The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-08 00:00:00

He had made altogether between 540 and 550 ascents.
The horse started quietly on the 23rd ult., merely
moving its leg; once or twice, as living animals
would do. When it came down it always fed
heartily. The horse was fed when suspended for
trial by the authorities at nris between 15 and 20
hours. In his opinion it did not suff,r any pain by
the ascents. Witness had communicated to Mr.
Simpson that he had had the permission of foreign
powers to ascend, and that the proprietor of another
establishment in London had written him word the
Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty had given
their sanction.

Mr. Thomas denied that any permission had been
given by them.
M. Poitevin said he did not take any whip up with
the horse, or illtreat it in any way, and it did not
appar in any pain when it descended.

Mr. Tnomas wanted to know whether on one cc-
casion a horse of his did not bleed at the nostrils after
an ascent ?—M. Poitevin said it did slightly, but was
uninjured, and ate directly afterwards; but this was
owing to the altitude of the balloon.
In answer to an inquiry from Mr. ARNOLD M.
Poitevin said it depended upon the rapidity of the
descent as to the heat or coolness of the body.
. _

Madame Puitevin confirmed her husband's account
in every particular.
A number of other witnesses were called for the
defence, including veterinary surgeons, whose evi-
dence went to show that slinging for a period of years
was a common practice with horses, and attended with
beneficial results. The general testimony, in other
respects, was highly exculpatory of the defendants.
Mr. ARNOLD said he should reserve his decision in
this case sine did, but would communicate with the
parties when he had gone through the voluminous
evidence before him. Although the evidence had
gone to show physical pain on the one side, and to re-
but it on the other, another question arose to which
Mr. Lewis, he thought, might have addressed him-
self,—viz., whether it was not cruel to put any animal
in a position of danger without its having the means
of helping itself ?
The decision stands adjourned sine die.
WORSHIP-STREET.

Yesterday John Talfourd, an old man about 70
years of age, of most extraordinary appearance, hav-
ing long white silvery hair hanging down his neck;
white mustachios, and an ample beard of the same
colour, and who was stated by one of the solicitors in
court to have sat for a number of years as a subject
to crayon draughtsmen, was placed at the bar
before Mr. Tyrwhitt upon the following charge of
stabbing :
Joseph Harvey, a hairdresser, whose right hand
and arm were slung in a kerchief, and enveloped in
hospital splints, stated—Yesterday afternoon, between
4 and 5 o'clock, I called at a lodging-house in
George-yard, Whitechapel, to visit a friend of mine
who lived there, and finding, upon inquiry, that he
was out, took a seat by the fireplace to wait for his re-
turn. On an opposite bench I saw a man lying at
full length, and fast asleep, and on looking at him re-
cognized him as the prisoner, whom I recollected to
have seen before in the streets. I sat waiting for
about five minutes, when the prisoner woke up,
stared across at me, and, uttering a most disgusting
expression, demanded what brought me there. I ex-
plained what I had called for—to see one of the
lodgers, and he ordered me out. I said I should not go
till I thought proper, upon which the prisoner imme-
diately jumped up, and, walking across the room to a
side-table or settle where the knives appeared to be
kept, snatched up a tableknife, the edge of which he
felt with his finger to see if it was sharp. I did not
suppose he was going to use it, and, therefore did not
feel uneasy at his conduct; but, upon seeing the pri-
soner fling down that knife, and take up another,
which he examined in a similar manner, I then be-
came so, and was thinking of going, when the pri-
soner hastened up to me with the knife in his hand,
and, exclaiming, " Now, I'll see if you won't go,"
thrust the blade so close to the bridge of my nose that
I felt the point of it touch my skin. He then rapidly
drew the knife back a second time, and made a despe-
rate plunge with it at my face, but I saw the blade
coming down, and, jerking my head on one side,
thrust out my arm to keep it off, and succeeded in
saving my face, but the knife came down with such
force that the point of it entered my hand deeply,
just inside the thumb, where it inflicted such a
wound that the blood poured out in a stream, and I
lost a great deal. I jumped up immediately to
prevent his repeating the blow, and struck at
him with my left hand to keep him away
from me while I got out, but before I could
do so Sergeant Price, who is appointed to inspect
lodging-houses, fortunately came in, and on my call-
ing to him to protect me he seized the prisoner, who
was perfectiy sober, and after a struggle wrenched
the knife out of his hand and took him in charge.
My hand still kept on bleeding, and I therefore went
to the London Hospital to have it dressed. (The
witness handed in a certificate from Mr. Ridley
Porter, the house-surgeon, describing the wound as
an incised one, opening into the joint of the thumb,
and stating that the prosecutor was in danger
from it.)
When called upon for his answer to the charge,
the prisoner made a jumbling sort of defence, the pur-
port of which appeared to be that while lodging at
that house about three weeks before some one had
robbed him of one of his shirts, and having, upon
making inquiry, had a description given him of the
thief, which corresponded with the prosecutor's ap-
pearance, he ordered him out of the place as soon
as he saw him, and took up the knife to terrify him,
but had no intention to use it in the manner alleged
against him.

