The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-30 00:00:00

ME SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 30, 1864.

after which they repaired to the cathedral, and
were conducted round the building by Professor
Willis, who pointed out its architectural features
and illustrated his remarks of the morning. He
showed how the pointed architecture of more mo•
dern dates had been engrafted on the original
Norman. The central or rood spire having been
thrown down in the civil war by the artillery of the
besiegers was rebuilt in the time of Bishop Hackett
or his successor. The open screen by Skidmore, of
Coventry, was of similar character to that placed
last year in Hereford Cathedral, and which was
shown at the Exhibition of 1862. The restorations
at Lichfield were completed in 1861, and the cathed-
dral reopened on the 22d of October in that year.
Having spent some time in inspecting the cathed-
ral the party retired and returned to Warwick at
5.30. In the evening there was a meeting at the
Courthouse, Warwick, for the reading of papers.
To-day will be devoted to Will Shakespere•
After a morning meeting at Warwick there will be
an excursion to Charlecote-park and Stratford•on-
Avon.

death. I was sent for on Friday, the 18th of March, and
found her dead. After her death a post-mortem examination
was held. On opening the chest we discovered three of the
ribs on the right side slightly fractured, but not displaced.
Those ribs were immediately under the severe contusion.
The immediate cause of death was, in my opinion, severe
spasmodic seizure interfering with the function of all the
organs, especially with that of the heart. There was great
distension of the large bowels arising from the spasmodic
seizure, and the heart was slightly diseased. She had had
spasms on her heart before, and I attended her for six days
in February for it. I think the injuries she had received
would predispose her to such attacks, and would impede
recovery. The effect on her nervous system of the injuries
was very marked.
Dr Green stated he was called in to see Mrs Hunt a little
before 9 on the Sunday evening, and corroborated Mr Car -
ter's evidence, speaking more especially to the severe nature
of the wound on the back of her head and to her prostrated
condition. Such a shock to her nervous system, coupled
with loss of blood, made her recovery a matter of doubt.
Mr Knowles, surgeon, stated he vas called in at half-past
8 to see Mrs Hunt, and gave the sane evidence with respect
to her state.
Dr Charles Murray Humphrey, vho was also present at
the post mortem examination,after confirming the evidence
of the previous witnesses, was of opinion that the attack of
spasms would be in all probability more easily produced in
a person of the age and somewhat diseased organisation of
Mrs Hunt after suchian attack as she had been exposed to,
and that the injuries she had received would render her less
likely to resist a spasmodic seizure.
The last piece of evidence produced was the deposition of
Mrs Hunt, taken before the Mayor of Cambridge a few days
before her death ; and as an objection to its admissibility
was urged by Mr Naylor, on the ;round that the words of
the statute 11 and 12 Vic., c. 42, e. 17, were against the re-
ception of a deposition taken upoi another charge than the
one immediately before the jury, his Lordship cited and
relied upon It. Beeston (Dearsley's C. C., 405), which, as
he said, was exactly analogous u the present case, remov-
ing therefore any difficulty the section of the Act appealed
to by Mr Naylor might have presented.
Before addressidg the jury Mr Naylor cited from 1
Lewin's C. C., 161 (Johnson's case), contending, on the
strength of it, that if the cause of death be partly traceable
to injuries and partly to natural or other causes, a prisoner
is entitled to an acquittal,
The learned counsel's objection was overruled, the case
cited being, in his lordship's opinion, bad law in the face
of recent decisions.
Mr Naylor had not finished his address to the jury on
behalf of the prisoner at the time our parcel was despatched.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT—Lmcour, July 29.
Mr Justice Blackburn, having finished all the civil busi-
ness yesterday afternoon, this morning tried the following
case, which is curiously illustrative of the rural simplicity
prevailing in the northern parts of this country.
William Jones, Joseph Harris, and John Snufflebottom
were tried upon a indictment, four counts of which charged
them with obtaining money by false pretences, and the re-
maining three with conspiring together by certain false
pretences and indirect means to defraud certain persons
therein named of their money.
Mr Vincent Thompson conducted the prosecution; Mr
Sergeant O'Brien defended Jones; and Ur Cave appeared
for Harris and Shnffiebottom,
The evidence was the primers were seen in a light cart
driving into Brigg market on the morning of the 21st April.
When they got to the market-place the cart stopped, and
Jones soon began to sell half-crowns for 25., florins for
is 6d, and shillings fur Gd, the coins offered being in all
instances good ones. He thea began to offer scarf pins for
sale at is apiece, stating that those who bought them would
receive back their money, and a reward of Gd for making
the purchase. This was dons accordingly, the purchasers
getting back is 6d for their shilling, and being also per-
mitted to keep their pins. When by these and similar
means a large crowd had been collected the prisoner Jones
produced a watch, which he opened, and into the case of
which he appeared to have put several half-crowns and two
sovereigns. He then offered the watch and its contents for
£3 108., reducing the price gradually to £:, when a pur-
chaser appeared, paid hie £2 and had the watch and its
contents handed over to him. It was rumoured in the
crowd that this man had got £3 with the watch, and several
purchasers immediately came forward who bought watches,
into which the prisoner Jones had appeared to put gold and
silver coins, at prices varying from £1 to £2. Of course
when the purchasers examined their purchases, they found
no gold or silver coins, but only pence, in the watchcase.
Murmurs then arose in the crowd, and the prisoner Jones
ordered Harris to drive on. This was attempted to be done,
but the crowd surrounded the cart and stopped it, and the
prisoners were all taken into custody. Neither Harris, who
was sitting in the cart, nor Shuffiebottom, who was walking
about, took any active part in the sale.
Mr Sergeant O'Brien submitted that there was no case on
the counts for false pretence, and
_

