The Express.
London, England, 1847-01-08 00:00:00

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.

iiairsc lir. CloinmlZ;;;;Poailanci:e.
Ti. Swim. Daum Acr. Mark,, the defendant, an
upholsterer, was summoned, under the small debts act,
far the psyment of debt and oasts for work done. It
appeared that the dekridant went to Epson: Races directly
alter the contraction of the delis, and that he wee in the habit
of frequenting a Severe.—His Honour ordered that the do-
lissitsett should pay one pound • month.
• ONOQUIC —E. 1.. Bell, the insolvent, was a brewer
Millenlisassiton, and owsproinised with hie creditors
at lie rate of 6s in the pound about twelve months '
Kr. assirpon, who opposed, said he had to inquire as to the
manner iu which he disposed of his brewery' and also as to
whether there was a cheviot. the extant of 400/., which it
was believed was now in the poeseasitra if his wife. He (Mr.
Sturgeon) had to eomplain of the conduit of the iIIIDIVIVIIt in
allowing the opposing creditor to be pat to nuaseemarg

expenses in a certain action, and then, directly afterwards,
filing a petition in this, court.—The insolvent considered that
the cheque of 4301. of the Into Lieut. Bud i was nothing
more than waste paper.—Mr. Bagley, counsel for the insol-
vent, said that the insolvent's wife had kept the cheque by
her, merely as a relic of her deceased brother. Aft, r some
further diseusaion, his Honour granted the interim order.
INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT.
Before the Chief Ctionmissioner and Com. Phillips.
Accountorolvtom Bit-La.—F. Wall, a commercial tra-
veller, was opposed for Mr. LelForest, a wine merchant. The
insolvent had been collector to a Mr. Clifton, whew business
was now carried on by the opposing creditor. The insolvent
gave four bills of exchange, 48W. in the whole, to Mr.
Le Forest, for a debt due to Clifton, on which an action was
brought. This action was defended, and the complaint was,
that the defence was vexatious ; but the court held that so
the costs were not taxed, the eimplaint could not bo sub-
stantiated. The other grounds of opposition were also held
to be invalid, and the in.olvent was declared to be entitled to
his discharge.

FRACAS IN inn Qu a rat's Pathos. —Nir,--On the morning
of December 11., et catty before ten o'clock, my attention was aroused
by hearing loud and repeated calls of "Murder!" On running down
stairs to ascertain the cause, I discovered that the sounds proceeded
from a window on the Meet floor of No. 3 staircase. This room is
octupied by Mr. Herring; and, upon going up to his door, I found
the bend turnkey, Henry stn., guarchng It, with his hand
upon the lock. Having been refund sdmittance to Mr. Herrings
room, 1 inquired of the turnkey the cause of eo uniumal • diaturb.
ance, aml the sounds of etruggling and noise, which were to be dis-
tinctly beard In the passage. The reply I received was, "It is only
Mr. Herring wha refutim to go up to the Arches Court, but the
keeper Is detleraimd to make him.' I then returned to the parade,
and remained under Mr. Herring's window, which was open; and,
while I was Mending on the pavement, the atruggiing was disoun-
booed. During the period which intervened prior to a renewal of
the scuffle, one of the officers of the prima was sent
to the keeper, evidently foe the pumas of receiving further
instructions how to proceed. This temporary euspennon cat offernise
meaeures enabled me to hear Mr. Herring say to some pecan or
persons in his room, " I am perfectly ready and willing to accompany
you to the Arches Court (although I have given the keeper official
notice that I am not required to be taken upon the habeas sued out at
my own instance) upon my receiving no aseurarge from my agent
that another writ of habeas corpos lodged at the gate for my appear-
ance at the Surrey Seaffions House, Is not to be sated upon this morn-
ing." On the return of the mereenger from the keeper's office, the
violence was renewed with thoremed noise and struggling. The
whine laced fur some minutes, and while this exciting some was
p,odng, a hackney clarence cabriolet was driven within the gates of
the prison, and pulled up opposite to the entrance of No. 3 staircase.
By this time a crowd of prisoner had asamailded on the parade and
racquet ground; but they little anticipated that their fueling@
were to be shocked and outraged by the brutal exhibition which
followed. la a few minute. the Awaking of feet iini a strange com-
motion in the passage of the brat floor attracted their attention,
when they, as well as myself, saw Mr. Herringnaked, forcitily dragged
along the fiagn by four turkeys, his hare head rebounding trom each
stone step on his descent —his shirt and devotee-gown tore to ahead.,
and t brunt bruised and bleeding into the vehicle, while three of the
officers held him down in it. The turnkeys one and all appeared to
exult in their cruelty, and I beard Colwell, the head turnkey, re-
peatedly urge his fellow-Atom "not to spare Mr. Herring,—
to kneel upon him, and if that did not do, to sit upon him ; and
If these means failed, to put on the handcuffs, as there were plenty
of bands to dolt." _

