The Express.
London, England, 1861-11-27 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 27, 1861.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
(THIS DAY.)

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Baron Bramwell.)
Jabs Howard, described as a cleric, was charged with
feloesously uttering • forged W. Bank of England note.
Mr. Gaffer.' and Mr. Matthews conducted the prosecution.
The offence was committed under rather peculiar cir-
carnstams.

It appeared that the prisoner was in the habit of visiting
•person :awed Dark who was lodging with a Mr. Spraig,
Suittherark.bridgeruail; and early in September the prosouer
said be was goiug to live somewhere else, and asked if Mr.
Spreig would take careiof any letters that might come for
him. A letter came fur him, and he called for it, sod on
opeuieg it he said it contained • draft. Do the 21st of Sept.
be called es Mn. Spraig, aoil said he hail hail
great difficulty in charming the draft, as he
was • stranger, but he had been to Sheffield,
sad bad sees a gentleman who was spot in New York
to MAriss. Rodgers and Co., cutlers, of Sheffield, and wbo
was then in Sheffield, sal had 00010 te London, and ideeti•
fled him as John Howard, sod be had got the draft cashed.
He also stated that be hod got Bank of England notes fur
the draft ; but owing to his being a straager, he had as much
ddknit7 io changing the Dotes as be bad the draft.
Mr. SFr* came home just after, and the prisoner raked
kins to ohmage the Dote for him. They went
out together, and Mr. Spring got it changed at Mr.
1 Wright., • publican close by. The note wee afterwards
found to be forged. sal the statement regarding Sheffield
was entirely false ; Messrs. Rodgers' agent had not beeu is
E•glaiiil at that time. At the tans of bring apprehended
he dinned that his name was Jobs Howard,sod on being
told the charge against him he said it wee a mistake.
The primmer, is defence, said be received the note in
question is chaaaa fur a :XX which be received for the draft,
and regarded his sayieg he had been to Sheffield, he said
he was going.
The jury returned • verdict of Guilty against the pet.
sorter, at the same time recommending him to mere, on
amount of his youth ; and he was imitation' to four yeses'
penal servitude.
THE MURDER IN THE STRAND.
_ _

Richard Rapt, 18, wee indicted for the wilful murder of
his sister, Mary Anne Reeve.
The prisoner was charged with the slime offence upon the
earorier's
Mr. Clark and Mr. &may conducted the prosecution. The
*arm was defeuded by Mr. Sleigh and Mr. Kemp, in-
olmasisd by Mr. Hammitt. of Berjeatit's.inn.

• • The Itiainecl counsel for the prosecutioo, in opening the
ease to the jury,deecribed itaa one of a, very painful character,
the primmer being charged with the wilful murder of his half-
niter, • gal eleven years old. He then proceeded to give
• immure of the facts under which the charge
was preferred, but us they have been given recently and
fully, the offence having only been committed a very few
day. ago, it will not be necessary to give the evidence in
detail. It lippeanal that the prisoner lived with hia father
and stepmother and the deemed, who was his half-sister,
in • house in Drury-court, it, the Strand. On the morning
in question, namely, the 15th November, the prisoner's
stepmother went out at about tone o'clock in the morning
having the deceased and the prisoner at home together, at
which time they both appeared on terms et perfect friend-
ship towards each other, and there had not apparently been
any cause of animosity between them. At shout hell -past
nine o'clock the deceased woe seas on the stairs by a
person who lived in the same hove. Shortly after.'
wards the prisoner was heard calling to her to bring his
the key, of the beck place, and she was beard to say that
she could not find them, and he told her she would find
them on the window-MIL upon which she was heard to
say that she had found them, and she took them dews to
him, and nothing more was seen or hard of her. On the
mother returning at about • quarter to ten, she oilseed
her girl, and Doled about for her, but maids(
could be seen d her. At about two o'clock on
the mine day the prisoner who had been roaming about in
a very meths' manner all the morning, met sonic of his
conmenions, and asked them to go with hint into the
Strand to look for his sister. After walking some little die.
trees, however, he said to a lad earned Lines, who was with
' It's
need tell isne use our looking for my sister, Lima ;go home
y father that I have strangled her, and be will
And her down the cellar." The lad accordingly returned to
the bows in Drurpeoart, and in the cellar tliezefitrd the
body dthe girl. Sof he was lying all • with
memo coals wher face, and • piece o cord,
whisk appeared to be a piece of window cord, well found
tied tightly mead her Beck. A medical gentleman was seat
for, end, bona the feet that the body was not quite cold,
dew. had net very /mg taken pica
here the medical teetisecey appeared, from the inseam
la whisk the coed was tied, 'Ed from the appeanimme ef the
mart which it bad left babied, that it wee not all likely that
the ad could have bean committed by the girl herself.
The witnesses who were examined at the police-court
having givers their widows,
Mr. Sleigh proceeded to make • meet feeling address to
the jury on behalf of the . He said that through
the exertions of some luithropie individuals he had
hese instructed to watch the case on behalf of the
wretched child, as he might almost cell him, who
stood at the bar charged with the wilful murder
of his sister, and he had dune ao ; sod he woe bound to
admit—sad, indeed, it would be contrary to common seem
if he were to attempt to deny—that, the evidence bad
clearly established the fact that the pewee.' bed destroyed
the life of his sister. He then called the &Masten
of the jury to the extraordinary eircumstanies of the
crime, sad said that although he could not may
there was any evidence that would positively prove sada •
fact, that upon the facts the prisoner's mind might have
become suddenly affected, and that he automated the act
while in that condition.

