The Express.
London, England, 1868-03-16 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT.—BEDPoaD, 1144,ca 14.
CNOWN Cootr.--(Befece Mr. Buys 'trammel].)
Arriorrners TO DNINAVO ♦N nimowsca CONTANT.-111*

TRAORDLTAIIT CAM
Thomas Brightman 32, • farmer was charged with
setting fire to certain stacks of corn, hay, and straw, the
property of the said Thomas Brightman, with intent to
defraud the Imperial Fire Office Company.
Mr. Sean, Q.C., Mr. Bulwer, Q.C., and Mr. Metcalfe,
for the prosecution ; Mr. Merewether and Mr.
Wham defended the prisoner.
This ode has orated the greatest interest in this county,
in oonsequenoe of the position of the prisoner, the serious
nature of the charge, and the somewhat extraordinary
evidence by which it was attempted to be made out. The
investigation before the magistrates occupied six dare, and
a great number of witnesses were called on the present
occasion, but the facts of the case may be shortly stated as
follows:
The prisoner occupies a farm of about 110 acres, called
the Rectory Farm, at Little Steughton, in this county ,•
and he also occupies other farms, and is the proprietor of
three steam threshing machines,: which be lets out
to other farmers. In October, 1866, be effected a
policy of insurance with the Imperial Fire-offiee upon
his engines and machines for the sum of 6751.,
and in the followiog January he effected a further
policy with the same company for the sum of 600/.
on his crops, 2001. on live stock, and 300/. on implements
of husbandry—making in all 1,1001. This was confined to
the produce do., of the Rectory Farm. On the 17th
October Lit • fire took place on that farm, which
consumed all the crops stacked there, a shed,
and two steam threshing machines, besides other imple-
ments of husbandry, and this fire formed the subject of
the present inquiry. The case for the prosecution was as
follows :—The prisoner resides about hall a mile from the
Rectory Farm, and on the day in question he had two men,
Bradshaw and Young, engaged ihnatting an engine
belonging to one of his threshing • es which was
standing in the shed in the dui:yard, and which was sub-
sequently burnt. The prisoner was about the steckyard
all day, and be was seen by one of the witnesses to be
forking up some loose straw and placing it against one of
the stacks. Daring the da • boy was sent to St. Nods
station for • threshing ma , which had been sent some
months before to Lincoln to bare some alterations made in
it, but not being thought worth repairing was sent back, and
this was placed between two of the stacks, as suggested,
for the purpose of being burnt. During the same clay the
prisoner sent down to the farm • two-gallon can of oil and
• two-gallon can of turpentine, only • small portion of
which was used for mixing some paint. Young and Brad-
shaw left work and went up to the prisoner's house about
six o'clock in the evening, and found the prisoner at his
gate, who asked Bradshaw to go to St. Nods with him to
buy some tape for the engine. Nothing more was seen of
the prisoner till half-pact seven, when he and Bradshaw
started for St. Node, • distance of about air miles. There
are two roads from the prisoner's house to St. Neote,
one passing the Rectory Farm premises, and the other the
turnpike road, the latter of which was the shortest.
The prisoner selected the longer road, and on his way
stopped at the Rectory gate, and went down to the stack-
yard, leaving Bradshaw in the trap at the gate. They
afterwards stopped at two publio-bouses on their way, and
when • short distance from St. Neote the prisoner got out,
as he said, to collect some rents at some cottages he
owned, and Bradshaw went on to St Neots sad bought the
taps. The prisoner afterwards joined him at St. Boots,
and they remained drinking at • public-house there until
half-past 11, when they started back. The prisoner drove
home by the turnpike road, passing through the turn-
pike gate, which was shut, as is usual at night,
and the gatekeeper had to be called up to let
them through. On approaching the prisoner's red
dance, Bradshaw pointed out a fire, which he sag-
gested was at the prisoner's but the prisoner
said it was miles away. On reaching farm,
home, however, it ,
was found that the prisoner's stacks sad the shed above re-
ferred to were on fire, and on the prisoner going to the
fire he met Young, sad said that the people seemed very
pleased, and that if he had been at home he supposed they
would have charged him with setting the place on fire.
It was proved that at about seven o'clock a light was seen
dose to the stacks by • man named Gray, and that a
person driving by the farm at about eighto
smelt • strong smell of turpentine. A
who was at the fire found the two cans which
had contained oil and turpentine under the bench in the
shed where they had been left, but both were empty, and
it wee proved that the prisoner had bought • quantity of
wax candles, of which he was in possession shortly
ore the fire, and which could not be accounted for. All
the stacks were burned down, and two engines and thresh-
ing machines destroyed, and the prisoner sent in • claim
to the Imperial Fire-office for 1,1841. Witnesses were
called, who said that the utmost the stacks, Sm. could bo
worth would be 3001., and that the engines and ma-
chines were sot worth more than about 2001. or
