The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-25 00:00:00

?!ZT?tOPOLITAN r9III!TY

Sittiaiday; appointed foiiirepreseoiWeCk.
dawinsEnria, nt. Statin'rlaas —Tuesday, Yeb. 26 We4:ne3•
l. 27.
wuniariT, Portland-med.—Wednesday, Neb. nursdat,

etraaaasia.L. Daneanterrace.—Tuesday, Feb. 2G; Wedbue-
day. 27 Yrlday, Murk I.
ttaarLEßo22, !lan lebeae-road.—Tuesday, Feb. 26 Wedbell-
day. 27.
r,ttoazurrfli3Old.street-mad.—Tueeday, Feb. 26; Thursday. 2i.
bow. lairteld.road.—Wednesday. Feb. 27: Saturday, Sl.treht.
WIITILCMAYILL, Great A-mutt-Greet. —Tuesday, Feb. ))b:
Mired.). Is.
80C711WAILI, Sweitrareet. Trinity-square—Tuesday, Feb. 26:
Thursday, 2e
LAMBETH. Camberwell New.mad.—Tunday, Feb. 2e.
lila:Lß% Wedersdal. Feb. 27.
.I.l* ICH. —Thursday. Feb. SS
WAYlK•wurru. —Mundy, Feb. 11.
COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.—Fze. 23.

Sittings at Nis Priem at GuildhalL—(Beifore Lard Chief
Jamaica Cockburn amid a Special Jury.)
TIZZY r. PALL AND oTHIJUI.—CLAIX OX A FOLIO' or
I"AURAXCL

The plaintiff in this case sought to recover a sum of 4001.
upon • pohey of insurence against fire. The defendaute
pleaded that the plaintiff had sent in a fraudulent claim ;
and, secondly, that he had wilfully set fire to the premises
in which the goods were.
Mr. M. Chambers, Mr. Berieent Ballantine, and Mr.
Lewis appeared for the plaintiff and Mr. IYMalley, Mr.
Phinn, Mr. Kerslake, and Mr. Lisley, conducted the cue
for the defence.

The plaintiff was a marine store dealer, and the defers-
dents were the San Fire 'neuron* Company. to May,
1859, he went to Tottenham, and agreed to rest a shop be-
longing to a gentleman named Gurney, who suggested that
if the plaintiff would insure the premises lie would pull
down and rebuild them. The plaintiff agreed to the ilia-
potion, and when the new premises were built he went to
the defendants' agent at Tottenham and insured the house,
and at the suggestion of the latter he also insured his goods.
The plaintiff had adopted a young woman named Ellen Gib-
bons as hie danghter,who did the household work. Things
went as all well until the 30th of March, 1860, when filo,
west to bed, leering the kitchen fire alight with some clothes
besegingbefore it. About 1 o'clock in the morning he hadocas-
sma to go downstairs, and upon opening the bedroom door,
be found the house was on fire, and the flames had already
taken possession at the staircase. He at once ran into
Elko Gibbons's roam, and lowered her into the back yard
/miasma of a sheet, and then jumped out himself. The
was raised, sad about one hour afterwards the
whim arrived, bet at that time the dames bad entirely
destroyed the boom and the goods it contained, together
with the policy ol insurance and the plaintiff's business
book&

.7117.Pizey, the pleintifforas called in support of his ease.
On being croarezarnined, be said he had been unfortunate
is business three times. The last time he warn so was in
1855. He had felled ewe when in the beer trade, and twins
as a marine-store dealer. He kept no books except the
breweeelsooks ; he had so books showing his returns in the
marine store trade ; he ally kept the books he was com-
pelled to. His liabilities under his last insolvency did not
; exceed 3001. he had not paid anything under either insol-
vency. He bed been uan assistant to his eon for two
yeses, and he had also been an exciseman. His wife went
home to her Mends in August. He had known Elea Gib-
bons from bar infamy. Bin was now about 23 yen of age.
He had sot the Meg police of what was the meaning of
the word " shickster." la 1859 he wrote the jocular letter
produced. la that letter he need the word • shicketer ;"
he meant by that a poor girl who worked at the cloth trade.
The letter was addressed to a perms aimed Wharton, and
was as follows : _

"Jame 29, 1859
" ily Worthy, —As I have • great deal of tickle come in
in the shape of old logger', I have bun thinking, u you
maid you should like to live at Totembarn, whether you
think you could do anything with the assiztauce of
'shickstan' to sew for you, to transmogrify them into
boys' clothes, and also to make up new cads and fustian'.
If so you can bike ap your residence in this ail as goon as
you please—wife and all, of oourse—oo let me know forth-
with, for I am infernal melancholy, and am obliged to get
half lurhy to drive away the blues and the weavils. There
le no standing idle forsar, and I mean to introduce a
great many thinp in the sae line. So if you think of it,
forthwith take up thy bed sad walk—l remain, my worthy
old buffer, "T. Pizzy.
. _ . .

