The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-11 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.—HERTFORD, JULY 9.
(Before Mr. Justice Cresswell.)
NEGUS V. DISBURY.
This was an action to recover upon a promissory note
for 3001., and also upon an account stated, a consider-
able sum of money alleged to be due to the plaintiff
from the defendant.
Mr. M. Chambers, Q.C., and Mr. Hawkins, were for
the plaintiff, and Mr. Lush was for the defendant.
It appeared that the defendant and the plaintiff, both
of whom were persons of advanced•age, had for a great
many years carried on a sort of partnership in farming
and dealing cattle, and it would seem that neither of
them being able to read or write, the accounts between
them, although to a considerably extent, and involving
large sums of money, were kept very loosely. At length
a dispute arose between them, and arbitrators were
called on, who had to go over a long period of transac-
tions, the accounts during some portion of the time hav-
ing been kept by the son of the plaintiff and the son of
the defendant, but it would seem that the arbitrator
gave up the job, and the present action was brought to
recover a very considerable sum of money alleged to be
due to the plaintiff from the defendant as balance.
After the case had proceeded some length, it became
apparent, after the nature of the dealings, that it could
not be settled in a satisfactory manner by a jury, and
the matters in dispute were eventually referred to an
arbitrator.
One or two other common jury cases were tried, and
a special jury case was referred. This concluded the
business. The commission will be opened on Monday
(this day) at Chelmsford.

OXFORD.—ABINGDON, JULY 9.
(Before Mr. Justice Crompton.)
WOUNDING A POLICE-OFFICER AT READING.
Iremonger, aged 22, was indicted for having on
the 10th of April, at Reading, feloniously cut and
wounded Charles Brown a police-officer, with intent to
do him some grievous bodily harm.
Mr. Henry Simmonds was counsel for the prosecution,
and Mr. J. J. Williams for the defence.
It appeared in evidence that a little before one o'clock
on the morning of the 10th April, the police-officer was
on duty in the Caversham-road, Reading, and hearing
loud cries of " murder" proceeding from a house in
Somerset-place, where a low and generally depraved
class of people reside, he instantly proceeded thither, and
found three men and two women, and a man whom he
did not know was brutally treating one of the females.
He of course interfered to prevent further ill-usage, but
was instantly assailed by Iremonger, who, with a pair
of tongs, struck him a tremendous blow, which cut
through the brim of his hat, and inflicted a serious
wound on his forehead. He became insensible, and
when be recovered his consciousness, he found himself
in the road in the front of the house, so that he must
either have been led or carried there by the inmates of
the house, after they saw the nature of the injury which
had been inflicted. A boy, named Franklin, who was
in the house at the time of the policeman entering, was
called in support of the prosecution, and Mr. Maurice,
surgeon to the police force, deposed that the officer was
a month under his care, and that in the first instance
the wound was rather of a serious character, and the
man kept his bed several days.
Mr. Williams, for the defence, said, he would not deny
that the prisoner struck the blow, but was unfortunately
drunk at the time, and he certainly had no intention of
doing the policeman any "grievous bodily harm."
The learned counsel for the prosecution said he would
admit the man was drunk, and upon this the jury
acquitted him of the graver charge, and found him guilty
of a common assault.
His lordship then sentenced the prisoner to twelve
months' hard labour.
ATTEMPTED MURDER BY STRANGLING.
James Wilder, a sullen-looking fellow, having the ap-
pearance of a butcher, aged 30, was indicted for having,
on the 4th of June, at Newbury, unlawfully strangled
Elizabeth Wilder, his wife, with intent to murder her.
Mr. Williams was counsel for the prosecution ; the
prisoner was undefended.
Elizabeth Wilder, the prosecutrix, a decently-clad
woman, was examined, and said—On Saturday night,
the 4th of June, she went to look for her husband, and
found him at the Brunswick Arms public-house. They
walked home together, and on going along Northbrook-
street he struck her and said, "I'll knock your brains
out." When they got home he locked the door, put the
key in his pocket, and struck her once on the forehead.
She then hit him on the forehead with a little iron bolt
belonging to the door.
By Justice Crompton—Oh, yes, she hit him hard.
She hit him about the eye, but did not know whether it
was close to the eye.
By 311-" Williams—Her husband, when she hit him,
caught hold of her by the throat, threw her down, knelt
upon her, and beat her with one hand, whilst he held
her with the other. She became insensible, and did not
recollect what afterwards occurred.
The learned judge intimated, that as the man was
drunk) and had been violently struck with an iron bar

by his wife, the grave offence of " intent to murder"
could not be supported. He recommended the jury to
acquit him upon that charge, and then the court would
proceed to try him for an aggravated assault.
The jury agreed in the suggestion of his lordship, and
the evidence of the woman was taken again to support
this indictment.

Joseph Wilder, a boy nine years of age, said, when
his father and mother came home on the night in ques-
tion, his father shut the door, put the key in his pocket,
and then struck his mother. She struck his father with
a bolt. His mother cried out "Murder," and he pushed
the lock back and went and called his uncle.
Charles Parr, the uncle, said he went to the house
when fetched by the boy. He found the front door
locked. He went through a neighbour's house, and got
in the back way. He saw the woman lying on the floor
insensible, and he pulled the prisoner away from her,
and went a doctor and policeman.
Police-constable Wyatt said, when he got to the
house he saw the woman on the floor, and blood was
running from one of her ears. When she came to her-
self she said to him, "Don't leave me, or he'll kill me."
Mr. Robinson, surgeon, deposed that he was fetched
to see the prisoner's wife, and found her in bed recover-
ing from the effects of suffocation, from being tightly
held by the throat. On either side of her throat were
marks of finger nails, and there was abrasion of the skin.
The prisoner, who said there were faults on both sides,
was found guilty.
The learned judge said he was sorry to say that the
cases of brutal violence to women had much increased
in this country, and it was necessary they should receive
some check by severely punishing persons proved to be
guilty of such unmanly conduct. He should therefore
sentence him (the prisoner) to twelve months' imprison-
ment with hard labour.