The Sun.
London, England, 1837-03-23 00:00:00

CONVICTION OF A MURDERER.

At the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, on Satur-
day, Alexander Miller was tried on a charge of having
murdered 'William Jarvie, on the li).th of November last,
in the parish of Stirling. On the day in question deceased-,
who was an old man, had been left safe in the house by
William Laing and his wife, who lived under the same roof
with him, when they-went out in the morning to work in
a potato field. When they returned in the afternoon they
culled to him, but received no answer, upon which Laing's
wife said, could the old man be murdered ? In her evi-
dence she stated that on missing deceased her husband had
said to her, " Can Scatters have murdered him Scatters
,vas a nielin‘rne by which the prisoner went in the neigh-
bourhood. She afterwards went in -company With a man
named Eadie to seek deceased. They examitied-a barn, but
did not find him there. On going to the byre they found
his body lying under the hedge, murdered. His head
was completely smashed, and one of his arms broken.
Some clothes and his watch had been taken 'away from his
dwelling. A stick was found near the body. with. grey
hairs upon it. The prisoner had confessed voluntarily to
an acquaintance that he killed the deceased ; and subse-
quently attempted suicide. The evidence was very con-
elusive against him. The Jury, after nearly an hour's de-
liberation, returned a verdict of Guilty, and the Judge
sentenced him to be executed at Stirling on the Bth of
April. The prisoner is only nineteen years of age, but of
so bad a character and reckless disposition that when the
murder was committed it was remarkable that everybody
agreed in pointing lu im out as the most likely to be the
guilty party.
The culprit is about the middle size, of a fair com-
plexion, and possessing a slender though athletic frame.
He was an excellent shot, and displayed uncommon ad-
dress and activity. A wall is shown in the village of
Denny of nearly seven feet in height, which he has been
seen to clear: several times ; and, indeed, had he not been en-
dowed with morothan ordinary agility and physical energy
he would never have baffled the pursuit for such a length of
time. It commenced at ten o'clock in the morning, and
about forty people joined in it, but he still manned to dis-
tance them all ; and although at intervals fresh parties
joined in the hue and cry he held out until two o'clock,
being literally beset and chased on all sides during the long
period of four hours, and a run of fifteen miles. His father
was a person of the same idle habits and like activity. On
one urgent occasion he accomplished, on foot, a journey
from a part of Stirlingshire to Greenock, being a distance
of forty-seven miles, in the marvellous short space of eight
hours, or about six miles an hour. He was known by the
by-name of " Scatters," arising, as the story goes, from his
loading his gun in such a particular manner that he could
scatter the shot and kill an unusual quantity of game with
one charge. This name or title descended to his son, the
present unfortunate youth, to whom it is too well suited.

At a public meeting of the electors of Kendal a
very numerous Committee was formed for the purpose of in-
viting a proper person to succeed Mr. Barham in the repre-
sentation of that borough. No fewer than seven candidates
responded to the invitation of the Committee, but the fa-
vourites were Mr. Wood, of Manchester, and Mr. Moorsom,
of Airy Hill, near Whitby, both gentlemen of the highest cha-
racter and respectability, but the latter, judging from the de-
claration of their principles, a more decided Reformer. On a
division of the Committee the votes were very nearly equal.
Mr. Wood obtained a small majority, though from his declared
opposition to the ballot and other questions which are at pre-
sent considered a sine qua non with most liberal constituencies,
this result was by no means generally expected. Of course
Mr. Wood will receive the united exertions of the Committee
to promote his success. His return may be considered certain.

The topography of watch-making at home and
alircad would present a vast number of curious and interesting
facts. In consequence of the minute subdivision of labour in
this trade, it is said that there are only three places in the
United Kingdom where a complete watch can be manufac-
tured--,London, Liverpool,-and Coventry. The business has
been introduced at the latter place entirely since the year
1800, and the number of persons employed in it there is now
supposed to equal the number in the metropolis. There are
innumerable places besides these where some part of the ma.
nufacture is carried on ; the town of Whitchurch, in Hamp-
shire, for instance, is employed entirely in the making of
hands.—Mechanics' Magazine.

