The Press.
London, England, 1853-07-09 00:00:00

gab) anly Voila.

A ermors CHARGE OF l'Etorav, emanating from
the Bankruptcy Court, was tried before the Criminal
Court on iNednesday. One Legge, who had been an
upholsterer at Brampton, became bankrupt some
months since, and absconded, taking with him a
large amount of property. Some of this property
was traced to the house of a person calling himself
Marshall, living near Southampton, whom the hank
rupt, on being arrested and examined in Ba.singliall-
Arect, swore to have merely known for two or aim

225

years in the way of business, and that it was in the
character of a customer that the commodities in
question passed into his keeping. Subsequently it
transpired, and on the trial it was proved, that the al-
leged stranger Marshall was in reality named Mar-
shall Legge, and was the bankrupt's own father. The
property which he had thus attempted to secure sold
afterwards for 500!. The prisoner was found ening
of the perjury, but some technical objections obligea
the court to postpone his sentence.

THE elltittili OF CONsrimxt; To PROCURE ABOR-
TION, which has undergone such protracted exatui-
nation before the police magistrate, raffle on for trial
at the Central t ;riminal Cowl on Wednesday. Three
defendants were then placed at the bar—Cunning-
ham, the !mrgeou ; Dr. Currie : and Mr. Thompson, the
chemist, through whose intervention the young women,
Klima Mantel', had been intro thteed to the find-named
prisoner. 'the indictment included various counts,
for assault, for conspiraey. for administering certain
noxious drugs, ,t e. At the trial all the facts already
known were reeapitulated, and, after a long investi-
gation, the jury returned a verdict acquitting Currie
and Thompson, and finding Cunningham guilty. lie
was sentenced to fifteen years' transportation.
Imeunt:NT rattle, two men, named Sutton
and Phillips, the former calling himself at broker's
assistant, and proalueing a false warrant of distress,
entered the house of Mr. Roathaight, at farmer at
Pinner, declaring that. they came to effect a levy on
behalf of the landlord bar an arrear of rent. itoadnight
knew that he owed nothing, but. allowed the fictitious
bailiffia to remain, well lodged and eared for, on the
premises, until he hail eammettaiesnasl with the landlord;
and, finding that, the intrusion was altogether unwar-
ranted, sent tar a constable, and then Wltilled the in
trusters to leave under penalty of loving turned sant by
foree. They, however, still persisted in remaining in
possession—no doubt liking the comfortable quarters
the farmhouse kitehen afforded sutheiently to induce
them to run the risk. I'ltiupately I hey were ejected, but
with no more fa wee than was requirtslome night at half
past ten o'cloek. They fought, screamed, kicked, and
resisted in every possible way, but all they could do
was useless against the muscular power of a mason,
whose aservirs's were called in aid en the ovcasi,an,
and who, in aleseribing the part ha. toook in the trans
victim'. said, " I caned one sant and put him down in
the road, and then went bark for Collier.' Sutton
afterwards brought all art ion for assault, against the
farmer, the constable, and the mason, 'imbuing a
ragged pair of trousers, which he affirmed to have
been tom by their violence, end calling an obese lath
victual who claimed the designation of doctor, to bear
testimony to some serious personal injuries which be
alleged himself to have received. When the ollinp,
On for trial on Wednesday, the judge, on hear
ing the farts, stopped the ease, and the defendants
were mrquitted. It was staled that the pnasrenter
laud played the same game more than once, obtaining
comfortable quarters by sheer impudence, and fright-
ening his victims into the payment of money to get
rid of him.