3001. It was proved that one at least of the
engines had the wheels off at the time of the fire, which
would prevent its being removed, and the other had only
been brought on the premises a day or two before from
one of the prisoner's other farms. The theory
by the prosecution was, that during the day of fire
the prisoner collected rime together against one of the
stacks as above described ; that between the time that
Bradshaw and Young left work, and the time when the
prisoner started for St. Neots, or when Bradshaw and he
stopped at the gate of the farm on their way to St. note,
the prisoner saturated this straw with the turpentine in
the can, and then placed one of the paraffin candles in
such • position that it would not be seen or set fire to the
strew WI it was nearly burnt out ; that he made • train
with the oil and turpentine between this and
the other decks, and then lighted the candle, and that
this was the light wen by Gray. That he then drove on
to SL Neots, stopping at public-houses that people might
see him, and so prove that he was not near is premised
at the time the fire broke out, that he remained at St.
Neots with no object till an unusually late hour and then,
instead of driving home by the road he went, drove home
by the turnpike, knowing that he would have to call up
the man at the gate, who would also see blur, and that an
ample motive was shown by the excessive claim which he
made against the insurance company.
The witness Bradshaw, on being called, denied his
previous statement that he and the prisoner had stopped
at the Rectory gate, which he accounted for by saying that
the policeman had treated him to drink and given him 11.
before he made it, and in cross-examination the witness
Gray said that at the time he sew the light
he heard hammering, as if the men were still at work, and
a servant, who was called to prove that the paraffin
candles had not been used in the prisoner's house,
admitted that they had.
Mr. Merewether, in addressing the jury, submitted that
the whole theory of the prosecution had broken down, that
the utmost that was proved was that the like fifty
other people, bad an opportunity of setting the pled on
fire, and that the evidence as to value was based on hamaf-
Galant information, and could not be relied upon.
His lordship having summed up, the jury almost imme-
diately returned • verdict of Not Grant.
There was a second charge
defend
the prisoner Of
attempting by Wee pretenses to drand the Imperial Fire-
offios,- but this, on the application of the primmer's
counsel, was postponed to the next mazes.
NORTHERN CIRMIT. —MAwanisrzs, MA acs. 14
ezowa Ootmr.—(Before, Mr. Judie, Lush.)
81100TIOG AT 110CHDAIX—MUSTR711111.
George Mackay, 28, was charged with shooting at Roch-
dale on the lith inst., with a pistol loaded with &leaden
ballet David Halstead, a policeman, intending to do hiss
grievous bodily harm.
Mr. Tort prosecuted; and Mr. E. Jones defended.
The prisoner, who called himself • lecturer belonging
the Evangelical and Protestant Electoral Union in Lea-
den, engaged the Public Hall to lecture in against
Poseyism and Popery, at which lecture the sodas:lend
was to be unmasked. A breach of the pond Wag of-
prehended, the persons who let the hall refused to
allow the lecture frees this cause, erl=cliseterot.
goner breed an inilemniatory placard, "
tants to the resew r inviting them to lAMB la their
thousgbds, sod teillat them the people of other towns
were maim se mid dim to force their admisdes be the
sahib' Hall ea 'Breshis sight, the 6th inst Oa that
night a lob et• atea nee from Oldham and
sad the phew sal es areociate named Roallatilimall=i
then to ea Ws* es the Public Hall, notyllimilmilie
rimegia there ea 6 elms of the borough and mosey palm
• sillies twit sad the pAseafs
revolver at the within • few maids %raw
The UM thrseek the loathes belt end greed
seat et Omelet& Illekteed. Another pieta wee fired, sad
the ball treat Arse& the body et a teem, hat there a.-
se widow mite and it.
Voadist—OrriNs, with a reespeuradro.- "
Mr. Ardis Leah said but ha the risme.—
the bey
smir kio
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warsadave foliated rad strelladh
ms le
lie WIWI.' Isakstarf=se preset thebe lip.
. .

SITTINGS OF THE JUDICIAL COSIYI7TES OF THE
Purr CouNcit..—On Saturday the sittings of the Judielel
Committee of the Privy Conseil wen ended- Lord Watt-
bury pre judgment in • one, sad the oommittee ad-
journed, it is understood, to June. A difficulty has been
felt in forming marts during the sittings. A number of
ap= an waiting to he hearth
RATIPATINO C7.4I7IIEL—A meeting in the
Town-hall of Haekney has Lea adisd, upon • numeresaly
aped requisition en the Ma tut.
urroszu By Du BA T's
FOOD TO TEI essuss, wog, lam fool Ever of old pima.
willbood doodloko or are..
Minim% friald, aossoork
Paddlodloa, dafddlo.ooolkli
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Inodoid floot of Ifollsou tho Paw A mil es..
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: SSA, HE we pee mot Alm as kowohols Ohoosiode Ina= blemanaNuadairackshis
lewder, 11101‘ TODNOTTIOId *ITT e.
mad Ock, 77, Looks ; aloe Fortran rid OR, DM" Imporlon of Solyre
; guargge ;TM Us." diddif dielabli to
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011ardolfook—eidoordoondodj inetarm—oftesimussaj

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