The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-05 00:00:00

out of prison after undergoing a term of six months' im-
prisonment:for a previous assault on his wife.
Mr. Edwin asked if the constable thought the prose•
cutrix would be so far recovered as to attend next week
and prosecute the case against the defendant
The constable thought she would.
Mr. Seeker remanded the prisoner for a week.

LAMBETH.—Edward John Brown and Charles
Haine, two well-dressed youths, of about 15 years of
age, whose parents are respectable, were brought up in
custody by Adam Saunders, one of the summoning
officers belonging to the court, on a warrant, and
charged before Mr. Elliott with causing injuries to the
person of Martha Elizabeth Gibbs of so frightfully se-
rious a nature that her life is placed in the most immi-
nent danger.
Mrs. Gibbs, the mother of the poor sufferer, deposed
that on the afternoon of Tuesday, the 26th of last month
she sent her daughter, Martha Eliza Gibbs, who is be-
tween 6 and 7 years of age, to bring a little boy from
school, and in a short time after she saw her, and she
then presented a shocking spectacle. The whole of her
clothes, particularly those in front, were completely
burnt, and her chest, arms, and face presented one mass
of burns. She was taken to the Westminster Hospital
where her injuries were dressed, and she was brought
home again, and had been since attended by Mr. John-
son, a surgeon in the York-road.
Adara Saunders said that, by desire of his worship,
he, en the preceding evening, proceeded to make in-
quiries respecting the boys who had caused the mischief
to the child, and traced it to the prisoners. He ques-
tioned them on the subject, and they said they had
picked up some stone brimstone along the water side,
and they were afterwards playing with it by lighting it
on a stick, and that while Brown held the stick over his'
shoulder, some of the burning stuff fell on the child, and
set her clothes on fire. There bad been from thirty
to forty boys present when the occurrence took place,
but he (Saunders) had not yet been able to find any one
who witnessed-the occurrence. On that day he (Saun-
ders) had seen the poor sufferer in the presence of Mr.
Johnson, the medical gentleman who was attending her,
and a more unpleasant sight he had never witnessed.
The whole of the skin of the chest and breast was re-
moved, and those parts were formed into one large
wound of a deep and angry appearance, both her hands
and arms were burnt in a shocking manner, as was also
her face, and, so far as he could judge of her case, he
very much doubted indeed whether it was possible for
her to recover. She was, however, perfectly sensible,
and on his asking her how it occurred, she said that the
boys Brown and Haine followed.her, and that the for-
mer put a portion of brimstone and matches into her
pinafore, and rolled the latter up, so that the brimstone
and matches at once took fire. Mr. Johnson gave him
(Saunders) a certificate of the then state of the girl, of
which the following is a copy :—" I certify that Martha
Elizabeth Gibbs is still lying in a precarious state from
the injuries she received, and in the event of her ulti-
mate recovery it will be at least a fortnight before she
can be considered to be out of danger.—HENßY JOHN-
SON, surgeon, 88, York-road, Oct. 4."
The prisoners, in their defence, merely said they had
not done it intentionally.
Mr. Elliott remarked that the charge was one of a
serious character, and he felt bound to remand them for
a week.
The prisoners were accordingly remanded.

SECOND _ESCAPE OF THE BURGLAR
_RALPH FROM LINCOLN CASTLE.

Joseph Ralph, who was convicted at the last Lincoln
Assizes of breaking into the Grimsby Bank, and sen-
tenced to be transported for 20 years, has a second time
made his eseape from the county prison. He is the
man who effected an egress from the same prison in an
ingenious manner on the night of the 27th of July last.
He was taken on board the Hesslo and Barton steamer,
after a nicst determined resistance, having seriously.
stabbed his captor. When brought to Lincoln he was
put in irons, and the utmost vigilance was used.
However, early on the morning of Tuesday it was dis-
covered that Ralph had again outwitted his gaolers by
the most ingenious methods. It appears that there are
two keys to the cell in which he was confined, one kept
by the turnkey and the other by the chaplain of the
prison. The chaplain, when visiting the prisoners, fre-
quently placed his key on the bench. Ralph ob-
served this, and made a drawing of it. A small gas
light burnt in the cell, which was also furnished '
with a pewter mug, out of which the prisoner
drank. From masticated bread he made a model,
and melted the pewter mug into it. This formed the
key. The door of the cell had e. wicket about the cen-
tre within reach of the lock outside. This small wicket
closed with a spring. The night before Ralph inter-
cepted the spring, so that it was left ready for him to
introduce the key he had made into the lock, to which
there was only a key-hole on the outer side. This he did
successfully, proceeded to the kitchen, stole some cloth-
ing beloAging to the cook, passed some iron gates, drew
the bolt and shot the lock of the principal entrance, and
reached the Castle-yard. This is enclosed by a mound
and high wall, but although he wag ironed he managed
to get into a small building and obtained a ladder, by
which he get on the Castle-wall. On his escape becom-
ing known, the greatest excitement prevailed through-
out the cityi Since his former feat the magistrates have
remarked on the strict surveillance under which he was
kept, and Mr. L. P. Fytch reminded the prisoner only
a day or two since that " they had him safe ;" to which
Ralph rejoined that he didn't know that. Capt. Nichol-
son, the governor of the Castle, is away from Lincoln.
The police were immediately sent to all parts of the
county in pursuit, but up to the present time Ralph
has eluded the utmost efforts to discover his where-
abouts.