The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-22 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

(THIS DAY.)

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.

Sittings at Ni.i Prins in Middlesex.-(Before Mr. Justice
Keating end a Special Jury.)

GEM V. V. THE nOUTH WILSTRItNIAILWAT.
Thin was an action to recover damages for injuries sus-
tained in alighting from a railway train.
Sir K. Collier and Mr. 'Other appeared for the plain.
tiff ; and Mr. Serjeant Ballantine and Mr. Wood for the
def«ndants.

The plaintiff was a solicitor in practice in Essex-street,
Strand, and living at Wimbledon, and be was in the habit
of travelling along the defendant's line to and from Put-
ney. On the evening of the gird December he and
his two 10124 travelled first class to Putney. When they
reached Putney station they found that the carriage door
WWI locked and after calling in vain for a porter one of the
young gentlemen got through the window and brought
a porter who unlocked the door and assisted
the plaintiff to alight. The carriage was beyond
the platform and at the moment the plaintiff was
getting out of it the train moved on, and this caused him
to jumpon to the ground. The result was that the plain-
tiff sprained his back, and the symptoms seemed to show
that there was some slight injury to the spine. He was
unable to leave home fur two or three days, and in about
three weeks time he consulted a medical man, who ad-
vised that be should keep himself quiet for about a fort-
night. He afterwards communicated with the company,
and in the course of the correspondence which ensued they
suggested that the door was probably not locked but had
only stuck in consequence of having got damp.
Mr. Serjeant itallantine, at the conclusion of the argu-
ment, submitted that there was no evidence of the defend-
ants liability, inasmuch as the plaintiff had contributed to
his own negligence by jumping from the train. He further
submitted that the statement that the porter assisted the
plaintiff to alight did not alter the matter, because if the
porter did this while the train was in motion, he acted
contrary to the company's regulations, and could not by
so doing subject them to any liability.
Mr. Justice Keating said that he should leave the case
to the jury.
Mr. Serjeant Eallantine called no witnesses, but ad-
dressed the jury for the defendants, contending that there
was contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff ;
' and further, that at all events the injury was but slight.
Mr. Justice Keating, in summing up, directed the jury
that the company would not be liable if the accident
would not have happened unless the plaintiff himself had
been negligent.
' The jury found for the plaintiff—damages, five guineas.

COURT OF DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL

CAUSES.
(Before air J. P. Wilde.)
CLAYTON r. CLAYTON.

Sir R. Phillimore (the Queen's Advocate), Mr. Stavely
Hill, and Mr. Searle, appeared for the petitioner; and
Mr. Ford for the respondent.
This was a petition by the wife praying for a dissolution
of marriage on the ground of her husband's cruelty and
adultery. The marriage took place at Hove, Brighton,
in 1860, the respondent being a gentleman of some means.
They afterwards resided at Hampton Wick, where he
frequently ill treated her. On one occasion when they were
talking spleasure trip on the river he seized her by the throat,
and threatened to kill her because she had remonstrated
with him for throwing some bottles into the water. On
another occasion he gave her • black eye because be said
she had been listening when be was having an interview
with some person. The cruelty of Mr. Clayton continued
until lte34, when it culminated in his communicating to
his wife an infectious disease. He had since been living
with another woman.
The court granted a decree nisi, with costs.

THE POLICE COURTS.
(THIS DAY.)

MANSION-HOUSE.

THE CHARGE or FORGERY AGAINST ♦ CITY MERCHANT.

Mr. Thomas Edgdey, who formerly carried on business
as • merchant in Sermon lane, in the City, surrendered
this morning before the Lord Mayor to undergo further
examination upon the charge of forging bills of exchange
to the amount of over 100,0001., and by which the Leeds
Bank was defrauded of that amount.__ _

Mr. Poland again appeared on behalf of the prosecution,
and Mr. Sleigh represented the prisoner.
Evidence was gone into at considerable length, and the
ease wu proceeding, and was likely to occupy a consider-
able time.

