The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-10 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTH LANCASHIRE WINTER ASSIZES.

CROWN COURT.—YEsTERDAY.
Baron Alderson entered the court at nine o'clock
-yester say.
S Excxs. —William Davies, who pleaded guilty to
the charge of having on the 28th of August, 1856, at
'Manchester, felomhusly married Ellen Drew, his former
wife, Margaret Qumlan, being then alive, was sentenced
to twelve months' imprisonment. James Thomas, who
pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary, was sentenced to
four years' penal servitude.
PoeT OFFICE ROBBERY.--James Ingram was placed at
the bar, charged with having stolen a, letter containing
a bank bill for £4BO, and eight half notes for £5 each,
and also with having received the same, knowing them
to have been stolen, The facts on which the charge
rests, have beers very recently before the public in our
pollee reposes. It appeared that on the 21st of Novem-
ber. S person named Anderson, in the employment of
.I:siessre. Pilling and Co., 70, Deansgate, Manchester, put
into an envelope, addressed to Mr. Nicholson, leather
Boller and currier, Scotland-road, Liverpool, a bank post
hilt for £4BO, and the halves of eight £5 notes. This
letter he posted in Manchester about half-past six in the
evening, and in the ordinary course it should have
arrived in Liverpool and been delivered between eight
and nine o'clock next morning. The prisoner was
engaged that morning in sorting the letters for
the 'first delivery, after which he had to carry
nut letters, but not those addressed to the
cane district as the leder in question. He
had then to Return for the second delivery.
As it Was very late when he returned some
iSitspicion was excited, and he was summoned into the
postmaster's office. While being questioned there, he
expressed a desire to go to the water-closet. Permission
was granted, but a person was set to watch him, and be
was seen to transfer something from his waistcoat
pocket to his boot. Police were sent for and he was
given into custody. when, on being searched, the letter
in aoestion was found in his boot. When this was
discovered the prisoner said he was not the only guilty
person. Before witnesses were called the prisoner,
addressing his lordship, said he acknowledged that he
was guilty of receiving the letter knowing it to be stolen,
but not of stealing it. His Lordship said be should
prefer proceeding with the case. The witnesses who
previously appeared at the police-office were then called
to prove the facts stated. The prisoner made a lengthened
statement to the effect that the letters were given him by
another carrier to conceal until enquiries should have
passed over, and that after taking them he felt some
remorse of conscience, and went back to the post office
for the purpose either of dropping them there or giving
them back to the man who gave them to hint Ilis
Coming in having excited suspicion, and caused him to
be brought into the postmaster's office, he thought it
petter to hide them in his boot until the enquiries were
over. Ile added that he could call witnesses to prove
his previous good character. His Lordship : I will
give you full credit for that—all persons employed by
the post-office are persons of good character until they
ate found out. The jury found the prisoner guilty.
His Lordship sentenced him to fifteen years transporta-
tion.
GAROTTE ROBSERY.—AIfred Pover, aged nineteen,
tailor, was charged with having, on the 29th October,
together with two other persons not in custody'
violently assaulted John Jones, with intent to rob him.
The statement of the prosecutor was, that about ten
minutes to seven o'clock, on the evening in question, he
was going through Rayner street, Manchester, when a
Man caught him round the throat so tightly, as to pre-
terit him from speaking, and another roan came up and
struck him on the metith. A third man came up in a
Moment afterwards, and called out—" kick him—punch
him" Prosecutor struggled very hard, and in the
struggle the first man was thrust against the doer of a
cot'Lese, which was burst through. The light from
within was thrown upon the assailants, who seeing the
door opened all ran away. Prosecutor cried out, and a
man named James Mitchell, living in the street, came
to his assistance, and the prisoner was arrested, but the
others escaped, The prosecutor positively identified the
Prisoner as having been one of his assailants. The
Identity of the prisoner was corroborated by a
little boy who came out of the cottage, the man named
Mitchell, end a policeman. The jury found the prisoner
guilty. A coniictierti at the Salford Sessions in August,
181512, for stealing; and sentence of transportation for
seven years was proved against the prisoner, who was
then tried under the name of John Smith. He had
received smaller punishments on several previous occa-
ithis His Lordship He
,appears to have had a good
long run of it. I supprise he has had a ticket cf leave.