TIIE lA►an MAYOR'S elirßT, heretofore, and from
all times of legal remembrance, a close cemi, was
recently thrown open by a vote of the City corporation.
The validity of this vote, as against ancient use and im
memo►ial custo►n, was contested in the Queen's Bench
in an action brought by one of the privileged p►actition-
ers against an alleged interloper. Mr. Reynall, the coin -
plainani, proved that lie had become one 44 the four
admitted atter►►eys" by purchase in the year 11416 ;
and that he leul given first and last 10,010/. for the
fourth share in the monopoly of practice in the clairt
in question, into which Mr. I 'ox, the defendant, hail
since intruded, and commenced practising therein, to
his serious loss and disparagement. Mr. Cox pleaded
in defence the vote of the corporation, by which the
court was thrown open a plea involving, of course,
the authority of the civic lasly corporate to ettect such
a change on their own motion. Evidence was pro-
duced of a very antiquarian diameter, showing on
one hand that ever since the year 14114 the number
of attorneys had been limited to► four: and on the
other, that this limit was assigned in 1461 by a bare
vote of the rorporation, whence the conclusien was
drawn that the same power which tnul determined of
old the constitution of the court must be now suffi-
cient to alter it:—

AOlll 1.,011`103.1.. in summing up. void that the question of
floc! cubed herr aak as to the itioneniorlal practice of there being
four attorneys in tlo. Mayor'. Court, lon that iptestion the
wry could 1106 hesitate in ;riving I 4 verdict for the plaintiff. Front
111;4, Which WAN Nhdollt the time of the overthrow of the Greek
empire by the Turka, there did not appear to have 614'11 more
slum tour. By the luw of will it wilt., as it 1410041 11111 w.
law—it custom coedit not be 1111 l riot utiles!, it had
existed from the time Richard I. returned from the hi dy ware ;
lett, AA there never could he evidence of that given, jurie4 were
always advised to infer that if Ihe elistoin had lonia pre% ailed it
hoist to, roilminicd to toi‘i• existril at that re te period.
surely a practice which lout uniformly pro-veiled from
the time when ronatatetinople wait taken by the Turk*
newt lie considered 4, he au i mortal condom. The
eorporation hail shine a most laudable thing in throwing open
the 1.01111 (4) all praetitionera, but even a laudable thing mien he
duns ill a legal manner, and with regard no veated ititereate.
These i,Meea had been allowed to lie hough, and told, as 1,111 been
the case with other office* in other courtti—a state of thing's
ho Wald bprpy W APYi 1184 4Y( PUI, w cud Wi and in all

1

;:e1

ranee those who had been allowed t spend their money in pur•
chasing were entitled to have their rights continued ur tutu.
peneatad.
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff.
Lord CAMPBELL SSA be had never known a melon) proved by
clearer evidence.

It wee then agreed to make the verdict aperitif, In order to
raise questions ea w tho right of the rorponition to depart Irons
the intnieniorial custom and the right of the plaintiff to cow•
prianatinit.

A THREATENING LETTER, according to the interpre-
tation of Mr. Reynolds, solicitor to the Treasury, was
sent to Lord Aberdeen by Thomas Whitehe►ud, an
artist. The charge was investigated at Bow-street
on Wednesday. Proof of receipt and handwriting
having been given, the letter was read. It was very
long, and composed apparently under the impression
that the writer was subjected to persecution, from
which successive Governments had refused to relieve
him. It stated that " The Goveniment seem to

have wanted to make a victim of me, and conse-
quently have done everything they can to provoke me
to crime," and proceeded :
" I have been by them miners! to the greatest depths of
misery : for live year's and a half I have endured Mese Ineffable
privations with a patience and N fortitude that I believe there
would Gelseiweely found one in a thousand to do the same. lint
human patience has its bounds, and theme bounds have already
been passed. Beware, my lord, what you do in this matter; for
if the saying be true that ' self-preservation is the tint law of
nature,' then, my lord, you have reduced me to a most painful
alternative. Your policy, my lord, like your predecessors in this
affair, has been, and still is, most pernicious and subversive.
have taught a leasing of implacable vindictiveness and of un-
preeedented pertinarious cruelty that will be cherished by thou-
punishn with a MIIVIIWN till the latest day of their death.
You have' sown the wind,' and, if your lordship should persist
the Neale suicidal course, you must not be surprised if you should
one day ' reap the whirlwind.' I can only say that If this
'wrote+ flood of evil Is to coal then, my lord, you will compel
me to retaliate out of seltdefence; and if I should be goaded on
In do that out of seltdefeuee, which my soul abhors, remember,
lily tool, that the guilt will be upon your head and the heads of
your colleagues."
The examination of the prisoner led to the impres-
sion that he was a monomaniac on the subject of the
police. Although in other respects of quiet habits,
and apparently sound mind, he believed that a con-
stant system of espionage Was kept up on his account,
and which he had vainly endeavoured to escape. Ile
was consequently sent, under a remand, to St. Giles 's
workhouse, where he will be watched and tended
until the suspicion of his insanity is confirmed or
disproved.