His Lordship suggested that the casehad betterbe confined
to the counts for the conspiracy, on the ground that no per
son in his senses could have believed that the prisoners were
selling £2 10s and a watch for £2.
Mr Sergeant O'Brien then addressed the jury in a very
humorous speech, which set the court in roars of laughter.
Mr Cave having cteclined to add anything to what the
learned sergeant had said,
1118 up, auo.
the jury acquitted all the prisoners.
(Before Mr Justice Keating.)

Martha Eason was indicted for the wilful murder of her
female child at Whaploth. _

After a short deliberation the jury returned a verdict of
not guilty, apparently much to the surprise of a crowded

court.

David Mop was indicted for the wilful murder of Simon
Cote, at Fleet, on the 3d December, 1860.
Mr Kline prosecuted. The prisoner was undefended.

The facts of this case were very simple. The prisoner

and the deceased were sleeping in the same ward in the
workhouse at Fleet, when the prisoner, who appears to have
previously secreted a knife in his bed, went to Cote's bed-
side and cut his throat, falling down himself immediately
after in an epileptic fit. There was no provocation for the
act, and no previous quarrel. The prisoner had been for
some time tinder medical care. He was subject to epileptic
fits, and although regarded as mad and so returned to the
Lunacy Commissioners, was considered harmless and not
put under any restraint. About three weeks before the at-
tack upon Cote the prisoner had exhibited the first symptoms
of violence in tearing his bedclothes upon his recovery from
an epileptic fit. After cutting Cote's throat, the prisoner
became decidedly mad, and had only recovered sufficiently
to be put upon his trial now. Cote's wound went on well
for a short time, but erysipelas supervened and caused his
death.
The jury acquitted the prisoner on the ground of insanity,
and he was ordered to be detained in confinement during
her Majesty's pleasure.

TILE CORRINGICA/I CASE.

