The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-23 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

OLD COVlT.—Before the Recorder.
THI ALLECIIID DEATH PROM PuMON.— Me. Clark's)*
said he had to snake an application to the court of rather an
unusual character, but which he trusted, under the peculiar
circumstances would be acceded to. He was instructed to
apply on behalf of two female', named Mary Anne Spry and
Mary Anne Dore, who were charged with the otteuce of
murder by poison, that the court shuttle make an order that
Dr. Taylor, the eminent chemist, should have an opportunity
of examining the contents of the stomach, and also the
stomach itself, of the child who wee alleged to have been
poisoned. At pre•eet the stomach, &c., was perky in the
custody. of the inspector of police, and partly in that of other
protesetomil men, who hid already male an analysis of it
and given evidence upon the suljeot. The prisoners believed
it would he most important for them that Dr. Teeter, whose
skill in these matters was wlll known, should have oa oppor-
tunity of analysing the stoutich ; and eater, Taylor, in•letter
whims ho held iu his hand, state d that ho could nut make a
satisfactory ex eminetion except at his laboratory at Guy's
Hospital, he now had to apply to the court for an order to
that efLet.—The Recorder bald the application was certeinly
an unusual one, and he almost doubted whether the court
had jurisdiction in the matter; but in furtherance cat politic
justice he considered the application uught to be greeted.
At the same tune he thought the stomach, &c., ought not to
be taken altogether out of s he cost aly to which it was at pre-
sent, but that the other professional men should have a joint
posse,sion and be preseut when the fresh experiments were
made by Dr. Taylor—Mr. Clarkson said that the character
and position of that gentleman were sutlicient guarantees
that nothing improper would be done.—The Recorder was
quite avers that Dr. Taylor', evidence would- be above sus-
picion, but as he might differ in opinion with the other
professional gentlemen as to the condition of the stomach,
it would bat more a etisfactory to all panties that they should
be in attendance when the experiments were made.—An
order to that effect was then directed to be made out.
ROliiilNO PUBLIC /101.78 EL—John Lawrence, 28, de-
scribed as an optician, and Henry Chappell, 23, engine-
driver, were indicted for skating 100 sovereigns and 401.
worth of silver, the property of Edward Smith, since de-
ceased.—lt appeared trout the evidence that the robbery in
question was committed about seven o'clock on the evening
of the 21st Sepknher, in last year. The prosecutor, who bee
since died, was at that time the landlord of the Bricklayers'
Arms public-house, Eceleston-street, Pimlico, and it seemed
that at the time relerred to the prisoner Lawrence, accom-
panied by another man, came to the front of the bar and
asked fur gin-and-water and cigars, and while they were
e.riuking Chappell came in and also callel for drink. After
a short time Lawrence and his companions gave an order to
Mr. Smith's brother, who was serving in the bar which re-
quired him to turn round from them, and when he resumed
hii po itiou he observed that Chappell was gone, and very
shortly etterwards the prosecutor's daughter heard the sound
of &footstep on the stubs and heard acme one go quickly out at
the front door. She immediately went up stairs, and dis-
covered that Ler mother's bedroom door had been opened
apparently by a picklock key, and a cupboard in the room
had been forced open, and the money mentioned in the in-
dicunent, which had been placed in two canvas bags, was
found to have been stolen. The prisoner Lawrence and his
companion left the house directly the prosecutor's daughter
went up stairs, and the cue for the prosecution was, that the
robbery meet have been committed by the prisoners, Law-
rence and his companion engaziog the attention of the bar-
man while Chappell blipped up stairs and stole the money.
Nuns of the property was traced to the prisoners.—The
counsel for the defence submitted to the court that there
was no evidence to go to the jury. The conduct of the pri-
soners, he said, might be considered very suspicious, but
sespicion ought not to supply the place of evetenee.—The
Recorder said he should not like to state what his opinion
was upon the subject of the guilt of the prisoners, but he
diet not think the evidence was sufficient to justify a convic-
tion. It there had been any evidence that Chappell was the
man who ran out of the front door just lief re the robbery
was discovered, the case would have assumed a very different
aspect.—The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
The prisoners were then arraigned upon another indict-
ment fur stealing ten severeiges, the property of James
Wood. This use was one of a similar character to the last.
The prosecutor is a beer-shop keeper in Manor-place, Wal-
worth, and it appeared that on the sth October, about eight
in the evening, his wife placed ten sovereigns in a box on the
shelf in her bedroom and shut the door, but did not lock it.
The prisoners, accompanied by twe other men, came into
the house about 9 o'clock, and went into the parlour, where
they celled for ale and tobacco, and several other things, and
repeatedly changed their minds with regard to the articles
they wanted. Alter some time Chappell went out of the
room, and was absent about five minute*, and it was conjec-
tared' that during this period tha robbery was committed.
When he rejoiced his companions he complained of being ill,
and said he could not drink his ale, and the four men imme-
diately left the house. '1 he robbery was discovered emu:
half put 11 o'clock, and, according to the evidence, no per-
sons but the prisoners could love had an opportunity of com-
mitting it; but, as in the last case, there was an absence of
any direct proof of their guilt, although, from all the facts
disclosed, there was very little doubt of it —The Recorder
having summed up, the jury, after a short deliberation, re-
turned a verdict of Guilty.
Mr. Clarkson said there were two other indictments
against the prisoners for robberies of a similar description.
In one case a sum of 441. in gold and silver was the protium
of the robbery ' • and in the other no leas a sure than 1651.
was stolen. Both the robberii.a were committed in public-
houses, and the evidence was of the same character as that
which had been already produced, and he wished to know
whether the court considered it necessary to proceed with
these indictments 1
The Recorder expressed his opinion that it would not be
necessary to do so.
The prisoners were then called up for judgment, and his
lordship said that there could be no doubt they formed part
of a gang of associated thieves, whose object was to plunder
publicans by the scheme that had been defeatist. They first
took means to ascertain where a publican was in the habit of
keeping his money, and then, whale some of the party
occunied the attention of the person who was engaged in
the business, another slipped adroitly to the place where
the money was deposited and despoiled the owner of it.
Although they had been acquitted from a failure of the
strict'proof which the law required in the first care no one
who had beard it could doubt that they were guilty of that
offence also, and under these circumstances he felt himself
called upon to pan a severe sentence, which was that they
be severally transported for 15 years.
NEW COKRT.-13efore the Common Solo:ant

