The Express.
London, England, 1855-08-01 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.--MAIDSTONE, JULY 31.
coma 00011 Te.-118119112 EL somas oisonnau _ .

Gorge Henry AnsitA. 64, was indicted for the wilful mur-
der his wile, Mary Aare Smith.
Tlik ease was to have butt dieposed of at the Brine
=bat at the time it appears that the prisoner was if
mind, sad not in • coadition to tab. his trial. is
Moe is esseequenes removed to the Banning Reath hayloft!
when his Wad became restored, and he was 'postgame*,
omitted to take hie'trial. The prisoner te a very Teapot-
Ws looking man. He spouted in a very dejected state,
sod buried his head in his hands, leaning upon the (root of
the dock the whole of the time he was at the bar.
Mr. Deeds and Mr. Smith appeared for the prosseutioa ;
the prisoner was deluded by Mr. Deems..
Mrs. Harriet Holden deposed that she resided in 'ham-
street, Rochester, and ea the 16th of August last she pri-
soner and his wile engaged apartmeuts in her house. On
the morning of the Sind witness was engaged in sweepiog the
front of bar house, when the prison, came down stairs and
called out " Mn. 'Holden," and added, "Don't drop down
dead I" She said to him, " What's the matter ?" sad he
replied, "If you'll cuss here, I'll tell you; send for a
surgeon and a policeman." Witness again asked him what
was the matter, and what he had done, and the only reply
he made was "My wife is an angel." Witness thee asked
if she wee dead, and he said she was not quite de.d, but it
would be as well for her if she was. Mr.
Bonn, the surgeoe, come soon afterwards, sad wit-
ness went with hies into the prisoner's bed-roem,
and she there saw the deceased lying on the bed with e
wound on her had. fihe was quite insensible, and never
opened her eyes or spoke. Witness remained with her until
she died, which was about nine o'clock. The prisoner always
appeered to be very fond of his wife, and daring the time
they lived in her h• use she
quarrelling between them. The deceased had all her clothes
on. Witness did not hear any report of fire-arms during
the morning.
By Mr. Decnso—Witness had heard that the prisoner
was formerly postmastmer at Jersey. He did not make any
attempt to escape from the house, bat begged that a surgeon
and a constable should be sent for, in order that be might
be taken away. He reputedly made use of the expression,
"My wife is as angel. The prisoner appeared to be es-
tsavagaatly kind to his wife. He wsited upon her son-
Neatly, and took her every thing that she wanted with his
eau duds.
Mr. T. P. Bevan, a surgeos at Rochester, deposed that
be was called upon to see the demisted about sight o'cloca
He fond her is the position described by the last witness,
end upon examining her person he discovered • wound on
the left side of the head, a little above the ear, that had
apparently been ceased by a pistol ball. Blood was flowing
Ins the wound, and a portion et the brain also protruded. At
his request the mutable made a search in the room, and
be saw him take two pistols from between the bed and the
mattress. One of them appeared to have been recently die.
trimmed, and the other was found to be loaded and to can-
als two bullets of a size that corresponded wtth the wound
he the bud et the deceased. The deceased died about as
bear afterwards, and in the evening he opened the head,
mid band two bullets lodged in the anterior lobe of the
heals, and they had passed oompletely from one hemisphere
of the brain to the other. In consequence of what he obi
limed chest the sopeannos of the prisoner, he asked him
if he had had anything lately the matter with him, and he
said It IPIIIIII all come oat by inquiring at Hayes. He had
MhdeielMtil that the prisoner had been confined at a lunatic
that plain, and thin was what hs alluded to.'
711 asked him how long he bad been confined in the
whim, and after a little hesitation he said about 10 weeks.
Whoa he first sew the prisoner after the souvenir!, had
tikk Om, he asked him if be recopaised him, and he re-
' plied is an excited meaner, "Is she gone ?" Witness said
that she wee and tie prisoner clasped his hands together,
and appeared to burst into a paroxysm of grief. He then
became very excited, and said, ' The postmaster most be
written to instantly."
Cross-examined by Mr. Denman.—Witness saw the pri•
user in Maidstone gaol • few days after the fatal occurrence.
He west upon that pension for the impress purpose of
ascertaining the statefif his naiad. He 0.14 him that ha
had attended the funeral of his wife, and the prisoner re-
"ls her grave distiagoished ?" He immediately
ildierwards said, "Is eke buried alone—is there any one else
with her ?" Witness told him that his wile had bees
%tried by herself, and this appeared to gratify him. From
what occurred on this occasion and subsequently he was of
opinion that the prisoner was not in a fit state of mind to
hake his trial et the spring assises,and be was also of opinion
that when he committed the act of destroying his wife he
, was not in a sound state of mind. He appeared to feel ex-
emirs grief at the death of his wife.
Re-examined—The prisoner appeared very much incited
whenever his wife wee mentioned.
Mr. Denmanmade as earnest and impressive address 10
_ _ _ .

