The Express.
London, England, 1848-07-20 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTH. WALES ClRCUlT.Wiehtman. —Cenntre, Jura 17.
Before Yr. Jmame
J. Davies, D. Davies, IV. Edwards, and 11. Bowen, who
were found guilty on Friday, of highway robbery (as re-
ported in the Daily News of Tuesday), were sentenced to
be transported for 10 years.
MVILDett NEAR SWANSEA.—T. Martin, aged 24,
stone-cutter, and M. Leary, aged 29, railway labourer, were
charged with the wilful murder of John Williams. The pri-
soners pleaded" Not guilty."—Measre. Grove and Benson con-
ducted e prosecution ; Scrjeant Jones and Mr. AlbertJenkin
defended the prisoners.—The facts of the case, as detailed in the
evidence, was as follows:—The prisoners, in company
with three other men, named Patrick Leary, John N
and William Norris, left Lloughor on the Bth May laA to
proceed to Swansea, about seven miles distant. About mid-
night they reached Tywith, a house where a Cwrw Bach
wee held—that being a sort of marriage festival, where, pre-
vious to a marriage, beer was sold, the profits on the sale of
which served to produce a little pecket-money for the
newly-married couple. There they sat tor some time,
in company with many others, among whom was
the deceased, John Williams. He was • sub-con-
tractor on the South Wales tt. tilway—a person whom
Welshmen call a "gaffer." Patrick Leary applied to
him for work, which John Williams agreed to give him.
Upon this a man named Edward Morgan, used some words
which created a quarrel—the Irishmen were accused of
working at • lower rate than the Welshmen on the South
Wales Railway. A scuffle ensued, was continued outside
the door, and • great many persons wore attracted to the
spot. A groan was then heard ; and shortly afterwards it
was found that John Williams had been stabbed through
the heart. Re fell instantly dead. Patrick Leary swore
that he saw the pthoner lhomu Martin strike the fatal
blow. Soon atter a man named Jenkin Even was killed,
almost in the same mariner as John Williams hail been.
Early in the next Jay Mr. Dillwyn Llewelyn, a magistrate
in the neighbourhood, caused a pursuit to be made for the
five Irishmen, and they were ail apprehended. It was
proved that Martin had sharpened his knife previous
to th• murder, and that when on his way from the spot
where it had been perpetrated he said, " I am the boy that
has let the witei through some of them." Subsequently he
said, when in the etation-house, I have done a bad job."
Tne prisoner Michael Leary was charged with having been
present, and aiding and abetting in the commission of the
murder. 11 was proved that Michael Leary had a knife in
his possession, and at the time of his apprehension he said,
"We shall all be hung."—Dr. Bird depesedthat on the 10:h
of May, at the request of the coroner and jury. be made an
examination of the body of the deceased, John Williams.
There was a wound on the left breast, on the side, which
penetrated the chest, wounding the lower part of the left
lung, and striking into one of the cavities of the heart.
There was no other wound. " I have no doubt but that the
wound which I have described was the cause of death."—
The judge having summed up, the jury retired to consider
their verdict, and returned in about three-quarters of en
hour with • verdict of Guilty ageiast both the priuthers.
The 'prisoners beard the verdict apparently with indiffe-
rence. His lordship then put on the black cap, and passed
sentence of death. The sentence was beard very Im-
perfectly, on account of the agonising end convulsive screams
which proyeeded from a female in the immediate vicinity
of the court, and who wee, probably, the wife or near rela-
tive of one of the prisoners. A. they were removed lrom
the bar they exhibited symptoms of mental distress, and
protested their innocence.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
Before Mr. nericant Adam&
Bits° TOO " CONYITIAL."—Thomas Boucher, a trades-
man, who has 4,0001, in the funds, was inaicted for stealing a
filet of the value of Is., the property of Thomas Fa
brook.—The prisoner had a suit pending in the Palace
Court, and on the day named in the indictment be went,
in tho company of a void other persons interested in
toe same proceedings, to the court-house in Great Scot-
land-yard. The result of the cause was in their favour,
an the whole party adjourned to a public-house
to
celebrate their victory. The prisoner drark too much
and having occasion to leave the house for a few
minutes saw a fowl, which was making a noise in a re
etas in the yard. Having captured it, he put its ead under its
wing, and then returned to Ws friends, and bookbed of what he
had done, at the same time exultingly producing the bird from
beneath biscuit. One of them insisted upon his letting the bird
go, which he did, and it ran off as well as it could after its
rough usage. A policeman, who had been stationed to
watch the store-rooms attached to the Police Commissioners'
Office, and had observed the whole affairthrough a hole in a
partition, went to the prisoner and accused him of felony,
and locked him up.—Mr. O'Brien, on behalf of the prisoner,
said the case, in his opinion, amounted to the essence of the
ridiouloun. It was a mere joke on the part of the prisoner,
who, elated with his success in the Palace Court, and ele-
vated with the liquors he had drunk, had thought the cap-
ture of a fowl and its exhibition under his coat with its head
under 'its wing, would afford some fun for his friends, and
therefore he had foolishly betrayed himself for the sake of a
—A number of witnesses were in attendance to speak
to the prisoner's high character for five-and-twenty years,
but the judges thought it unnecessary to call them, and he
was acqu tted. The judge cautioned him bow in future he
indulged in jokes; for jokes, said he. do not always end in
the manner intended.—The prisoner assured his lordship that
this would be a practical warning. lie then left the court
-'eh his friends.

