The Express.
London, England, 1858-02-22 00:00:00

TMS ON•101 01 LIION AGAINST • COTTON SPINXIM.

&Nye Thuwass, cotton spinner at Buxton, was arraigned
on • Marge dime* eat ere to • cotton mill at Buxton with
intent to defraud the Mesebeeter harems Company.
Holden, who wee sin indicted for the rime offence, had
pleaded guilty.
The Attorney-Genoral (with Mr. Aseheton Cross) appeared
on the = the prosecution; and the dehisce was entrusted
to Mr.
The Attorney-Omni (Mr. Bliss), in opening the cues,
stated that the are upon which the prisoner would be fried
we that of befog assessory before the feet of Mt* are to
the mill, the plinelpal having pleaded guilty. It would be
In the -course of the investigation to call this man
gala befstwlhw, se his evidence wee the only evidence upon
whisk the passer could be convicted. The lammed
men lama west through the detail. of the case. Tr.tt
dimes Wooed went to show that the prisoner Thwattee was
a cotton-ipinner and millowner at liuton, and had insured
hie mill In the Manchester Insurance Company. On dm
10th Nov., 1857, the mill wee burnt, and Mr. Thweites then
made out • claim upon the company for the sum of
2.4341. 7s. 10d. The company mat their agent to investi-
gate the matter, and he applied to the prison, to know U
had a valuation, and was infermed that he had one made In
Assent. The agent expressed his surmise that out should
be mode at that time of the year, wham It transpired that
Mr. Thwaites wee in treaty for a loan of law. upon the
maslaisary, end had got it valued to satiety the parties that
it was worth the money. The agent applied for the name a
the valuer, but of that Mr. Thwaltes was not swam, and
only knew that he resided at Stockport. A good deal of
sinus was laid upon this, bat It triumphed on crossexandrea-
tics that • few days after Mr. Thweitee seat the gentlimen's
name and address. The edam Rot being paid, Mr.
Tkwaltea threatened en sofa, and ultimately era
enengement wee men to that Mr. nestles should be peld
the sum of 2,8341.75. 10d. being 100/. he than his claim.
A deal of unimportant evidence was introdoesd having no
reference to the oats, until we come to that of the mon
James Hoiden, who was termed, a order in Mr. Thimble'
employ, at 12e. par week, and had hem with him four yews
the fret time, tad about four months the krt. Holism mid
In Nov. isat I went into the alike kit 111 'step' kr we old
senteiting machine, when Mr. Thwaites said I meet bum
the mill down on Tuesday night, and he would give me
11:01. He odd he would be in Manthetter that day, end
would come down when he hard that the mill was on Ike,
and would appear to be vary sorry. He mid it would be
a good thing for the hands, for he should get 2,6701., and
would have a new mill in three months, and if it was not
burnt he should have to stop the mill. He meld he would
give me 1001., bat only has given me 6/., in one and two
poandf at • time. I went into the mill about 10 at night,
slept till about 12, end then struck • match and set du to
some old cotton. I saw Thweiles in the morning, and he
said, It's all right, keep your comet and I'll keep "
The witniss on cross-examination mid he had never emu
asked Mr. Thwaitee for any part of the 1001. since the Le,
but Mr. Thweitea bad given him money, telling him it wee
for setting the mill on Are. It was on such • declaratka as
this, In the Ant instance made by Hoiden when in a state of
intoxication, that both he and Thwaites were apprehended.
It transpired that both prisoners when in the lock-up at
Chorley had been subjected to an examination which was
taken down by one of the police—• practiee which his lord-
ship strongly condemned, as the statements extracted from
them were now produced as evidence. His lordship in sum-
ming up said it was • rule in law that when • nee depended
upon the evidence of such men as Holden, it was not worth
much unless strongly corroborated, not by militant citrate-
samosa but by direct evidence, and the only corroboration of
the evidence given by Holden wee the examination at the
police-oaks. Such evidence ought to be strongly corrobo-
rated, for if it were to be believed in itself every man would
bat the mercy of another who having committed • crime
wanted to shield himself at the expense of others. The
question for them to consider wee, whether Holden was a
man to be believed, and was the corrobomtive testimony such
as under the cironmstenoes was strong enough for them to
convict upon.
=thy did not leave the box, and In a very short time
a verdict of Acquittal.
A bus of approbation ran through the court.