The Sun.
London, England, 1837-04-01 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.-- KlNGsrox, MARCH 30.
THE KING V. CARtINGTON AND OTHERS.

This was an indictment against the defendants, medical
pupils at Guy's Hospital, for a riot and assault at St.
Thomas Hospital on the 16th of December last.
Mr. THESSIGER stated the case. It was a prosecution
which had been instituted by the Governors of St. Thomas's
Hospital, against six defendants, Messrs. Benjamin Carring-
ton, Benjamin Nelson Linwood, Frederick Musgrove, James
Tomlinson, Thomas Harris, and Edmond Edmonds, all
gentlemen attached to Guy's Hospital, and the object of it
certainly was not so much to punish the individuals as to
repress a serious annoyence and outrage committed by them,
and which, if not prevented from occurring again by the
operation of the law, would bring that hospital into complete
contempt. For very many years there had been a courtesy
' practised by the authorities of the two hospitals towards
each other, of admitting the pupils of one establishment to
the operations of the other. It was quite clear there was
no right existing in the pupils of one hospital to attend the
operations of the other ; but even if there were such a right
he (Mr. Thessiger) was quite sure that the mode adopted
upon the occasion in question to enforce it was one which
the law Ix ould never sanction. On the 16th of December
last the very delicate and difficult operation of litho-
tomy was to be performed upon two patients, infants
of the age of three and eight years. On the week pre-
ceding there had been some disturbance with regard to ad-
mission of parties to the operating theatre at St. Thomas's,
and, to prevent a repetition of the outrage, a notice was af-
fixed to the operating board of both St. Thomas's and Guy's
Hospital, informing the pupils of the operations to be per-
formed, and requesting every gentleman who wished to at-
tend to bring with bins the surgical practice ticket. On
the day of the operation a porter, named Williams, who is
also a constable, was placed at the door of the lobby, and
at the outer door, through which patties passed to the
theatre, another porter, of the name of Moyses, was
placed, for the purpose of examining the tickets ; and on
the outside of the door another porter, named Bull, was
stationed. Mr. Carrington, a pupil of Guy's Hospital, and
the first defendant on the record, had been a dresser—but,
his time having expired, he was nothing but an ordinary
pupil—presented himself at the door for admission, and
offered his ticket to Bull, and was immediately admitted.
Moyses was within the outer door of the lobby, and the
moment Mr. Carrington came in, whether he was annoyed
at being kept too long•at the outer door, or whether his ob-
ject was to make the way clear fir the entrance of those who
were assisting him in his scheme, he (Mr. Thessiger) could
not say, but he immediately struck Moyses a blow. Wil-
liams, who was stationed at the inner door, directly came
forward, and asked him what he meant by striking a man
who was merely acting in the performance of his duty
Williams upon that felt a blow, and upon turning round
saw Mr. Linwood, another - defendant, who seized him by
the collar. The outer door, which was barred, was shortly
afterwards broken open, and 4 torrent of students of Guy s
Hospital rushed in, overwhelmed the two porters, and the
whole mass was forced into the area of the theatre. The
moment the pupils got admission Mr, Travers and Mr.
Tyrol', who were to perform the operation, both addressed
them, and remonstrated upon the impropriety of their con-

duct. Their remonstrances were, however, received
hootings and hissings, and every sort of clamour, and the
disturbance continued in this manner for ten minutes or a
quarter of an hour. Ultimately Williams, who had been
pressed upon by the different parties, retreated to the
landing-place. The defendants, all of whom, with others,
were very active in the affray, immediately found him,
and there was a general cry of " Throw him over."
They then immediately seized him, and endeavoured to
throw him over the bannisters ; and if they had sue•
ceeded they would have had to stand at the criminal bar
on a charge of murder, as, in all human probability, he
would have been killed, the depth being as much as thirty
feet. That was, however, prevented by the timely inter-
ference of Mr. Richardson, a pupil of St. Thomas's Hos-
pital, who rushed forward and rescued Williams, and plac;•d
him in a position of security. All the fury of the students
was then directed to Mr. Richardson, and Mr. Musgrove,
one of the defendants, immediately seized and forced him
into an adjoining ward, in which there were several pa•
tients, who were naturally much alarmed and terrified at
the disturbance. This conduct was pursued for three
hours, until it became necessary to call for the interference
of the police.
Witnesses were then called, after which the Learned
JUDGE summed up, and the Jury begged to retire. After
being absent for a quarter of an hour, they returned a
verdict of Guilty of the assault against Messrs. Carring-
ton, Linwood, and Musgrove, and a verdict of Acquittal
for the ri.:t as to all the defendants.

