The Express.
London, England, 1867-03-16 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.—MAIDsroxs, Milieu 15.
(Before Baron Bramwell.)
. _

A farmer named Thomas King, and his wife Harriet
Kisig, two very respectable looking middle-aged persons,
surrendered to take their trial for feloniously and mali-
ciously setting fire to their dwelling house, with intent to
defraud Charles Richard Pole, the treasurer of the Sun
Fire-office ; and in a second count their intent was laid to
be to defraud John William Lovell, the secretary of the
Phenix Fire-office; and the case, from the extraonlinary
circumstances connected with it and the position of the
parties, appeared to excite very great interest.
Serjeant Baßantine was specially retained (with Mr.
Ribton) to conduct the prosecution on behalf of the in.
surance companies, with whom the prisoners bad effected
insurances to the amount of nearly 2,0001. Serjeant Parry
was also specially retained (with Mr. Sharpe) to defend
the prisoners. . . .

Se'rjeant liallantine, in opening the case, said the male
prisoner was • farmer and charcoal-burner, occupying a
considerable portion of land at fiundridge, in the neigh-
bourhood of Sevenoaks, and, according to the case for the
prosecution, be was in good circumstances, and under no
temptation to commit such a crime as the one alleged
against him, until be was led into the idea of relieving
himself from the consequences of an unfortunate specula.
tion he had made in the purchase of a quantity of hops in
January last year. It appeared that at the time referred
to the prisoner had, out of his usual occupation, made a
purchase of • quantity of hops for :326/., uo doubt under
the idea that he should make a considerable profit by the
operation, but in this he was entirely disappointed, as,
from some cause or other, the hops in question seemod
to have deteriorated in value as to quality ; the price of the
oommodity also fell in the market ; and after sending
samples to London, and taking • great deal of pains and
trouble to dispose of them, it at length turned out that it
was quite impossible for him to do so, except at a very
great loss, and his house was encumbered with the hope.
The question then arose as to what should be done with
them, or how to overcome the inhume circumstances con-
nected with the purchase, and turn the transaction into a
profitable one ; and the case on the part of the prosecution
was, that the result arrived at in the mind of both hus-
band and wife was, that the only way by which this could
be done was by means of insuring the property, and then
wilfully destroying it. This wicked scheme appeared to
have been carried out with very great art and delibera-
tion. It seemed that an insurance had been effected
about three years previously with the Sun Fire-
offioe for 1001. upon the furniture and MO/.
upon the farming stock ; and that after the purchase of
the hops, in January, 1866, another insurance was effected
in the same office upon them for 400/..; and it was admitted
that these were all recoverable amounts, and no suspicion,
so far as these items were concerned, was excited. In the
month of April, 1806, however, when, according to the case
for the prosecution, all idea of realising a profit legiti-
mately upon the hops was abandoned, and the prisoners
had resolved upon endeavouring to defraud the insurance
companies, another insurance was effected with the agent
of the Phuenia Fire Insurance Company, at Tunbndge
Wells; and this time the amounts insured were, upon fur-
niture, 200 f. ; upon farming stock, 2001. ; and upon hope,
4001.; thus making the insurance upon the latter article fitful.,
the hops in question being, as alleged, almost worthless.
A receipt for the amount of the premium was given to the
male prisoner at the time the insurance was effected, but
I he seemed to be under the impression that this was not
'sufficient protection for him in the event of a fire taking
place, and he made repeated applications to the agent
of the Phoenix to send him the policy, and only a very
short time before the lire happened he wrote him a press-
ing letter, demanding that the policy should be at once
sent him. Thu fire appeared to have taken place mixed
2 o'clock in the afternoon of the 9th of July, and the evi-
dence went to show that the male prisoner left the house
on the evening of the fith of July, and that he did not re-
turn until after the fire had taken place, and it appeared
that on the morning of the fire the two men servants,
who were employed on the farm, were sent out on some
errands by the female prisoner ; the maidservant was also 1
sent out, and Mrs. King wa the only person left in the