Mr. Baron Bramwell, in summing sr, mid there wee set Übe
slightest evidence to support the eemertioe list toe pri-
mmer was not in a state of mind to be respoesible, and it
would be a very mischievous thin indeed if the jury were
to oome to such a conclusion upon Misters. before the mart,
earl he thee proceeded to call their attention to the evi-
dence that had been adduced in support of the proescutiou.
The jury retired at haltpast 12 o'clock to coosider their
verdict. They returool into court in about ten minutes and
hued the prieoner Uttelfsi, but strengly recommended him
to mercy cm account ut hia youth sad the bed esample that
bed been met him.

Baron Bramwell said the recommendation should he for-
warded to the plow quarter, and he then passed the formal
seen-nos of chatli.

The pstooner, who did Dot exhibit the slightest emotioe,
wee thee removed from the bar.

THE POLICE COURTS.
(THIS DAY.)

or THE MILITARY.

Thomas Clarke, a guardsman. waacharged with aseaulting
the waiter at the Trevor Arms Tavern, Haightebi
Alfred &Alums, the complainant, said that at 12 o'clock
last night the defendant and another soldier presented
themselves at the door of the house and requested to be
Nerved, which was refused. as they were both drunk ; when
defendant, without any pruvocatioo, struck complaioant a
violent blow in the eye,
Defendant made no reply to the charge.
11r. Arnold (to a sergeant who was In atteademee)—
What is the character of the defendant ?

Ben/mat —H• m a very good soldier, sad pompom • good
conduct mark.

MA Arssiii—nes 1 am 'stoma, sorry to hod he hes
std mieseselesisg bewail is this Way.

If be le sot is prism, 'air, epos this diary,
hostrall—ele lipod seadiset strips sad a pigmy per day
for 12sosths.

Yr. Arnold think Nee psalm per day trifling onnspared
with the gnarl conduct stripe. Qua lie pay a fine?
flerneast -No, he cannot. _ _

Inspector Penman. of the B rooduct all the
way to the stritiou.hoaris was bad. 1 had previously called
the attention of a corporal to the condition of this man, and
had he usterfcred as he ought, defendant might hove been
unlaced to to away before this earault wee committed.
Mr. Arnold —I am sorry this man loves his good oondnet
mark, but I must treat him as I would aaybodr ohm He
is Arced 20e.
He was committed for 14 days is default.

DRIITROCTIVR FiRlB.--(T11111 DAT.)--Thiß MOTT-
ieg,isiirees five and six eon* a Ire brake out in t►e
pahlic-hoom of Mr. Bailey, No. 11, John-street, Homely.
down, and extended to the premier of Mr. E. Harris, next
door. The inmates in each building escaped. The Ire was I
not extimoisbol till considerable damage had been dose.
It was traced to a defective due. Mr. Bailey was insured,
bat Mr. Harris was not. Another alarming Ire also
broke oat on the premises of Mr. II H. Miller,
• cabinet maker, at No. 17, William-street, Cur.
Min-road. Before the engines arrived the flames had shot
through the various windows and also through the roof,
threatening devastation to every building near, as well as to
the stacks of timber in the rant belonging to Mr. Latham,
timber merchant, of the Curtain-road. The fir -men eventu-
ally succeeded in extingnishier the conflagration. but not
until the workshops in which the disaster commenced were
burned oat sal other property seriously damaged. Mr. Miller
and Mr. Latham were insured in the General Fire
Office.
MALTON MARTIIMAR FAIR, Nov. 23. —The
aaonal " statute" for the hiring of farm servants was held
to-day, and was very largely attended. The very forward
state of farm work, favoured by the beautiful autumn, bee
bad the effect of lowering wages fully 20 per cent., the
older men being very slowly hired indeed. Fernier', how-
ever, hire shepherds more readily—the result of the im-
memo turnip crop, bed the coasposat large folding of
sheep. On tbs whole, it is faired snob distress will be
found immix the unbired labourers during the winter, the
" statutes" held in neighbouring towns being equally dulL