Mr. TYRWIIITT said that it was a very serious
case, and ordered the prisoner to be committed until
that day week for the completion of the evidence,
and that the result of the injuries the prosecutor had
received might be ascertained.

THE SHEFFIELD MURDER.
SHEFFIELD, TUESDAY.—Yesterday we gave the
particulars of the finding, of the dead body of a man,
shockingly mutilated, in a hedge bottom, about a mile
and a half from Sheffield. The medical examination
shows, beyond all doubt, that the man has been mur-
dered. That examination was made on Sunday by
Mr. Roper and Mr. H. Payne, surgeons. At the
back of the head was found a shot-wound,
about an inch in diameter, and penetrating
two inches into the brain, where were lodged
fragments of the skull and a quantity of No.
4 shot. There was another shot-wound behind the
right car. The shot in this wound had passed under
the base of the skull, and lodged in the bones of the
nose, fracturing the temporal bones, the floor of the
orbit of the right eye, and shattering the internal
structure of the upper jawbone. The destructive
weapon, probably a small pistol, must have been held
close to the head of the murdered man, for the flesh
around the wound under the ear was discoloured with
the exploded gunpowder. It should be remarked,
too, that the shot found in the brain from the wound
behind the head had not spread, as would have been
the case if fired from a distance, but lay in a space
little larger than the orifice of the wound. There
were also three incised wounds on the right side of
the face, one extending from the lower lip round the
chin, in a semi-circular direction to the outer coat of
the eye ; the others were of less extent. The lower
jaw was fractured at the angle and at its centre (the
chin) ; the upper jaw was also broken near its
centre.

It was late on Saturday evening when the body
was identified as that of Mr. Alexander Robinson, of
Doncaster. His friends were communicated with im-
mediately, and on Saturday his late employer, Mr.
David Barber, draper, Doncaster, arrived at Sheffield.
From information obtained from him it was clear
that Robinson had been robbed of money, a silver
lever watch, and his pack of drapery wares. From
the active inquiries set on foot by the police, Robin-
son was traced to have dined at Gray's eating-house,
in Watson's-walk, Sheffield, in company with a
young man named James Barber, and two other
young Scotch travelling drapers. After dinner Ro-
binson and Barber adjourned to Naylor's public-
house, adjoining where Robinson was in the habit of
staying. There they had something to drink, and
Barber was heard to say that he would introduce Ro-
binson to some good customers near Gleadless, a vil-
lage about five miles from Sheffield. Robinson then
made up his pack, and he and Barber left the house to-
gether, about 2 o'clock. As yet there is no evidence of
Robinson having been seen alive after that time. About
5 o'clock Barber, it is found, entered the Royal Standard
public-house, Leadmill-road, apparently in great haste.
He placed in the care of the landlord a draper's pack,
and at his (Barber's) urgent request, a cab was sent
for. Between the messenger starting for and return-
ing with the cab Barber asked for a clothesbrub , and
was at considerable pains to cleanse his clothesand
boots. He was driven to the Rein-deer Inn,
t
Devon-
shire-street, where he asked for a bed,
b
his own lodgings at Mr. Pigott's 5
land-
lord not being able to accommodate hune,u the
he went to
were enabled to obtain up to
Monday
afternoon. In
the evening of that es were brought
street. This was the only infolrom' Nw Meadow-
ation the police
to light which quickly
led
rctunastanc
to
the unravelling of the
They
then
general description of the de-
ceased's watch,
intelligence within one hour from the receipt
and
dd a
the watch was found in the posse
sion of Mr. Beet, of the t
,of West-street, with whom it hadbeen pawned on Saturday evening for 30s. It having
by
bean found that the pack left at the Royal Standard
Barber, on Thursday afternoon, was that belouging t
the decease, d Barber was, at seven o'clock on Monday
evening, as mentioned above, taken into custody. Ile
was _
told that he was suspected of the murder of Robir
son, but with great sang froid he denied the whole affair.
On searching him, however, there was found in his
pocket-book the pawnbroker's duplicate of the mur-
dered man's watch. But, on being confronted with
thepownWitr) it was loud that he was wit the