"P.& Remember me to your Dulcimer. There is
plenty of grub la the garden that wants eating. You must
make out this mewl as well as you can, as lam rather
shahry in the fist."
He was rather melancholy at the time, and might have
taken a little too mach, but he did not get half !ashy. His
wife called end saw him sometimes. He could not say that
the "old topiaries" were full of vermin, and that they bad
to put them into tubs of water end skim the vermin off the
surface, and that that proms had to be followed for a
moeth before they could be touched. (laughter.) The old
things came from various parse of the country. He had
stated on a former occasion that he had suspicions that the
house had been bet on fire. No one could see a light is the
shop after it was shut up. He had pictures that be bad
bees offered 701. for, although he hail only given 266. for
them. One of them use a large picture of Queen Charlotte,
supposed to be of great value. He sent fora fire engine, but
the man he eget was too drunk to go.
Ellen Gibbons, a pretty-looking girl, of 22 years of age,
was called, sod in cosesquenc• of indisposition she was per.
witted to sit down. She said she bad • mother, but no father. ,
She met to live with the plaintiff in August, 1859. He
had no servants He knew her parents before she was born.
She performed the domestic offices of the house. She was
acquainted with the goods in the house. There was a shop
very full of property on the ground floor. It minima
goods of all descriptions. There was a great quantity of
DOW and old clothed in a cupboard in the first door (root
room. The witness then described in detail the amount of
the plaintiff's stock. She was entirely nipported by the
plaintiff. On the night of the fire she went to bed before
the plaintiff, about five or six minutes after twelve, or a
little later. She had been at borne the whole eveniag. The
plaintiff did not come home till twelve o'clock that night.
She left slink fire in the kitchen and went to bed. She
was awoke by the plaintiff rushing into her room. He for-
cibly dxaaad her out of bed. (The witness Don fainted,
and was carried out of court.)
Mr. ilerjeant Ballantine said it was not a mere fainting
At, as the young lady had been in a lunatic asylum.
The learned Judge said that under those circumstances
her examination had better not be resumed.
_ _ _

James Brown, a7briCici;e7,;r; then alld, and stated
that he lived at the back of the plaintiff's house. On the
night of the fire, about half-past twelve, his wife saw some
sparks coming from the plaintiff's house, and he put his
trousers on, and went out to see what was the matter.
When he got out he law a men who appeared drunk com-
ing out of the alley beside the plaintiff's house. He beard
the fire from the outside. It rabid hard, and the wind
was high. He beard plaintiff calling Samuel Brown, saying,
" For God's sake get up, my house is on fire." Witness
nn back immediately, and put his clothes on. At that
time the fire appeared to be very strong. When be re-
turned the fire was coming out though the roof. The en-
gibe did not come tip for an hour, and it was another hour
before water could be procured. There was a fanlight over
the plaintiff's door, but it was filled up with a three-quarter
inch board. There bad been a keyhole, bat it was also
blocked up. No person outside could see a light In the shop.
The plaintiff's house was burnt completely down before the
engine began to play.
By the Judge—'The height a man would have to drop
from the first-door window was, exclusive of the length of
Ids body sod arms, about five feet. There was a brick
pavement under the plaintiffs first door.
Eliza King lived close to the plaintiff's house. On the
tight of the fire she was called up by the plaintiff, who had
his houskeepa in his arms in her night dress. She ap-
peared stupefied. Her bead was pouring with blood. She
attended to her. She heard the plaintiff beg • drunken
man to go for the engine. When the plaintiff cams over
ant he bad only his trousers and shirt on.
Several other witnesses having been called to prove the
eireumstanoes connected with the lire, and the amount of
the plaintiff's stock, the trial was adjourned until Monday
(this) morning.
BEOOND COURT.

Sittings at Niai Prius at Guildhall.—(Before Mr. Justice
Blackburn and a Common Jury.)
BOLTOII AND WWI V. NIVAN.-A•BAULT.
. .

This viaa;;;aciiOniinneit to reenter compensation in
damages for ao aarault.
Mr. Buddleatoa and Mr. Orifllts were counsel for the
. .

Mr. Yield was fur the a.-
lesdaat. and

--The idalatiff, Rebid Holton, was a butler, in the service
of the My. Rowan, who is • magistrate of North-
amptonshire end a London banker. The otherplained tiff,
Elia Holies, wife ef Robert Holton, was aas
Landrum by the defendant, at a salary of g per
amuse, with a cottage to live in, is the village
close to /Ir. Bona's mat The female plaintiff said
that is Glister bet she ressived a mouth's notice to leave
the defewdsat's seevise, sad that shortly afterwards Kr.
Bevan eases to her cottage about nine at sight, and ordered
her to like to mom clothes which were hoagies out in the
drying you& She replied that she would do so as fast as
she 1100,1 d. The defendant said he would have them brought
teat aaa, and holding up his stick said, "Don't force me
to I will make you go and bring them in." She
said, "No, sir, you will not. . Afterwards the defendant
left. Oa • subsequent occasion be cams with Mrs.
Good, who was to be her successor, and wished
to show her over the hoses. Witness refused
to permit the defendant to enter her bedroom,
as she did not like gentlemen to go there. She was on the
top of the stairs, and the defendant took her by the arms
Lad threw her down the dales. She broke bur fall, sad
fell on her back, but be followed her sod pushed her down
the rest of the stabs. She was then in the family way,
which the defeadent knew, and she sustained severe in.
juries. He said be would sot be beat by a woman. Her
hands and wail' hied, sad her body was bruised. On
reaching the bottom of the stairs she locked the front door,
and the diafaudist agnygglial with her violently to obtain
the key. He saisseedsdis getting the key, aad went out.
She followed far the purpose of fetching beg husband,
when he jammed the pa, against her leg, sod maid he
would boa have such • Idabel woman ma his premises,
add* she was a low women, and most have come from
St. Gases or Billingsgate. She had • black-eye, and she
owlfared ask imam/Iy.