Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-03-22 00:00:00

SOUTH LANCASHIRE SPRING

ASSIZES.

The assizes opened at eleven o'clock yesterday, in the
Critninal Court, St. Ge'rge's Hall, before Mr. Justice
Wiles. The following gentlemen were sworn in as Grand

;ilThomas Bernard Birch, Bart., the Hazles (Foreman)
Vm. Ince Anderton, Esq., Euxton
Ebert Augustus Aspinall, Esq., Oakfield, Aigburth.
%icholas Blundell, Esq., Crosby Hall.
harles Chaloner, Esq., Aigburth Hall.
".;ir Humphrey de Trafford, Bart., Trafford Park.
William Earle, Esq., Abercromby-square, Liverpool.
E..',lward Gage, Esq., Claughton Hall, Garstang.
Wm. Windham Hornby, Esq., Knowsley Cottage.
Benjamin Heywood Jones, Esq., Lark
Wm. John Legh, Esq.,‘ Lyme and Golborne Park, War

thoma.s Edward Moss, Esq., Roby Hall.
Robert Neilson, Esq., Halewood.
William Pilkington, Esq., Eccleston Hall.
William Preston, Esq., Rock House, West Derby
lames Rigby, Esq., Moss House, West Derby.
spencer James Steers, Esq., Halewood.

►lll/ Stewart, Esq., Liverpool.
)hn Abraham Tinne, Esq., Brierley, Aigburth.
Imes Aspinall Tobin, Esq , Liverpool.
)sh. Need Walker, Esq.,.Calderstones.
man Walmsley, Esq., Wigan.
Lordship proceeded to charge the Grand Jury. H
se calendar which the Grand Jury had assembled fo
was short indeed as to the numbe

purpose of discussing,
uses. but most serious with reference to t

numbe

crimes of violenc' which it disclosed. He should at once
sewed to d aw their attention to those cases upon which.
60 thought it necessary to observe ; and the first of which
6e should take notice was that which stood No. 4 in the
alendar, of a woman, named Wry Craig, aged 60, a mid-
wife, who was charged with manslaughter, by neglect of her
in attending upon a woman in labour. There was a
t difference, he should tell the Grand Jury and
unfortunate for the poor if it were not
case of a midwife who was not
qualified, and the case of a regularly
I practitioner. In the case of the midwife they
t not look for that amount of skill to meet extreme cases,
look for in the instance of a person who
anal man. The poor must have the
assistance of such persons as the former, because they could
Tord to employ a regularly qualified surgeon in ordi-
The Grand Juries and Petty Juries, when such
em, must deal very tenderly and cauti-

idering th

i they shoul

anie below

only with them, where such persons as the prisoner were
concerned, and ought not to find a bill, notwithstanding
a-it they might conceive a blunder was committed, unless
they were satisfied that it was the effect of some gross and
culpable negligence in the performance of the duty. If they
believed the prisoner guilty of such negligence it would then,
of course, be their duty to send the case for trial. Number
SS in the calendar was a remarkable case—the case of a rape
an idiot young woman. Notwithstanding that there
ired to be no actual resistance to what was done, yet,
advantage were taken of a woman reduced to such
be, and who might, therefore, be said to be deprived
r means of resistance, it amounted, in point of law, to
And was so decided in a very recent case, within the
en months, in which he took part. It was in
)f the peculiar circumstances of the case he
ssary to draw their attention

asst th

next cases ou which be would observe wet(

use on which charges of murder were pre-
yed a very great number of persons, probably
ny more than would be found by the jury when
and could be proved to have committed the offence,
no doubt the grand jury would exercise their discretion
brought a true bill against. The first case
ch two persons of the name of William
as Owens, and Daniel Johnson, Nos. 7,8,
who were charged with murder. They would see
a fight took place, and it did not say much
)f the locality where it took place

t there m

Or hours they were fighting violently, and
me of the parties came to his death

Wfio wa

might be a question ; as it would seem
lepositions, unquestionably violence of an
r kind was .resorted to. It appeared
used iron bars and brass candlesticks.
t help thinking that, when it came there to be
would be best to find an indictment for murder. It
rn out that the blow was inflicted in hot blood in

lie could i

the'use of these Weapons. There was a case in which a
pers:m named John Mackay was charged with having com-
mitteil murder by the stab of a knife. It might be that it
done under some provocation—whether sufficient to
the act to manslaughter, he thought, would be a
,er subject for Inquiry. livery case of murder caused
the use of the knife was a serious one, and probably it
would be the-

palliat

duty to bring an indictment ?or murder.
Another case, No. 10—the case of a young woman charged
with the murder of her new-born child—properly called
child-murder, although, in point of law, there was no
ffifference between a child and a grown-up person. From
the time the child was completely born into the world from
the womb of its mother—from that moment it was born,
and not from any previous moment. No person having
'' injuries committed which were said to have led to
Moults, always arose from the state of the

seen tl

law, as there could. not be any murder or manslaughter
until the child was born. Accordingly, any cases of this
description, where the mothers had to bear the pains
of labour without assistance, the child's death - may • be
mused by the mother in bringing the child into the world.
In this case, it was no murder at all. Where the circum-
rere suspicious, concealment of birth might be the
But with respect to murder, it goes out of the
vhere such injuries were inflicted during labour a
Leath of the child. There was a case

pestion
Eed to t

Nos. 19

.?0, in which a young woman, named Maria Spooner,

were charged with the murder of a new

d. With respect to that, the Grand Jury, after
reading the depositions, probably would think that there
was no evidence whatever against the mother. The mother
Innekerl at a neighbour's door, and went to the doctor who
attended her daughter. There was no
•espect to the mother, except her own state-
eulnated herself. The next case was. he was
sorry to say. o

:vent, wh

which could not be disposed of easily. It
was rather of a serious character, as the child was many
the case was under Nos. 21 and 22, Mr. and Mrs.

days old
Parkins(

1, charged with having made away with their child

There was another case in the 'Calendar to which he must call
*heir attention. It was a case presented by numbers 66 and
Jobl Buchanan and Andrew Mitchell, the chief and
)nd engineers on board a vessel called the Bogota, a
T trading between Rio and Liverpool, were charged
the manslaughter of Thomas Lander, who was a
board that vessel, by tying him to a ladder in
ile, in weather intensely hot, and within some
-hole, there la
hich he cool(

s in that stok

some six

That was a ci

It woul(

:d, was a miner, who appeared to have been
,11, and to have gone to get his livelihood
He seemed to have remained there
to have been desirous to come home and
To appeared to have had some small sum
t to have been unwilling to spend it upon