The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-09 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.—GUILDFORD, Aug. 8.
CROWN SIDE.
(Before Mr. Baron Bramwell.)
GAROTTE ROBBERY.

Alfred Murray, 22, and Daniel Wood, 30, were
charged with feloniously assaulting and robbing
Arther Chandler of a gold watch and other pro-
perty.
Mr. Hance conducted the prosecution, and in
opening the case he said that it was one of those
garotte robberies that had of late been of such fre-
quent occurrence, and which had created so much
alarm in the public mind.
Mr. A. Chandler deposed that he was a solicitor,
and resided at Lambeth-terrace. On Sunday even-
ing, the 20th of July, about half-past eleven o'clock,
he was near his house, on his way home, and just
as he got close to his own door he heard footsteps
behind him, and was suddenly seized round the
throat, his breath was nearly stopped, and he was
almost strangled. He was held by two men, and
a third man came up in front of him and jerked
his watch out of his pocket, at the same time
saying,Choke" or " Kill the --; he is too
strong
." He had a plain view of the man who held
his throat, and he was quite sure it was the pri-
soner Murray. He also recognised the other pri-
soner as one of the party, but he had not an oppor-
tunity of seeing him as well as the other. Witness
was forced to the ground, and for a short time
was nearly insensible, and when he had slightly re-
covered he saw the three men crossing the road,
and one of them had his hat in his hand. The pri-
soner Murray was taken into custody on the fol-
lowing morning, and he recognised him imme-
diately. The other prisoner was not apprehended
until the following Wednesday. He added that he
was unable to call out for assistance on account of
the manner in which his throat had been com-
pressed.
The prisoner Murray put some questions to the
prosecutor, with a view to show that he was mis-
taken as to his identity, but he persisted in saying
that he was positive he was one of the men who
attacked him.

Thomas Macaulay, a police-constable, proved
thatle was passing along the road when the rob-
bery was committed, and saw three men running
very fast in a direction from the place where the
prosecutor was attacked, and he identified the pri-
soners as two of these men. He heard of the rob-
bery about two o'clock the same morning, and ap-
prehended Murray in the course of the day, He
subsequently apprehended the other prisoner at a
brothel where he lived, and the prosecutor identi-
fied them the instant he saw them.

Both prisoners, when called upon for their de-
fence, asserted that they were innocent, and Wood
went into a long statement, in which he argued at
considerable length upon the improbability that
the prosecutor or the policeman could have identi-
fied him when they had each so short an opportu-
nity of seeing him.
Mr. Baron Bramwell having summed up,

The jury acquitted the prisoner Wood and found
Murray Guilty.
George Lewis, 21, tailor, was charged with a
similar offence upon Francis Judd.
Mr. Dickie prosecuted.
This case was similar in its circumstances to the
last. The prosecutor was passing along Bermond-
sey-street, on his way home, aboat 11 o'clock at
night, when he was assailed by three men, one of
whom seized him by the throat, and his watch was
then snatched from him, and he was also robbed of
2s. 9d. The men then ran off, but a constable, who
was coming in an opposite direction, stopped the
prisoner and another man, and after a short
struggle he was secured, and the prosecutor came
up and identified him.
The prisoner, when called upon for his defence,
declared that he was innocent, and that he heard
the alarm, and he was running after the thieves
when the constable stopped him.

The jury e t rded a verdict of guilty.
Ackroyd, a constable of the F division, produced
a certificate of the conviction of the prisoner at the
Middlesex Sessions in 1860 of a similar robbery,
and he was sentenced to two years' hard labour,
and he had only been a very short time out of
prison when this offence was committed. At the
time he was convicted it appeared that there were
several other convictions for felony against him.
The other prisoner, Murray, was then placed at
the bar, and in answer to inquiries made by the
learned judge, it appeared that he was not known to
the police, and he most earnestly asserted his inno-
cence.

The learned judge, in passing sentence, said that
these offences were of the must atrocious character,
and people were almost afraid to walk in the
streets at night in consequence of them. It was
absolutely necessary that they should be repressed
by severe punishment, and with regard to the pri-
soner Lewis he felt it his duty to sentence him to
20 years' penal servitude. As to the other prisoner,
he had been convicted by the jury, and he was
bound to pass a sentence upon that conviction—
but if hereafter he should be able to show that he
had been improperly convicted he would, in all pro-
bability, have an opportunity of doing so. At pre-
sent, however, he had no alternative but to sen-
tence him to ten years' penal servitude.
Murray left the bar sobbing and declaring that
he was innocent, but the other prisoner, Lewis,
was very violent, and threatened the police officer
who had given evidence against him that when he
got out he would " hang for him."
This concluded the criminal business.

CIVIL SIDE.
(Before Mr. Baron Martin.)
DICKSON V. THE CORPORATION OF LONDON.

The plaintiff in this action sought to recover the
sum of £47 as the value of two bullocks that were
alleged to have been lost through the negligence of
the defendant.

Mr. Lush, Q.C., and Mr. Maud were counsel for
the plaintiff; Mr. Sergeant Shee and Me. Hannen
appeared for the corporation.
The plaintiff in this action is a farmer at Merton,
in Surrey, and who also acts as a cattle salesman.
On Saturday, the 15th of June, last year, it ap-
' laared that 97 bullocks were entrusted to him for
Zlist,_ by different parties, and these bullocks,
an seven others that had been sent by
New s
Jerson, were placed in the lairs of the
beasts
,sverr7olitan Cattle Market at Islington. The
Monday r„Cip safe on the following day, but on
taken to toe
~,'n_t.c, when the bullocks were to be
tt,et for sale, it was found that
two of them
were subsequently been stolen. The carcases
person at Holloway traced to the possession cf a
.., , an
I tral Criminal Court,
a_ he was tried at the Cen-
3,
rl,aaeen stolen. An was subsequently
behalf
them knowing them to C,:onvicted of receiving
, buts jlaintiff, claim-
been
quentl
ado to
ap-
the City solicitor, ot th Mr. Pearson,
,;tauestion.
of the animals
ipnlgictti
made the corporation eo„:iterre inquiry had
were not responsible for the loss, and4titihat they
action was therefore brought to try th,,e Present
~k to do was to provide 8
a Plato all they underto
The case on the part of the corporation
the sale of cattle, and that they did not undertake
any further responsibility. 4
A verdict was ult imately found for the plaintiff
for the amount claimed, but leave was given to the
defendants to move to have the verdict entered in
their favour upon the question of liability.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.—BoDMIN, AUG•
(Before Mr. Justice Williams.)

THE ItUR_ DER AT LAUNCESTON.
John Doidge was indicted for the wilful murder
of Roger Drew, at St. Stephen-by-Launceston, on
June 7. In submitting the case to the jury, Mr.
Stock, the counsel for the prosecution, stated that
Roger Drew, the murdered man, lived at Langore,
near Launceston. He was 57 years of age, and
although he had a wife she -was in service, and.
having no relative or servant he lived alone. Ile
occupied a small tenement, consisting of a kitchen