The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-05 00:00:00

it had become more usual; and probability, in a short time these
winter assizs'would regularly be held and classed amongst the
ordinary assizes of the country, and it would be arranged that
there should be a general gaol delivery throughout the country
at this ti alto of the year. Indeed it seethed to him that if it
was to take place at all, it ought to be extended to every part
of the country, because he did not see •any common sense in
the principle that prisoners who formed nart of a ;mini' hoilv

who formed part of a large county. The administration of
justice ought, undoubtedly, to be uniform in every county, and
the only reason for hOlding the winter assizes idcertain districts
seemed to be that it had'becoine a matter of expediency, when
the pressure on the county was heavy in consequence of the
great number of prisoners in the gaols,to have an extraordinary
gaol delivery in those counties at this time of the year. Now in
the event of its being decided to establish these assizes generally,
as a permanent arrangement, it would,: probably, be necessary to
divide the country into districts, because, no doubt, it would be
inconvenient and unnecessarily expensive to hold them in
Tie into
county. The question, therefore, of dividing the country
Ti! into districts, so that the whole of the prisoners might be tried

lity, be ra

d. Ono of the great inconveniences at present
existing was the necessity Of going from place to place, and
having so many ceremonies, which ceremonies, if shortened

and rendered less frequent. would admit of justice being less
expensively administered, and, perhaps. in two or three places
instead of so many. They (the grand jury) might, therefore,
wish to take into their consideration the propriety, or other
wise, of "dividing the country into districts. Some of the large
counties.in England—Lancashire and Yorkshire, for instance
—would form districts in themselves, but others like Rutland,
and some of the small counties close to them in ?Wales, might:

very probably, be united and formed into districts for the more
convenient administration of justice. All that would have to
be- arranged, and if the grand jury had any opinions on the
sulject, he (Baron Alderson) invited them to intrust him with
the expression of those opinions. If they did so, he should be
glad to take charge of them, as there was a commission, of
which he was a member, appointed, and if he was charged
with their advice and opinions, he should be glad to lay them
before.the commission. With respect to the cases that would
come before them, there were very few that would require their.
particular attention. The great bulk of the cases were such
as did and would come before them, and with which they
viero conversant, as members of the different benches of
magistrates throughout the county. There were one or
two cases, however, to which he wished to call their attention.
One was a very serious case of murder, but still one that
would not be a case of difficulty in their hands, and with
which they would be able easily to deal, Although it was a
case of serious interest to the parties concerned, the jury
would not require any assistance from him in reference to it.
There was another case in which three persons were charged
with killing a child at Runcorn. There was some difficulty in
that case. With respect to one of the parties charged, on
reading the depositions, he could not see any grounds for
putting him on his trial at all. With resnect to the others
there was no difficulty, and they must not 'find a bill unless
they could say the two did it, or they could point their fingers
to the one who did it. If they were satisfied it was done by
one of the two, and, they did not know which, he did not know
how they could find a bill against either. They might find a
bill against both, and if they_were satisfied about one, and
Could tell which of the two committed the offence, they could
find a bill against that party. His Lordship next alluded to a
case of condealment of birth, in which no body' had been
found, and telling the grand jury that if they could not make
out there even was a dead body in a state to be concealed, they
could not find a bill. Ile then discharged them to their
duties.

ALLEGED BURGLARY AT HIGHER BEBBINGTOL—John
Spurgeon was charged with breaking into the dwelling house
of William Turner, at Higher Bebbingtorioind stealing a gun,
four pairs of boots, and other articles, on the 17th of
September. The only evidence on the part of the prose-
cution was, that ho was seen in the yard of the house in
which the alleged burglary was committed, on the
following morning at ton o'clock, and that a key was found in
the yard, which a witness named Townshend, with whom the
prisoner lodged, said he believed belonized to him. Tn his

this witne

cross examination,
court by the ludicrous character of his answers. In answer to
interrogations from the learned counsel for the prisoner, he
said they kept keys at their house, but did not use them.
(Laughter.) They used padlocks. 'I he key found in the
yard of the prosecutor's house fitted one side of a lock at
witness's house, but not the other. (Renewed laughter.) The
Judge : Are you a fool, or are yen not ? Witness :I am not.
(Roars of laughter.) Inspector Ilodson, of the Birkenhead
detective force, was called, and stated that lie apprehended the
prisoner on the 23rd of April, in Liverpool. He saw him in
the street, and as soon as the prisoner saw witness the former
ran down Redeross street, into a house called the " Naval
Rendezvouz," in which witness took him. The Judge :
suppose people are in the habit of committing robberies in
Liverpool ? Witness : No doubt. The Judge : And run away
from detectives ? Witness : I dare say. (Laughtei.) At
the close of the case for the prosecution, his lordship said there
was no evidence whatever on which to find the prisoner guilty.
The only evidence was that of that very intelligent and respec-
table gentleman, Mr. Towushend. (Laughter.) If they found
the prisoner guilty on such evidence, they would abdicate
their functions altcgather. There was no case, and they must
acquit the prisoner. His Lordship, in discharging the prisoner.
said : I advise you, as you are so shy of detectives, to take
care of them in futgre. (Laughter.)

