The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-10 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

At the Chelmsford Assizes a very extraordinary case cattle
on for trial. It was a prosecution for misdemeanour.
M. (Members, Q.C., Mr. Lush, and Mr. Rodwell appeared
for the Crown ; Setjeant Shee and Mr. Woollatt defended
Cutts, and Mr. Edwin James, Q.C., appeared for the defendant
Smith. The circumstances of the case have created a good
deal of interest in the county, from the peculiar circuit:looe"a
connected with it, and the position of the parties. The indict"
ment against the defendants was framed under an Act of roa
Bement, commonly know* as the Bishop of Oxford's Act, an
the offence imputed to them was, having procured a youl
girl, named Martha Augusta Hills, under twenty one loot,'
age, to be debauched. -It appeared that .Miss Hills vrao 1m"
daughter of d farmer, and that she had, three yearg ag.°:
become acquainted with the defendant' Smith, who t
also a farmer and an owner of property. residing
Freebery fields, in Essex, and that the result of their intimaci
was the birth of a child. Miss Hills, who is stated 10 beie
very fine, handsome young woman, subsequently went to resi7
at a place (tilled Colemans with the defendant Smith, swill,
appeared that two actions, one for seduction, and the 4)0,40!
breach of promise of marriage, were brought against Mr, Se3o
by the father of the young lady, but they were settled by „thg
payment of £5O and an undertaking to pay the costs. It
Cutts, an attorney, and a man of con.iderable property, yr,
lives at Bradfield hall, and it appeared acted as the attorneY'l
Nile Smith in these m ttters, and Mr. Shepherd, an attorney %
Halstead, represented the friends of the young lady, 'uj
would seem that in the course of the proceedings an agreeta'n't.
of a very extraordinary character, and which was to the eff`er
that if the young lady would return to the residence 'a
Mr. Smith, and reside there as heretofore, for a Peii:t
of eight months, ho undertook to marry bee
the expiration of that period, but it was made a condit'°-
that this agreem9ut should not be shown either to her fatheeri
car to her legal adviser. By some means, however, it aerar,
that Mr. Shepherd came to the knowledge of such an afire".
.
meet being in existence, and as. Mr. Smith appeared to-t
to t
have carried out his promise to marry the young lady, tb,
present indictment was prepared against the defendants at
last assizes, and a true bill was found by the grand jerl'be
being alleged that both the defendants were patties to tbt
agreement referred to, and that they had thereby breu,
themselves within the ecepe of the act of parlietneet is
question. The case was removed by certiorari bY.ati
defendants, and it was appointed to be tried by a erdsleie to
at these assizes, and they were both now in attendance reael.
tit -
take their trial. Mr. Chambers now applied to postpone thtl
to the summer assizes on the ground that Martha Aegg:,
Hills, whom he said was a most material and necessary At
for the prosecution, was not in a state of health to be ajefit
attend at that) assizes and give her evidence. An a03°,a1,:
from a medical gentleman was was put in, which stated
she was near her confinement and that it would be dangeros
for her to come to Chelmsford, and Mr. Shepherd, hbe
attorney for the prosecution, made an affidavit, in whic
represented that the evidence of M. A. Hills would bere4
important for the prosecution, and that it would be ealelltaset
to defeat the ends of justice, if the trial were had without the
evidence. The affidavit of a person named Carlialileed •
clerk to Mr. Shepherd, was also put in, in which it, Vis:l:.td
that he had been on the previous day' to Birdfield
empire about Hills, and that he was informed that ah°.
expected to be confined every hour, and was in clu!,l'oe.
unfit state to come to Chelmsford and give here '''e
In answer to these affidavits on the part of the prostottea
one was put in, made by Mr. Cutts, in which be' gt"
that he believed the indictment bad not been PrePseere;
for the purposes of justice, but with a view to extort en"
and he said also that the indictment had not been ere,'",ei
until he had expressed his determination to resist o'lsh,"
considered an exorbitant claim for costs, made by Mr. SheP"
in reference to the former transactions, He also stated bill'
Miss Hills was not taken before the grand jury when the
was found at the last assizes, and that she was not a lel: et
witness. Mr. Smith, the other defendant, also Ina,." oat
affidavit, in which he stated that Hills was living at hia'"
voluntatily and of her own accord; that she bad botnctber I
one child, and was now near her confinement with 10; of
that she disapproved altogether of the indictment, and wgi tee
aware that such a charge was to have been preferred ; eet
affidavit concluded by stating that the indictment ha",,-I,te
instituted for the purpose of extorting money, and with 00 :mi,
object. Sergeant Shee opposed the application for aro
pouement, and .said it was evident that the young Per B°llt,
le
no party in the matter, and that her evidence could
of the
material. Mr. James also opposed the postponement at
trial, and he observed that there could be no doubt tbaltve,
real prosecutor in the case was Mr. Shepherd, the at eh
the
and that the girl and her family had nothing to do w: ,elf
prosecution. Mr. Chambers denied that Mr. ShePhe the
the promoter of these proceedings. The prosecutor It to
father of the young woman, who clearly had a t tee
art as he thought fit, when the defendant Smith br°
engagement lie had made to marry his. deuebterci tal:e°
learned judge, after some further discussion had , to
place, said it appeared to him that the vial shelld ;
ce,,
postponed. and he thought that, under the citeurns:noeett
1
the prosecutor ought to pay the cost of the coatr.ni-j
tr
but he should not make it a condition. T
accordingly postponed to the summer assizes.

