The Express.
London, England, 1863-03-28 00:00:00

HOME CIRCUIT.—Lawns, ]Lace 27.
(Before the Lord Chief Justice.)
IirfIAORDIWAIIT CHAIM! 07 ATITYPTZD innwn.
Site Richardson, 18. a good-looking young woman, was
charged with feloniously attempting to administer a large
quantity of deadly poison, called corrosive sublimate, to
William Halstead, with intent to murder him, or to mom
him grievoas bodily injury.
There was a second indictment against the prisoner,
charging her with a similar offence upon Martha Halstead.
Mr. Roswell oonduefed the prootoutiou. The prisoner was
defended by Mr. Barrow.
The circumstances under which this Amp was preferred
against the prisoner were of a very extraordinary character.
It appeared that the prosecutor, who is an indopeacient gee-
tleman, lived with his mother, who was the prossratrix in
the second indictment, at New Fishbourne, neer, Chichester,
and the prisoner was in their employment as domestic fer-
vent, the household being composed of these three piteous
only. A short time before the transaction took place that
was the subject of inquiry, it seemed that Mrs. Halstead
had cornplaused to the prisoner of soldiers cowing to the
house to visit her, and she had given her warning to leave ;
but the prisoner appeared perfectly willing to do so, and
there bad sot been the least angry feeling apparently enter-
tained on her part although the dismissal appeared to be
the only motive that could be assigned for the commission
of the diabolical act imputed to her. The alleged offence
was represented to have been committed on the 111th of Fe-
bruary ; and it appeared that on that day Mr. Halstead and
his mother sat down to dinner at the usual hour,
about two o'clock, and the primmer brought up
some beer, of which one barrel only was on tap
in the house, in a jug. Mr. Halstead poured out
some of the beer is a gloss, sad he observed that
it was of a very peculiar coheir, and that there was a peat
deal of froth. He placed it to his mouth and drank a very
entail quantity, not more than half a tea-spoonful, end he
Immediately felt a burning sensatioa in the mouth pod
throat ; and suspecting that something had been placed in
the beer, he went down into the kitchen, where the prisoner
was having her dinner, and asked her if she had put any-
thing into the beer that she had taken up for the denier, sad
she replied that she had not put anything into it. He then
asked her if she had any vitriol or any poison in the house,
and the reply she made was, " Why should I poison you?
We hews never had any quarrel." The prosecutor then
took a portion of the leer that was in the jug to Mr.
Reynolds, a chemist at Chichester, and he m& a cursory
examination of it, the result of which was to induce him
to come to the conclusion that it contained corrosive
sublimate or acetate of lead. The prosecutor re.
turned home, and it appeared that be eeff4red from
diarrhea arid a burning mutation in the mouth sod throat
until 11 o'clock at night ; and his mother, who had taken
even a smaller quantity of the beer than himself, also inf.
fared for several home from the atone symptoms. It seemed
that although the prosecutor felreerterin that some poisonous
ingredient had been placed in the bear, he could not bring
I himself to believe that it had been wilfully placed there by
the primmer, and he was at first unwilling to prefer any
charge against her, and contented himself with discharging
the prisoner from hie service. The county police had, how-
ever, received information during the interval of what had
occurred, and oo the Sed of March a constable belonging to
that force went to the residence of the prosecutor, and
in the privy that was appropriated to the servaista he
found a bottle labelled, "Lotion—poieon r and it turned out
that this bottle had contained • preparation of corrosive
sublimate. The prosecutor and his mother proved that
they knew nothing about the bottle, and the ease me the
pert of the prosecution was that no OW but the prisoner
could have placed it where it was found. Upon the disco-
very being made, • portico f the beer in the jug, which had
been carefully placed aside by the prosecutor, was sent up to
Ur. Letheby, who made an analysis, the result of which was to
show that it 000 Mined a van large quality of corrosive nib-
Hoists, sufficient in hie opinion to have mooed the death of
many persons. The prisoner was then taken into custody,
but she seemed to have all along declared her entire inno-
cence of the crime of which she was accused, and there
was so evidence to show that she had the
slightest malice either against the prosecutor or his
mother, both of whom Meted that they considered her to be
a good tempered well behaved girl, and that the only com-
plaint they had ever made of her conduct was, that occa-
sionally some soldiers from Chichester used to come to see
her, and that they objected to this proceeding. In the
course of the MOO the coestable Jordan, who had taw up
the ioquiry, was questioned es to the parties from whom he
had received the information which led him to interfere,
and he at first refused to answer the question. stating that
he did sob the orders of his superior officer; but upon the
Lord Chief Justice telling him that he must answer the
question. he said that he first received the information that
something had happened at the prosecutor's from two little
girls who lived is the neighbourhood.
