The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-25 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 25, 1851.

prisoner had taken a sackful of different articles to a cottage
iu the neighbourhood on the morning of the fire, none of
which exhibited the least appearance of having been in
smoke or fire. In addition to these fact', evidence wan
given that there hid been an endeasour to make it ap-
pear that some person had made a felonious entrance into
the premises, and that holes had been bored in the back
door, by which a piece of wood had been removed large
enough to admit a hand, and by that means open the
lock; but it was pretty clearly made out that the greater
part of these holes had been bored from the inside, and
not the outside, of the house. There were also a variety
of other little circumstances, all tending to establish the
guilt of the prisoner.
Mr. Ballantine addressed the jury for the defence, and
he endeavoured to show that although they might feel that
there was a strong case of suspicion the evidence was not
sufficiently conclusive to compel them to find the prisoner
guilty.
The Chief Justice having summed up, the jury, after a
short deliberation, found the prisoner Guilly, and he was
sentenced to be transported for ten years.
BCROLART.—SISOOLAS IDENTIFICATION.
. _

Peter llolden, 39, labourer, was indicted for burglariondy
breaking into the cellar of a shop, sod stealing some
taboos*, cheese, and other articles, the property of Samuel
This cam was one of rather a singular character. It ap-
peared that the prosecutor is a grocer at Manningtree,
and late at night on the 29th of April a police-constable,
who was passing the premises, observed the trap-door
of the teller open, and this creating his suspicion, he
watched about, and in a short time a man came
up out of the cellar carrying • bundle. He at•
tempted to seize him, but the men made a violent resistance
and the officer was compelled to use his staff, and he struck
several blows, as he imagined from the sound, upon the
head of the party, and he was somewhat surprised to find
that they did not have the usual effect, and the man at
length succeeded in making his escape, leaving his booty
behind him. Upon a search being made at the spot where
the struggle took place, the constable found a false hand
made of wood, which had evidently received the blows
intended for the head of the thief, and which had bees
knocked from its socket. The constable immediately set
about to discover to whom the hand belonged, but
here be met with some difficulty, to: it appeared that then
were other persons at Manningtree who had had the mis-
fortune to lose a hand, and who wore a wooden one,
screwed upon a stump similar to that which had been
picked up; but at length the officer Sot a clue to the psi-'
soner, and upon seeing him he immediately recognised him
ss the man he saw come out of the cellar, and he was ac-
cordingly committed upon the present charge. A good deal
of the evidence for the prosecution, in addition to that of
the officer, consisted of testimony to show that the hand
which had been picked up belonged to the prisoner ; and
one of the witnesses, an old woman, swore positively that
she remembered the hand a greet many years, and that it
was the same he wore, and represented that she knew it
particularly by the spring band that was round it. It
I turned out, however, that the hand was one which had only
been patented within the last three or four years.
Mr. Barton made an ingenious speech to ;the inry on W-
hit of the prsoner, contending that his identity had not
ben sufficiently established, and that the evidence with re-
pod to the hand that was found being that of the prisoner,
was mot sufficient to warrant them in finding him guilty of
• serious a eharge.
• man amasii Finch was called as a witness who, it ap-
posed, was sae of the one-handed men of Manningtree,
sad be Mated that he had been in the habit of lending
the primer his hand, or as the learned judge facetiously
reunited, " lending a hand," to the prisoner on several
ememions since his own had been burned many years before
sad he said that the hand which was picked up did not be•
long to the prisoner.
Mr. Barton then called a woman with whom the prisoner
cohabited as a witness, and she attempted to prove that he
was at home with her on the night of the robbery, and also
stated that she had herself burned the prisoner's wooden
hand some time ago. This statement, however, was con-
tradicted by another witness, who stated that he had
burned it, and it was pretty clear that her evidence was not
much to be depended upon.
The jury immediately found the prisoner Guilty, and as
it appeared he bore a very bad character, he was sentenced
by the learned judge to be transported for 15 years.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.-WORCESTER, JULY 23.
Sarong 114 ityrrelt Eau%
ATTEMPT To MERDEIL _ .

