The Express.
London, England, 1852-02-26 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.—READIso, F. 23.
Czown Omar.

Baron Platt presided here and in charging the
grand jury, said he very much regretted to And for trial so
many cases of anon—a crime of the most dreadful, mali-
cious and mischievous character, committed solely for the
purpose of doing mischief, and from which it was impossible
the perpetrators could derive the slightest possible benefit.
PUII2.OIIICt ROBEIRILY.

Janes Marsha//, a young man of very respectable ap-
pearance, warn charged with haying, whilst a servant in the
Post-oglee, stolen a letter, containihg ancient gold and silver
coins to the value of about 31.
_

The prisoner was employed under the postmaster of
Reading to carry letters to some of the adjacent villages,
among which was Sunning. On the 19th of July last
he had a registered letter. directed to Mrs. Buckeridge,
of Sonniog (who is a collector of ancient coins), containing
three ancient gold and eight ancient silver coins. Thu
bulky size of the letter induced the prisoner to open it, and
when he discovered the contents to be valueless to hins,;he
went and made confession to his father, also employed at
the pusbudice, and delivered to him the coins, directing
also that he might be given into custody. On a communi-
sation being made to the postmaster, the prisoner was, of
muse, taken charge of by the police. On being arraigned
te•day, he admitted his guilt, and his counsel, Mr. Selfc,
addressed the judge, stating that as the prisoner showed his
contrition for the offence by instantly confessing, and had
delivered up the whole of the property, he hoped his lord-
ship would take these facts into consideration, and not in-
dict the severe penalty which usually follows the commission
of such Went* a.

Some respectable tradesmen of the town were called by
the learned counsel, and they spoke in favourable terms of
the primmer'. character.
Mr. Baron Platt intimated that he should reserve sentence
until to-morrow.

NOItT I I EILN CI RCUlT.—Caausix. Frrs. 24.

Mr. Baron Alderson resumed his lest in the Crown
Court this morning, at tune o'clock. Mr. Justice Crom-
well sat at Nisi Prius at the same hoer.
ALLIOID
Edward Taylor, aged 37 (ao inetneetios), woe charged
with hiring caused the death of hie mother, Mary Taylor,
at Whitehaves.
The primmer pleaded sot guilty, sad was uadsfeaded.
Mr. Hodgson stated the ewe fir the prooseatioo. Tha
&mad inn ea tit vemea, idea, pen of ego, middy

at Mount Pleasant, near Whitehaven, with her step-
daughter, Jan. Taylor. On Saturilay,lthe 24th January,
the prisoner went into his mother's house in a state of in-
toxication, and made a disturbance, wishing to remove a
chest of drawers belonging to his mother, which they. re-
fused to lot him have. Tho step-daughter wont to a neigh-
bour to call for assistance, and during her absence the pri-
soner pushed his mother off a chair on which she was sitting.
Jane Taylor came immediately after, and carried the old
woman into a neighbour's house, but she did not appear to
to be much the worse for what had happened. On the
Sunday she walked about, but in the evening was taken ill,
and died on the following day. By order of Mr. Lumb,
the coroner, a poet mortem examination was made of the
body before him by (Mr. Lomb, surgeon, and the surgeon
to the Whitehaven latirmary, when it was found that there
was a considerable effusion of blood upon the brain, which
in the opinion of the medical men was the immediate cause
of death, though they admitted it might have occurred
from over excitement, or by violence.
Several witnesses were examined, and it was alleged by
the daughter that her mother was constitutionally of an ex-
citable disposition.
The prisoner said nothing in defence.
The Judge, in charging the jury, said there was only one
question in the case. The unfortunate man at the bar was
very much intoxicated at the time of the occurrence, and
ell the witnesses agreed in stating that the blow he gave his
mother was the cause of her falling from the chair. The
question was whether that fall produced the effusion of
blood upon the brain of which the woman died. No doubt
the woman died from that effusion, but did the prisoner's
act produce it ? It had bc:n proved that she was of a very
nervous and excitable disposition, and if they entertained
any reasonable doubt that the prisoner was by his violence
the cause of her death they must acquit him.
The jury, after • few minutes consultation, Acquitted
the prisoner, who was immediately discharged.
This terminated the business of the wise.