The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-17 00:00:00

issrut CRIMINAL ruu

(THIS DAY.)

The ethethiga of the Central Criminal Court were ro-
omed this morning before the Bight Hon. the Lord Mayor,
the Common Serjaant, Alderman Lusk, M.P., Alderman
J. a thurrenoe, Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Gibbons,
gr. Sheriff Plains, the under-sheriffs, Inc.
The first edition of the calendar contains the manes of
3.47 pampers (118 males and 29 females), and there are
ewer than three cases of murder to be disposed of,
cad 13 cases of feloniously wounding with intent to
murder. There are also 21 cases of burglary, • very un-
wired number of cases of this description, particularly at
the present period of the year. There are two case of
wee, but, the remainder of the cases would appear to be
of the ordinary description. The session, however, from
the character of the business, it likely to prove of some
thnthened duration.
The Common Serjeant, in charging the grand jury ex-
tamed his regret at the condition of the calendar, which
he said not only contained a much larger number of pri
Keen than would have been expected considering the
interval that bad elapsed since the last session, but a good
many of the offences were of the most serious character,
end four of these, involved the loss of human life, three of
the charges being charges of wilful murder, and the other
assuming the milder form of manslaughter. With refer-
ence to the charge of manslaughter, he said it appeared
that the prisoner had the charge of • waggon
and four bones, and that he was riding upon the
shaft smoking a pipe, and while in this position the bind
wheels of the waggon run against • perambulator
that was standing by the side of the rued, threw out a
child that was in it, and the wheel of the waggon passed
over its head, and it was killed on the spot. It would be
for the jury to say, under these circumstances, whether the
prisoner was not guilty of culpable negligence by riding in
the manner described, and if they should be satisfied of this
fiat it would be their duty to return a true bill. In one of
the cases of murder a woman named Mary Butcher
wcharged with destroying two of her children
* drowning them. The facts appeared to be
sudisputed, and the suggestion that appeared
le be raised upon the depositions was that at the time the
set was committed the prisoner was not in • sound state
of mind. The grand jury, however, had nothing whatever
do with this defence, and if the facts were established
to their satisfatlon it would be their duty to return a true
all, and the condition of the prisoner's mind would be
filly inquired into by the learned judge before whom
the cue would be tried and the petty jury. Another charge
of murder, against a man named Thomas Murphy, appeared
to have arisen out of a drunken quarrel, which might
probably reduce the crime to that of manslaughter, but in-
asmuch as in the eye of the law every homicide amounted
to the crime of murder, if unexplained, it would be the
duty of the grand jury to return • true bill for murder if
the fact of the killing of the deceased by the prisoner was
made out by the evidence. The last case of wilful murder
in the Wender was a very serious one, and it was made
*garnet a man named Jeffery, who was accused of the
murder of his own son, • boy about seven years of age.
It appeared, from the depositions that the child in ques- '
Den Iwo-living with its grandmother, and that the prisoner
had promises' to supply money for its maintenance, but '
be had failed to do so, and on 71 night in July he took
the child from the custody of the grandmother, under
what appeared to be • frivolous excuse, and nothing
more wee seen of it until it was found hanging in
a cellar in St. Giles's, quite dead, with its hands
tied behind it with a handkerchief. Nothing more
Nosed to have been heard of the prisoner until
some considerable time afterwards, when be made his
appearance at Halifax in Yorkshire, and he there made a
statement to • police-constable which induced him to take
him intocustody on the charge of murdering the child in
question. There appeared to be no doubt that • murder
had, in point of fact, been committed, and also that
the prisoner was the last person with whom the child
was seen, and that, as he had before stated, he had taken
the child from the custody of its grandmother by •
false and frivolous pretence. In addition to this there
was also the important fact that it appeared that the hand-
kerchief with which the hands of the unfortunate child
were tied was the property of the prisoner, and he could
sot see that the grand jury would find any difficulty in
coming to the conclusion that it would be their duty to
End a true bill.
the grand jury then retired, and the court proceeded
to dispose of the business of the sessions.

THE POLICE COURTS.
(THIS DAY.)

BOW-STREET.
♦ SERIOUS WISTAKE.

Kai Weiss a German courier, was charged with &s-
-miting Hannah Dodwell, a respectable-looking middle-
spd woman.
The prisoner was defended by Mr. Abs arns.
The complainant stated that she was a midwife, and at
about 11 o'clock at night was returning from attending a lady
in childhed, when, as she was passing the Lowther-arcade,
in the Strand, the prisoner, running at full speed, came
ape her from behind, and struck her a terrible blow on
tie head with a stick. Her head was cut open and bled
profusely. She was taken to the Charing-cross Hospital,
where her head was dressed, and the surgeon told her that
if the blow bad fallen a trifle lower it might have
killed her.

Timothy O'Connor, police-constablo 111 F, stated
that he was on duty in the Strand, and saw the
prisoner running after the complainant, upon over-
taking whom he struck her with hie stick. He
ti in ran across towards the entrance to tho Charing-cross
Railway station. Witness followed and stopped him, and
after placing him in the custody of one of the railway officers
and another policeman, returned to the assistance of the
complaisant. Finding that she was bleeding profusely, he
took her to the hospital. She fainted on the
way. After her head was dressed he, by hie
bisector's directions, accompanied her in the direction of
her lodgings in the neighbourhood of the Borough. In
paling along the Strand she again became so faint as to
te unable to proceed. At this time they were near the
dee of one of the weekly newspapers, and a gentleman
connected with the establishment inquired what was the
matter. On being informed of the circumstances he advised
Mama to pot the poor woman into a cab, and kindly paid
the fare for her.

Kr. Abrams said the prisoner was extremely sorry for
shit had occurred, but he really was not actuated by any
feeling of malice towards the complainant personally. A
nman had attempted to rob him in the Haymarket, and
belied pursued her, as he imagined, to the Strand. It
appeared. however, that by some mistake he had lost her,
sad followed the complainant instead. He was deeply
My sad would be willing to make her any compensation
is ins power.
The complainant said she fully believed this statement
sal expression of regret, and she did not wish to press the
ere vindictively.
Kr. Flowers said this was very well as regarded the cora-
Plainantand the prisoner. But he (Mr. Flowers) could
we allow it to be assumed that the prisoner was
ftll is the wrong because he bad struck the
wrong woman. If this were the one who had
robbed him, that would not justify him in striking her,
"Vallcruel
y with such violence.
Abrams said the prisoner was fully aware of that,
red was sensible of the impropriety of his conduct, even if
Ibis bad been the woman he took her for.
Kr. Flowers said, for the sake of the poxr woman, he
solid allow en arrangement out of court ; but she must
tridentand that she was entitled to a'subatantial compen-
mist for what she had suftered.
, The parties then withdrew, and returned after a short
mterval, when Mr. Abrams said he had satisfied the coin-
*just, who begged leave to withdraw the charge.
kr. Flowers said he hoped this would be a warning to
the prisoner,upon whom he must again impress it, that he
would have been no more justified in an assault upon the
actual thief.
nie prisoner was discharged.