John Waters, &labourer, aged 24, was arraigned on the
charge of cutting the throatol Mary Ann Bush, with intent
to murder her, on the 22nd of June, at the parish of St.
Martin, in this city. A second count charged him with an
attempt to maim ; and a third to do her grievous bodily
harm.
The evidence went to show that the prisoner, in a lit of
despondency or jealousy produced by the refusal of Bush to
continue to cohabit with him, inflicted a serious wound
on her throat with a clasp knife, and subsequently wounded
himself in a similar manner. Neither of the injuries, how-
ever, was fatal, both the prisoner and Bush having soon re-
covered.
The prisoner was found Guilty of wounding with intent,
and was sentenced to sin months' imprisonment.
STAFFORD Juts: 24.
. . . .

The commission of assize fur this county hasboen opened
to-day, the learned judges being Mr. Justice Erie and Mr.
Baron Martin. The calendar is not numerically heavy fur
this county, there being little more than 70 prisoners, but
the offences arc as usual of the most serious character.
Amongst them are three for murder three for man-
slaughter, sixteen for burglary, and three for perjury.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—YORK, itLY 23.
CIOWX Covet.—Heroes Ma. Jtvrtne WILLIAM.
CHARGE OF NI:HOER AT SHEFFIELD.

Williams baltersby, 22, and Eliza 11'st 'awn, 21, were
charged, the former 'eith the wilful murder of John Wil-
kinson, at Sheffield; and the latter with aiding and abet-
ting iu the said murder. The indictment included a count
for manslaughter. The prisoners pleaded not guilty.
The accused Eliza Wilkinson was the wife of the de-
ceased, and the prisoner William Battersby is the cousin of
the female prisoner. The deceased, his wife, and Battershy
all lived in the same house, along with a little girl, the
daughter of the deceased. The prisoner was living there
as a lodger, and hail been so for some time.
The principal evidence adduced was as follows :
Joseph Glossop, of Park-lane Mill, Sheffield, carter, and
Charles Hatton, of Duke-street, grocer, spoke to seeing the
deceased in apparent good health, proceeding homeward on
the night of the alleged murder, Saturday, May 3.
Ann Wilkinson, aged ten years' daughter of the female
prisoner and of the deceased, deposed to suppin with her
parents and the other prisoner (Battersby) on tW night of
the murder. She then went to bed, and heard nothing
until she was called up by a neighbour (Mrs. Johnson)
neat morning, and unlatched the kitchen door. She had
heard words previously between her father and mother
about Battersby.
Elizabeth Johnson proved that the female prisoner came
to her house on Sunday, the Ith of May, about 7 o'clock
in the morning, and stated that she and her husband had
been quarrelling during the night, and she escaped
out of the window from her husband. She was
without shoes, and at her request witness went
to Wilkinson's house (or her shoes, and roused
the little girl. Witness then saw the deceased lying dead
on the floor, and gave the alarm. A white-hafted spring
knife was found near the body ; and the ceilings and walls
were sprinkled with blood. The police were sent for, when
Mrs. Wilkinson said she wished she had stood her ground,
and let deceased kill her too, She said Battersby had gone
to Wiper the previous night, and that she leaped out of the
window about 12 o'clock, and had been concealed in an out-
house for some hours. On the police taking away the
clothes of Battersby, she expressed a hope there was no
blood on them, and remarked he had cut his finger on the
previous Thursday.
Mary Lund, a neighbour, denosed to the female prisoner
going to her lime at 2 o'clock in the morning, stating that
bar husband had taken a razor to kill her, and that she had
is=ssit alba window.
Janson, husband of a previous witness, deposed
to bearing antes as of chairs and tables knocking about the
Weis at dreraced about midnight.
Daniel Attwood, police officer, deposed to finding a shirt
and trowsers, belonging to Battersby, both of which were
stained with blood. He apprehended Battersby on the
Monday following at Mrs. Johnson's.
Samuel Linley, another police officer, found a pair of
stockings in the Hue of the oven marked with blood; he
slso produced • poker with blood stains on it. Witness
examined the window, snd gave his reasons for the belief
that the female prisoner could not have leaped out of it as
the represented. . .