiff was compelled to leave Wol
He ridiculed the assumption of the " we" by 'lre=
or MY. Brindley, or whatever the editor's name we ma
hoped that the jury would give such damages as would
induce the people of Wolverhampton to compel the pea
prietnr of the paper in getrition to get another editor.
William Yatemen, schoolmaster, Wolverhampton, visited
the panorama and saw Mr. Brantley, the editor of the
Woirerkanatatim Herald, there. He asked where the Dismal
Swamp was. The plaintiff said it was in Virginia. When
Brindley said "Is it not in North and South Carolina I"
the plaintiff said, "The swamp I am exhibiting is in Vie-
swig." lie did not say the whole of it was. -The gentle-
man who was with Mr. Brindley said, " It is evident he
knows nothing about it ; it is evident he was never there."
The witness had spoken to Mr. Brindley three or four
times, and said, "If you are • man speak out like a man
it's a public lecture, and the lecturer will reply." As
soon as the
i painting came before the audience, and the ex-
hibitor said " This s the Dismal Swamp," Brindley came
to witness, and said, " Is it right the audience should be
gulled in this way ? " and then the witness told him to
speak out like • man. lie turned to Mr. Hobbs, (the Ame-
rican, of lock picking celebrity,) and said, " Shall I 1 "
and then he put the question to the lecturer. The plaintiff
said that if the gentleman would wait till the close of the
lecture he would answer any questions. Shortly attars aid
indeed as each sucllesive view passed, Mr. Hobbs mid they
nearly all were incorrect, and both B and Mils'
were ridiculing them. The witness ffsleas Iran
which Brindley said " U you insult me via
and put up his band to his hat. The wiMegt odd, . n„,
bonnet me, you and I will meet again." Is the attliP of
tie , the 24th March there was something like the
' there attributed to the lecturer spoken, not is the
• style, but in English. Ile gave ft as rut of a slave-
: sermon, to show that it was their wish to keep the slaves
. in ignorance. lie knew a grosser misrepresentation
• than these articles.

H. Bon Brown was then called, and stated that he was
born a clove, in the state of Virginia, and we. in the ter-
ries of John Barrett, a planter. From his pommies he
escaped. lie had married, and had a &mil , kis wife being
the property of Mr. Leigh, of It She wee sold
several time.. until ultimately she was sold to a slave dealer
in South Carolina, and he had never seen ter since. This
was in August, 1P49. Shortly after that be made
his escape from Mr. Barrett, to PABadeeWasted
that by being pained la • box, with these gimlet beim is
It, near when his needs was. He was wiled by nand
and steam-beat dues about SOO sales eltegethev. It
took about 27 heave Ms supported lisself by workleg me
a porter, at New Bean* and dexissi But tine be ba
as invitation to attend the AseliAllavirry Ceoventien at
New Boston, which tea pleas le Moy, lOW. Hs wee neliesi
by many of the anti He afterwards pub-
lished a narrative of 4wlwtwaletreedimeL Thu boa had
a eery rapid sale, and prodeeed a yeti deal el prat. In
the count; of that year the pewits* wee painted by an
American artist, red it was @hews I. Dietee and the pria-
sipal tower of the free states; saa y palms attended, some
eleveholdoes etesnot them. In fleet year the law for the
recapture of shoo weed, sad he one to Liverpool at the
end of INK He exhibited hie petunias Ise live weeks,
where then were many persons who hose Am.-
rice well. It wee well attended them and is Man-
i skeeter and in veriest Mire plasma. Ibises Levet,
I 1661, there was a book balk die reedpis. Oa the trek
lel March he hers to exhibit ids
Weteedreepten. mad had

a very large audience for the ant two •sights. There was
71. the first night, and 91. 91. next night, coiltibiting every
night. lie should have stayed there about three
weeks. On the third night, the night on which the paper
was published, the receipt. feU off, and continued to fall of.
Iho first pries was 1.. ; the second &1 . and the third 4d. ;
school. being admitted at half price. He was patronised by
clergymen and others who had an intern In abode ; the
Rev. Mr. Owen being am' vg the number. At last he
could do nothing, and wan obliged to close the doors. He
had about a dozen men, to whom he paid about 131. a week.
He paid for the room M. 3a. ; 21.21. the second ; and a
guinea a night after. The advertising cost about U. a
week. lie afterwards went to Billiton, bat bad only 71. fur
the whole six nights. He had intended to go to the Rh-
minghem district, but in consequence of this article he did
not. lie then went to Lancashire, to a small village, where
he bad upwards of SOL per week. He lot a week as travel-
ling. The learned Judge was asking regarding the ex-
penses of removing from Bilden to Lancashire, and the
expenses of travelling, when it was stated by the plaintiff
that his men travelled second elan, and he himself some-
times brat class, which occasioned a titter, when Serjeant
Miller said something about his going in a hinse•hoz, which
elicited a hiss in the court. On cross-examination the wit-
ness said that he had published an answer to one of the
articles. It was headed

