The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-16 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

(Before Baron Bramwell.)
Christian Olifius and Ellen Houghton surrendered to
take their trial upon the charge of unlawfully taking a
young girl, named Elizabeth Toney, from the custody of
her father without his consent.
The two cases were gone into at great length, occu-
pying the attention of the court until nearly nine o'clock,
but as the principal facts have already been given in our
police intelligence, it is not necessary to repeat them here.
Both the accused were found Guilty, but were recom-
mended to mercy.
The learned judge, after observing that he did not
believe that Olitius • intended to debauch and destroy
the prosecutrix and thus bring misery upon her parents.
sentenced him to two months' imprisonment, and Ellen
Houghton he ordered to be imprisoned for one week.
(Before Mr. Justice Byles.)
James O'Hara was indicted for feloniously assaulting
and abusing one Johanna Casey, and John Woods, John
Buckley, and Isaac Moore were indicted for aiding and
assisting O'Hara in the commission of the said felony.
The four prisoners were stalwart young men, described as
labourers, their ages varying from 20 to 23 years.
The case having been heard,
The jury retired, and, after an absence of nearly an
hour, returned a verdict Acquitting Moore, but finding
O'Hara, Woods, and Buckley Guilty. The jury accom-
panied their verdict with a recommendation to mercy of
Buckley, on the ground that he wee less culpable than
his companions.
Mr. Justice Byles, addressing O'Hara, said he had been
most properly convicted of the crime of rape, and his offence
was aggravated by the existence of a clear conspiracy
with the two other men to effect hie object, which ren-
dered it impossible for the young prosecutrix to offer
any resistance to the outrage perpetrated upon her. The
sentence upon him (O'Hara) was that he be kept in penal
servitude for the term of twelve years. With respect to
the prisoner Buckley, he had been convicted of siding and
assisting in the perpetration of the offence, but the court
would give effect to the recommendation of the jury, and
the sentence upon him was that he be kept in penal servi-
tude for the term of five years. As to the prisoner Woods,
there were circumstances in his case which induced the
court to take a more lenient view. He had endeavoured to
make some amends for the crime he had committed by
offering to marry the prosecutrix, and if that had been
done his position to-day would have been very different.
As it was the sentence was that he also be kept in penal
servitude for the term of five years.
Eden Forester, 60, widow, was indicted for the wilful
murder of Mary Ann Venable, otherwise Sloman.
Mr. Daly appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr. M.
Williams and Mr. Straight, instructed by Mr. Ricketts,
of Frederick-place, Gray's-inn-road, defended the prisoner.
Mr. Daly. in opening the case to the jury, stated that
the deceased Mrs. Sloman was a married woman, and the
mother of seven children. It seemed that on the 2ith
April last she was living in apartments at No. 8, Barns-
bury-grove, and from something she had heard she went to
the residence of the prisoner in Bedtorough-street, being
then four months gone in the family way, and applied to
the prisoner to assist her in procuring abortion,
and paid the prisoner N. for that purpose. The prisoner
took the deceased to a room in the upper part of the house,
and there operated upon her for the purpose stated. From
this operation no ill effects appeared for a day or two, but at
last the deceased was seized with the pains of labour, and
a miscarriage followed. Serious symptoms ensued, and a
medical gentleman, Dr. Augustus Brown, of Belitha-villas,
Barnabury-road, was called in, but despite his efforts she
died, and on a post-mortem examination, being made by Dr.
Brown and another medical gentleman, it was ascertained
that death had been caused by some violence used to the
womb. The learned counsel added that the principal
evidence in the case was that of the dying declaration of
the deceased, which he would not detail, but wait till it
could be produced and read after the technical proof re-
quired by law that at the time the statement was made
k the deeased knew that she was about to die.
• Owing to the absence of a witness, Dr. Brown, the ease
re was adjourned till this day, and the jury were escorted by
the officers of the court to the London Coffee-house for
at the night.
be

ATROCIOUR CHILD Mt RDER.-011 Thursday
night a young mans 28 years of age, named William John
Turner, of 41, Nottingham-ertreet, Sheffield, cut the throat of
his infant child, only nine weeks old, with a razor, in a fit of
drunken rage, and then called a cab, had himself driven to
the town-hall, and surrendered on the charge of commit-
ting the crime.

THE

'
EVENING, JUNE 16, 1866.

1UBT&

THAMES.
Edward Braes, a stonemason, came before Mr. Paget
to complain of an assault committed upon him by a polies-
constable of the K division named William Cosine.
Inspector Roberts, of the K division, said that a sum-
mons granted by the magistrate for the attendance of the
comb-hie to answer the complaint of Bruce had been read
to him and served upon him and that he absconded on
Thursday afternoon. The Commissioners of Police would
prosecute Cosine for leaving the service without a month's
notice.
Brace said—On Sunday afternoon last, between the
hours of two and three o'clock, I was resin over the
swivel-bridge of the London-dock in Old Gravel-lane. St.
Gemv's-in-the-East, when a young lady made some inqui-
ries about her servant, who was missing, and who she am-
peoted had committed suicide. Two young men offered to
assist in her inquiries and direct her where to find the dock
watchmen and officers. A police-constable, No. 274 K,
who was drunk, came up, and offered his services, which
the young lady declined, and he trod on her dress, and
drew her back on his breast. The dress was torn to
pieces. I said to the policeman, " Hold up, old chap,"
and was assailed by him with the most foul abuse and
threats. I told the policeman he ought to know better,
and that he was drunk. The policeman repeated his abuse,
and said, " Was you never drunk ?" I was followed down
the street by the policeman, and bullied in a moat fearful
manner. I said, " This is rather hard dumplings to be treated
in this manner by a peace-officer ;" and my boys becoming
alarmed went for their mother, who tried to pacify the
constable, but he continued to act in a most uproarious
manner, collected a disorderly crowd in the street, and
challenged people to fight. I told the constable he was a
disgrace to the coat he wore, to which he replied that he
did not care a for the coat, pulled it off, and
gave it to another man to wear, with the belt attached.
The policeman then laid his fist on my nose, and said he
would crush me. I then ran to the station-bonne in Green-
bank, Wapping, to lodge a complaint, and while there the
policeman came in without his coat, insulted me again, and
was advised by another constable to go to bed, and he
did so.
• Mr. Paget—Do you know anything about this, Mr.

Roberta?
Inspector Roberta—No doubt, sir, what the complainant
has said is true. The particulars have been reported to the
commissioners.
Mr. Paget said he would grant a warrant for the appre-
hension of the offending constable. It was important
not only for the complainant, but also in the interests of
public justice, that the case should be fully investigated.
It was requisite that the police should be treated with re-
spect, and on the other hand that if there was any miscon-
duct on the part of a member of the force, he should be
punished. The warrant would be granted without pay-
ment of the usual fee, and he hoped it would be promptly
executed.