. .
MURDER. OF A CIIILD'AT RUNCORN BY ITS FATHER AND
MOTHER.—XTRAOUDINARY CHARGE.—Thomas Brennan
and Elizabeth Brennan were charged with having murdered
their infant child, Mary Brennan, at Runcorn, on the 26th of
September last, by administration of oil of vitriol. The case
excited much interest, and the court was much crowded. Mr.
Brandt and 14Tr. Horatio Lloyd conducted the prosecution, and
Mr. Macintyre and Mr. Morgan Lloyd defended the prisoners.
Mr. Brandt, in stating the case on behalf of the prosecution,
said that the charge against the prisoners was one of the most
fearful nature. The death of the child, which the prisoners
were accused of murdering, was of the most painful description.
The prisoners were charged with having poisOned the child,
and that the deceased did die from the effects of poison there
was very little doubt. It appeared that, on the 26th of
September last, the female prisoner gave birth to a child.' The
child was never baptised, and on. the 2nd of October, it was
bUried in a sort. of 'box, which was constructed by the male
Prisoner. Now, it was this child that the prisoners were
accused of murdeying.' As be had already stated, on the 2nd
of October, the day on which the child died, the male prisoner'
and a man, named Patrick Frain, were seen in the back
kitchen of the house, making a coffin_ out of a tea ches', and it
would be proved that, on, the, same evening, the two prisoners
and Frain were seen:takiig away the child to bury. it, Some
few days afterwards, .Mr. Blake, an officer- of poliCe, heard
-that there had been some foul play, -and the consequence
, was that the body QI the child was exhuthed, and a post mortem
examination was made, when it was found that hall the way
from the throat to
_the. stomach, the entire of the surface was
burnt away, and the bowels were altogether consumed: The
sufferings of the child. Must have been most horrid. It would
be proved to the jury that shortly before the ,child, died, it
was seen kicking and in great agony on the mother's knee.
The jury would also be told by the medical men that the child
had had oil of vitro!, or sulphtiric' acid administered to it, and
mast have suffered the most dreadful agony. The interior of
the body was dissolved'and liquified by the oil of vitrol which
had been• thus administered. A girl of the name of Rees
would tell the jury, that on the night of the 30th of Septem-
ber she was nursing the child, and that up to the time that she
ceased to nurse it, it was, perfectly well. Between nine and
ten o'clock the same night, this girl saw the child on its
mother's knee, struggling and blowing from the. mouth, white
foam proceeding from its mouth, and apparently making a
convulsive effort to leap from its mother's knee. After the
death of) the child, and subsequently to the exhumation of the
body, Mr. Blake, the policeman, went to the house of the
prisoner; and asked'for the dress which the child had on when
it died, but ho was -Unable to get hold of it, and up to the
present time the authorities had not been able to get possession
of it. The reason of this was to him (the learned counsel)
obviously clear, that the prisoners were anxious to
get rid of the dress, because, had it been examined.
the effe'ets of the corrosive nature of the oil of
vitriol would have been apparent, and have been strong'
evidened oftlie prisoners having administered it. Another
chess was risen to the policeman, and it was endeavoured to
palm that off as the dress which the child had on when it died,
but, it would be proved that the dress which it had on-when it
was on; it mother's knee; was altogether of a different colour to
that which was handed to the policeman. 44" some further
details, the evidende of witnesses Was proceeded" with. Elza.-
both Reece, stated that she nursed 'the' child tip. to seven o'clock
on the night, when _she• afterwards—a*. it struggling on its
mother's knee. At the time the witness gave the child to its
mother, the child was quite well. When witness saw the child
on the mother's knee, white stuff was coming from its mouth.
The baby had then on a light frock, with a brown spot on it.
[rhe frock produced was a purely white frock.] Before wit-
ness knew that the child was dead, she saw the prisoners and
Patrick Frain in a back room making a box, and at night the