[TWOPENCE

house, and at this period, the 9th of July, it being
the height of summer, there was no fire in any part
of the house, except in the wsabhouse. The female
prisoner seemed to have gone from the house very
shortly after the maid servant left, and almost imme-
diately afterwards the place burst into fismes, and, whe-
ther the occurrence was the effect of accident or design, the
house, and everything in it was reduced almost to ashes,
leaving no traces whatever that could in the slightest (le-
vee tend to throw any light upon the origin of the fire,
but strange to say, the only place that remained uncoil-
tamed was the washhowie, where, according to the evi•
dence for the prosecution, alone there had been any fire on
the day in question. The fact of the fresh insurance
having been effected with the Phienix, and the other cir-
cumstances connected with the transaction, seem to have
at once created a suspicion, not only in the minds of the
insurance companies, but also in those of the police, and
the enquiries that were made led to the discovery of
some facts of a most startling character as tending to
establish the guilt of the prisoners of the very serious
crime of which they were accused. It appeared that the
prisoners had two sons, lads aged respectively twelve
and fourteen years, and that upon some pretext
or other the female prisoner had sent both of
these youths to lodge and board with a Mrs. Farrant,
stating that she would send some furniture for their use,
but instead of sending the sort of furniture that would be
requisite for lads of such an age, it was alleged that she
sent washstands with marble tops, and articles of a
similar character, and which constituted the best portion
of her own furniture with the object of preventing them
from being destroyed by the fire which was Intended to
take place. Mr. leman, a superintendent of the Kent
county constabulary, and one or two of his officers, who
had the matter in hand, and who appeared to have
exercisiala good deal of skill and intelligence in the inquiry,
also discovered concealed a box which was found to
contain all the best clothes of the male prisoner, and, a
large bundle, containing • number of silk dresses and
other articles of the same character belonging to his
wife, in a fowl house, and which had apparently
been placed there for the purpose of enabling them
to be easily removed. In the course of the further
inquiries that were made, the police were induced to make
a search in a pond close to the farmhouse, anal in that
pond they discovered a large quantity of butter securely
packed up, so as to prevent it from being injured by the
action of the water. AU these circumstances were, of
course, calculated to create a very strong suspicion against
the prisoners, but in addition to the facts above narrated,
• discovery took place which appeared to be almost con-
clusive as to the guilt of the prisoners. It appeared that
about the month of May, or at all events shortly after
the second insurance had been effected, the pririoner Thomas
King was seen digging in a particular part of his ganlen,
and that subsequently two men named Wood and Wickham
were also employed in digging in the garden, and the
female prisoner gave them strict directions not to dig be-
yond a certain point, which came up to the place where
the male prisoner had previously been seen digging.
They seemed to have disobeyed these orders, and
to have dug somewhat further than they were ordered,
and the spade of one of them struck against some hard
substance buried in the ground. This circumstance did
not seem at the time to have caused any remark, but after
the fire had happened, and the fact came to the knowledge
of the police, a search was male at the spot, and, buried
in the ground, there were found several jars containing
spirits and home made wine, and from the fact of the
wicker work that was round them being partially rotted it
was evident that they had been buried for a considerable
time in the earth. 'this was in itself, of course, a most
important fact, but it became of still greater significance
from evidence being offered that after the fire a neighbour,
who went to visit the female prisoner, was told by her that
she could not offer her any refreshment as the whole of
their wine and spirits had been consumed in the fire.
The examination of the witnesses for the prosecution
was not concluded until late in the day, and Serjeant
Ballantine then proceeded to sum up the case for the
prosecution.

(rx TILTARAPR.)
The jury, at a late hour, returned a verdict of Goitty
against both prisoners, and they were sentenced to ten
years' penal servitude. _ _

NORTHERN CIRCUIT. —MANcHESTER,
MARCH 15.
_ _

Ntxt Pates Courr.—(TelOreDirl Justice Mellor and a
Special Jury.)

FIELD T. LANCASHIRE AND YORE;HIRE RAILWAT COMPANY.

Mr. Attorney-General James and Mr. Coboett were for
the plaintiff ; and Mr. Serjeant Simon and Mr. Edwards
was for the defendants.

