The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-06 00:00:00

JONES V. CAUNT.

In this case the plaintiff, a carman, sued the defendant,
Ben Caunt, the prizefighter, and landlord of the Coach
and Horses, St. Martin's-lane, for the sum of 21. 55., for
conveying provisions to Epsom.
The plaintiff stated that Mr. Caunt employed him to
convey beer, spirits, provisions, china, glass, &c., to his
booth at Epsom on the last I)erby day, and bring back
the " empties." This was faithfully done, but he could
not get paid for it.
Mr. SILL, for the defendant, said the plaintiff could not
recover, as he held no licence to let horses on hire, the
bill of particulars stating that the debt was for the hire
of certain horses.

The JUDGE decided that the objection was fatal to the
claim, and a nonsuit being entered, Mr. Sill said that
Mr. Count would not have objected to pay the carriage
if the articles had been properly conveyed to Epsom.
The fact was, that the plaintiff got so drunk on the way
to Epsom that a cask of brandy, of the valuo of 81., was
lost or stolen from the cart, and Mr. Cauat had now a
set-oil' to the amount.
The plaintiff was nonsuited.

BLOOMSBURY COUNTY COURT, Aug. 4.
HASTIE V. SIR H. W. BARRON', M P.

This was an action against the defendant, Sir Henry
Winston Barron, Bart., M.P. for Waterford, residing at
21, Cavendish-square, brought by the plaintiff, late foot-
man in that gentleman's service, to recover a month's
wages, i❑ lieu of a month's warning.
Plaintiff stated that on the 21st of May last he entered
Sir Henry's service at the stipulated wages of 25 guineas
per annum. On the evening of Sunday, the 24th of
June, he was talking to a friend in the area when Sir
Henry came down, and, addressing him, said, " You
drunken vagabond, you leave my service tomorrow."
He received no further notice, and the next day, on Sir
Henry paying him 21. 103. 6d. for the five weeks be had
been with him, he quitted the house.
Sir Henry said that the plaintiff was repeatedly drunk,
and on the Sunday in question Lady Barron, on return.
ing from a visit to Lord Palmerston's, complaining that
while accompanying the carriage thither he had used
exceedingly offensive language, he (Sir Henry) deter-
mined on immediately discharging him. To prove that
he was drunk on the Sunday be would call his coachman,
who, however, on ascending the witness-box refused to
be sworn.

JUDGE-What persuasion are you, coachman?
Coachman—That's my business, but my conscience
will not let me take an oath.—(Laughter.)
Mr. Wright (chief clerk)—You are liable to be, if the
Judge thinks fit, committed for contempt for that
answer.

Sir Henry—Your Honour, his refusal to be sworn
ought to make his ttstimony more valuable; but can't
you send him to prison for not taking the oath?

JUDGE—No.

Coachman—Sir Henry don't mean that.—(Laughter.)
Sir Henry—Well, I can't make him out.
JUDGE—Nor I either, for, if he knows anything, he
seems resolved to keep it to himself.—(Laughter.)
Sir Henry here asked the case to be adjourned while
he fetched Lady Baron, who, on returning with him de-
posed that she believed the plaintiff was drunk on the
Sunday, as he staggered about, and on the carriage
leaving the door shouted loudly to the coachman, " Don't
go the wrong way, you're as mad as her Ladyship."
His HONOUR said that such misbehaviour being sworn
to, fully justified Sir Henry in acting as he had, and he
should dismiss the complaint —Plaintiff nonsuited.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
WESTERN ClRCUlT,—Bridgwater, Aug, 4.
(Before Mr. Justice CRESSWELL.)
The trial of Charlotte Harris, for the wilful murder of
her former husband, Henry Merchant, by poison, which
was commenced yesterday, was resumed, this morning.
The case was of a most complicated character, and the
charge against the prisoner was supported by the follow-
ing circumstances:—
In the month of April last the prisoner was living
with her husband, at 13, Angel-buildings, Bath. Her
age was thirty-two, his twenty-eight, and they appeared
to live on comfortable and happy terms, He was a
stonemason, earning very good wages, and she adding
to their weekly income by selling oranges in the Bath
Market. They had two children, who lived with them
in their house. On the 31st of March, deceased was at
work at a quarry with two fellow-workmen. Ho was in
good health and spirits. He returned home late, and
the prisoner gave him some tea. He went to work as
usual next day, but was compelled by illness to return
home. The symptoms of his illness were those that are
usually observable in a case of poisoning, and they con-
tinued throughout the day. The prisoner was advised to
send for a surgeon, which she declined to do, asserting
that the prisoner objected to it, but afterwards she went
for a surgeon, and as he did not come she went a second
time. The deceased was attended by Mr. Lloyd, who
treated the case as one arising from natural causes, and
after lingering a week he died. On the lath he was
buried, but in consequence of suspicions being excited
by the conduct of the prisoner, the body was disinterred,
an inquest was held, the viscera of deceased was sent
for examination to Mr. Herapath, of Bristol, and the
presence of arsenic was indisputably proved, for two and
a half grains of solid poison were found in the stomach,
a rather unusual circumstance, inasmuch that arsenic,
from its metallic composition, is difficult to introduce in
solid particles into the stomach. During the illness of
her husband, the prisoner told several falsehoods, stating
that he had been spitting blood, and had injured him-
self in endeavouring to lift a stone, both of which
statements were untrue. She also neglected to give him
the medicine sent by Mr. Lloyd, assigning as a reason
(with some appearance of truth) that he was continually
vomiting, and could keep nothing on his stomach. It
was suggested that the body should be opened, but the
prisoner objected, saying she had seen one body opened,
and did not wish to see the like again. At a short dis-
tance from her house lived an old man named Harris,
who was possessed of some little property, and six or
seven weeks before Merchant was taken ill the prisoner
told two persons that Harris had offered her marriage,
observing what a
good thing it would be if she were a
widow. On the very day that her husband was taken ill,
she went to Harris's house, was with him in his room
for a considerable portion of time, and took tea with him.
On going away she represented to a woman named
Shayler, who lived in the same house, that she was
about to be married to Harris. On the day after the
death of her husband she was seen in Harris's company,
and about a week afterwards she was actually married
to Harris having given the information necessary to
enable that ceremony to take place on the very day of the
burial.
After a long and anxious trial of two days, about six
o'clock the case was brought to a conclusion.
The jury retired, and after an absence of an hour, re-
turned into court with a verdict of Guilty.
His LORDSHIP assumed the black cap, and passed the
awful sentence of death upon the prisoner, observing
that he fully concurred in the verdict, for having gone
through the evidence anxiously,
most carefully and he
could not but entertain the conviction that she was
guilty of the enormous crime of murdering the father of
her children.

Mr. S. W. SAuspEas, who conducted the defence,
then put in a plea in arrest of execution, that the prisoner
was quick with child.
His Lordship ordered the doors of the Court to be
closed, and addressing the High Sheriff, commanded him
at once to empanel a jury of matrons from females
within the Court for the purpose of trying the prisoners
plea,

- A dozen ladies, who had entered the court as spot•
tators, were then (much against the inclinations of some
of them) compelled to enter a box, and were sworn in
by the Crier.

Hla 1:40RD91IIP, addressing the forewoman, said, they
had heard from the oath that had just been adminis-
tered to them the nature of the duties upon which they
had been empanelled. They would at once retire and
perform their duties, and they might be assisted in them
by a medical man.
The jury of matrons were then escorted by the High