Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-16 00:00:00

11 •::_i

21st October last., when giving evidence as a witness for
Thomas Nelan,. who was indicted for ,an" assault with
attempt to rob. In absence of the certificate for the
prosecution, the prisoner was acquitted.
CONCI3AI9tENT or BIRTH. Mary Ann Bowden,
(65) and Melinda Bowden (23) were charged with
concealing the birth of a male child, at Heaton Norris,
on the 22nd October last. Mr. Cross prosecuted. The
prisoners are mother and daughter ; and it appeared
that a farm labourer was walking by the•canal, and he,.
observed something floating in the water • near :Mr.
Reid's mill. He took it out and found the body of a
child wrapped in a woman's apron. He gave the
parcel up as he found it to a police-officer. The
younger prisoner was a factory-worker, and she had
often been accused of being in the family way, but, she
denied . it.:. On the Saturday she left her work,•
and was not able to return on the Monday or
Tuesday, and from -the statements which the prisoners
made to a police-officer it was concluded that the
prisoners were "the guilty _parties. These statement!,
however, were not admissible evidence, inasmuch as,
they had been extorted from them by the officer.—The
prisoners were therefore acquitted.—Mr. Wheeler, who
appeared for the, defence of the prisoners, said I
sure all at the bar are exceedingly obliged to your
ship for the remarks you made on this subject in your
charge to the grand jury.

PERJURY AT LlVEurooL.—James Leatherbarrovr
(31) was charged with having at Liverpool, on the Bth
October, 1859, committed wilful and corrupt perjury.
Mr: Temple prosecuted, and- Mr. Russell defended the
prisoner: It appeared from the evidence that the
prisoner was employed to watch in a field of turnips at'
Crosby. On Monday, the 26th September, he summoned
a man named Arnold, for stealing turnips from that field
on the previous Saturday night. When the case was
heard before the county magistrates, the prisoner swore
that he saw Arnold take turnips. It was found, however,
that the prisoner had been sleeping in a barn with•
another man, with whom he had been drinking gin during
the day, and had not been near the .turnip field on the
night in question. The jury found the prisoner guilty.
His lordship said the prisoner had been convicted of
what he considered a very bad offence, which was
increasing every year. He was quite sure every gen-
tleman at the bar was aware that the offence of:perjury
had increased during the last ten years ten or twenty
fold. The sentence of the court was- that, the prisoner,
baimprisoned twelve montlas and kept at hard. labour. ..
PERJITRY AT POULTON.—Wm. Bamber (310 was
indicted for having, at Poulton, on the 7th'of 'bar,
I859;-661-tinleted-WilftirrInd Corrupt perjury. —Mr-OMM
conducted 'the prosecution, and Mr. Pepe defended the
prisoner. It appeared that the prisoner had been called
upon as a witness in the affiliation case,
,at Poulton, of
Hilton v: Conlan. On that occasion, ,the' prisoner stated
that the defendant was away with him: purchasing hay:
on the day-that the prosecutor said she met the defen-
dant, and that statement was afterwards found to be -
incorrect, and on that ground the priioner was com-
mitted for deliberate perjury. The jury found ,the
prisoner guilty. His lordship, in passing sentence upon
the prisoner, said it was the clearest as well as the most
cruel case of perjury he had ever heard in his life. He
was not in the habit of giving severe punishment, but
he considered it his ,duty to sentence the prisoner to'.
18 months' imprisonment with hard labour.
The court adjourned at a quarter past seven o'clock
to this morning at nine.