Mr. Cirrington, Mr. Linwood, and Mr. Musgrove were
then sentenced to enter into their own reeognizances in the
sum of 401. each, and to pay a fine of 101. to the King.
The fines were immediately paid, the rccognizane,!s en-
tered into, and the defendants quitted the Court, having
occupied the Court nearly twelve hours.

OXFORD ClRCUlT.—Moxmourll MARC!! 30.
THE KING V. LEIGH, ESQ., AND OTHERS.
This was a presentment at the instance of the Commis-
sioners of Sewers, against Mr. Capel Hanbury Leigh, the
Lord Lieuteuip,t of this county, and eight other gentlemeo,
who are the owners of lands in the hundred of Caldieott,
for the non-repair of the wall which protects the lands in
that level from the encroachments of the river Severn.—The
Jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
There was a second presentment against the same defen•
dints in respect of " portion wall," in which the Jury were
sworn ; but some consultation having taken place between
the Counsel on each side, it was stated that the parties had
come to an arrangement by which a verdict of Not Guilty
was to be entered, the defendants agreeing to pay half the
expense of repairing the wall.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT, Buhr ST. EDMUND'S, MARCH 30.

HEARSUM V. FINCH.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff to recover
the penalty under the statute from the defendant on the
ground of his having given a bribe of 71. to one William Coe
Abbott, at the election for the borough of Ipswich in 1835.
After hearing evidence, Mr. Justice COLTMAN summed
up the case, and the Jury returned a verdict for the plain-
tiff for the penalty of 5001., which was taken subject to a
motion for a nonsuit on a point of law, raised by the defen-
dant's Counsel, as to the necessity of proving that the wit-
ness Abbott had, as the declaration stated," a right to vote"
at the particular election, of which no formal proof was
given by the plaintiff.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—LrvEitrooL, 111-Azem 30.
W. Ashton and IL Thorneley were indicted for the man-
slaughter of Ann Golightly, at Middleton. The deceased,
an old and infirm woman, was the owner of the house in
which the prisoner Ashton was residing. There had been
several disputes between them, and on the morning of the
14th of January last, when the circumstances occurred
which finally caused the death of the deceased, she went to
the house in company with one James Whittaker, for the
purpose of seeing in what state of repair it was. She went
into a part of the house called the loom-room. Mrs. Ashton
came in, and went out for her son, the prisoner. On his
coming in, he used very bad language towards her. She
was alone with him in the loom-room, Whittaker having
gone away to get the bricklayer, and was walking backwards
and forwards to keep herself warm. Thorneley came to the
door, and said to Ashton, " Now, Bill, punch all who are
in ; Halsall will stand the racket, whichever side it goes
on." A little after the persons outside heard the sound of
a fall, and a shriek from the old woman. One of the wit-
nesses went into the room, and found her laying on the
ground in great pain, her thigh-bone broken, and unable to
move. She was taken home, and lingered about three
weeks, and then died.—Guilty.
The Learned BARON sentenced them to six calendar
mouths' imprisonment, Ashton to be kept to hard labour.

WESTERN CIRCUIT—LAuxeRsrox, MARCH 29.
Geo. Wallis was indicted for having on the 19th day of
November, in the parish of Givennah, unlawfully and ma•
liciously set fire to a stack of hay belonging to Hugh Bar-
rett. Witnesses were called in support of the charge,
after which—

The Jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Judgment of Death recorded.
Richard May, a boy of only 16 years of age, was indicted
for the wilful murder of Eliz. Stoddern, at St. Clements, on
the 26th Nov. last.

John Haddy—l live at Truro. On the 2d of November
last I saw the prisoner and Elizabeth Stoddern about two
or three o'clock. Elizabeth Stoddern pulled his ears. She
tried to kick him. She chased him down the green, and the
prisoner then opened the knife, and put it under the cuff of
his coat. The prisoner came into the market and met Mrs.
Stoddern, and opened the knife and said he would stick
her. The prisoner went home. Elizabeth Stoddern and
her husband went to the prisoner's house, and they asked,-
" Where is Jenny May's bastard ?" His mother was
standing at the door with a poker. His mother said,
" Take up a stone and throw at her." The mother said,
"Go in, my boy." He said, " I won't go in ; I will run a
knife into her, and make her leap over mountains." There
was a struggle between Mrs. May and the deceased. Mrs.
May knocked the deceased down with a poker. The deceased
pulled the prisoner's mother into the water. He then came
out of the door, and he gave the deceased a blow in her
side. The ease having been fully heard,
The Jury returned a verdict of acquittal of the murder,
bit guilty of manslaughter.