The Express.
London, England, 1862-03-03 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

01JILDHALL.

Marlette Bows, a middle-gammen, wan charged with
a murderess siminit upon her
John Bows., the husband, wee on Holiday last removing
his furniture, in order to have it taken to Greenwich. where
be intended residing. in order to he near his work, when
his wife objected to leave Pappin's•cowt, obstructed the
removal of the good., and commenced breaking and destroy-
ing them with a hatchet- He endeavoured to prevent her,
and while he was passing a bed out of the window she came
behind bim and struck him a blow on the head which
felled him senseless to the ground. He believed it was the
hatchet she used, because she had it in her band a minute
before, and no one else was in the room.
For the defence Peter Bowen, agetll3, the as. of the
pro-
secutor, said he was in the house when his father knocked
his mother down stairs, and her head got jarruned between
the banieters so severely that it was necessary to have
assistance to extricate bor. Not liking to see hie mother go
ill-treated, he took up the kitchen poker and struck his
father on the head. The hatchet was not used at all, and
his mother did not strike his father with either the hatchet
or the poker.
I)emp

Mr. ~.._atpasy. a surgeon, who had examined the prosecu-
tor's head, found on the lark of it a wound two inches in
length, which must bays been inflicted with • sharp in-
strument, such aa a hatchet, and could not have been
caused by the poker, or it would have been • ragged, con-
tused wound,
Committed for trial.
BOW-STREET.

William Salmon, • aeotfeir;;;;;;;asoluaso, formerly in
the service of Captain John Cranston Bailey, of Nidford-
house, near Bath, was charged with knowingly and felo-
niously writing and sending certain lotion to Captain
Bailey, demanding 50/. from him by menaces, and without
ressonable or probable mass.
Mr. Black, of Bath, conducted the prosecution ; and Mr.
Lewis, of Ely-place, defended the prisoner,
Captain Barley deposed—l am a commander in the Royal
Navy. The yn,ooer was formerly in my service as °mob-
ilise. I itiseharged him in January, 1861. In August and
September last I received several lettere, which I Dow
produce. They are all in one handwriting, which I believe
to be that of the prisoner. They are all from 3,
Boagliten4treet, Claremiszket, and signed "William
Belmon." The first is as follows :—" August 2, 1861
Worthy Sir,—l beg to infant you that I commenced heel.
nees with another party In the glass trade, width is • very
profitable books.., but, owing to his nileseadnot, be has
reduced me very much in eireumetimems. I have bees
obliged to dissolve partnership with hhy and having se
names .1 .saying an the twiner, sad lowerfos yes to be

a kind-hearted gentleman, and willing to assist the needy,
may I beg the favour of intending upon your kindness to
help me through my difficulty by advancing me about 'Ol.,
whoa I would honourably remit you with interest thereon
in six months, for whisk I shall ever feel with heartfelt
p•Mtada." I made no may to that letter. On the 13th
Sept. the prisoner wrote to a the second letter predneed,
saying that as be had received no reply to his former letter
la feared I bad not received it, and repeated the request for
a loan of 501. To this I replied that 1 never lent money,
and therefore could not comply with his request. The
next letter is dated Sept. 19:—"Sir,—Finding the busi-
ness I am in dues not answer my expectatioes, I am
compelled to give it up, and having a situation in view
for myself and wife, shall feel obliged by your giving
such • reference as you think we are deserving of to
the party who will write to you upon the subject. By
so doing you will oblige," ix. I replied to this that I had
already given him a character, and I referred him to the
gentleman by whom he had been employed after be left me.
On the 25th Sept. he wrote se follows :—" Sir,—Your
not giving me a reference, whereby I might have had,
with my wife, • good situation, and which I am now
deprived of. I thought surely after Mrs. S. had
been in possession of your gross transactions you would
have complied with my request, and unless you compen-
rate me for so great a loss, I shall be under the disagreeable
necessity of making your general conduct an expose, from
what I can prove during the time we were in your see-
vice.-1 remain, Am., W. SALMON. P.S. An answer is re-1
quired by return of post." I kept a copy of my answer,
which was in these words:—" In compliance with your de-
mend I write by return to inform you that you area tho-
rough-faced blackguard, and that you and Mrs. S. may go
to the devil." (Laughter.) The next letter I reoeived from him
was as follows • Sir,—l received your handsome letter
this Vt
is in which you think proper to represent me
a blac which it not in your power to prove, and
ea you ve been so surly I must ask • question. First,
pray what became of Ellen Williams's (alias Watkins) first
born? I know quite well where the third, five months old,
went to. I also know a certain doctor; and unless you
treat me with more respect immediately 1 shall be under
the disagreeable necessity of making my amsarance be-
fore • magistrate, and shall also nom in of your
arrepresenting me • blackguard." After this I directed my
cTrio7 to write to the prisoner. (A copy of the letter of
Messrs. Hock and Simmons to the primmer was rebore
quenitly put in. It was to the effect that Captain Bailey
bad received extremely libelous letters from the prisoner,
who was motioned that he was rendering himself liable to
criminal proceedings. Captain Bailey had not determined
to enforce the law against him, but would do so if the
offenoe was repeated.) The letter now produced, addressed
to Messrs. Hoek and Simmons, is in the prisoner's hand-
writing