SECOND COURT.;
(Before Mr. Justice Wriauns.)
MANSBANGITTER AT BURNLVIY.--jOhll Quinn was
indicted for the manslaughter of Mary Crook, a little
girl about eleven years of age. Mr. Waye appeared for
the prosecutor, and. Mr. Russell defended the prisoner.
It appeared that the prisoner kept-a shop' at•Burnley,
which he had stamped the words. "Kiss me quick."
On Sunday evening, the 11th Qf ,September, as the
prisoner, was going towards honte, he was.followed by a
crowd of hoys, who were shouting after him the words
on his toffee. The prisoner entered his house, the boys•
continued to shout, and in a start time he opened the
door and was seen to threw something towards the part,
of the crowd where the deceased was standing. She
immediately fell down, and, blood spurted from her
forehead. She ' was taken home, and died some
time after. The counsel for" the defence contended
that there was not sufficient evidence_ to prove that the.
prisoner threw anything., The wound was a jagged one,
and he believed that could not have been, the case had
it been inflicted by throwing a knife. He thought the
Wound might have been received from the clogs of the
boys as they ran past her. The iron of the dog' would
have inflicted a laberated wound exactly similar to the
one on the forehead of the deceased. The jury returned.
a verdict of guilty. .-His lordship, in addressing the pri;•
soner, said, that as ithe prisoner had been very much
aggravated by the conduct of the boys, he would not
transport him, as he,' should otherwise have
.done, but
sentence,him to imprisonment with, bard, lahOPr fqr„
eighteenmonths. : : • . ,acv:
STABBING AT MANCHESTER, James Hassalrxivas
charged with having, on thelard duly last, violently out.
and wounded Amelia Brown, with intent to commit
murder, Mr. Hopwood was for the prosecuiion, and
Mr.. Tarr for the defence. The prisoner had been lodg-
ing in the, house for some time, and on the morning in
question he was sitting with the prosecutrik talking of
her marriage, which -he had previouSly heard. They
quarrelled upon the subject, and the prisoner draged
her to,the place where the ate was kept, and continued
to beat-her with it until separated 'by a surgeon. Th‘
defenee offered was that the prosecutrix had com-
menced the attack, and many Of the witnesses, in
cross-examination, stated that some of the breakfast
things -were strewn ,-4bout the floor.. It was also
contended by the learned counsel that, the man 'Coed
nothavle-committed the assault with an intent to commit
murder, and it tytislifar: more likely that the prisoners
aggravated by the language of, the prosecutrik, and still
further aggravated by the plates and, dishes which she
had thrown at him, had seized the axe and,l4vithout
reflecting on the possible consequences of his Beat
her in such a manner as to inflict the wounds deicribed.
Tie also laid stress on the fact that none of the witnesses
had seen the prisoner use the iron of ;the 'axe; and, as
the sUrgeOn' had stated, the wounds might have been
inflicted with a wooden stick like the handle of the ate;
the jury should take the most,favourable view of the case:
His lordship, in aumMing up the evidence, commented
with great severity on some questions that- had her it
asked ,the prosedutrix by the prisoner's counsel, fie
thought: that if insinuations upon the character erz the
• 11 •
witnesses Were to'be Owi out withont the,
o'loitest
foundation, a court ofjustice would becomelktf e: more
than d'inachinelfor -damaging the eharactx, ‘3, of wit_
tiessW " The jury; after a short deliberation foUnd the
prisbner guilty of cutting and wounding ‘o' ith an intent
to do gfievous bodily' harm, and ho wrs sentenced, to
penal servitude.
SrAnzarm AT BoLror.--Davia p.oberts was indicted
ibr having nt Bolton, on the .V6th of October last,
felOnionillit cut and wounded .',diehard Stewart, with
inten'Vlidisable or do him ser ,6 grievonsibiiqy harm.
pre,asnetr ~tor is Faonghrlaaonmqureesiddeifnegndeind
,AXr,Pyr prosecuted,
d
the prisoner. The
BerWick-on-Bolton. Net ,r to the hbuss of 'the prose-
tutor was that of the pf isoner, and the two Muses were.
separated by the hour e.of Mr.: Bromily. Previous to
the time of this ocev srence, the proSecuter had had no
acquaintance with the prisoner. On the day in clues-_
tion the proseeut,er Was sitting' in his room, the house
' door being opc'd ; the prisoner then came up, and after
abusing the pr osecutor for some time, drew his knife, saying
that he wovlid defend himself, as he knew the prosecutor