The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-08 00:00:00

•
BatOt iITuN r. JACKSON.—FALSE IMPRISONMENT

.... _
This was all action to recover compensation in damages
for false Imprisonment, to which the defendant bad
pleaded the general issue and a justification. Mr. Se ''cant
Allen and Mr. Prideaus were counsel for the plaintiff, and
Mr. Keating and Mr. Piggott for the defendant.
It appeared that the plaiptiff had been steward to the de-
fendant, Lieutenant Jackson, commanding one of her
Majesty's ships called the Lucifer. In his capacity of
steward the plaintiff had free access to the defendant's
cabin. On the 18th of September last the vessel was at
anchor off Douglas, in the Isle of Man, and en that day the
defendant having occasion to look into his desk, discovered
that his money, amounting to 13/. 10s., and a pocket-book,
were gone. The defendant went en shore the same day,
and on Isis return two data after sent for the plaintiff and
accused Lim of taking the money. The plaintiff denied
the charge, but the defendant ordered him to be put in
irons and confined in the maguine passage under the guard
of • sentinel. Ile was kept there for three days, when the
irons were taken off, and he woo allowed to go as a prisoner
at large forward in the lower deck. Ile was kept under
this restraint till the 15th of October, when be was dis-
charged at Queenstown, in Ireland. At the same time the
defendant refused to pay the plaintiff his wages beyond
the 20th of September, and gave hint • document,
in which, opposite the word "character," was written
the word "indifferent." In presenting the plantiff with
this document the defendant said, " Here is your discharge,
and I hope you will redeem your character—be off." Under
these circumstances the plaintiff brought this action to vin-
dicate his character, and to recover. compensation for the
injury which he had sustained.
the defence was that the defendant had acted bona fide

throughout, under the reasonable suspicion that the plain-
tiff was the thief. The defendant himself came into the
witness hot, and stated that as the plaintiff was the only
prison who bad access to his cabin, tind had the care of his
property, his SUSpiCiOlll naturally tell upon him, and these
suspicions were increase,' by the inquiries which he made
on the subject. Ile put the plaintiff in irons, because he
had no other means of separating him from the crew, and
when he ordered the irons to be taken off he did not employ
him in any of the work of the ship. lie afterwards, on his
arrival at Queenstown, discharged the plaintiff by the ad-
vice of the admiral there, and gave him the only certificate
which be thought he was entitled to under the circum-
stances. A corporal of the Marines was also called, who con-
firmed some of the circumstances of the defendant's case, as
for as he was acquainted with them.
Lord Campbell having summed up, the jury returned a
verdict tur the defendant.

COURT OF COMMON
Ihrruros at Nut fan,. IS Mica

SATURDAY.
Cant Ann=

.—.
Jams ...-
GNU
A COllllO3l ivar.
Pcutez r. Bmcsa.—Ac, !DENT WHILST Danrusa.

The plaintiff in this Case, William Pearce, is a profes-
sional singer; and the defendant was, when the canes of
action arose, a contractor with the Lambeth Waterworks
Company. The action was brought to recover damages as
compensation for injuries sustained in consequence of the
plaintiff having been thrown out of a dogcart whilst driving
alone the Tooting-road. The pluintiff'a case, was that the
accident was caused by the defendant having neglected to
properly guard a trench dui by his men for the purpose of
eying down water pipes.
Mr. Montagu Chambers, Q.C., Mr. Hawkins, and Mr.
Duncan were for the plaintiff ; and Mr. Serjcant Byles and
Mr. Ferrer for the dehndant.
It appeared that on the 10th of October, 18.50, the plain-
tiff, with a party of friends, went in four vehicles from
Mouton to a beer-house called the Mermaid, at Merton,
where they arrived between three and four o'clock. About
half-past ten at night they started to return home, but un-
fortunately one cf the wheels of the cart in which the
plaintiff was ran into the trench, and the party were
thrown out. The consequence was that the plaintiff had
several of his teeth knocked our, and his leg was cut. He
was also a good deal bruised about the chest, and it was
said that his power of singing had been, in consequence,
impaired.
A good de.il of evil, nee was called on both sides, and it
was of a very contradictory kind. The principal point in
the case was whether the defendant had properly fenced
and lighted the whale, or whether the plaintiff and his
party bad contributed by their negligence to the accident.
The jury retired to consider the matter, and, after being
absent fur half an hour, they found a verdict for the plain-
tiff—damage. .s'.
BCdtXtiS air TIM COULLT.
_ - .

f .
The Cho [Justice, the course o „the day, said that
there were several cases in the parr which it would be
impossible to try in the prnsrnt sitting. This being so, he
would, by consent of pathos, allow the venue in any cue to
Ibe changed from Middle-ea to London, in order to save de-
lay and esper.se to the parties.

COURT OF R.LNKRUPTCY.--BArraDAy.
BiI..PJ Ka. Oosommoza Oartaraw.
IN RI CoLCIIIIINZ.

Mr. Columbine, solicitor, whose caw has been before the
court at intervals for the lut three or four years, had, on a
previous OCCILAIMI, applied to the court for on order for the
payment of his accountants ch.irges, alleging that he had
no means of payment, and that the accountant would re-
tain pose. taloa of the documents until his bill was paid.
His Honour now gave judgment on the application. He
said this way a case in which the bankrupt bad contested
the adjudication in every possible way ; and the VieeChan-
calor had done anything but dissuade him from prose-
eating the matter. There had been two actions at law, the
question being as to the sufficiency of the act of bank-
. ruptcv, which turned mainly upon the validity of a deed
' and the assignees had come to the conclusion that the deed
was fraudulent. and was clearly an act of bankruptcy. Mr.
Columbine had spent a considerable sum in this litigation,
and now he came before the court alleging that he had
met Mu means of paying the accountant's charges for the
eseameile which he ought to have filed three or four years ago.
ne unit wu unwilling to lend itself to the prunes of