The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-18 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, Oct 17.

The October adjourned general sessions of the peace for
the county of Middlesex commenced this morning at the
Sessions-house,
Clerkenwell-green, before Mr Bodkin (As-
sistant-Judge.)
The c4lendar contains the names of 81 prisoners committed
for trial, the greater part of whom were charged with felony.
The grand jury having been sworn, the Assistant-Judge
briefly addressed them, and they returned to their room,

Mr Jeaks, Mr Joseph Reed, and Mr H. L. Taylor (the
chairman of the Markets Committee of the city of London,
and a member of the Metropolitan Board of Works) were
introduced, and severally took the oaths on being placed on
the commission of the peace for the county of Middlesex.
Ann Melville and Sarah Williams were indicted for keep-

ing a disorderly house in Oxenden-street, in the parish of
St. Martins-in-the-Fields. Both the prisoners pleaded
guilty.
Mr Le Breton appeared for the prosecution ; Mr Ribton
defended the prisoners, instructed by Mr Abrams.
Mr Ribton, on behalf of the prisoners, submitted that as
the house had been given up and the nuisance abated public
justice would be satisfied by a fine instead of imprisonment,
and that they should be allowed to go out on their own re-
cognisances. He went on to say that the parish authorities
had acted with great unfairness in selecting this house for
prosecution, while many houses in the same street, of a simi-
lar description, had been going on for years with the conniv-
ance and under the sanction of the parish authorities. These
women had only held the house for two years, but many
of the other houses had been going on for many
years, and yet they had been passed by, and this parti-
cular house selected for prosecution. The authorities of
St. Martin's had started up with a sudden zeal and pounced
upon Vila house, and so far from being guardians of the
public morals, as he had before said, they had connived at
and sanctioned these houses for years past. Under these
circumstances he hoped the Court would not send these
women to prison, but would impose a fine and allow them to
go at large on their own recognisance
Mr Le Breton said that the overseers had no power to in-
stitute these proceedings unless they were set in motion by
the complaint of two inhabitants, who were required to
enter into sureties that they would prosecute the parties. As
to this house h was one of the worst conducted in the
street, and the defendants had disregarded frequent

warnings.
The Assistant-judge said this was a very bad case, as it
was proved in evidence that this place was frequented by old
men and mere children, and the sentence on each of the
prisoners was that they be imprisoned and kept to hard
labour for 6 months.
Richard Goddard, 19, and James Ward, 20, carmen, were
indicted for maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm upon
Henry Spiking.
Mr Cooper, instructed by Mr. Wontner, prosecuted. Mr
Collins, instructed by Mr Abbott, defended the prisoners,
who pleaded guilty to the indictment.
The facts of this case presented some very atrocious con-
duct on the part of the prisoners. The prosecutor lived at
Bath-row, Dalston, and was master horsekeeper to Messrs.
Waring Brothers, contractors to the City branch of the
North London Railway, and the prisoners were in their em-
ploy as carmen. The prosecutor had occasion to speak to
them on the subject of their neglecting their work, and on
Monday evening, the 26th of September, he met them in
Dalston-lane with three carts, and he asked them where the
driver of the other cart was. They used some very vulgar
language towards him, and threatened to pull him off his
horse. When they went to the yard he handed to the pri-
soners their discharge tickets, and an order to receive their
money. Ward wanted to know what the paper was, and
the prosecutor told him it was his discharge, upon
which both the prisoners collared him, and began
striking him, and a struggle ensued, which lasted for abcut
10 minutes, during which they threatened to kill him, The
prosecutor at last made his escape, and got into the kitchen
of his own house, but even here he was followed by the
prisoners. He took up a poker to fasten the door with it,
but the prisoners burst the door open and took the poker
from him. Seeing the deadly assault they intended, he made
his second escape, when he was followed again by the pri-
soners, who struck him with the poker, and he fell down
insensible, and he remembered no more what was done to
him ; but on recovering his consciousness he found himself
in bed at his own house, wounded all over, and blood run-
ning from his legs, ears, and back part of his head. This
was seen by the time keeper, who saw the prosecutor fol-
lowed by the prisoners outside the gate, and just as he got
outside Ward knocked him on the head with a poker, and he
fell to the ground. As he was falling Goddard kicked him,
and afterwards they ran away, throwing down the poker (a
very heavy one, 3ft in length, and the bottom part about an
inch in width, the top having a large knob). The prosecutor
was led into his own house, and a surgeon was sent for;
but while he was there the prisoners went and looked in at
the window, and Goddard said, " We'll give you your --
dose to-night before you go out of the yard." They then
went towards the gate, where thby met the man who had
been sent for a surg-Con, and one of them knocked the man
down. Mr Cockell, a surgeon, of Daleton-lane, at length
came, and he found on the prosecutor, on the scalp, a wound
3} inches long, dividing the integuments to the bone. There
was a bruise behind the left ear from which blood was
ooczing, swellings on the jaw on the right side, and the legs
very severely bruised. On the forehead was a bruise, and
over the region of the liver and several parts of the body
were bruises. From the injuries he had received there was
danger for a considerable time that erysipelas would set in,
and it was believed that the prosecutor's recovery was en.
tirely owing to his good constitution.