the jury on behalf of his wretched clieni, and after °been-
lag upon the improbability et a person in a sass mild do.
stroyiag another for whom it was clear he entertained the
most ardent affection, be said that if the evident* already
adduced did not satisfy them of the fact he should
produce other testimooy of the most conclusive character,
which won id net leave the slightest possible doubt
that at the lime the ;obeser committed this dreadful act he
was not k mask a undid** of mind as would render him
admiral trapossible for his actions. The learned counsel
then eIIIMIIIIIIIIIeIe, from whose evidence it appeared that
I=aellbeenanmemesatest of 1844 the prisoner had ex-
-11“1101.1111 el • deranged mind, that he had various
:=aid sal that be had on too or three occasions
lie Metro, himself. It also appeared that he had
befill is the lunatic asylum at Hayes for more than
Ire months, and Mr. Fitzgerald, the keeper of the esta-
blishment, stated that when he wee removed he was de.
eMedly insane. His friends, it appeared, were unable to
provide the moms for his remaining any longer, and this
ems the summa of his removal.
no Ineelasil judge interfered in the course of the ex-
elliallillm of the witnesses for the defence, and said it
=le blin that there was ample evidence to justify
alb issibi to the conclusion that the prisoner was
net of sand Wad when he committed the act imputed to
him, and they at once acquitted the prisoner on the ground
of insanity.
The usual order was subsequently made for his being
kept in safe custody during her Majesty's pleasure.
Alfred Hill., 24, who was described as a tide waiter, and
who appeared in the dock deemed in a sort of naval uniform,
was indicted for misdemeanour.
Mr. Clerk and Mr. Poland conducted the prosecution on
behalf of the government; Mr. Ribten appeared for the
defendant.
The learned camel for the prosecution, in opening the
ease to the jury, said he believed that the prisoner had been
is the service of the Customs, but at the time this occur
reuse took plus he had been suspended. He was charged
ander one of the entices of the Mutiny Act with the crime
of misdemeanour, and the offence imputed to him was that
he bad endeavoured to induce some wilding belonging to the
Foreign Legion who were at present encamped at Shorn.
cliffs to desert their regiment. It was unnecessary, he said,
for him to inform the jury that this was a very serious
drum, and if it should be satisfactorily established against
the prisoner, he had no doubt that the result would be to
debar others from attempting to repeat such proceedings.
'oboes Franck, a private in the Foreign Luton, was then
examined through an interpreter, sod as well as could be
gathered from his evidence, it appeared that en the 18th
July he and two of his comrades were at a public-house at
fiancigate, where they saw the prisoner, who entered into
aosvonation with them, and partook of their beer. He then
made some allusion to their uniform, and by sigma told them
to throw it off, and intimated that he was steersman on
beard 'steamer that west to Hamburg, Red that if they
would giro him three half-crowns each, he would take
them to that place. The witness also repreranthd that
during the souversation the prisoner alluded to his own
uniform, and repeatedly said that " Victoria was so good."
He likewise stated that during the proceeding the
asked them for their names, and they told his time i►
title= ones, which he wrote down on a piece of papa, aM
it appeared that when he was taken into custody be Weep
this peper. The soldiers, it appeared, gays informal's* of
what had taken place to their sergeant at once, is mow
queries of which the prisoner was apprehended and the pip.
mat charge preferred against him.
The evidence given by this witness was corroborated, to a
certain extent by his two comrades,comrades, but upon cross-examine.,
den by Mr. litibton, there appeared to be several discrepan-
cies is their tramway, and it also appeared that whatever
might have bens the actual character of the trassaetion all
the proroodiage more carried ea partly by signs, and partly
in Zaglish, Preach, and German, and the true nature of
what occurred was eery imperfectly made out. It was also
shown that ■pom the primmer being taken into custody he
denied the sharp, sad when be was under examination
before the magistrate be ao ode & statement to the @Sect that
be asderstood that the soldiers themselves wasted to desert,
and that his object is taking their "MOB was to bring the
matter before the proper autbothelee.
Mr. Ribtoe addressed the jun' at some length on behalf
of the prisoner, outendiag that eie *widense from its very
astute left the matter too much in doubt to justify them is
ending a verdict of guilty upon so se de
ens a •
The jury, after deliberating about 0 4( an hour, returned
a utast of Nod Guilty.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.—HuiroaD, JULY 30.
mown werr.—strasz Nu. awn= mita. _ _

The calendar °Detained 21 prisoners, four of the Ms
rwhom were thiewu out by the grand jury, as d three
d guilty. The maunder of the eases prieenvd ne
feature of interest, wad in this court sot a single case was
defended, and the buskins of the anise terminated shtvtly
after live o'clock ea the evening of the first day, being a
gemstones almost unprecedented in this county.

• number of mayslanra;atteispis, some of which were
suesessfal, while others failed, have been made to Ire the
premiers in the oesupatioa of a farmer named They'', re-
siding at Whin:Aura, sear Ram A reward of 1601 was
offered for the seaviedea of offenders, ands &toady. from
Load°a emu dotes to the spot to make inquiries. A
farm labourer, named &tweed Daniels. who had beau die-
sharpd by Mr. Thayer for imputed hear sad was save
sear a buniag riek ea the oceasior: of one ef
the Arm, wee apprehended, examined before the
magistretes, sad committed to take his trial foe
the offense at thew wises. While the magisterial
isquiry was going is, sad jest as Mr. Thayer vista them*
of taking his oath mother fire broke out, and was plainly
visible from the ieiedows of the court. • mow sewed
Mews had been committed for trial to the Qoarter Sessions
Mg Mailing sows &Wake at the this of the int soallageop