FEW CASEA OE ANRAULT, out of the many com-
mitted by husbands upon their wives, equal in bru-
tality that, for which Samuel Deighton stood charged
at Worship-street Police Court on Monday. The
prisoner, when brought to the bar, appeared well-
dressed, but bore a morose and dissipated look. It ap-
peared that he had been earning an excellent salary,
while his wife contributed also her gains in the mil-
linery business, which she carried on. Latterly he
had fallen into drunken, dissolute habits, and had
lived in idleness upon the produce of her labour :
Os the night of Thursday week she was sitting In her Atop
*waiting him return, with her infant ht her arms, when the pri-
mmer suddenly entered with a can of beer in his hand, and with-
out the slighteat 'innovation eminuenced otomailing her with the
moat threatening and opprobrious epithets. After drinking the
beer he hurled the empty vim at her head with all his force, but
missed his aim. Ha then rushed upon her, and, de/lathe; that
he would murder her at olive, struek her a terrible blow, and
knocked her out of the chair. Int hearing her cries her •se
hastened into the situp, and endeavoured to allMllage the fury of
the prisoner, but he Ming her aside, 51141 renewed his attack with
Increased brutality. After knoeking her down a 'woo time he
continued beating her until the blood streamed down her face,
and both her eyes were closed up and an dresdnally bruised that
she was einarletely depri‘o4l of sight for upwards of twenty-hour
loon's. She managed at kilt tit ~ape into the street, mot oh-
Wiwi, minim in the house of a neighbour, under whose protec-
tion the had remained, but she was still suffering extroue pain
from the ill•treatment she had refeh ed.

Sarah Baldwin, a young W4llll/tll who assisted the coluphattatit
in her 111114111411444, 1.0174111411-1114.41 her evidence, and stated that the
brutal attack of the prisoner eflnti 1, without hitenninnino. fin.
'Nearly an hour; and Mr..lolin 11111. we attorney's clerk, residing
sit adjoining street, deisisisi to the extrvitte ggiely I. hiauatieat
wide,' the poor woman exhibited when sin r to his house mid
implorisl protection.
On twang asked if he winheil to say anything In answer to the
charge, the prisoner, who hail repeatedly interrupted the witness
with the coarsest invectives, insolently exelaiiiiisl," What is the
use of my saying anything? 1 know you itietut to convict
and I shall not waste my breath about it
Mr. 11AMN111,1. ordered him to i.e emanated to hard labour for
1111% 111.11111114, 111111 then to find Istil for his good behaviour for six
months. . .

The prisoner was quit• wit 1441 at the sentence.
THE BAS-EELIEFm Tel THE NEISON COLUMN in
Trafalgar-square have lately been discovered to be
fraudulently constructed, inasmuch as the weight and
solidity which by the contract they should have pos.
Aesmed were fictitiously contrived by means of iron
bars, lead pluggings, and fillings-in with plaster of
Paris. Messrs. Tressange and Moore, the contractors,
were summoned to answer the charge of fraud and
conspiracy against the tiovernment before the Queen's
Bench on Monday, the prosecution being conducted
by the Attorney-general. Some curious details were
Riven in the opening address of the learned eoun-

The defendants had agreed to make three of the tuts-reliefs of
the battler of Mt. Vincent, Copenhagen. and the Nile. They
were to have 7471. low. for each relief, and the work wets to eon.
shit of a certain quantity of metal to give it the required solidity,
and also to be executed in a certain utuouer. The defendants exe-
cuted two of the bas reliefs, 'llllkil were moi...xed to the coluuut.
Before the third way atlhed, the Board of Work's reeeiveil su
anouytuous letter, %hid* lad to further iuquiry. They wrote to