Mr. Collins, for the prisoners, said it was quite clear that
the prosecutor first used the poker, and that it was taken
from him by the prisoners in their own defence.
The Assistant-Judge said he never met with a more deli-
berate or aggravated case than thie, for here the prosecutor
was knocked down, and naturally attempted to defend him-
self in the best way he could, but the prisoners took hold of
the poker and struck him on the head with it, and it was a
great mercy that he was not killed ; it was only through
his having a strong constitution that his life was saved.
The sentence of the Court upon them was that they be each
imprisoned and kept to hard labour for two years.
Edward Bruce pleaded guilty to stealing, on the sth of
September, one coat, a silver mounted pipe, a snuff-box,
and a pair of boots, the property of Thomas Ridley, waiter
at the Portland Club.

George King, 76 D, stated that nothing was known of the
prisoner, but at the time of his apprehension £1 8s 9d was
found on him, and that his apprehension was entirely duo to
the pawnbroker's foreman, G. C. Badrete, in the employ,
of Mr Joseph Baker, of No. 28, Great MarylEb3ne-street,
who on several occasions had rendered the police great
assistance in stopping and apprehending parties offering
stolen property in pledge.

The prisoner, who declined to give any account of him
self or how he had disposed of the remainder of the property,
was sentenced to bard labour for six months.
The Assistant-Judge ordered that the sum of £1 8a Od
be divided between the prosecutor and the pawnbroker.
Henry Brooks, 22, was indicted for stealing a watch, the
property of Chas. Wm. Tucker, from his person.
Mr Platt prosecuted ;Mr Ribton defended the prisoner. _ _ .

From the evidence it appeared that on the night of the
let of October, between 10 and 11 o'clock, there was a
traction engine in the Pentonville-road, and a crowd of
people had assembled to see it. The prosecutor stood at the
corner of Southampton-street, and while there he felt a pull
at his watch. He saw the prisoner's hand leaving him, and
he passed something to a confederate who was standing near.
He caught hold of the prisoner, forced him against some rail-
ings, and kept him there until a policeman came, who took
him into custody. The watch was not found.

Mr Ribton made an ingenious defence, but the Jury found
the prisoner guilty.
The Assistant-Judge sentenced him to be imprisoned and
kept to hard labour for nine calendar months.

Francis Macnamara, 33, tailor, was indicted for stealing
a box, and other articles, the property of Robert Harding.
Mr Clarke prosecuted ; Mr Ribton defended the prisoner.
It appeared in this case that the prosecutor is a cab pro-
prietor and daiver, art 00 tdav ovonino of Tuesday. the 4th
of October, he was driving a cab from the Great Western
Railway with two boxeit on the roof. When he was in
Berkeley-street he heard a chain rattle, and on looking round
he saw the prisoner with his hand on the cord of one of the
boxes, lifting it from the roof of the cab. He stopped the
horses, and jumped down and seized the prisoner as he was
going away, telling him that ho would give him into cus-
tody for attempting to steal the box off the cab. The pri-
soner said "Leave go, or I'll knock your head off;" but he
held him until a constable came and gave him into custody.

Mrs Louisa Harding, of No. 4, North-row, Oxford-street,
said "she was in the cab on the night in question coining
from the Great Western Railway, and the box mentioned by
tho cabman belonged to her. it contained wearing apparel.
Mr Ribton addressed the jury, who found the prisoner
guilty of an attempt to steal.
Sergeant Coot, 8 S, and George Lockyer, of the House of
Correction, was ready to prove several convictions against
the prisoner, and one of them for penal servitude for years,
The Assistant Judge said he had bad a very narrow
escape in only being convicted of a misdemeanour, and the
sentence of the Court upon him was that he be imprisoned
and kept to hard labour for two years.