The Express.
London, England, 1863-12-17 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

Panay row, an interesting young girl, dredbed in
the calendar as • spinster, under 19 years of age, was placed
at the tar to answer an indictment charging her with COD.
°settee the birth of her illegitimate child. The prisoner
had been committed for trial by the magistrate on the
charge of wilful murder, and • similar verdict had been
pasted against her, and had been returned on the coroner's
inquisition. The grand jury, however, bad ignored the
bill respecting wilful murder, and she now appeared to
answers indictment for the concealment of birth.
Mr. Platt appeared for the prosecution, and stated the
fats of the cue to be these :—The prisoner had been in
the orrice of the family of Mr. Arthur Buller, in Kensing-
ton, r nader housekeeper, and was much esteemed by her
master, the family, and the household, during the period of
eight months. On the day mentioned in the indictment the
prisoner complained of being unwell, and suspicious being
entertained that she had recently been delivered of • child,
a search wee made, and io one of the drawers of a chest in
the prisoner's bedroom was found the dead body of • child
carefully wrapped up in • neat impkin.
Mr. Ribbon, who appeared as counsel for the primmer,
intimated to the court that he felt he could not contend
ardor the charge of concealment of the birth, and, with
his lordship's permission, the unhappy prisoner, after consul-
tation with her solicitor, was anxious to retract her plea
of not guilty, and to plead guilty to the charge of
concealment of the birth. There wao. however, the
coroner's inquisition upon which • verdict most be taken,
but be trusted that after the plea of guilty of the conceal-
ment of the birth, the other charge would not be proceeded
with. His lordship had no doubt read the depositions, and
he trusted would be of opinion that he (Mr. Ribbon) was right
in the course he was now taking. He might be further
permitted to add that in reference to the charge of murder,
Inspector Cross arid other officers would prove that on •
search of prisoner's boxes there has been found • quantity
of baby linen and other appliances carefully laid by, clearly
indicating that the unhappy. prisoner never contemplated
the destruction of her offspring.
Mr. Justice Blackburn said that he thought that Mr.
Ribton was perfectly correct in calling attention to the
facts. This comparatively tnvial circumstance materially
altered the incidents attaching to the case. The jury would
be justified in returning a verdict of not guilty on the
inquisition returned by the coroner.
The jury, adopting the recommendation of the learned
r°dge,.returned • verdict of Not Guilty on the coroner's
liition.
rm. Justice Blackburn remarked that he should post-
pom the sentence, as he was given to understand that the
lodise' Committee attending the gaol . would make anxious
inquiries, and on the result of those inquiries and the re-
port of the committee the court would eventually act ; at
present the judgment would be deferred until the next
session of the court.
The prisoner, who appeared to be in • very weakly state,
was then assisted from the seat with which she had been by
order of the court accommodated, and removed front the
her by the female warders in attendance.
Peter Graham, • well-looking private in the Royal
Marines stationed at Woolwich, wee charged with a rape
committed oo the person of Ann Burt, the wife of a corporal
in the same regiment.
Mr. Cooper appeared as counsel for the prosecution, and
after a long and disgusting inquiry, the jury Acquitted the
prisoner, and he was ordered to be discharged.
Peter Melloy, • young man, who seemed deeply to feel
the painful position in which he was placed, surrendered to
take his trial, on an indictment charging him with the
manslaughter of Thomas Boon.
It wll no doubt be in the recollection of our
readers, that for some time past the defendant was a
popular vocal performer at Wilton's Music Hall, in Well-
close-roars ; that in the midst of his vocal performance to
amuse the audience, the deceased insolently and impu.
Unaptly assailed him with most insulting words, telling
him to "shat up," and the result was that the
prisoner jumped off the stage upon which he was ex-
hibiting his performance, when the deceased repeated
his annoyance and interruption, and the prisoner threw his
hat at the head of the deceased.
The further evidence adduced in the case went to allow
that the deceased was the aggressor iu the affair, and not
the accused, and a lengthy inquiry ensued, in the course of
which Mr. &quaint, the surgeon who had been called in,
gave his medical testimony as to the cane of death.
In the course of the inquiry it was elicited that the pri-
soner was a well-moducted and oo all occasions a well dis-
ciplined man, and the violence which be had committed arose
from the outrageous insults he had received at the hands of
the deceased.
A long inquiry followed as to the positions of the
patties and tee injuries inflicted, and the evidence went
to show that the fatal results might have occurred from
accidental circumstances.
The jury retired, and after an absence of five minutes re-
turned into court with • verdict of Guilty, accompanied with
• guar recommendation to mercy on the ground of the
gross provocation which the prisoner had received.