THE CHARTIST PRISONEES.—In the course of the day the
grand iury returned true bills against John James Baser,
Robert Crane, and James Maxwell Bryson, the chartistannw
in custody for sedition. True bills were also found against
several others not in custody, and upon :he application of
Mr. Bodkin process was is ued against them.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
Before Mr. eerjeant Adams.
Yesterday the August adjourned IlebtiOß commenced with
the rather large number of 120 prisoners for trial.
Dm or °HAND Junone.—ln his charge to the grand
jury, the learned serjeant said, that it would be as well for
him to caution them against an error into which grand
juries had at times fallen, and which was the supposition
that they promoted the ends of justice by ignoring a bill
charging a person with stealing property of little or no
value. Now, it must be borne in min 1, that the grand jury
was a tribunal sworn to keep secret what passed before it,
and therefore it was easily to bo seen how necessary it was
that every case which had about it even the least amount of
suspicion should be fully and openly investigated before the
petit jury, in which investigation both sides would be heard,
and truth, justice, and right promoted. As an illustration of
the importance of publicity, even to petty cases, he would
allude to a case tri. d last week—(the case of Mary Ann
Newman and Jane Goddard, tried at Devizes, before Mr.
Justice Coleridge)—in which a gentleman prosecuted his
cook, fur giving broken victuals to a poor woman, the
latter being also accused as a receiver of stolen
property. A more paltry case than that could
scarcely be imagined, and it was a case that moot grand
juries would bay scouted from their consideration. but by
the finding of the bill an important result followed—for
the ca.e was fully investigated in open court, and the facts
were laid before the public. And what had been the result
in the public mind ? The result showed that publicity was
important, not only as far an the administration of justice
was coacerned, but even as regarded the public itself. Look
at the cases of juvenile delinquency, which were formerly
constantly exhibited in that court. Through the publicity
giva n by the press to the trials, which were thus heard,
a feeling for measures of improvement in that class
of °Senders was created, and the consequence was the
making of a law by the legislature which had withdrawn
such cases nearly altogether from the public eye,
by placing th^m under the summary jurisdiction of
magistrates. The public now believed, therefore,
that the evil was abated, while in truth: and
in fact it existed to a greater extent than ever. The present
state of the criminal j urisprodence of this country was, at the
very least, 500 years behind the times; and it was quite time
the legislature thought of making proper laws for the admi-
nistration of ju.tice, irsbad of adhering to those ctiatAlls and
usages, which, however we :I suited they might have been for
1348 .were not at all calculated for the present age.

POLICE.—YESTERDAT.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET. UTTERING A Foam)
BILL.—/hsry L. who loimerly held • commission
in the East ludia Company's service, was finally examined,
charged with uttering • forged bill of exchange fur 12,500
rupees, with intent to defraud Rimers. Rant and Kooken,
silversmiths, of Boot-etrett. The prisoner, it appeared, has
been passing himself off as an officer in the E est Lulls Com-
pany's service, ab .ut to set up an establi,hment in England,
and commissioned by .he officers of the 28th Bengal It gt. to
purchase a service of plats for the mein In furtherance of this