The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-31 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.-TAUNTON, MARCH 29.

Ihroaz M. Juana' Cimarron.
CROCKIII3 V. MOORE. —BREACH or PROMS&

Mr. Slade, Q.C.' and Mr. Kerslake, were for the plain-
tiff; and for the defendant, Mr. Serjeant Kinglake and
Mr. M. Smith. The defendant had pleaded that he had
made the promise under the belief that the plaintiff was a
person of chastity and virtue, but had found that she was
not, and that she had had an illegitimate child.
Mr. Slade briefly opened the case to the jury, observing
that he did not put it before them as one of blighted affec-
tions, but as that of a young woman who had been shame-
fully abused and deceived. She was a person of very
humble circumstances in life, being the daughter of a
glazier, living in the forest of Exmoor. The defendant was
a wealthy farmer of the same locality; and in 1849 the
plaintiff went to live with him in the capacity of a servant.
It would be shown that the defendant exhibited
great partiality for the plaintiff, and that he
manifested considerable jealousy towards a person
named Rawls, with whom it was thought the plain-
tiff was keeping company, and that he at length prevailed
on her to withdraw her company from Rawle, and to
bestow it on himself. He was continually visiting her when
she was at her father's house. He got her father to write
letters to her, persuading her to accept him as her suitor ;
and although there were not many of those amusing letters
which usually enlivened cases of this description' be should
be able to produce two or three, which would distinctly
show the relations existing between the parties. It would
also appear that the defendant was in the habit of following
the patriarchal custom of having his flocks and herds driven
before the plaintiff's father's door, and telling her that all
these should be hers if she would be his. By these means
the plaintiff was induced to return to the service of the de-
fendant (which she had temporarily leR), and in the spring
of 1852 she became pregnant by the defendant, and bore a
child; and he now had the audacity to throw this fact in
her teeth, and to endeavour to take advantage of his own
wrong doing. After some farther remarks, the learned
counsel proceeded to call witnesses.
John Crocker, father of the plaintiff, deposed to various
facts mentioned by Mr. Slade, in his opening speech, add-
ing that after his daughter was confined, the defendant
promised several times to come and see her, and asked how
she was getting on, but he never came to the house
afterwards.

In crow-examination, it was elicited that since plaintiff's
confinement, witness had seen her drinking spirits and
water with Rawle, the man alluded to as a former lover.
Mary Crocker, lent of the plaintiff, deposed to having
seen the defendant frequently with her niece. lie paid
her every attention, and witness had heard him say he in-
tended to make her his wife.

---
Two letters written by the father to the plaintiff, at de-
fendant's request, were then put in, and two other letters
written by the defendant to the plaintiff, were also read.
In one of them be says :
" Elizabeth Crocker, my dear,
I lore you, dear, true and sincere ;
• I cannot espreas my mind,
But my heart le truly thine."
"I tell you as plainly as man can speak
I lore you as true as my life,
And I shall never be easy, my dear,
Until you beams my wife.
If you object to me, I newer will ask woman again
It r one year, two, or ten..
In the other letter defendant repeated hie protestations
of love.

Clarissa Crocker and Richard Crocker were called to
prove that the defendant had promised plaintiff marriage,
and that he had recognised her child.
John Bryant, sexton of Minehead, proved that an appli-
cation wu made on the part of the defendant respecting the
price of a licence ; and a silversmith was called to state
that the plaintiff had looked at some wedding rings.
Mr. Serjeant Ringlike having addressed the jury on
behalf of the defendant, a great number of witnesses were
called to prove unchastity on the part of the plaintiff,
among °thus the man Rawle, referred to in Mr. Slade's
speech.
Mr. Slade made a forcible reply, and the learned Judge
having summed up, the jury found for the plaintiff—da-
mages 3091.
The case lasted till past 9 o'clock.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.-YESTEIWAY.
13173111 11 a. SLILILUTT ADAN*. ASSISTANT JUDGE.

