The Express.
London, England, 1865-11-11 00:00:00

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE IN THE CITY.

During the last two or three days some
eocomuoications In reference to the administration el
Notice have been goiog on between Sir G. Grey and
the offleials at the Mansion-house upon the subject
of • nee that was disposed of by the late Lord Mayor about
three weeks back, in arida' it is alleged that great injustice
was dew to two respectable working men, who were in-
tim:ad to two months' hard labour for having made use of
violent and threatening lanrasge to some workmen in the
employ of Mr. Partridge, a builder, in Bishoesgateestreet.
The circumstance' under which the conviction took
place were undoubtedly vary extraordinary. An
spplioation was made on the 13th of October by the soli-
tutor to the complainant for a warrant against these
two men, and on the following day, about 1 o'clock,
they were apprehended by • detective odic's:. Under
ordinary circumstances, at so late an hour of the day they
would not have been takes before • magistrate, but would
have remained at the police-station until they obtained
bail, and the cbargewoald not have bee. investigated Datil
the following Moaday, which would have afforded an oppor-
tunity for them to consult their friends and obtain legal
avian the charge spinet them upon the warrant being
that they had unlawfully intimidated certain workmen in
the tarries of the prosecutor, and endeavoured thereby to
induce them to have their eroploymeet, the charge being
framed under • particular statute, and involving some legal
questions. The regular buiiness of the court had
been brought to an end, the public had been requested
to withdraw, and the outside gates, of the Mansiou-
house had been locked, sod when all this had taken place,
it seems that an intimation was given that the defeodante
were in custody, and they were ordered to be brought up.
They were accordingly introduced into the justice room by
the elitism* appropriated foe prisoners, but the public was
entirely excluded, and • number of the fellow-workmen of
the defendants, who had accompanied them to the court,
and who were mast anxious to hoar the nature of the charge
that was to be preferred against them, were positively
refused admittance. When the cue was called on, no one
was peewit but the Lord Mayor, the defendants, the police-
men, the solicitor for the complaisant, and the reporters
the defendants, who appeared to be respectable working men,
were evidently in • state of complete confusion, and did
not seem to be at all aware what offence they were charged
with, cr what they were called upon to answer. The de-
fendants were not asked if they wished to have any legal
miasma, or if they wished to be allowed any time to pre-
pare their defence, but, under the state of things above
referred to, the evidence was gone into. The attuned par-
ties were, of course, told, after each witness had bees exa-
mined, that they were at liberty to put any questions to
him they thought proper, but they were evidently, as might
be expected, utterly unacquainsed with the forms of judi-
cial proceedings, and ware utterly unable to elicit such facts
as might have Seeded to relieve them from the charge, and
they were sentenced to be imprisoned and kept to hard
labour at Holloway prison for two menthe.
It seems that the matter has been taker' up by some per-
sons entirely unconnected with the defendant:, who have
felt that, whether they had been entity of an infraction of
the law or not, they were not fairly dealt with in the
manner in which the case was disposed of, that the
exclusion of the public from a court of justice was a matter
of great importance sod ought not to be permitted, and
they have laid a statement of the above facts before the
Secretary of State for the Home Department. The result
has been that Sir G. Grey, after iestitutiog some inquiries,
has required an explanation boat the officials of the Man-
sion-house, and some reply, it is understood, bas been sent to
the Home-office. Whether or not this explanation will be
deemed satisfactory by Sir G. Grey remains to be seen, but
it is said to be very probable that, under the circumstances,
the prisoners will be discharged from the sentence they are
at present undergoing.

MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF • FEMALE PAUPER.-•
Yesterday afternoon Dr. Lankester and a jury held an in.
guest in the Boardroom of the Marylebone Workhouse,
touching the death of Mary Pleastot. The superintendent
of the male pauper casual ward deposed that at a quarter
past six o'clock last Monday night dammed was admitted
into the pauper casual ward of the Maxylebooe Workhouse.
She was perfectly sober at the time, gave the seine of Mary
Pleasant, aged 66, and said that Maryleboue was her place
of settlement. The foreman here remarked that deceased
did not look more than 45, and that she had
more the appearance of a gentlewoman than a
casual pauper. Mr. Tubbs, assistant overseer, said
the woman was well dressed when she came to the
workhouse. He had a alight recollection of having seen her
before, but could not say where. Mary Canary, superin-
taudeot of the female casual ward, said when deceased
was admitted into her ward on Monday night she did not com-
plain of being at all ill, but looked very pile, and appeared
so be depressed in spirits. Oa entering toe room the sat on
a form awaiting her turn for a bath, when, after the lapse
of • few minutes, she fell down on the floor and swooned
away. She (witness) at once sent for the housesurgeon,
who came in • few moments afterwards and Wood
her dead. She did not see deceased take anything
either to eat or drink, neither did she see her
go into the water-closet. The only article found
in deceased's pocketa was an old pocket hand ker-
chief. William Francis Fuller, M.P.-C.8., resident medical
officer in the Maryletione Workhouse, deposed that he was
called to deceased at seven o'clock on Monday night, when
he found her dead. Since then he had made a postmortem
exammatioe, when be found the brain and longs congested,
and the right side of the heart fall of dark blood. All the
organs smelled strongly of oil 'of almonds. The stomach
mutated about four ounces of partly digested food, which
was strongly impregnated with oil of almonds, whicb con-
tained hydrocyanic acid, end that was the cane of death.
The body was exceedingly well nourished. In answer to
the foreman Mr. Fuller said the poison must have been
takes by, or administered to, the woman to the casual ward.
The coroner said it was a mysterious affair, sod the jury
being of opinion that the evidence was incomplete, the
inquiry was adjourned for a fortoight
GOVERNMENT INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES.—
The following additiocal post-offices will be open. I
on and after the 13th of November, for the receipt of
proposals for the insurance of lives or the purchsae of govern-
ment annuities, under the sot 27 and 28 Yict, cap. 43, and
for the receipt of the premiums becoming due to the Post-
masteraeneral, from time to time, under contracts for the
insurance of lives or the purchase of government snrnties,
sod for the payment of any sums which shall become pay
able by the Postmaster-Genera under the said contracts :
Aldborough (Saxmundham), Amlirch (Bangor), Ashbourne,
folesford (Maidstone), Bala (Comes), Battle. Billingshorst
(Horsham), Blaioa(Tredegar). Boroughbridge (York). Briton
Ferry. Beough (Pesrith), Bryn:neut. (Traeger). Barton
( Westmoreland). Buxtoe, Calstock (Tavistoth). Commute
(Shrewsbury), Chatham, Cheadle (Manchester), Glastonbury
(Bath), Grays (Roenford), Guisborough (Northallerton),
Nelson-io•Marstoo (Burnley), Nether Stowey (Bridgewa'er),
Soham. ertinton (Manchester), Tetbury, Towoester, Ude-
field, Uptoe-on-Severn ( Worcester), and Vaunter. These
offices will be open for 'ma purposes during the hours ap-
pointed for the transaction of money order business. A hand-
bill containing the principal rules of the Government In.
gunners end Annuity-office. and of the Post -ales Savings
Beaks, has been printed for gratuitous distribution, and
copies may be obtained at the above-earned offices. A
translation into Welsh of the hand-bilt has also been printed
for distributioa in Wales, end copies may be obtained st
any Post-Alain Wales which has been opened for the trans-
action of Government Insurance sad Annuity business. The
measure will, from time to time, be extended to other post-
offices than those named above, and doe coda will be gives
of such extensiooa. If application be made to any poet.
master for the extension of the measure to his alai, he
will at once report the circumstance ti the secretory.
One of the evils of being " over-prepared" (says
the Joan Buff), manifests itself in the various paragraphs as
to the Marchimese of Queensberry, who. oriaisolly a as
Sister, bee recently joined the Routh climb. We are
authorised to state that though there is reason to believe she
was dissatisfied with the church of Rome, there is no loon-
datioo for the statement of the Church Timm that under
the Bishop of Oxford's advice she was about to be connected
with so English sisterhood.