He that mesh my wares duals iamb, has.
His servant wrote the re to the paper. did not abuse
the editor, nor say that " h ply
e was • base calumniator."
Walter Glyn, an assistant to the plaintiff, produced the
book of receipts at various places, the average being more
than .501., and spoke as to the receipts at Wolverhampton.
This closed the plaintiff's case.
Serjeant Miller who, with Mr. Hayes, was for the de-
fence, urged that it was not only the right but the duty of
the press to expose improper exhibitions ; that the criticism
was a fair one, although severe ; remarking with some se-
verity on what ho termed the indecency of the exhibition,
and the positive propriety of exposing it, concluding by ri-
diculing tho "jewellery bedizened obesity of the runaway
slave," declaring that his character had suffered nothing by
the criticism.

The learned Judge afterwards explained the law of the
case, expressed rather a strong opinion with respect to the
attacks upon the person of the plaintiff, and 'node eons
jocular critical observations on the style in which the notices
were written.

The jury, after consideting a minute or two, gave a var•
diet for the plaintiff, damages 1001.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT.—NosswIcn, JOLT 29.
Comm nom—lirreaa 114atio Nan,
CHANG." Or ...STINK TO MURDER.
Mary Ana Goldeseith was charged with having on the
22nd of June, at North Taddenhans, attempted to drown
her child by throwing it into a pond.
Mr. W. Cooper prosecuted. The prisoner was unde-
fended.
The evidence on the part of the prosecution was, that
as David Savory, a gate-keeper at East I)ereham, was
going along the road leading from North Tudden-
hem, about half past twelve at noon, be heard a noise
over the hedge, and found a child in a pond. The
child, which seemed to be very weak, was holding upon •
stick which was fastened to some mien, about a yard from
the edge. It had only • shirt and tic on, and appeared to
be aboat three years old. Two gentlemen, who were pass-
ing by in • gig took charge of the child. The prisoner had
been seen shortly before going in the direction of the pit,
with • child in her arms, and the child now produed was
sworn to be the same. After her apprehension, too, her,
boots were compared with some footmarks bl the side of
the pit, and found to correspond. The child, too, after-
wards recognised the prisoner as its mother, and again in
the court to day.
The prisoner was found Guilty, and sentenced to 14 years'
transportation.
Tb a was the last trial of the present assizes.
Tea MANSLAUGHTER AT OITIWILL.
The boy lases Pear*, who, had pleaded guilty of having
shot another lad named William Day, and thereby caused
his death, was brought up and sentenced to 10 years' trans-
portation.
THI Ro aaaaa AT Dies.
Robert Barber, the foreman of the jury before whom
J. B. Rush was tried, was brought up, and in considera-
tion of his previous good character was sentenced to only
one month's imprisonment with hard labour.
CIVIL Sin.—Bares. TYR Loss Cant RAMON.
PALMER O. Taoovaa.
His lordship haying summed up in this cue at great
length, the jury, after an hour's deliberation, returned •
verdict for the plaintiff for only U. 6e. 10d , the amount
claimed for work done. This was equivalent to a verdict
for the defendant in respect of the promissory note.
Mr. Serjeant Bytes applied to his lordship to impound
the promissory note, but, after a abort consideration, his
lordship declined to do so.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.-Ni

JULY 29.
This morning, about 11 o'clock, Lord Chief Justice
Campbell arrived in the town from Durham, having been
previously met on the road, at the Sheri Slain, by the High
Sheriff of the county, and conducted to the town. His
lordship then opened the commission at the Town.coert,
then afterwards the county ; the former he en.planed until
1 o'clock, and the latter until 10 o'clock the following
morning. His lordship next attended divine service at St.
Nicholas Church, at the termination of which he went
to the Town-court, and proceeded with the business.
Richard Ash, 23, was charged with having, on the 29th
June, maliciously stabbed and wounded James Muir with
intent to do him some grievous bodily harm.
Under his lordship's direction, the jury acquitted the pri-
soner of the higher offence, but found him Guilty of
unlawfully wouing. Sentenced to three months' impri-
sonment.
The court was there adjourned until next morning at 10.