The plaintiff, Mr. Field, carries on business at Middle-
ton, as a manufacturer and dealer in hats. He also did
a considerable business in selling pianofortes, besides
having about two hundred lent on hire, which he was em-
ployed to keep in repair and tune. On the 10th Novem-
ber, 1i465 he left Middleton to go to Manche4ter by one
of the defendants' trains. On arriving at Miles Flitting
station there was a collision, through the neglect of the
company's servants, and he sustained a shock of the spine
and back of the head, which had incapacitated
him for business ever since. He had hem to
various watering-places by the advice of the medical
man sent to him by the defendants, and was still suffering
from the effects of the accident. Mr. Watson Weyer, sur-
geon for the Manchester Royal Infirmary, was the only
witness examined, though other witnesses were in court,
and be said the plaintiff had suffered a good deal of pain,
and that him injuries had affected his memory and sight.
Mr. Serjeaut Simon, for the defendants, addressed the
jury. lie said the company .lid not deny the right to
compensation, but he hoped the jury would not give vin-
dictive damages. He said the plaintiff bad estimated his
loss am through being obliged to absent Weibel( front busi-
ness at 5317., but be thought the jury would agree with
hits that plaintiff had somewhat exaggerated the items.
The Judge thought the plaintiff had in some
exaggerated his profits before the accident, but said the
jury must weigh the evidence on that point, also giving
the plaintiff fair and reasonable compensation for the pain
and suffering caused by the accident.
Verdict for plaintiff—damages sax, with costs.

THE POLICE COUET&
_ MANSION-HOUSE.

John Brawn, a tall grey-haired old man, was brought
up in custody, charged with begging in Old Broad-street.
From the evidence of City constable $77, it appeased
that he saw the prisoner in Old Ilmad.street begging.
His appeal (being deaf and dumb) for aim. was made
by the use and aid of a small piece of slate, and thus he
accosted two gentlemen that morning, and received from
one of them a silver coin, upon which the officer went for-
, ward and took the prisoner into custody. On being
searched at the police station no less a sum than I/. 14..
lid. was found upon him.
When now interrogated by the aid of the slate, the pri-
soner stated that be was by trade a shoemaker, but had
been long out of work, and that he accosted the gentle-
men as stated by the officer because he starving.
The Lord Mayor said that could not be, when he had
so comparatively large • sum of money in his pos.
session. His lordship directed that it should be COMINIII•
Matted to the prisoner that he must go to the House of
Correction for seven days' hard labour.
The prisoner, on reading the missive, shrugged up his
shoulders, and wrote in reply on his slate these words:
"I am afraid to see a prison, and I tremble." He was
then removed to the cella.

THAMES.
A poor man named Sweeney waited upon Mr. Paget and
said he had occasion to seek refuge in the c.susl ward of
the Poplar union workhouse on Thomlay night. His
clothes were delivered to the superintendent of the ward,
and iu the course of the night they were destroyed, with
the wearing apparel of twelve other inmates, by accident,
owing to one of the casuals while " acting " dropping a
limiter match upon the pile. He was provided that
morning with other clothes much worse than those burnt,
but so ridiculously small that he felt es if he wee in a
vice. The trousers were only large enough for a stripling
of sixteen, and when he stooped they burst and lie had
been ever since very cold and uncomfortable ; the boys
shouted after him as he peened along the streets, and it
would be fruitless for him to seek work in his present
condition. _ _ _

Mr. Paget directed a police-4:0,140de to make an in.
quiry, and represent to the authorities at the Poplar
workhouse that the poor Mal ought not to have been put
to the inconvenience of which lie complained. and that the
clothes substituted for those destroyed ought to be huge
enough.
mweeney —Am I to go about in the state I am in, and in
this cold weather, half frosen ?
Mr. Paget said it would soon be dark. It was then
past five o'clock. and bin nether garment would not be ob-
served after the lapse of another hour. He could not do
more than order an inquiry by an officer of the court. and
ho was quite sure the people at the union-house would
remedy the evil complained of.

SHIPPING DigArrwas.—lnformation was received
at Liverpool yesterday by the Atlantic cable that the
Amathea, loading for Liverpool at Apalichola, was tot•dly
destroyed by tire at that port on •he Gth inst. The
steamship Italian, which put into LiZon with machinery
damaged on the 4th inst., and transferred her cargo to
the Milan, bound for Alexandria, will be towed round
to Liverpool when the weather moderates by the steam-
ship Arshim, which arrived at Li.bon on the ith inst.
The ship Zuiderzee, from Liverpool for Harlingen, has
put into Falmouth damaged, having been in collision
with a barque unknown oa the 7th inst.: .

The great elephant attached to Mender's tn4na-
aerie, which had been trained to perform imam wonderful
pranks, died on Wednesday at Cheater. It is stited that
this is the first instance of an eleithuat dying a natural
death in this country.