Timothy Mahoney was indicted for having stolen two
bottles and three pints of porter, the property of the London
Dock Company, from their dock.
This case rested on the evidence of a cooper employed in
the dock of the name of Dickens, who derived to seeing a
person, whom he was certain was the prisoner, who was
an extra labourer, leave a part of the premises where he
hsd no business to be, and that he pursued him. Ile only
saw the back of the person he was following, bat he was
able to identify him by the "jumper " or smock-frock he
had on ; and to say that it wee the prisoner. The penon
finding he was pursued threw down two bottles of porter,
and got out of sight. The witness went to the foreman of
the gang in which the prisoner was working, and picked
him out.
In

Dickens said he was in principle a
Quaker, though ha was not actually a member of the So-
ciety of Fries& He had taken the oath, and considered
it bending conscience ; but he had been examined
without oath, before the Commissioners of Cus-
toms. He de complaints beforc,and on one occasion
a person whom he charged was committed for eight days.
Mr. Duncan, for the defence, urged that the evidence of
Dickens did not prove the prisoner's identity beyond doubt,
and that the witness had shown a strange zeal in making
charges against his fellow workmen. The learned counsel
observed that there was also something strange about the
witness professing the principles of a Quaker, and at the
same time taking the oath, declaring that was binding on
his cosiscience, and admitting that previously ho had given
evidence without taking the oath.
The jury found the prisoner Not Guilty, and the fore-
man said they were not satisfied with the evidence of the
first witness—Dickens.

THE POLICE COURTS.
---
MANSION-HOUSE.

E1i.:411404 .11'3111:an, domestic servant to Mr. Tyler,
butcher, of Bishopsgate-street Without, was brought be-
fore the Lord Mayor, for final examination, on the charge
of having stolen la, in gold and sUver, a shawl, and other
good', the prop rty of her master.
Finuis (the detective officer), upon being informed of
the robbery, went to the lodgings of the prisoner, and found
there the stolen shawl. She acknowledged that she had
stolen the whole of the property described.
Mr. Tyler identified the shawl. The ca►h-box had (he
said) been broken open, and the prisoner left her place
immediately after the robbery, without haling given notice,
leaving some of her clothes behind her.
The prisoner was committed for trial.
The Lord Mayor requested that the newspapers would
acknowledge hie receipt of five shillings from 0. T. U.,
for the poor-box.
BOW-STREET.

An elderly respectable-looking man, who gave the mama
of Edicanl Lanyley, and described himself as private secre-
tary to • gentleman ; but afterwards admitted that his
name was Forts, and that he was the secretary and treasurer
of the Camden-town Auxiliary Association in connexion with
the City of London Atissioa, was placed at the bar before

Mr. Henry, charged with stealing two newspapers from a
coffee-shop.
The prosecutor, Henry Wheeler, stated that be kept the
Commercial Cuffee-house, in Chandos street. At about
half-past 8 o'clock, on Tuesday evening, witness saw the
prisoner in the coffee-room, and having had occasion to
suspect him previously, watched his movement!. Shortly
afterwarat he saw him fold up two newspapers, and place
them in his pocket; and when he left, witness fuliowed him
into the street, and taxed hint with the robbery. The pri-
soner then took the papers out of his pocket, and said,
" Oh, Mr. Wheeler, here are your newspapers," at the
same time throwing them down. Accordingly wituess gave
him into custody.
The officer produced a number of prints, tracts, papers,
&c., which he found upon the prisoner. The latter in-
cluded a list of subscriptions to the Pratt-street Auxiliary
Association. . _

The prisoner—Believe me, your worship, I cannot think
what possessed me to take up these papers. I deny that I
ever took any before. I had plenty of money to purchase
wham if I wished to do so. I had been drnkiug with a
friend, and my mind must have been affected.
Mr. Henry—Can you refer me to any person who knows
you, to speak to your character ?
The prisoner.—l could do so, but it would be my ruin.
If this goes forth I sin a lost man.
Mr. Henry—But it must go forth. All I know of you
is that you have committed a &Awry, and I shall commit
you for trial at ones if you decline to state where you live.
I see by this subscription list that there are several contri-
butors of a guinea each to acme religious association. Can
you refer to any one of them.
The prisoner—That list was the result of • meeting at
the chapel of the Rev. Mr. Rogers, in behalf of our mis-
sion. They do not know me except as a servant in the
cause.

