The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-03 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT--(THIS DA Y).

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Cresswell.)

TV. M. Hawkins Adams, the Post-office clerk, who
was yesterday found guilty of embezzlement, and George
Dawson Moffat, who pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge
of forgery, were this morning brought up, and severally
sentenced to 15 years' transportation.
John Parrot, aged 45, described as a porter, was
placed in the dock, charged with the wilful murder of
his wife, Sarah Parrot.

Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Clarke prosecuted, and Mr,
Sleigh defended.

Mr. Bodkin having stated the case, proceeded to ca
the following witnesses.

James Heath, examined by Mr. Clarke—l lived in the
same house with the prisoner and his wife. On the 7th
December last, being in bed between five and six o'clock,
I heaid the prisoner and the deceased going down stairs.
The deceased called her husband " a wretch," and other
bad names. About eight and nine the same evening, I
heard some one groaning at the street-door. My wife
went out and there she found the prisoner and deceased.
I heard them conversing together ; the prisoner said to
the deceased, " What's the matter with you ?" My
wife answered for her, " You ought to know best." The
prisoner then said, " Get up, and go up stairs with you,
I'll do something to you for this to•morrow." I never
saw the deceased again alive.
Anne Merrot, examined by Mr. Bodkin—l lived in
the same house with the prisoner and the deceased. They
were often quarrelling, and I often heard the deceasd
crying " Murder." On the morning, the deceased was
found dead, between 7 and 8 o'clock, I heard the prisoner
screaming out and crying "murder," and the deceased
abusing her and calling her foul names. I was in bed,
but I got up and called out, " What are you doing to
that poor creature ?" I do not know if he made any
answer, but shortly after he went downstairs and out at
the front door. The screaming then ceased, and be-
tween eight and nine o'clock he
returned. The scream-
ing then began again, and I heard a noise as of scuffling,
and then as if the deceased had fallen down.
Elizabeth Beer, the landlady of the house in which
the prisoner and his wifelived, examined by Mr. Clarke,
corroborated the evidence of the last witness, with re-
gard to the screams and cries of "murder" which
had been heard from the prisoner's room on the
day of the deceased's death.—l was one of the
first who found the deceased after her death. She
was lying on an old straw mattress at the corner
of the room. I felt her, she was quite cold.
I said to the prisoner, "My God, Mr. Parrot, she is
stiff and cold—you must have done this before you went
out this morning." He said, " God bless you, she spoke
to me only two minutes ago. I asked her to get up and
have some tea, and she told me she didn't know where
she was." I said, " I didn't believe it, for I was sure
she had been dead for hours."
James Chapman, police constable, examined by Mr.
Clerk—l took the prisoner into custody, when I told
him of what he was accused ; he said he knew nothing
of it ; he tried to deny that his name was Parrot.
Mr. Leech, surgeon, examined by Mr. Bodkin—On
the Bth of December I was called in to deceased. I
found her lying on a straw mattress, partly on her back,
with her left leg drawn up, and her head bent down over
her left shoulder. Her mouth was partly open. She
was quite dead.
Dr. Godfrey examined by Mr. Bodkin—On the Bth
of December, I was called in to the deceased. I found
her quite dead, lying on a mattress. Her head was
bent to the left side, the chest was also bent on
the left side. I think she must have been dead
about five hours. The body was rigid and cold, ex-
cept about the region of the heart. I asked the
prisoner, at the time, if the deceased had had
any blows. Ile said she had not. I did not find
any marks of external violence, made post mortem
examination afterwards. The body was in a state of
extreme maceration. En examining the head I found in
between the collar and tissue and the bone a
patch
coagulated blood, andin the part of the scalp cor res-
oft
pending to it we found that the hair had been torn ou.
There was a congestion and an appearance of copres-
sion in the lung and a compression of chest which, taken
with the appearance of the head, led me to conjecture
that her head had been pulled down on her chest, and that
her mouth being brought in contact with her chest or the
rug that covered her, her breath was stopped, and her
death thus caused. From the weak state of her body,
s might have died a natural death from idiopathic
asphyxia. There were none of the usual appear-
ances of suffocation, such as lividity of the lips, and
the suffusion of the eye ; but it is possible that in
such a weak state of the body, suffocation might have
taken place without these appearances being produced.
I do not think that the appearances which I remarked
in the body could have been produced without external
violence, and from those appearances I do not think that
the deceased died a natural death.