Mr. Justice Blackburn, after taking time to consider his
judgment, sentenced the prisoner to fourteen days' impri-
moment with hard labour.
Robert Robertson, described in the calendar as being •
shoemaker, was indicted for carnallyand feloniously abusing
one Catherine Fay, a little girl, aged about seven years.
Mr. Sleigh appeared forth@ prosecution, instructed by the
Society for the Protection of the Female Population ; and
the evidence, which was of • moat disgusting description,
ended in the conviction of the prisoner, who was sentenced
to five years' penal servitude.
(Before Mt. Justice Keating.)
Robert Ward, 48, iron plate "raker, was indicted on a
charge of unlawfully and by fraud enticing away and de-
taining Emily Wright, • child of the age of twelve years,
with intent to deprive the parents of the said Emily Wright.
In a secoad Indictment the prisoner was charged with en-
ticing away Agree Burton, with a like intent. There was
also • third indictment against the prisoner for indecently
assaulting the said Agnes Barton.
Mr. Sleigh attended to prosecute on behalf of the Society
for the Protection of Young Children ; the prisoner was
defended by Mr. F. H. Lewis.
This case was one of • most disgusting nature, the chief
points being wholly undt for publication. In the case of
the girl Wright the following are some of the facts.
Mr. Sleigh, in opening the case, said the prisoner was
charged on an indictment with having committed an offence
which was dearly defined and laid down to a statute but
very .recently passed. Acoordeig to the section in question
it did not matter whether the child consented to what the
DIM did or not. It would be for them to say whether they
could, within the meaning of the act, convict the prisoner
of having taken the child away from her parents by
force or fraud. It appeared that at the time of
the offence the proeecutrix lived with her mother at Fut-
wood's-rents, Holborn, and the prisoner was living very
clam by and so became acquainted with her, and he con-
tinually addressed her in the streets, and at length he asked
her if she would go home and live with him. The girl re-
fused, but upon the Sib November he made such proposals
and held out such inducements to her that she went with
hint to his house in Castle-street. There be effected her
min, when be gave her some money, and she left. A few
days after this he again met her, this time accompanied by
• girl 'tamed Burton. On that occasion they both west
home with him, and he then committed the same offenceuponthe girl' Burton as he had the day before upon
Emily Wright. On the following Sunday both
girls went to his room, when he gave them
eighteen pence between them. They stayed with him for
some bolus, leaving him between 7 and ri, end about half-
par 11 the girl W right returned, saying that she did or
like to go bonze. He thou said she could stop with him,
and she did so that and the following nights, and it was
alleged by the prosecution that upon the day after the
Sunday she had been locked in the priemer's room, and
was so unable to get free It was not till some tame atter
this that the mother beard where her daughter bad slept,
when the prisoner was at once given into custody. Upon
being apprehended, he rid the child had gone to him and
told him that her mother had tweed her out of the house.
He added that he had certainly slept with the girl, and
also stated that she had given him a certain disease.
A number of whereas were then called whose Ma me
was of • most disgusting nature. The principal witness—
the girl Wright—prevaricated very much when ercee-ez-
nininid by Mr. Lewis, and from the character of the
proceedings there can be no doubt that the whole of the par-
ties concerned belong to a most immoral class. The ear bet
of the girl herself admitted that she had lived with tire dil-
foreat men since the death of her husband a few years age.
Mr. F. H. Lewis contended that this was not a ease which
come within the meaning of the act, as it appeared to him
that neither force nor fraud hail been used by the prisoner
in obtaining porerion of the girl.
Is summing up, the Judge said if thequestion before them
to decide was whether the prisoner hail conducted himself
in the most scandalou., disgraceful, and disgusting manner,
there could not be two opinion:. ; but they were sot there
to judge him for hie Immorality, but for the crime with
which he was charged, and they must not punish him for
one offence when be was being tried for another. Nu one
who had listened to that child could place implicit
credence upon her statement. for if, as she had ad.
nutted, she had once perjured herself before the magistrate,
she was just as likely to do so now. If, however, they
were satisfied that she had been taken away from her
parents by force and fraud, of course they must terra
their verdict accordingly.
The jury immediately returned a verdict of Not Guilty on
this indictment.
A sound indictment wee then preferred rater him in
the same are, "for that be did unlawfully take her out of
the ion of her parents against then will."
offence contained in this indictment was only a

1111.0.12 WILOONLT.
Precisely the slime evidence Ina given in this indictment.
TIN jury toned the prisoner Guilty.
Mr. Weigh maid there were other indictment*.
The learned Judge said be meet sensibly thought that
these ought to be proceeded with.
The primmer wee then indicted on the eherge of indecently
aessalting ARON Burton.
• erideuce