The defence was, that the evidence had failed altogether
to establish either that the prisoner placed the poisonous
ingredient in the beer, or that she bad any intention to
Injure the prosecutor or his mother ; and it was urged that,
on the contrary, there was an entire absence of any evidence
that would justify the jury in corning to either of these
conclusions. The jury were also reminded that there was
nothing to show that the prisoner had ever had such an
article as corrosive sublimate in her possession,, and that the
bottle might very easily have been thrown n the piese
where it wee found by some other person.
The Lord Chief Justice, in summing up, said it appeared
to him that if the persons who had originally gives the
information to the policeman had been brought forward as
witness, they might have given evidence that would have
been very important. He then observed that then was
certainly an entire absence of motive on the part of the
prisoner for the commission of such a crime ; and with
regard to the bottle containing the poison, it was rather
remarkable circumstance, that as this bottle had evidently
been furnished from • chemist's shop, by the label, to some
person who required the contents as a !oboe, then was no
evidence that the prisoner had any ailment that required
such a remedy.
The jury returned • verdict of Net Chitty. The other
iudiAnient was abandoned, and the prisoner was ordered to
be discharged.
Francois I/into/ford, 33, • Frenchman, described as a
sailor, was charged with feloniously wounding Mr. John
Sanders, the governor of the county gaol at Lewes, with
intent to murder him.
Mr. Ramon prosecuted. The prisoner, ia the fiat in-
stance. elected to be tried by a mired jury composed of
Englishmen and foreigners, but as there was • difficulty in
obtaining • sufficient number of the latter, he at length
consented to be tried by a jury composed of eleven Boesch-
men and one foreigner.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty of wounding with in-
tent to do grievous bodily harm, and he was smatenosd
to penal servitude for too years.
This case concluded the business.
The commission for the comity of Surrey was cpened
yesterday by Mr. &rimed Gaselier, both the learned judges
being sogaged in disposing of the remaining business for the
-outy of Sussex.

OXFORD ClRCUlT.—Rzazroav, MARCH TT.
(Before Mr. Baron Channel)
William. Hope, 20, labourer, was placed in the dock,
°barged with the wilful murder of !dm y Corbett, at
Ulltoje-
wick, on the 20th of October, 1862.
The prianuer, when called upon to may whether be was
guilty of the cherge, replied Not Guilty" ins firm voice.
On the morning of the 2let of October, • man named
Weaver diecovored lying in • meadow the dead body of •
girl named Mary Corbett. Her face and clothes were
covered with blood and mud. On further examination of
her person, it noon beams evident that she had bees most
smelly mated—that she bad been ravished with conside-
rable violence, and bad met her death by suffocation
It appeared that for about two yaws she had
been a 'errant to Mrs. fikerrett, and had
been tent by her on the night of the murder to
• neighbouring shop for some toadies sad other arti-
cles. She omitted to bring the candles, and netarnal to
fetch them. She left the shop, whisk was also
henhouse, about ten o'clock, and that was the List
time she sea ever seen alive. The distance between
the public-hosse and the place 'bon body yr found