The gaoler said that had not been ascertained. His
Lordship : Well; he certainly has not served his seven
Years. Ira eseeSsieg sentence his lordship said, the prisoner
vas hopeless. All he could do, was to send him away
altogether. The sentence of the court was, that he be
transported for life.
stemma:l GAROTTE ROBBERY.—William Stewart, Wil-
liam Callis, and Ellen Callis, were charged with having,
at Blackburn, on the 22nd October, 1856, .violently
aesaulted Jonathan Harrison, and stolen from his person
£l6 10s, The female pleaded guilty, the male prisoners
not guilty. The prosecutor deposed that, on the night
in question he was going through Thackburn, when he
was attacked, knocked down, and robbed of a canvass
bag containing £l6 109 , by two men and a woman.
He positively identified the prisoner Stewart as
One of the men, but could only speak to the general
appearance of the prisoner Calks, In the struggle
Which tosA plate between them, prosecutor seized
held of Stewart, who, in order to escape, slipped out of
his coat and waistcoat, leaving them in prosecutor's
hands. The parties succeeded in getting away. The
coat and waistcoat were afterwards identified as the
property of Stewart. The prisoner Callis was acquitted;
Stewart was found guilty. His lordship sentenced
Stewart to be transported for tell years, and the female
prisoner, Ellen Callis, to he imprisoned for two years.
His lordship said he should have sentenced Stewart to
lee transported for life if there had been any previous
charge against him, as he believed that in Cases such as
that the most merciful course was severity. Addressing
the woman, he said, that if, after her term of imprison-
ment she was brought up again, she should be trans-
ported for life.
GAROTTE ROBBERY AGAlN.—James Marshall, factory-
yeorker, was charged with having, on the Ist of Nov.,
together with a man not in custody, feloniously assaulted
John James, with intent to rob him. It appeared that
on the night in question the prosecutor, who lives at
Ashton-under-Lyne, was in Manchester, and going
through Peter street, about eleven o'clock, met two
men,one of whom asked him where he was going. He had
scarcely time to reply when one ofthem seized him by the
throat from behind, and the other began to search
hiS pockets. The prosecutor struggled and .shouted,
and a stranger came to his aid. The prisoner was
arrested by the courage and strength of this man ; but
the second assailant escaped. The jury found the
Isrisonet guilty. A previous conviction was proved.
Toe prisoner clasped hishands together, and passionately
cried out for mercy. A sickly-looking woman, standing
near the dock, with an infant in her arms, shrieked
out—" Oh, my lord, have mercy—do have mercy on
him, his wife, and his two children—l am his wife, and
here is his child." The poor creature had to he removed
at length. His Lordship said this was one of a class of
ceses he was determined to put down if he coald. He
sentenced the prisoner to fifteen years' transportation.
His Lordship complimented the man who first came to
the prosecutor's aid on his courage and activity, and
ordered him a reward of £5. This man, whose name
was Capstick, had his clothes torn, and received some
hurts in the struggle with the prisoner and the assailant
who escaped.
.IL', THE GAROTTE OtTRAGE.—John Lloyd, and
Wiliram Harrington, were charged with feloniously
assaulting and robbing Henry Rothwell. Mr. Cross
prosecuted. It appeared that the prosecutor had been in
a public house, in Manchester, on the night in question,
where the prisoners also were. He treated them to some
drink. The prisoner Harrington said he had no money.
In going home the prosecutor went a wrong way. Har-
rington overtook him and they walked on togttber
Harrington asked him where he was going, and prose-
cutor said to Stockport. They turned back together, and
on the way went into a public house, where they had some
drink. The prisoner Lloyd came in there also. They
came nut together, and walked on to a street called
Taylor street, where
"Harrington stopped, saying, " Go on
--s-I'll overtake yu. Lloyd walked on with prosecutor,
and after they had gone about sixty yards Harrington
jumped on prosecutor's back, and knocked him down.
Prosecutor endeavoured to cry out, but Harrington
caught him round the throat and squeezed him so that
he could not cry out. They bothd
rifled his pockets of
uiculdees..
4s, some pence, a tobacco box, and some other articles.
Nr. Wheeler defended Lloyd. Hp
aregton
fended. The jury found both prisoners guilty,
previous conviction and sentence to seven years transpnr-
tation was proved against Lloyd in 1853; and a convic
tion for theft, with four months imprisonment, against
Harrington- His Lordship : I suppose Lloyd has a
ticket-of-leave ? Mr. Wheeler said he was not aware
of the conviction. His Lordship : It is just about the
time they would let him out. Mr. Wheeler called as
evidence two respectable tradesmen, who deposed that
they had known and employed Lloyd for the last two
years, and found him hard-working and industrious.