The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-26 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT.—(This bay.)

The November session of the Central Criminal Court
was opened this morning by the Right Hon. David Salo-
mons, Lord Mayor, the Right Hon. the Recorder,
Aldermen Hunter, Sir R. W. Carden, and Eagleton,
Mr. Sheriff Kennedy, Mr. Sheriff Rose, Mr. Under-
Sheriff Stone, and Mr. Under-Sheriff Rose, &c,,

The first edition of the calendar contains the names of
97 prisoners.

The Recorder in his charge to the grand jury congra-
tulated them upon the' fact. that the calendar was not
greater than usual in 'number, and that the charges
contained in it were not of so serious a character as they
were at some of the other sessions of the court. Their
duties, therefore, would not be of very long duration ;
and he reminded them that nearly the whole of the cases
that would be brought before them had previously been
investigated by magistrates of great experience and legal
knowledge, and it would therefore be unnecessary for
them to go into a minute inquiry or investigation of the
evidence ; but if a prima facie case were made out
against the parties accused, it would be quite sufficient
to justify them in finding true bills. He said there were
very few cases to which he considered it necessary to
direct their attention as involving any difficulties in
point of law. One of these was a charge of
manslaughter against two boatmen, which was of a
very peculiar character. It appeared that the cries of a
woman were heard by the police under a tunnel upon
the Regent's canal. It was quite dark, and they had no
means of seeing what occurred ; but it appeared that the
persons accused, who were in a boat upon the canal,
were asked to assist, and they lashed the body of the
woman to the stern of the boat and towed her through
the tunnel, and when she was taken out she was found
to be dead. The surgeon seemed to be of opinion that
at the time the rope was attached to the body life was
not extinct ; and, if this were the case, and the prisoners
by their reckless and ignorant conduct had accelerates
the death, they would they be amenable to the
charge made against them. The grand jury, however,
must be satisfied that the woman was alive at the
time the rope was attached to her before they could find
the bill, and he could not help expressing his opinion
that the evidence upon this point was very slight. His
lordship said the only remaining case to which he c
sidered it necessary to allude was one also of a peculiar
character, in which a clergyman, Dr. Vaughan, a gen-
tleman of high standing and position, and who he be-
lieved was the vicar of a parish in the neighbourhood of
the metropolis, was charged with having made a false
entry in the register of that parish. The offence was
enacted felony by an Act of Parliament of the Ist Wil-
liam IV. cap. 66, and which directed that certain
punishments should be inflicted upon conviction.
The circumstances did not appear to be very clearly
rtated in the depositions, but from what he was able to
collect, it appeared that in those instances where per-
sons bad died without the district over which this rev.
gentleman had control application had been made to
him to allow the burials to take place in the burial ground
of his parish. He was net bound to consent to such an
application, but it appeared that he did so upon condi-
tion that double fees were paid. The offence imputed to
him, under these circumstances, was that in all these cases
he had caused false entries of the residence of the parties to
be ;alerted in the 'parish register, thereby making it to
appear that the death took place within the district and
not without it. It was difficult to imagine a motive for
such a proceeding, or that a gentleman in the position
of Dr. Vaughan should have been actuated by a desire
to retain the paltry additional amount to which he would
be entitled, but the act of Parliament did not require
any proof of motive or of object, and if the facts were
proved it would be their duty to return a true bill, and
it there were any answer to the charge that could only
be inquired into by the petty jury.
The grand jury then retired.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—(This Day.)

MARYLEBONE.

ALLEGED PARENTAL INIIIIMANITT.---A man and his
wife of the name of Mann, living at No. 2, Little Brook-
street, Ilampstead-road, were brought before Mr.
Broughton on a charge preferred by Mr. Birchmore,
relieving officer of the parish of St. Pancras, of cruelly
neglecting their child, Wm. Mann, aged 9 years.
Mr. Birchmore having stated that he had brought
the case forward in consequence of the child having been
taken to the workhouse in a deplorable condition, and
of the complaint of the inhabitants, produced witnesses
in support of his statement.
A female named Lloyd, residing in the same house,
said that on Saturday morning she went into the back-
yard, where she saw a tub, which is the dog-kennel, in
motion. Sho went to it, when she saw the prisoner's
son crouched up lying by the side of the dog, which is
as big as the poor boy. lie was shivering, when she
put a covering on him. On Sunday morning, a little
after 12 o'clock, she again taw him there, when she
gave him a piece of bread and cheese. On the same
(Sunday) morning, about 8 o'clock, he was still there,
when she gave him a cup of coffee. She further stated
that the child was often prosided with food by several
of the ne'ghbonrs.
Mr. Birchmore said that he could bring forward other
Witnesses.

The father said that his son was a very incorrigible
youth, would not go to school and was a thief, and Mrs.
Mann, who was his second wife, made a similar state-
ment.

S 323, who took the prisoner into custody, stated
that when be apprehended the male prisoner he was
hissed by the neighbours.
Mr. Birchmore said that he felt it his duty to bring
the case before the magistrate, as it bad excited a great
sensation in the neighbourhood, and that ho should di-
rect one of his officers to visit the home frequently.
Mr. Broughton observed that there was not a case
sufficiently strong to sustain an indictment, when the
prisoners were admonished and discharged.