The Learned Judges arrived here yesterday, and after
having opened the Commission of Assize for the county
of Sussex, went to church. At ten o'clock this morning
Sir N. C. TINDAL took his scat in the Crown Court,
and delivered the charge to the grand jury. Mr. Justice
VAUGHAN preSided in the Civil Court, Eleven causes are
entered, one of which is a special Jury. The businesS on
the Crown side is not heavy, either as regards the number
of the prisoners (there are thirty-six) or the character of the
offences.

CROWN COURT.—Caius Baker, a blacksmith, was placed
at the bar, charged with breaking and entering the dwell-
ing-house of Henry Hodges the elder, at Beckley, with
intent to steal therefrom.

Henry Hodges, jun., is the son of the prosecutor, and
lived with his father who is the Rector of Beckley,
in the rectory house. About half-past one o'clock on the
morning of the 19. th of December last, he was awakened
by hearing the sound of footsteps. He got up and looked
out of the window, but could not see anybody. The sound
continuing, he awoke his father's footman, and they both
proceeded down stairs, and went into the yard. He opened
a gate, which was about seven yards from the storehouse
window, and the footman rushed forward and caught hold
of the prisoner. They then examined the storehouse win-
dow, and found it open, and a pane of glass removed. • A
bar was lying on the side of the window, which appeared
to have been wrenched out. There was also a chisel
placed between the window and the shutters.
Mr. CLARKSON, for the prisoner, called witnesses to
character.

Sir N. C. TINDAL, in summing up, said there was no
doubt the crime of burglary was complete. They would,
however, say whether the prisoner was guilty of the offence
with which he was charged.

There being some difference of opin;on among the Jury
they retired, and-after hiving been absent for a short time
returned with a verdict of Guilty, but a recommendation to
mercy on account of the prisoner's previous good character.
Sentence of death was recorded, but the Learned JUDGE
intimated that the recommendation of the Jury should be
attended to'.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.-SH SBURY, 31411C17 21.
APOTHECARIES COMPANY V. NICE.

This was an action brought by the Master and Wardens
of the Apothecaries' Company to recover from the de-
fendant, a young man who resides at Broseley, in this
county, nine several penalties of 201. each, for havinc, prac-
tised as an apothecary without being duly qualified for that
purpoile. _ _

Mr. Sergeant TALFOURD, in stating the plaintiff's case,
said, that at an important early period apothecaries were
only persons who sold drugs and compounded medicines
which were prescribed by physicians ; but in 1815 the
Legislature, finding that they had gradually become ge-
neral practitioners, and that the public required a
guarantee that those by whom they were attended
should be competent and skilful persons, passed an Act of
Parliament, by which the Society of Apothecaries was in-
corporated, and which directed a Board 'of Examiners to
be appointed, without whose certificate no person should
thereafter be allowed to practice as an apothecary who had
not been in practice previous to the passing of the Act ;
and any person guilty of a breach of those provisions sub-
jected himself to a penalty of twenty pounds for every
offence. In the present case, the defendant had on several
occasions acted as apothecary without possessing the cer-
tificate which the Act of Parliament made necessary.
A great number of witnesses were called, to establish the
nine different cases -in which the defendant was sought to
be charged.
Mr. MAtmr, for the defendant, contended that almost
all the cases in which the defendant was proved to have
administered medicines were purely of a surgical nature,
in which case be would not be liable under the Act of
Parliament in question.
Mr. Baron BOLLAND having summed up the evidence,
the Jury found a verdict. for the plaintiff for three of the
penalties claimed, and for the defendant upon the re--
minder.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.-LRICESTFR, 111.411 CH 20

Willirine Johnson, twenty-one years of age, was charged
with the wilful murder of Thomas Burton, at Barrow-
upon-Soar, on the 3d of September last. The prisoner
seemed sensibly affected by the awful situation in which
he had placed himself by his passions, and wept almost
the whole time the trial was pending. Lord ABINGER
having summed up, the Jury returned a verdict of Man-
slaughter, and he was, thereupon, sentenced to be trans-
ported for life.