The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-21 00:00:00

ATHENS.

Athens letters of the 9th state that the agitation
caused by the Turco Russian quarrel had ceased,
and that the Government had Legun to take ales.
sures, so far as the state of the finances will permit,
to relieve the sufferings of the population occa-
sioned by the malady in the grapes, earthquakes,
fires (the cause of which was unknown) and other
visitations.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
(THIS DAY.)

OLD COURT.
(Before Baron Martin and Justice Crompton.)
ATTEMPT TO MURDER.—Edward Butler, aged 39,
described as a labourer, was indicted for feloniously
casting and throwing John Thomas into the Rivet
Thames, with intent to kill and murder him. The
prisoner pleaded "Not Guilty."
Mr. Robinson appeared tor the prosecution, and gr.
O'Brien defended the prisoner.
Mr. Robinson, having opened the case to the jai,
proceeded to call the following evidence :
John Thomas :I am the acting mate of the gent
steamer, which carries passengers acro,s the river to and
fro at Woolwich, from the Eastern Counties Railway
Saturday night, the 20th of August, we had some
pleted our last trip for the day to the Essex side of the
river, and, after all the passengers had landed, 013-
served the prisoner loitering about the bows of the
vessel. I said to him, " Now, then, if you please, g°
ashore," but the prisoner did not make me any further
answer than that he'd be d—d if he would ; nor did
he move off as he was requested. At this moment the
captain of the vessel requested me to go aloft and make
her fast, and while I was stooping to pick up a coil of
rope the prisoner came behind me, and, lifting me uP by
the legs, he deliberately threw me overboard. Fortunately,
however, in the fall I caught hold of the outer rail °I
the vessel and escaped falling into the water, but the
prisoner perceiving my situation, began striking 0.17
hands and fingers, and I was compelled to call out lustily
for help. At length Mr. Allen, the captain of the vessel'
came to my assistance and I was dragged on bogy'
again, but not before the prisoner had resisted the eaP;
taM, and threatened to serve him the same as be had
served me. The tide was up at the time, running very
fast, and if I had dropped I should have fallen into
twenty feet of water.
Cross-examined—The prisoner was not so drunk at
the time as not to know wha.:-, he was about. I had never
seen him before this night, nor did I know who or whrt
he was.

Captain Allen, the master of the ♦essel, confirmed the
evidence of the previous witness.

Cross-examined—The prisoner appeared to have been
drinking, but he knew perfectly well what he was about•
He was a total stranger to witness.
This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. O'Brien was proceeding to address the jury for
the defence, but failed to make out the intent alleged,
when he was interrupted by
Mr. Baron Martin, who told the jury that if they did
not believe the intention of the prisoner was to murder
the prosecutor, they would have no alternative but to
acquit him on this indictment.
The Jury, however, were not satisfied upon this point,
and therefore

Mr. O'Brien proceeded with his address upon it, and
insisted that the intent was not made out.
Mr. Baron Martin summed up, and.
The Jury retired from the box, and, after a lengthened
consultation, returned into court with a verdict of Not
Guilty.

The prisoner was detained for the purpose of being
indicted for a common assault.

THE MURDERER MOBBS.— Mr. Bodkin said there
was a case in the calendar of a person named Mobbe,
who was charged with murdering his wife. No
amination had taken place before a magistrate in CO'
sequence of the state of the prisoner himself, who was
seriously injured, but the witnesses examined before he
coroner had been bound over to appear at these sessions►
and he had now to apply on behalf of the Crown, that
their recognizances be respited until the next sessioFs,
as the prisoner was not in a state to justify his being
tried now.

Mr. Baron Martin— Is there any attorney acting here
on his behalf ?

Mr. Bodkin—No, I am not aware of any.
Mr. Baron Martin—Has any communication been
made to the prisoner himself about this application ?
Mr. Bodkin--No ; he is not in a fit state to receive
any.

liffr. Baron Martin—But the man has a right to b°
tried at these sessions if he likes.

Mr. Bodkin—My lord, he is in the hospital quite un°
able to be moved, and no communication can with safety
be made to him.

Mr. Baron Martin—l apprehend some communication
ought to be made to him, because if he were brought uP
now it might turn out to be my duty to discharge him.
Mr. Bodkin—My lord, it certainly is in the power
of the Crown, as the prosecutor, to bring him here, but
considering the dangerous situation in which he is in we
have determined not to do so. As for making a com-
munication to him, I must repeat, my lord, that he is
not in a condition to receive any.
Mr. Baron Martin—Then the Court must have en
affidavit from the medical attendant to that effect.
apprehend there will then be no difficulty in granting
this application.
Mr. Bodkin, at a subsequent period of the day, said
the legal advisers of the prisoner had consented to the
application.

The trial was therefore ordered to be put off until the
next session.

NEW COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)
Thomas Swift, 24, engineer, was indicted for unlaW'
fully, with intent, putting on and applying a break to
the wheels of a carriage on the London and Blackwell
Railway, so as to endanger the safety of persons being
carried upon the said line of railway.
Mr. Bodkin prosecuted.
The prisoner pleaded guilty.
Mr. Bodkin, on behalf of the company, said that the
prisoner had got into the break carriage and turned on
the break, and it must be admitted that he was drew"
when he got into the carriage, and that most fortunately
the defendant's conduct was not attended with any se-
sious consequence, and if it had only been that the con -
pany or their servants were subjected to inconvenience
from the act, they should have been satisfied with the
matters being adjudicated upon by a magistrate, but as
it was otherwise, they wished it sent to a higher tri•
bunal. The prisoner, however, having pleaded guilty,
they wished to recommend him to mercy.
The Recorder said it seemed to him that there was
great neglect somewhere in allowing persons to get late
a break carriage.
Mr. Bodkin said that was allowed when the carriages
were very full.

The Recorder said it was bad enough to let a drunken
man get into a carriage at all to the annoyance of re
spectable passengers ; but most gross to let such a wan
have access to a portion of the carriages where the
machinery regulating the safety of the trains was situated,
and he should require to know how it occurred.
John Young, the guard, was called, but he could Ot
tell how the prisoner got into the break carriage-06"
that it was between Shadwell and London.
Recorder--Do I understand that the directors autho-
rise such things?
Young—They do when the carriages are full. There
is no one in charge of that break.
Recorder—Do the directors sanction it?
Young- -"le superintendent knows of it.
The Recorder—lt was a God's mercy that no
acci-
dent occurred, and the practice is a most reprehensible
one that any one should be able to get to that porti°o
of the train.
The Recorder then addressing the prisoner said, thbAto
the company had recommended him to mercy, "dere
thought they could not well do otherwise, as they ‘4,7,01
as bad as he was, in fact much more to blame than him
—the prisoner, and he hoped after this exposure there
would be some better regulations. imp
r 1
The defendant was sentenced to one month's •
sonment in Newgate.