CLERICENWELL

DIBGFLLCILTUL ASSAULT BY A SOLICITOR, AND DIPRIBONIIENT

Alfred Guppy, a solicitor, residing at 360, Gray's-inn-
road, was charged before Mr. Barker with unlawfully
assaulting and beating Kra. Julia Coughran, on the 6th.
Mr. H. Allen, prosecuting officer of the Associate Insti-
tute for Improving and Enforcing the Laws for the Pro-
tection of Women, watched the case.
The defendant, on the day in question, went home the
worse for liquor, and, making a great noise, he was asked
by the complainant to be quiet. This he refused to do,
and without the least provocation he struck her in the
face, knocked her down, and blackened her eyes. He was
nroceeding to other acts of violence when the servant
interfered, and prevented any further violence. The
defendant was nearly *limy. drunk.
The defendant made a rambling defence, and said he had
very great provocation for what he had done.
Mr. Barker said that this was a most disgraceful assault
on an old woman, and it appeared that since he bad lived
in the house he had been constantly drunk. On the night
in question the defendant was, according to the evidence,
very drunk. He should not feel that he had done his duty
if he did not par a severe sentence on him. He should
sentence the defendant to hard labour in the House of
Correction for 14 days. He should decline to give the de-
fendant the opportunity of paying a fine.
The defendant was then removed in custody.

WORSHIP-STREET.
• BTRANOZ STORY._

Charles Seeger, 27, a vendor of match boxes, and Sarah
Evans, his wife, 23, Win. Kelly, calling himself • commer-
cial traveller, 22, and Ana Kelly, 22, his wife, were finally
examined on the following extraordinary charge :
About a month since these persons were brought before
Mr. Newton on suspicion of being concerned in stealing
two 201. notes, two 101. notes, one U. note, all of the Bank
of England, a French bank bill, and • large quantity of
jewellery, value in all nearly 1701., the property of one
Charles Clark, a mariner, from the lawful custody of Clara
Clark, his wife.
Mr. Abbott conducted the prosecution, and from his
statement, repeated by the sailor's wife, it was alleged that
her husband had just sailed for a long voyage, that the
money and valuables in question she placed in
a locked drawer in the bedroom of the house
she occupied in Waterloo-road, Bishop's-road, Vic-
toria-park, that the male prisoners were strangers
to her, but their wives bad been introduced to her by a
" cats' meat woman" as " customers ;" with them, believing
that they were decent honest persons ; she condescended to
take a' refreshing glass," and actually allowed them to
accompany her home while she changed her dress--an
operation that afforded opportunity of seeing the
money and finery in the drawer alluded to, for
she took therefrom one of the U. notes, locked
the dr•wer, and placed the key with the note in her
pocket.. All left the house together, the only person
remaining there being a woman named Davis, whom prose-
cutrix, being an American, called a " help ;" but she
was subsequently induced to leave it by the women calling
on her, and when prosecutrix returned between ten awl
eleven at night the robbery in question was discovered,
violence having been used in obtaining entrance both to
the house and drawer. At four o'clock in the morning
iol_
lowing the peke went to a house in George-street
ney, inhabited by all four prisoners, Evans said he was
landlord, and had nothing to do with the others, who
were lodgers ; he woe found with twenty-two sover6ps,
but denied all knowledge of the robbery. Kelly'. wifeled
121. in gold in • purse, and on Kelly himself, whowould not
rise from his bed wee 2U. in gold, wrapped in a handker-
chief, beneath his shirt. They all denied their guilt, and
were remanded. The strange thing was this. On the day
of re-examination no prosecutrix apparzed ,• a warrant
has been granted, but no apprehension followed ; barristers
were engaged—further remands—no success—she had sold
her furniture—gone to the races. All the prisoners were
now discharged, and the money left in the hands of the
police.

WANDSWORTH.
ROBBItY AT THE NINE LUIS lIAILWAT DZPOT.

James Eaton, a labourer, was charged with stealing a
plate of copper, value 10e., from the Nine Elms Railway
depot.
Inspector Spice, of the company's police, stated that yes-
terday afternoon he was in one of their yards, where a
train loaded with copper was standing. He saw the pri-
soner walking down in front of the train, and he watched
him. He went under two buffers of the train, and after-
wards walked out of the premises into the Nine Elms-
road and into a beerahop. The prisoner was wearing an
apron with a bib over his breast. Witness followed into
the heershop, and asked him what he had got under the
bib of his apron. He then took out the plate of copper,
and admitted that he had no right to it. The copper
weighed 131ba., and was worth about 10h4.
The prisoner, on being asked whether he bad any
questions to ask the witness, said what he had stated was
true.

-- ---
The officer further stated that the prisoner was in the
employ of a man who bought the company's old iron.
The company had lost a good deal of copper which
they would have to replace. He had suspected the
prisoner for a long time, and he ought to have had him
on a former occasion, but "I was before my wicket."
(Laughter.)
The prisoner had nothing to say in bis defence.
Mr. Daman told him that the ease could not be over-
looked. He committed him to prison for two months
with hard labour.
PH/ CASI OP Actroan CRCILTY
--'•• '' . _ •

Ryland and his wife were brought up from Horsemonger-
lane Gaol, to which place they had been committed for