"Oct. 11.—Gentlemen,-1 am quite surprised that Capt.
Bailey should have handed my letters to you for your in-
spection. What they contained I should have thought he
would have liked to have been kept secret. Yon call them
libels, but I can prove that they are strictly true. Not only
myself, but another party. I wish Captain Bailey to prove
me a blackguard, till which I shall not rest. Yon say at
present he will not force the law against me. It Lensy
wish that it be done instant', for the term blackguard I
consider a defamation of character. I can expose Captain
Bailey in any court of justice."
Captain Bailey then produced another letter addressed
to himself, as follows

" Sir,-1 beg to inform you that I have read a letter from
your attorney, which I duly answered, and expected to
hear from hen spin. Their threatening me is of so use,
therefore I feel bound to write to you once more on the
subject. Unless you answer me to m satisfaction, lam
determined to lay the whole • before a magi-
strate. for what I have written to you is the whole tenth,
and lam determined to prove the same. I want co more
lawyer's letter, fur the more you stir the worse you will
make it. You can use your own pleasure, for so mire as I
do not receive a quick answer, you may expect what will
follow. As a living man I will bring forward witnesses
who will be put on their oatb. and must tell the truth,
and expose your infamy, wickedness, and debauchery.
for defamation
...ion I will have also for your calling me a black-
• and if Ican't obtain it fairly, I shall bring an action
dela/nation of character."

Lawia---sulnnitVdthat there was here no menace in
the meaning of the act. The first three letters clearly
contained no threat. The others were written under the
inflnenoe of angry passion, and no doubt they were very
foolishly written, and contained a sort of rode and black-
guard threat, but nothing showing any real intention to
carry out such menace. When be talked of compensation,
he was probably under the impression (as many servants
believed) that his master was bound to give him a cha-
racter.
Mr. Corrie thought this was clearly a menace of the kind
contemplated In the act under which the proceedings were
taken, 24 and 25 Viet., cap. 96, loc. 44.
Mr. Slack then saki, to show the intention of the O-
wner, he would call the constable who apprehended him,
and who had made a discovery that threw considerable light
on the question of motives.
Sergeant Palmer, 30 A, deposed that on Friday he went
to Walter Lamptor, near Helmaford, where the prisoner
was la service, and found him in his master's stablest Wit.
IMO took him in custody on this charge, and found la his
possession a letter, which he now produced. This was •
draft copy, word for word, of the letter to Captain Bailey.
writt4a actor the reoeip• of its solkillar's letter. It was in
a different handwriting from the prisoner's. On tee fly
leaf wee writtsu the following Mr. Bahrain, sir—l
should write as enclosed, and I have no doubt it will have
the desired effect. —With best regards to you asd Mis. S.,
I remain, kc., G. S—ns. P.S. Let me know when yea
receive an answer, and how you get on."
Mr. Slack said it was quite clear that ease other person
had been concerned with the prisoner, and was liable to be
tried for the same offence, and probably both would be
liable for conspiracy. He applied for a remand, to allow
time to trace the other.

Mr. Lewis bed no objection to a remand U bail were so.
V.lbartis said the case must go for Wel. but it might as
well to at ogee, without say remand, as the ease wee cont.
pieta. If the other man was taken be could be indicted
sect*:
primmer wail then committed for trial, and bail
refund.