The Express.
London, England, 1863-03-06 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.—tigitTFORD, MARCH 5.
Both courts proceeded to business this morning, the Lord
Chief Justice presiding on the civil side, and Mr. Justice
Wightman in the Crown Court. Only nine canna were
entered for trial, and one of those was subsequently with.
drawn. Of the remainder two were marked to be tried by
special juries and the rest were undefended.
_ . • •

(Before Mr. Justice ightman.)
Amur Collins, 20, was charged upon two indictments
with the offence of arson.

Mr. Murphy and Mr. Codd were instructed to prosecute.
The first case taken was that on which the prisoner sou
charged with wilfully and maliciously setting fire to a stack
of barley belonging to a farmer named Phipp, in the neigh-
bourhood of &Mock. It appeared that the fire took place
about twelve o'clock at night on the 4th of January, and
from the evidence that was adduced, it seemed that on.
the same evening the prisoner, who is a labouring
man, bad been drinking in a public-house in the
neighbourhood, and when be left, he stated to one of the
witnesses that he intended to set fire to some stacks that
night, and asked for luoifer matches. He was subsequently
seen to go in the direction of the field where the stack in
question was placed, and very soon afterwards the stack
was found to be on fire, and it was totally consumed.
The prisoner, it appeared, was at once suspected, and
when he was apprehended he told the constable that be
had set Are to two stacks, that he had been employed
in threshing, for which he was paid 10s. a week, that he
was tired of that sort of work, and his object in doing
what he had was, that he might be sent sway.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty, sad he was sentenced
to eight years' penal servitude.
Thomas Dorsett, 13, a respectable-looking lad, sur•endered
to take his trial for misdemeanour in having unlawfully
placed a piece of iron upon the Great Eastern Railway,
with intent to obstruct the passage of the trains upon the
line.
Mr. Sleigh conducted the prosecution on behalf of the
company ; Mr. Taylor appeared for the defence.
It appeared that the defendant was in the service of a
gentleman at Ware, and that on the day named in theindict.
meat be was upon the railway near that statios, and was
seen to pick up a piece of a broken coupling chain, which be
shortly afterwards laid upon one of the rails. A man who
saw what be bad done, gave information to the station-
master, and the piece of iron was immediately removed, and
the defendant was given into custody.
The defence that was set up was that the boy bad
thoughtlessly picked up the piece of chain, and feeling
that be bad done wrong, he had laid it down upon seeing
that he was observed, and that he had not the slightest
intention of causing any mischief. His muter gave him a
•ery good character.
The jury, alter a short consultation, returned a verdict of
.Not
The cases that were disposed of on the civil side were
utterly devoid of public interest.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.--Oxyouo, MARCH 5.
(Before Mr. Justice Crompton.)
TEI IHTFORD MURDER.
Noah dustily 26, butcher, was yesterday morning put on
his trial for the wilful murder of Mr. James Alleo, miller, of
Upper Heyford, on the 13th of February last. The trial
commenced at 9 o'clock in the morning and continued until
9at night. The counsel for the prisoner having addressed
the court on hie behalf, the trial was adjourned until nine
o'clock this morning.
The trial was resumed this morning. Mr. Davis awl Mr.
Sawyer appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr. A. ritaveley
Hill for the prisoner. The opening of the case by Mr. Davis
occupied an hour. and Mr. Hill's defence extended over two
hours ; the sumn.ing up by the learned judge lasted nearly
three hours. The jury were just two minutes considering
their verdict, which was that of Guilty of wilful murder.
The facts of the Ws* have been no recently before the
public that a brief recapitulation of them will suffice.
On the 13th of February last Mr. James Allen, of Upper
Heyford, went with his horse and cart to Moister market ;
the prisoner also went with his father in a gig, but did not
return, with him, having excused himself by saying it was
too cold to ride, and that he should walk home. Instead of
doing so he went to the inn where Mr. Allen put up, and
asked him to give him a ride home, both living at Upper
Heyfmd. He agreed to do so, and they started about five
o'clMck calling at one or two places on their way home.
Not far from where the murder was committed two men
who knew them well passed them, and shortly after two
report, at an interval of half a minute, were heard by them
as they were creating a field. A few minutes after the pri-
soner Austin was seen running away from the direction of
the report by a boy named Buckland, who knew him well.
Austin made his way to Heyford Mill, about • mile and •
half from where the reports proceeded, and told the miller
that his master wanted to see him on the road,
as two men had stopped him on the road and wanted to pay
him for some barley meal and flour. The miller proceeded
to the spot and found the horse and cart tied to a gate. and
his master lying dead oe the road from a wound on his head.
Other persona came to the spot, sod it was then discovered
that Mr. Allen had been shot, and his purse and money
taken from him, and his pockets' turned inside out. The
body was removed to the mill, and ori • post-mortem exami-
natioa being made it was discovered that he had been shot
under the left jaw and at the bark of the left ear. Two
bullets were found lodged in the skull. The wounds were
lacerated and blackened, and the hat and whiskers of
the deceased were singed, clearly showing that the man
who committed the murder was very close to the demand.
Austin was taken into custody, but denied any knowledge
of the murder, or even having • gun or pistol in his posses-
sion. On searching, however, his father's premises, where he
lived, a six barrel revolver and • box of caps, which the
prisoner had purchased the previous Wednesday at Banbury,
were found in a gag in a hovel. In his desk were found a
bullet mould and 12 bullets, purchased at the same time,
and the purse and key of Mr. Allen's cash-box, both of
which he took with him to Bleeder market. No money was
in the purse, but nine movereigne and some silver were
found in the desk. There was evidence to show that Mr.
Allen bad received between 71. and 81. in gold and silver
that day. The prisoner was seen coming out of his
father's premises when he was making his way to the
mill after the shots had been fired and the murder
perpetrated.
Mr. Watkins, ',unmake?. of Banbury, identified the
pistol, bullet, and caps as those sold by him to the prisoner,
and spoke to the fact of his wrapping them up in part of
the Banbury Herald of Jan. 29, in which they were found.
The daughter of the deceased (Elizabeth) identified the
purse found in the prisoner's desk as her father's, she
having made it and marked it with the initials J. A. It
was also identified by Mr. Allen's carter (Wolloff), who had
it in his hand the morning his master went to Bloater
market, and at that time the key of the cash-box was in it..
Mr. Hill made a very ingenious defence, and suggested
that the deceased might have been stopped and murdered
by two London cracksmen for the sake of him money ; that
the purse might have been given by Miss Allen to the pri-
soner to whom she had been long attached, having probably
made two panes when she gate her father one, and forgotten
that she had given the prisoner the other ; that although
the prisoner bought the pistol and caps at Banbury, there
was no evidence to show that he did not go there in a gig,
and left the pistol and caps in the gig, because his mother
was known to have a great dread of firearms. Another
point upon which he dwelt, as being strongly in favour of
the prisoner's innocence, was, that there were no marks of
blood upon him, while there was blood bespattered on sod
in the cart.
What weight was attached by the jury to this line of
defence, was, that after two minutes' deliberation they
found the prisoner Guilty of wilful murder.
The judge missal sentence of death on the prisoner, and
held out no Dope of mercy.
The prisoner appeared perfectly cool and unmoved.