The Express.
London, England, 1847-12-17 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

LIVERPOOL WINTER ASSIZES.—THVBSDAT.
Before Yr. Baron Aldavon.
MOlLDill.—Robert Pilkington, aged 66, was charged with
having, at 'lentos, wilfully murdered Betty Pilkington, kin
wife. The prisoner and his wife resided in the township of
Heaton, near Bolton. From some came or other they had
separated, and for several years lived apart. The wife went
to reside with their son, John Pilkington, who, three years
ago took a farm at Heaton ; and the household oon.
sensed of himself, a you ger brother, William, •
servant named Bridget Dunn, and the prisoner's wife.
The prisoner, who lived about half a . mile distant, was pro-
hibited, for sufficient' reasons, from visiting the home. He
was poor, and occasionally went for food to the sea's house,
but on them occesiens received it in the stable. John Pil-
kington, the son of the prisoner, and the maple, of the I
farm referred to, was convicted at the Liverpool autumn
aedase of a serious amaialt, for which he is now mating a
term of nine months' imyrisonmeat. The father was in
court at the time of the trial • and, after hearing the malt,
hurried home. On the morning of Sunday, the 22nd of
August, between seven and eight o'clock, he went to the
son's house, knocked at the door, and saying he wanted to
light his pipe wins let in by his son William. After he had
lit it he was desired to lesre, but refused. It appeared as
if he wished to take up his permanent abode ' and both his
wife and the servant remonstrated against his stay. The
servant, Bridget Dean, fearing that something might happen,
said—" Well, if you do, 1 won't allow the old woman tore.
main," and persuaded her to leave the house. The servant
was about to take out the milk to the customers, and the
wife and son William accompanied her, leaving the primmer
alone in the home. A nephew of the deceased, named
Hodgkinson, called at the home during their absence, and
the prisoner told him (what wass not true) that his eon Joins,
then in gaol, had given him orders to look after the home.
The servant and wife soon afterwards returned (the son had
unfortunately left them) and found the prisoner still la the
house. He asked. his wife—" Is thee to be master? " and
the wife replied, " Yes; our son John left me in the care of
the home, and you had better start." The prisoner said
—" You have two home, and I have nose,"
and, getting up from the chair on which he had
been sitting, approached the deceased, and struck her
violently with • poker twice upon the head. Bridget
Dean interposed; he also struck her, and was about to wile
another blow, when she ran out of the house and gave the '
alarm. Some of the neighbours immediately gathered, and
on their returning with the servant they found the deceased
raised upon a chair ; she heaved two or three sighs, and then
expired. The prisoner was gone ; immediate pursuit was
vein: and in two or three hour' he wen arrested sot the
way to the moots. He was told ho had murdered his
He raid," Saying so did not make it m." There wee
M that time blood upon his hands. It would appear that
after the servant had left other two blows had been given to
the unfortunate woman, as • post mortem examination re-
vealed not less than four distinct wounds, any one of
which was sufficient to have caused deed). About
six weeks before the occurrence the prisoner hid said, oa
alias his wife par through the eon's yard, that he would
linaollams be the end of her. These were the facts deposed
is by the witnesses for the prosecution. For the defence, it
was elicited that the prisoner's heed bad bees severely in-
jured by • cart wheel ; that for four days afterwards he
I mold not distinguish between day and night, and for a
length of time subsequently was not himself again. Six
Mago he was thrown by • young horse and fell upon
ad. His conduct, however, had never been otherwise
than rational.—Mr. Pollock having addressed the jury for
the prisoner his lordship carefully summed up, and the
jury., after retiring for twenty minutes, returned a verdict of
Ousity.—His lordship, in feeling terms, then poised sentence
of death in the multi form.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
OLD COURT.—Dobre Mr. Cootairdleer Bells,k.

Foiouao rRZILWAY PAN.—J. A. Sarsdlorstle, 21,
was iadicted for uttering a fined document, with intent to
defraud the London and Northlreetere Railway Company.
The prisoner pleaded guilty.—ML Clerkson, who appeared
for the prosecution, said that the eespeay for whom be had
the honour to appear had felt themselves compelled to in-
stitute the present prosecution, In the hope of putting an end
to a system of fraud which had been extensively practised,
not only upon them, but upon all other railway companies.
The fraud to which he alluded was the uttering of forged
passes, authorising persons to travel upon the railway, and
in the present instance the prisoner presented • pass, pur-
porting to be signed by Mr. Stephenson, the engineer of the
company, directing that the bearer should be paned to Bir-
mingham and back. In consequence, however, of the letters
M.P. being added to the signature, some suspicion was ex-
cited that it was not a genuine document, and on the pri-
soner being questioned he admitted that the document was
• forgery. —The prisoner was sentenced to be imprisoned for
six month'.

Before Mr. Baron Rolle and Mr. ;alike wigistrosa.
RONTIMIX IT A POSTIIAN.—J. PargMer, 33, postman,
was indicted for stealing a letter containing • connuntdarsek
note for 10L, the property of the Marquis of C
the Pcumalter-General.—On the 10th November, a letter
containing the note in question, addressed to Mr. John
Con, 8, Northampton-square, Clerkenwell, wee posted at
Wiaacti, The letter never arrived at its proper destina-
tion, and it wu clearly proved that the prisoner, who was
employed in the inland department of the Pat-office, had
an opportunity of taking it; and it appeared that on the day
after the letter containing the note arrived in London, the
prisoner gave the identical note to a person named Claiborne
to get cashed at the London banking agents, Messrs. Barclay.
—The prisoner, in his defence, said he found the note lying
about in the Pat-office, and he denied all knowledge of the
letter.—The jury found the prisoner Guilty, and he was
sentenced to be transported for ten years.
MIIRDZIL or Ms. BILLCHAIIIII24.—T, Sale, 25, cooper,
was charged with the wilful murder of John Bellchambers,
by fractering his skull with an iron bolt; and B. M'Cay,
25, wine cooper, T. Doyle, 17, labourer, and J. Lloyd, 22,
model maker, were charged with being feloniously present,
aiding and assisting in the commission of the murder; and
T. Doris, 25, seaman, wu indicted as an accessory before
the fact, by inciting and counselling the other prisoners to
I commit the offence imputed to them.
' Mr. H. F. Holt, surgeon, deposed that he saw the de-
ceased on the morning of the llth of October, at his reel-
dente in Wilton-street, Westminster. He was in a state of
insensibility, with two black eyes, a cut on the sight side of
the forehead, and a graze on the right cheek, and a small
cut on the left. Hering the day the deceased was several
times attacked with convulsions, and he dad on the 17th at
nine o'clock in the evening. Witness made a post modern
examination, the result of which satisfied him that death wag
occasioned by an injury to the brain from a fracture of the.
' skull. The injury was no doubt occasioned by violence, but
he should hardly think it could have been caused by a fall.
Such an instrument as the bolt produced might no doubt
have occasioned the injury.
W. Mayor said he was employed et the King's Head,
Orchard. street, Westminster. About two o'clock on the
morning of the llth of October ha saw the deceased at the
bar. The prisoners ll'Coy and Sale were also in front of
the bar, near deceased. The landlord invited Mr. Bell-
chambers to come into the bar, and he did so, the reason
Keen being that there were had characters in front of the .