thlsairniefUl state Mr. Herring was driven from the door
amidst the exematices and cries of " shame" from the bystanders, who
viewed with feelings of indignation ad disgust the ignominious
treatment to which their persecuted fellow-prisoner had been
subjected. Sure am I that Mr. Cope, the tkivernor of Neweate,
wool not have acted so inhumanly towards a felon or a convict;
and Mr. Hudson, the keeper of the Queen's Primo, should be taught
that gentlemen unfortunately placed under Ma control are ran to be
insulted and degraded with impunity. M. Herring was taken up to
the precincts a the Arches Court without shoes, stockings, or cover-
ing of any kind on the extremities; and, to show that he was correct
In his assertion to the oflkers that Ms presence was not required at
Ductors'.oommone, they were informed by Lo. Phillimore, Mr. Her-
ring's able advocate, that he out not wanted; the case had been
argued, the anidavits accepted, and that the court was closed. The
°dicers were consequently diverted to take their prisoner back again
to the Queen's pnron. Mr. Hudson, I believe, bolds, or held, a com-
mission In her ikesty's navy, and o fortiori moot be regarded in the
light of a gentleman. Conceding, therefore, to Mr. Hudson the
station In middy derived from his rank, 1 am bound to assume that
had he been present, he never cold or would have allowed his sub-
ordinates to wreak their vengeance an •defenceless inditidrutL Taking
it for 'rented, then, that Mr. Hodson would so far ham Intel tamed
his authority r to have prevented Ina officers from proceeding to I
such uncalled-for extremities, I may be permitted to ask Not, as
the Keeper of the Queen's Prison, why he was not present during
this arbitrary and illegal proceeding! One of the turnkeys, • man
weighing 241 done, knelt upon Mr. Herring's chest when he was on
the floor; while three others held him by his arms and legs.
The daily paltry acts of oppreroion and tyranny exercised towards the
prisoners, call for the intervention of • higher power.
and galling restrictions am imposed by the keeper's ownniPs'em=
and if a murmur ha Mud, the " strong-mom" is the punishment
awarded to the sufferer. Mr. Hudson has held the appointment of
Keeper of the Queen's Prialoll for three years and • half, and during
this abort perked has confined more prisoners in a cell fur a fortnight
and a month at a time than his two predecessors in ogice, Mr. Janes,
the late mamba]. and Mr. Chapman, the late governor, who held the
dike fur lifty-four years, and when they had severally under their
custorly between four and five times the number of prisoners; Mr.
Hudson never having had more than 180, while twenty yore ago
there were never kso than &Moe 900.—An Eva.Wasesa.—Clumn's
Prison, Jan. &

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.—YrsrERDAY.

OLD COURT, Dsfore *r.J!titioe Maul.

MANBIAUGHTEIL—Matthew Ford, aged 21, an omnibus
driver, was indicted for the manslaughter of William kiddy,
a driver of a Brixton omnibus. The occurrence took place
on Brixton-hill on the IGth of December last. From the
evidence adduced, which, as in ill similar cues, was ex-
tremely contradictory, it appeared that about tire o'clock on
the day in question the two omnibuses were proceeding
along at a rapid pace, the omnibus driven by the prisoner
being slightly in advance of the one in charge of the
deceased. The prisoner gradually " slewed " his omni-
bus across the road, in order to prevent the deceased
driving past. Thesudden drawing up brought the deceased's
omnibus against a lamp-post and he was thrown from the box,
and received such injuries that he died in about ten days
after. No collision took place between the omnibuses. The
prisoner was, however, on the " off " side at the time, the
" near" one being his proper side. The men drove rival
omnibuses, and being actuated by a spirit of rivalry, evi-
dently were not particular iu their courtesies, and annoyed
each other in the way described, passing each other when •
favourable opportunity offered, and each availing himself
of every means likely to keep his vehicle ahead. One
or two of the witnesses stated that the men were both
to blame.—Mr. Clarkson contended that the prisoner was
wholly blameless., and that the deceased alone caused the
accident which resulted in his death.—The jury acquitted
the prisoner.

NEW COURT. Before the Recorder end Alderman Johneon.
NOVEL CLBE.—John Spurgeon, a man 44 years of age,
who called himself a lawyer's clerk, was indicted for having
stolen a bag containing some legal documents, the property
of Mr. Blake, an attorney, from the Master's Office in the
Inner Temple. Another indictment was preferred avian
the prisoner for having in his posse 'on a quantity of papers
which had been stolen either ofr Serjeantre Inn, Serpents'
Inn Hall, or Judges' Chambers, Rolls-gardens, about ten
years ago ; end of which he could give no sati4Lictory
account. The prisoner had beers an attorney's clerk for
thirty-three years, but about the autumn of 1845 he
was engaged as an assistant to a parliamentary agent in the
management of railway business. The jury found the
prisoner Guilty of stealing the papers iu the hope of es acting
a reward, and that he would not have given up the papers if
it had involved danger.—The Recorder said this was virtu-
ally one of guilty, and he deemed the ease one or larceny.
The prisoner was sentenced to one year's imprisonmeat, with
hard labour.