Martha Howell was indicted for shooting at Emma
Johnson, at Corringbam, me the 17th of June, with intent
to murder her.
Mr Fitzjames Stephen conducted the prosecution ; and
Mr Sergeant O'Brien defended the prisoner.
The case presented very peculiar circumstances. The pri-
soner is a schoolmistrass, living
at Springthorpe, and the
prosecutrix lived at Gainsborough, but was in the habit of
going over to Springthorpe and other places in the neigh-
bourhood to give music lessons. She had been accustomed
to give lessons to the prisoner's pupils, and at such times
had usually slept in the
prisoner's house with her. Some
time back some little dispute had arisen between prisoner
and the prosecutrix, the origin of which was not very
clear. It either arose from the prosecutrix having given
lessons at another school at Springthorpo which the pri-
soner regarded as having been set up in opposition to her,
or because the prosecutrix had refused to side with the pri-
soner in some quarrel the latter had had with some rela-
tives, and had attempted to remain an friendly terms with
both parties. Whatever may have been the cause, the
visits of the prosecutrix to the prisoner had become less
frequent, and on the last occasion or two when the prose-
cutrix had slept at the prisoner's house, the prosecutrix had
come to her in the dead of night
with a pistol and had
threatened to shoot her unless their former intimacy was
thoroughly re-established. In consequence of those occur-
rences the prosecutrix had refused to visit the house of the
prisoner again,and,although they were not entirely estranged
the relations between them were far less cordial than they
had been. On the day in question the prisoner had
gone with two of her pupils to Gansborough, and,
having seen the prosecutrix.
had induced her to
accompany them part of the way back to SpringthorPe. On
arriving at a field gate near Corringhara the prisoner had
again pressed the prosecutrix to return to her house, and,
on being refused, said, "I'll shoot you." The prosecutrix
said, " No, don't ;" but the prisoner pulled a pistol from
her pocket and fired it in the face of her fiend. The latter
fell down, but, recovering soon after, got up, and, seeing
the pistol in her hand feeling in her pocket, ran away. The
prisoner went home and sent for a neighbor, who found her
very excited. She told this neighbour that she had shot
Miss Johnson, but was sorry she had not killed her. Her
intention was. she said, to shoot her friend first and then
herself, and to die at her feet. These statewents she repeated
to the constables, when she was apprehended, adding that
the pistol was loaded with a thimbleful and a half of powder,
some sliot. and a ball. The forehead of the prosecutrix was
scotched by the powder, but she had suffered no further in-

jury.
Mr Sergeant O'Brien, for the defence, commented on the
peculiarity of the case and the absence of any sufficient mo-
tive for the offence. He contended the prisoner had no
intention of taking her friend's life, and that the statement
that the pistol was loaded with shot and ball could not be
relied upon. No trace had been found of any shot or ball.
It was more probable that the whole thing was a pretence
and a sham—a strange, wild de, Ace to bring back the wan-
dering affections of her friend, and that no injury was in-
tended.
The jury were absent from ,court in deliberation about
half an hour, and upon their return found the prisoner
Guilty of shooting at the prosecutris with intent to do her
grievousen
thebo
prisoner,
d il y harm
a slight wow an, dressed in black,who
had kept her handkerchief to her face during the whole
of the trial, was asked what she :Attu to say why sentence

should not be passed upon her, she rose and exclaimed with
some vehemence, " I did not intend to hurt her, I turned
the pistol on elle side so that it should not hit her. Her
falling down had nothing to do with the shot ; she had
crossed the road before she fell. The pistol was loaded with
powder, shot, and a bullet, but the shot and bullet had
fallen out, and were found in my pocket. I will swear there
was no ball in the pistol when I fired it. Her face was
opposite to mine. I heard her say, ' Don't shoot,' and my
heart retracted. I could not shoot her, and turned the pistol
suddenly from her. This is the truth and the whole truth,
so help me God."
His Lordship, in passing sentence, observed that her
offence was ono which was punishable with penal servitude
for life. Still, the circumstances of ithe case induced him
to look leniently upon it. He could not give credit to her
assertion that she turned the pistol aside. That assertion
was inconsistent with the mark of fire on Miss Johnson's
forehead. [The prisoner (interrupting)—We were so near
together, my lord.] Nor was the assertion that the pistol
had no ball consistent with her statement made at the time
that she had loaded it with shot and bullet. [The pri-
soner (again interrupting)—l had only two balls; one I
put in the pistol, but it must have fallen out, for both were
found in my pocket] He should believe the statement
made at the time rather than that made then. Her attorney
had not given that idea to her counsel, or, if he had, her
counsel, with that skill, ability, and experience which dis-
tinguished him, had rejected it as not likely to find favour
with the jury. One circumstance of mitigation which bad
been urged was the inadequate motive of her act. Expe.
rience, however, showed that the most atrocious crimes had
often been committed from inadequate motives, and, in-
deed, it was by no moans clear that her real motive had
been discovered. She had been convicted of shooting at the
prosecutrix with intent to do her grievous bodily harm, and
the sentence of the Court upon her was that she be kept in
penal servitude for four year''.
This case concluded the business at Lincoln.