WORKHOUSE INHUMANITY.
419
At the Worship street Police. Court, London, 00 ,—,„tub age'
Mr. Edmund Martin, a member of the Coro r's'
residing in Mount terrace, Whitechapel, attended beforiersi,l4
Hammill, accompanied by a feeble old man, in a der; 01
state of decrepitude, on whose behalf he request° oste'
magistrate's advice and assistance. The aPPlieant,if
that about six weeks- since he was cones-, eser.
quested by the wretched object of his solicitude to
t,
the
his influence in order to procure him an a5y10,1210,„ bid
Whitechapel Workhouse, as he was precluded, 1r
or
extreme age, disease, and debility, from pursuing the,
I 1
by which he had derived an honest subsistence to t'e '59
ira )
for upwards of sixty years. Having long known h g
hard working man of exemplary character, he (3fr'
induced several of his parishioners to join him in effeet';
requisition to the parish authorities for the purpose °'
er
the desired object, which ultimately resulted, after to, ii
ts
fellow bad attended fiiertimes before the board of goaratic'f,
his admission into the workhouse. On Wednesday
mself
ever, to his extreme surprise, the old man presented 11' sPi
his counting house in an abject state of wretchedel
informed him that he had been unceremoniously tril for 14'.
that morning without any reason having been as'igne-i tsi°'ol
expulsion. Mr. Martin added that he had since 0(51011s
him at his own expense, but conceiving that the "lilt°
the workhouse officials was wholly upjuetifiable, feLtelof
his imperative duty to bring the matter under the o°('',o9;;
magistrates. Mr. Hammill said that it was a most 000 '
nary statement, and he should like to put a few clue'id 0,1;
the man himself with regard to his treatment. The ebobbi
who presented a most pitiable appearance, here lboeB;
forward, with his feet encased in a pair of woods
of sh':';
without Soles, and stated that he was seventy six Yeg'i; io ",
and had supported himself all his life by bard °l'd' froo
parish of Whitechapel. He bad lately been soffer;ng lOicejs
severe rupture, and his whole system was so comPleteiriefttehil
up, that he had been reluctantly compelled to seek 'O3O ;el
the workhouse. He had been employed, ever ; ifitb
admission, in picking oakum, at which he was kePitero'cio
food from ten o'clock in the morning until four U the aP,ej
but he patiently performed the labour assigned t°,11,,11, 0/.11
the day mentioned by Mr. Martin, when he was sudoeVltit
before the board, who told him that he could not be tbAr
longer in the house, He implored them, as dist .pa s
reb:r4
intention, at least to allow him a few shillings t° 'to e'./;,
something by the sale of which he might endessrsit,r, 30,1„f
is bread ; but they refused to do so, and turned loPo
after telling him that he would be furnished with .100'0
bread and a shilling a week for the next three vvee"F'oool4,§
then he must get his living as he best could. "dr:, ,it
said that if the facts had been correctly rearceenA`4l Wet
assuredly a most heartless proceeding, and he Nei"; r ;et
the whole case should be submitted at once to iprrtros
Commissioners. He regretted that be had no euled to 'be
to interfere for its amelioration ; but, with regal, leit is
wretched outcast, who was manifestly utterly be,iP for
should direct one of the warrant officers to intorce-e
re-admission into the workhouse.

4,060
161
80

to
receiPtbiO
The A lbany Knickerbocker gives the following: iota t 4
to
d E.s`roy flies :—" Take a boardng house pie, not ocelot
slices, and b r
dle
yit where the insects can have of
it. In less than 15 minntrs the whole coboo
, o
will be dead with the colic." ~Aeu _At if'
RAILWAY Accnyarci.—A fatal accident halnator'ilto
plate laver named Charles Smith, of Belper, °11,008,A4
The deceased was employed, with others, in relivS9"
permanent way at the Chesterfield station and °I
-In villentllef
afternoon he attempted to get into a goods oe3 -
motion ; but his foot slipped and the wheel"! 04
him: He died in a short time after the aneidecto'byencrirfflle
SUICIDE OF A RETIRED OFFICER OF TRS
GUARDS.—Yesterday an inquest wls held at ,st,rfl
Regent Tavern, Beresford Street, Walworth, Aft r.J3,00
Carter, coroner for East Surrey, on the bodY °'a.olMff,-es'l
Taylor, aged 57, late a quarter-master of the me1315,,,"0if
Guards, who committed suicide by nearly sever,i;ell Drell
from his body with a
.razor. The deceased hi'-% tbe
years in the Guards, and received two penai°°';oerit°,,i o 0
nary retiring pay, and one from her Majesty for ge est" 10
conduct. It appeared that the deceased rtift
Tuesday, and, asking his wife for a box e°130.90-°OO.
razors, proceeded to the water clrset, where 11% bis
afterwards discovered quite dead, with a gash tbeLeP
of such an extent that it exposed the vertebrt - decePci the
the in fact, being nearly cut off. In tlea, i/r'd
haemorrhagerighthand
should come wtahos a
dwa nabneotep,neanlot
hrroosfuzugos ca ornyTeahrnee d
dowei iotcettos job;
8-f:be lee -I, re
h
perty:—Verdict—Temporary Insanity.