The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-10 00:00:00

ASSIZE INZELLIGENOE.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—LisooLN, MARCH 9
Robert Johnson., aged 48, a labourer, was indicted for
a rape,

Sarah Ann Cocking said—l am 17 years of age. I
ive at Barrow. At half-past eight in the evening of the
13th of October I was walking towards Barrow, with
Eliza Jane Smith, a married woman named Sarah Rey.
nolds, and Mary Franke. It was dark. When we were
about half a mile from Barrow, we heard a man coming
towards us. He was swearing. We were all frightened,
and turned back and ran away. We ran forty or fifty
yards, until we came to a gate. Smith and I were on
the gate together. The man who was following us said,
" It's no use your getting over the gate. I'll kill the
first I get hold of." We got over before he came up,
and ran on into the field. The man followed and caught
me. I was lame, and could not run so fast as the
others. I had got thirty or forty yards from the
gate when he overtook me. I was then running
towards Barrow. He seized me by the cape and the
shoulders, and threw me down. I screamed. The
man said, " If you don't hold your noise I'll murder
you."' While I was down the prisoner perpetrated
the offence. He threatened to kill me, and said,
" Your life is in my hands." He put his tongue
into my mouth to prevent me from screaming. I re-
sisted as well as I could. The man soon got up. He
then took me across the field and lifted me over a gates
I ran on, but he followed and caught me. 'He threw
me down again. I got up and ran away. He threw
me down again, and effected his purpose a sectoed. time.
He was longer with me than before. He said, "I'm
]Lill h the fairglar. I've got a. brace of pi- toll in my
pocket, and I'm going to Barrow to shoot Jonathan
Jug." I bad heard of IlialclL the burglar, and of his
breaking out of Lincoln Castle. He next took me down
\Cie field to the Barrow wat4 •rside, saying le would tako
ine home. When he got m 3 to the field next the road,
he perpetrated the offence a ;ain. I was weak then. He
next took me down a lane, h olding me by the hand. He
took me to an o,icr holt. Ile lay down, and I knelt over
him and prayed for myself, expecting every moment
Oat he would kill me. I prayed for him too. He got up
and said he would take me hort ie, Ile.said I was such a
good creature he would not ki3Tine. He asked. me if I
could swear to him. He then stook me to anot her field,
near Barrow Haven. When there, he threw itne down
and again repeated the offence,' He lifted me up. I
could scarcely walk. He took me through Ur. Cuth-
bert's yard. We got there at about half-past 11: When
we got there he said, "They are loelchag for you with
lanterns. I must go away and cut my slick... ,I saw
lights and went towards them. I crossed 'into a field
and got over a sheep net. There was a second !sheep net,
but I could not get over it. I fainted there. Tb e prisoner
is the man. The moon rose while he wilt. with me.
When I came to myself, I was in bed. I wasill for three
days. I made a complaint to my father and. the medical
man. About a month after I saw .the primmer at Bar-
ton. He was then in custody. We left Barrpve at about
7 o'clock. We had walked about two miles and a half,
and had got within half a mile of home, wh en we heard
the man.
lE.tJoo.kSmhoitlhd coofrrothbeoraptreodseteuhetrpiiro,ssehttrdixt..o
help
ea.
( From the Times of this day.)
'a
Lord Derby bas our thanks for calling the publi;nt. - . hera d dilodi ns —s,
as she was lame, and could not run s. fasvas we
Lention once more to the condition of the Colonial Secre- could. I was obliged to let go her hand, rend directly
taryship. We will be bound to say there never was any- after I heard her scream. I looked round and saw that
thing so wanton in power or so capricious in anarchy as the prisoner had hold of her. We all went to Cuthbert's
the way in which our fifty colonies and dependencies and told what bad happened.
are treated at this moment. We are aware that colonies John Lockwood said--I went out that night with
never want to be told that they are illnsed—they find forty or fifty others. We had lanterns. I found the
it out fast enough, and to import's grievance into them prosecutrix in a fainting state in Dee's field. she
is to carry coals to Newcastle. That, however, is not was standing near a sheep pen. Her head was
-our business. -We do not sit here to represent the drooping, and she was insensible. It was between
.• ~_. 'We at. once
aro to keep appearances with the twelve and one when we lento" her, las
upaidof '
cni-Orohn7ere,cPbunutlobbring the light and
to bear upon the whole of the British empire. In be- all the time. Once or twice she lifted her hands, as if
half of eur colonies we must say that they are very unconsciously exclaiming, " Oh, you bad man."
shamefully handled. It is only a few months ago that John Cocking, the father of the prosecutrix, proved her
the force of public opinion separated the Colonial Se- state when brought home, and her complaint to him of
cretaryship from the Ministry of War, and, after we the ill-usage she'had experienced.
have swept and garnished the Secretaryship, its last Mr. W. H. Shearwood said—l was at the house when
state is worse than its first. The War Minister has thewas brought home She was cold, exhausted,
been exorcised, but the Minister Plenipotenti• ry at Vien- and insensible. Her . dress was soiled—her person
na has taken his place. The tail has only been taken bruised, swollen and covered with blood. Timm were
off one kite to be tied to another. The colonies, be- marks of ' which been recently ruptured.
sides some little affairs of their own in the shape of wars There wa
girlthe hymen, had
s to doubt of her chastity. '
and rebellions, which, perhaps, it would be too much It was then roved that the prisoner,- who lived,* the
to•expect us to attend to except when quite convenient, neighbourhood, was at Barrow on the evening of the 13th
have lately been set to work making their own mh- as of October that he bad with him a jacket and other
tutions. It was agreed that whan a colony had aareed articles which on the night in question, he had got rid
on a constitution it was to be sent to the Colonial-office lof in various fields near the scene of the outrage ; that
I i,
for approval, and it has already occurred to many pee l he had absconded immediately afterwards ; that, on
as a misfortune, though unavoidable, that a
populaerapct being apprehended in Yorkshire, lie at first denied ever
so critical and so important as a constitution should be having "been in Barrow in his life," and said that
subjected to the delay of many months in its passage to his name was not Johnson. He afterwards accounted for
and fro across the globe before it could be finally ratified these falsehoods by saying that he was unwilling to go
and confirmed. To that necessity we have supsr tdded a to prison to await his trial.
most gratuitous injustice. The conktitution, with all Mr. Justice Colt ridge summed up.
other colonial business, is to arrive in town, to find no- The jury at once returned a verdict of guilty.
body authorised to deal with it, or so much as to open Mr. Justice Coleridge said it was one of the most
the packet in which it is contained. Supposing that to dreadful cases that he had ever tried. A young woman,
be managed, it is to follow in the wake of Lord John of unblemished a irtue, guilty of no act of imprudence,
Russell's journey to Vienna, and find him, negotiating 'int innocently walking out in company with respectable
with half.a.doaen plenipotentiaries, all at cross-purposes, female friends aed companions bad been subjected to him.
about the affairs of Eastern Europe, the Holy Places, tality as revolting as was ever disclosed in a court of juss
1 the Black Sea, the Danubian Principalities, and the pro- 1 foe. Tiv-! prisoner had once been acquitted of rape, and
' t - ' ,-ate •)! th- G e‘it, ( HI. 3,. - Tv'rl'al!‘ test -err itt .1 led !;v, 0 him ti pk s of impunity
iWe admit that it is a, ~,,,„se addition to Lord Joi,ll 1 when he committed this crime. The learned judge then
Russell's importance, and possibly to kis weight in ten ' sentenced the prisoner to be transported for life.-