The Express.
London, England, 1866-02-23 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

WESTMINSTER.
Mesas. Alfred Wyatt Digby and George Atherbbit, of 87,
Chanoery-lane, printers, were charged with perjury. The
case against item was that they had falsely sworn that
501. worth of damage had been done to their type by Mr.
Bruton. printer and machinist, of Crane-court, by taking a
mould from it for stereotyping. in au action brought before
Baron Bramwell in the Court of Exchequer on the 3rd of
February, to recover that amount, &a.
Henry Basset, overseer to Mr. Pardon, of Paternoster-
row, a witness called for the defence, stated that the
papier machi process of taking a mould (as at Mr. Bru-
ton's) was injurious to type, and lowered it so that it was
not fit to use with other type.
In cross-examination by Mr. Bury Hutchinson he said
• his repent experience had proved this, for in using type
. from which a cast had been taken and some which bad not
~ together, the impression of the former was so faint that be
bad to remove it. Type which had been moulded, although
very well for a newspaper, would be unfit for circular',
_ notices, or other floe work. The same clses.of type would
not be used for the one and the other. If be bad good-
type for best work be would not allow it to be sterecity
from by the pulp process.
After some further evidence to the same effect,
Mr. Belie thought that this witness might as well be in.
dieted for perjury for the expression of an opinion, how.
eves honest it might be, as the defendants. He had no
doubt that the witnesses on the other side were speaking
_ truly, according to the beet of their opinion, when they had
declared that moulding by the pulp process did not injare
the type in any way ; but it was after all a matter of
opinion ; and surely a man could not be held amenable to
toe
the law for the expression of his belief, although it might
differ from that of others.
Mr. Bruton could not conceive that the type was lowered
by the antimony flying off sa had been stated by a witness
for the defence. If it were precipitated, surely it would be
,el when type was in a molten state being cast.
ssi Mr. Selfe said he should not dream of sending the case
for trial after the evidence he had heard for the defence. It
was impossible for the prosecutor to make anything of the
case, as no jury would convict a man because he disagreed
' with another in a matter cf opinion. He did not know,
if he had been on the jury, that be should have found
for the complainant ; bat that was beside the question.
The Lord Chief Baron bad said that there was
very little real perjury in different cases, although
there might be hard and contradictory swearing, and that
in reality there was generally some explanation and excuse
to be assigned for the exaggerated view taken. He was
sorry Mr. Bruton bad been brought into litigation for what
he considered he had a right to do ; he bad been inci-
dentally drawn into this prosecution. He (Mr. Belle) dis-
missed the summonses, and he should certainly advise Mr.
Bruton not to avail himself of the power given by a recent
act of parliament to require the case to be sent to another
tribunal for prosecution.
Mr. Bruton declined to proceed any further. He wan
not disposed to require the magistrate to bind himself and
the other witnesses over to prosecute at a triaL

SUPPOSED MURDER NEAR HARTLEPOOL.— On
Wednesday night the police of West Hartlepool got in.
formation of a young woman, about 26 years of age, having
been found dead in a gutter, near Cowper' Bewley, about
five miles from Hartlepool. Thera are strong reasons fur
supposing the young woman has met with her death by
foul play.
laiiiclivrrcu. ON TRIAL BY JUIt.Y. —A public
meeting was held in the Town-ball, Manchester, yesterday,
to petition parliament "to passe declaratory act for se-
moving doubts ea to the rights of ao heir-at-law or nest-of-
kin, or other person, to demand a trisl by jury in a'l cases
involving contested mattered fact especially those affecting
inheritance, status, or nationality, or the conflicting inte-
rests of the crown sad the subject." The meeting was
prmideti over by the Mayor, and the Towo Clerk moved
the first resolution, declaring that the common law right of
trial by jury, confirmed by Magee Charts, and recognised by
many. subsequent statutes, in questions affecting heirship,
&c.. Is and always has been the inaliebable tight of every
British subject. After referring to the importance attached
to this right be Sir Matthew Hale, Mr. Justice SBA:ketone,
Lord Erskine, Earl Russell, and by nearly all the leading law
lords of the present day, the Town Clerk went on to explain
the circumstances under which, in the case "Sheddoo v.
Patrick," the late Sir Cresawell Cromwell had set it aside.
He read a letter from Sir Fitzroy Kelly to show that the
act which the late judge of the Divorce Court had construed
as giving him that power was never intended by its
framers to bear inch a conetrnetioe, and mentioned that
the present judge of that court held opinions opposed to
that ruling. The Town Clerk said it was true that there
was an appeal before the Home of Lords cm the subject,
bat that appeal might go off on a technicality or is
MIAOW ways that might indefinitely postpone the mischief
done, and by which io effect a single judge bad bees
the meths of setting aside one of the most important pro.
visions of Mains Charts. The Mayor of Salfard seconded
the ramie., and after a lengthy address from Mist Shed.
doe it was adopted. Mr. Leppoc moved petition. to
both houses of parliament, and Mr. Alderman Mackie
seconded the motion, which was adopted. Other nook.
time for carrying out the objects of the meeting were
adopted, and the proceedings of the meeting were en-
was tly unanimous. It should be stated that the meeting
as numeretui and of a highly islesatia {imitator.