The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-05-13 00:00:00

GRAND JURY.

George Badenach, broker, North John street, Foreman ;
George Brown, rectifier, Vernon street ; John Best, merchant,
Fenwick street; Lawrence R. Baily, average adjuster,
Exchange Buildings ; W. L. Baily, iron merchant, Water
street; John Bateson, broker, Oldhall street ; Andrew E.
Byrne, merchant, Hackin's Hey; William Darning, broker,
India Buildings ; John F. Goodwin. merchant, Back Gores ;
Charles Holland, merchant, Tower Buildings ; James Radford,
corn dealer, Lower Castle street ; Thomas Rigby, wino and
spirit dealer, Whitechapel ; Bower Tristram, broker, Dale
street; William Tarbet, jun., merchant, Tower Buildings;
James 'Williams, merchant, Old Churchyard ; John P.
Whittaker, broker, Rumford street; Percival Witherhy,
merchant, Rumford place; Henry Johnston Wylie, broker,
North John street ; Henry Threlfall Wilson, merchant,
Water street; James Wright Whitehead, merchant, Castle
street ; John Williams, iron merchant, Cook street ; John
Wood, merchant, Rumford place.
His Worship then proceeded to charge the grand jury. He
said the learned recorder, he was sorry to say, was not able to
preside on the present occasion, being detained in London by
illness. Ho bad done him the honour to appoint him his
deputy to preside at the present sessions. It was therefore
his duty to direct the grand jury in any case which came
before them in regard to which he could anticipate any
difficulty. The calendar was a very short one, and having
gone over somewhat hastily the depositions in the various
cases, he did not see that there was any case, with perhaps one
exception, calling for special mention. With regard to the
calendar itself, although it was a short one, he could not but
regret that so large a proportion was occupied by a class of
cases which were unfortunately at present very rife in the
community, and especially in the town of Liverpool—he
meant the frequent use of the knife, and savage assaults
of various kinds. Ho did not, however, see that
any difficulty could arise, so far as the law was
concerned, especially as he had no doubt the
majority of the grand jury were aware of the
nature of the duties they had to discharge, and had
discharged them before. Their duty was to sec whether
there was pima facie a case made out against the prisoner,
such as to justify his being called on for a defence before
the petty jury. With regard to the particular case ho had
montioned, it was something out of the usual way. It
was a charge against a man for attempting to assist a
prisoner to escape. By the statements in the depositions it
would appear that a woman named Leonard had been in custody
in Horemonger-lane gaol, having been committed there under
a sentence to six years' penal servitude. She succeeded in
escaping from that gaol, and was subsequently apprehended
here by an officer, who, finding her at large, had a right to
arrest her, and she was placed in the bridewell of this town.
The charge against the prisoner was that he, knowing the cir-
cumstances, went down to the bridewell and represented that
o was a London police-officer, authorised to come there for the
purpose of taking the woman back to London. He was somewhat
intoxicated at the time, and of course such an application had
no result, and the woman was kept in custody. However, if
the grand jury thought the woman had escaped in the way be
had described, had again been arrested and legally placed in
the Bridewell for safe custody, and that the prisoner now
under charge went there, and made the representation really
with the intention and expectation that the prisoner would be
delivered to him, and for the purpose of getting her out of
custody, and allowing her to escape, he thought it would be
their duty to find a true bill. Any question which arose with
regard to the law, would be better disposed of here when they
came to discuss the whole matter on the trial of the prisoner.
He did not know that there was any other case calling for
special notice, and he would no longer detain thorn from their
duties. The grand jury then retired to consider their bills.

TIE NORTHEE

THE

WHITSUNTIDE HOLIDAYS.

The weather of the present holidays hardly bears out
the old rhyme o 1

When Whitsuntide holidays come,
The weather is glorious and floe;

When we Oa'l for a quart
Aid lay dosin a groat,
So all things have but a time.

The verse is not exactly in the style of :Byron, nor yet
in the drawing-room fashion of poor Tom Moore, and
certainly the rhyme might be more germane if the poet
had willed it so. However, let that pass. Had the
holidays been but a week earlier, they would have dropped

in for as wintry sort of weather as ever we have seen in

the " merry sweet month of May." Saturday, however, be-
gan to show some symptoms of regret, and the atmosphere
became comparatively warm, and this gave joyful hope
that the holidays wOuld, after all, turn out something
better than was expected. In this expectation, we are
glad to say that the public have not been disappointed,
for Sunday was beautifully fine and warm. The great
point, however, was yesterday, and although the morning
had a very suspicious look, yet the day held up well, and
continued fine and warm. There was a slight sprinkling
of rain at an early hour, but this improved matters.