POLICE. It
- _ESTERDAY.
BOW STREET.—Peer-orrice RonnEay.—lV. Iforeey,
a letter-carrier emPoyed at Croydon, was charged with
stealing a letter containing cash, and with having concealed
&number of newspapers committed to him for delivery. In
cor.seguenee of the numerous c-implaints made by the inha-
bitants of Croydon respecting the lore of money letters, Mr.
W. Sculthorpe, one of the presidents, was directed by the
Postmaster General to enclose marked money in a letter to
be directed to some inhabitant in that locality, in order, if
possible, to detect the thief. On the morning of the 14th he
accordingly enclosed a half-sovereign and a fourpenny-piece
in a letter addressed "Mr. Fuller, estate agent, High-street,
Croydon, for Mr. E. Collard," and having posted the letter
he proceeded to Croydon with Mr. Cole, inspector of letter-
and the officer, where he saw the prisoner en his
delis ry, upon which he directed him to return to the office ;
and having ascertained from the principal lett& -carrier that
he had not the letter in quetion, el bough it was in
his delivery, the letters in the prisoner's possession
were overhauled, and it was immediately discovered among
about 150 others. The prisoner's house was then searched,
and the inspector made a lurther discovery of the fragments
of five different morning newspapers, each of which was
directed to the inhabitants residing on the prisoner's walk,
and should have been delivered by him on the some day.—
Mr. Wontner, for the prisoner, submitted that there were
reasonable grounds to suppose that the letter produced might
have come into his prseesdon in the hurry of sorting, and
considering that it had not been broken open or the contents
disturbed, and that he had been in the service of the Post-
office authorities during the last fourteen years, without the
slightest blemish upon his character, he was entitled to put
in bail to answer for the midemeanor.—Mr. Jardine,
having consulted with the solicitor to the Post-office, directed
the prisoner to find sureties himself in the sum of 1001., and
two sureties in 601. for each misdemeanor, to answer the
charges at the next melons of the Central Criminal Court,
which was complied with, and he was discharged.
WORSIIIP-STREET. BUROLAItY.—G. White and
J. Bowling were charged with having burgileriously broken
into the dwelling-house of Mr. Thomas Horefall, in the
Hackney-road.—That morning the prosecutor, who upon re-
tiring to rest had properly secured his premises, was suddenly
awakened by a noise in the lower part of the house, and
upon opening his chamber door he suspected, from the rush
of air up the stairs, that some thieves must have effected an
entrance. He immediately threw up his window and called
loudly for the police, which aroused his two shopmen, who
occupied an upper room, and on proceeding down stairs they
found the back door open, and discovered two pairs of shoes
and a hat lying on the outer step leading into the yard. On
further examination they found that the burglars
had forced open the window of the back kitchen,
and having made their way into on apartment,
adjoining his bedroom,from which they abstracted Rome artio
Iles of wearing apparel, returned down stairs, and attempted
to break open the inner doer of the shop, by introducing a
wedge, which was found firmly fixed between the lock and
the jamb, but they were fortunately detected in sufficient
time to prevent the house from being further plundered, and
were compelled to make their escape. In the meantime two po-
licemen who had heard the alarm were hastening to the house
when they encountered the two prisoners running along with-
out hate and shoes, and took them both into custody. Upon
searching them at the station.house a
large chisel was found
upon the person of Bowling, and also two waiatcoats,which the
prosecutor identified as his property.—Botb the prisoners,
who were stated to have been previously convicted were com-
mitted for trial.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET. —Arragegan MURDER
OF THWIE CHILDRIR ET TIIIIB, MOTILE/ft.—Hannah
Lew, residing at 27, Carburton-street, Marylebone, was
charged with having attempted to deatroy her three
children, aged respectively ten years, two years, and ten
mouths, by administering to them a quantity of sugar of
lead. She was also charged with attempting to destroy her-
self, by taking the same deadly poison. Tie prisoner was
vary weak from the effects of the poison.--Poboe.constable
Newman said that on the previous night he went to
No. 27, Carhurton-street, in company with Mr.