Mr. Henry—Then you decline to give any reference ?
The prisoner (after a pause)—Then I must confess that
my name is not Langley, anti it would be idle to 147 that I
was drunk. I was not intoxicated. My name is E. ores. I
am very well known—even in this neighbourhood—as a re-
spectable man. I cannot account fur this folly.
The Prosecutor—Last Monday week I saw him separate
four pages of the Weekly Dispatch from the other por-
tion of the paper; and after he was gone the pages were
missing.
The Prisoner—No, no; I never read the Weekly Dis-
patch. Never, believe me.
Mr. Henry—l shall remand you for a week, in order that
the officer may make some inquiries about yuu.
The prisoner begged his worship not to detain him, but
he was committed.

George Hartky and Joseph Cook were charged with
creating a disturbance in Tottenham•court-road, and de-
faming the character of Mr. Griffith,, the landlord of the
Southampton Arms.
The complainant stated that the two defendants came to
his house in a state of partial intoxication, and one of them
(Hartley) called him a thief. They were put out, but con-
tinued their abuse in the street, causing a mob of about a'
hundred people to mumble.
Hartley, in hie defence, stated, that shortly before Christ-
mas be subscribed a shilling to the landlord's goose-club or
lottery. There were a thousand subscribers, and a number
of prizes were given to the holders of certain tickets. Wit-
ness had the ticket No. 119, but having lost it, he gave
notice of the fact three weeks previously to the drawing.
It happened that his ticket entitled him to twelve pounds
'of roast beef, a bottle of brandy, a bottle of gin, and a
bottle of rum; but the landlord refused to give him the
prise, because he could not produce his ticket.
Mr. Griffiths denied that the notice respecting the loss of
the ticket was given until after the drawing, when Hartley
claimed the prise.
Mr. Henry deprecated the system of lottery which ap-
peared to be going on at public-houses, and directed the in-
spector to interns the licensing magistrates of the circum-
stance. At the same time the defendants were not justified
in disturbing the inhabitants of the neighbourhood by the
assertion of their grievances while in a state of drunken-
ness, and therefore they must each pay a fine of 10s.

11TH.

Ambrose ifillon,;;ltTli;io7gassgrinder, was charged
with having unlawfuLy played an organ, after having been
required to depart on account of inn( as.
Mr. David Pearce, of No. 24, Kcnsington.crescent, de-
posed that his wife was lying at home dangerously ill, and
her physician had directed that she should be kept very
quiet and free from any disturbance. For some time past
the prisoner and seven or eight other organ grinders had
incessantly annoyed them by playing their organs almost
one after the other every day, in front of a gentleman's
house two doors from his residence ; and, in fact, they
were free from them. He believed the gentleman's
family were out of town, and tho organ-men were encour-
aged by the servants. He had repeatedly requested them
to go away on account of his wife's illness, but they took no
notice of his request, and very often played the more. He
sent his servant to the prisoner on the previous day when
he was playing, but he refused to go, and said he was not
in front of witness's house.

Mr. Beadon inquired of Mr. Pearce if he requested the
prisoner to go away that morning when he was playing ?
The witness replied in the negative; he merely passed
hint and on seeing a covetable he at once gave him into
cust:ody.
Mr. Beadon could not convict the prisoner, as no request
had been made to the prisoner to cease from playing his
organ on account of illness, which was necessary for the
witness to have done, under the act of parliament, before he
could punish the man.
The witness said he had requested the prisoner on a
former occasion.

—lig.lieaclo.a-Utid that was no use. Ile ought to have re-
quested the prisoner to leave off playing on that morning,
before he gave him into custody. If he had done so, and
the prisoner had only played for half a minute afterwards,
he would have inflicted the full penalty of 40s. This was
a case where a fine ought to have been imposed, but ho was
prohibited from punishing the prisoner in consequence of
the complainant not having requested him to go away on
samunt of illness.

The prisoner addressed his worship in Italian, to the
effect that the complainant did not request him to leave off
playing, and he was not to know there was illness in his
house unless he (the prisoner) was told.
Mr. Beadon said it was quite clear from tho observations
of the prisoner that he was perfectly well acquainted with
the law upon the subject, and that he could speak English.
It the prisoner was brought before him again, and the case
made out, he would fine him 40s.