Mr. Sleigh then addressed the jury on behalf of the
prisoner; and his Lordship having summed up, the
jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against the
prisoner.

Mr. Justice Cresswell then sentenced the prisoner to
transportation for life.

SHERIFFS' COURT.-(THIS DAY.)

(Before Mr. Commissioner Burchell.)
HARPER V. WRIGGLESWORTH.-PUBLIC APOLOGY.

This was an action brought to recover damages for
false imprisonment.
Defendant suffered judgment to go by default.

Mr. Parry (instructed by Mr. Clarke, Bedford-row)
said that he was happy the jury would be saved all
trouble in the case, as it had been arranged between the
parties that a verdict should be entered for 551. The
plaintiff was a highly respectable gentleman at Isling-
ton, and had been connected with the Islington Market,
and also held considerable property in the county of
Hereford. The case arose through the defendant who
was also a gentleman, occupying an excellent position in
life, having in an unguarded moment, and labouring
under considerable excitement, given the plaintiff into
custody on a charge which he was subsequently con-
vinced was unfounded, and which was dismissed by the
magistrate. It was due to him to say that tho
defendant had offered to refer the case, but the
plaintiff, for the vindication of his character, felt
that as the charge had been publicly made, and had
obtained great publicity, he .felt bound to have an
equally public retraction and apology, which he was
happy to say his learned friend was instructed to make.
Mr. Huddlestone said that the defendant had adopted
the only course open to him, and he had throughout ex-
pressed his regret that he had, in a moment of excitement
and misapprehension, made a charge which was very
properly dismissed by the magistrate, and was anxious
to make that retraction and apology which one gentle-
man under such circumstances ought to make to another,
and say that he had no reason, on reflection, to reiterate'
or say that there was any ground for the charge.
Mr. Parry said that the plaintiff was only desirous of
a retraction, which had been very handsomely made,
and there could not be the slightest imputation on the
character of either of the gentlemen (the plaintiff and
defendant).
A verdict was then entered for 551.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET-(THIS DAY.)

A CLAIMANT TO THE TITLE OF DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE

Richard Pomeroy, a journeyman carpenter, was
brought before Mr. Bingham, charged with defacing the
premises of the Duke of Devonshire, by sticking pieces
of paper thereon.
Police-constable 126 C stated that about five o'clock
yesterday afternoon he was on duty in Piccadilly, when
his attention was called to the prisoner, who was sur-
rounded by a crowd of people in front of Devonshire-
house. Witness, on going to see what was the matter,
found the defendant busily employed in posting on the
gates pieces of paper, on which was written the follow-
ing :—" Richard, Prince of Wales, Duke of Devonshire,
Cornwall, and Brunswick. Born August, 1820." Wit-
ness pulled down the papers ; and as the prisoner re-
fused to go away, he took him to the station.
The defendant, in answer to the charge, said he had
been informed that he had a claim to the property and
title of the Duke of Devonshire, and with a view of en-
forcing his claim he affixed the papers produced to the
gates, and in so doii4 he considered that he had done
no harm, as the premises were undoubtedly his own.
Mr. Bingham inquired if defendant was perfectly right
in his mind ?
An elderly woman, believed to be defendant's mother,
here stepped forward, and said he was decidedly right in
his mind, and she firmly believed him to be entitled to
the titles of Prince of Wales and Dukedom of Devon-
shire.

Mr. Bingham thought the woman to be as foolish as
the defendant. The latter had better go to work and
claim Buckingham Palace, and not stick at the Duke of
Devonshire's. If he had any claim, he had better go to
the Court of Chancery at once ; and should he be lucky
enough to be ordered into possession of the magnificent
property of th„? Duke of Devonshire, that would be quite
time enough for him to do as he liked with his own.
He should now order him to fmd two sureties in 201.
each to be of good behaviour for the next three months.