The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-17 00:00:00

CLERKEN WELL.

Mr. COMBE wilted the prisoners if they wished to
question toe witnesses, or to say anythirg in their dp.
knee? He intended to commit thew both for trial. It
they did say anything, it would be taken down in

The prisoneri, who treated the matter with indiffer-
ence, d,clined putting any questions to the witnesses,
or sa)ing anything in their defence.
They were fully committed for trial.
LA:VBETH.

Mary Ann Flood, a well-dressed and powerful woman,
was placed at felon's bar before Mr. Norton, chargel
with violently assaulting and robbing Mr. Edward Bates
on the Hungerford Suspension-bridge.
The person of the prosecutor presented a very shock-
ing spectacle, both from the loss of blood, and from the
injuries he bad sustained, and it was clear that he had
had a very narrow escape of his life. His forehead and
face showed several severe contusions. When sworn, he
stated that, about twenty-five minutes past twelve o'clock
on the previous night he was going over the Suspension-
bridge, and had not gone more than thirty or forty yards
when he was accosted by the prisoner, who walked
alongside him. On nearing the Surrey side the prisoner
gave him a violent blow, and snatched his watch
from his waistcoat pocket. Previous to striking
him the prisoner got in front and stopped
him, and it was when he was pushing her out of
his way that she struck him. Immediately before he
was struck he saw a tall man a short distance off, who
accused him of taking indecent liberties with the pri•
saner; but this he denied, as such was not the case. He
thought the man had struck him as well as the prisoner,
for the force with which he fell against the opposite side
of the bridge was so great as to render him perfectly
insensible. In reply to a question from the Magistrate,
the prosecutor admitted he was not sober at the time.
Charles Battern, a waiter, residing is Henry-place,
Lower Marsh, Lambeth, deposed, that that morning,
at about one o'clock, he was on the Suspension•bridge,
and when he got near the Surrey side he saw the pro-
secutor and prisoner against the wall, and apparently
close together. After he had passed them he heard a
sort of rustle and a blow, which caused him to turn

round his head, when he saw the prosecutor in the act
of falling on his face against the opposite wall. The
prisoner then ran past him, but witness called out " Po-
lice" as loud as he could, and a constable having made
his appearance he pointed out the prisoner to him, and
desired him to stop her, as he was certain she had
been doing something wrong. On his dying this the
prisoner hit at him right and left, and gave him a black
eye.
Prisoner—Was there any other woman there at the
time?

Witness— Yes, there was another woman there, who,
when you struck me in the eye, kicked me.
Mr. NORTON—But you are quite sure the prisoner is
the person whom you saw standing close to the prose-
cutor, and who ran away from him when he was knocked
down? Witness—l am, your Worship; the prisoner is
the person.
Mr. NORTON—Did you see any other person near the
prosecutor? Witness—Yes, Sir; on his falling I saw a
man in the act of taking him up, but where he came from
I cannot say, as I had not noticed him before. Had he
been to the spot I must have seen him; my impression is,
that he must have been concealed.
Mr. NORTON—What became of this person? Witness
—He must have gone over the bridge in a different di-
rection. The policeman, on securing the prisoner, desired
me to run over the bridge and cry out " Stop thief," but,
to say the truth, Sir, I did not fancy doing so, fearing
that I might be thrown over the bridge myself.
Mr. NORTON—WeII, 1 cannot say but that you have
acted very well in the matter; and I'm sorry you should
have been maltreated.

James Bradley, 42 L, stated that, hearing the cry *of
" Stop thief!" on the bridge, and seeing the prisoner
running, he secured her and took her to the station-

house.— On subsequently examining the place he found
the watch of the prosecutor near the side of the bridge.
The prisoner, who offered nothing in defence, was re-
manded.

John Smith, alias "Looney," a notorious thief, and
Catherine Burns, an infamous woman, were placed at
the bar before Mr. Combe, charged by Mr. William
Newton, of 5, Church. terrace, Waterloo-road, Lambeth,
with having been concerned in the following daring out-
rage with intent to murder:—
The prosecutor, whose face was covered with adhesive
plaster, having. been sworn, stated that on Monday night
last, about halt-past six o'clock, he was passing through
Goswell-street, Clerkenwell, with his hands in the
pockets of his Taglioni coat, when he observed the pri-
soners and some other women larking and pulling each
other about, when suddenly and unexpectedly the male
prisoner rushed upon him and seized him round the
waist, and subsequently struck him several times, and
challenged him to fight. Witness was quite astonished
at such an extraordinary proceeding, and refused to
enter into a conflict, saying that he would not
demean himself by fighting with him, but that he
would give him into the custody of a policeman ;
and he accordingly followed the prisoner up
Bell-alley, when the female prisoner came up,
and, making use of a most horrid oath, exclaimed,
" You —, I'll do for you," and she took a knife from
her pocket, which she opened, and made several stabs at
him and knocked him down insensible.. He knew no
more of what happened until he recovered his senses,
when he found himself surrounded by a crowd of per-
sons and policemen, and was bleeding profusely from
wounds on his face, &c. One wound was on his temple,
near his eyo, and another on his cheek; and it was
evident that the female prisoner intended the stabs for
his eye and his throat. He was supported to a surgeon's,
where his wounds were dressed. He positively identified
both prisoners.
Richard Jenkins, an intelligent boy 14 years of age,
deposed that at half-past six o'clock on Monday evening
he was near Bell-alley, Goswell• street, when he saw the
male prisoner rush upon the prosecutor, and strike him.
The woman immediately afterwards came
a filthy expression said, " I'll do for you," and stabbed
up, and using
him several times with a knife.
Mr. COMBE—Did you see distinctly the knife in her
hand when she stabbed the prosecutor? Witness—l
did; and when she left the spot with the male prisoner
she closed the knife and put it into her pocket. I am
quite sure it was a knife.
George Pierce, another boy, residing with his parents
at 5, White-street, Bell-alley, Goswell-street, saw the
prisoner Burns stab the prosecutor with a knife, when
she swore she would " do for him."

Mr. Mould, the clerk, asked the prisoners if they
wished to ask these witnesses any questions? Burns—
It's no good to ask any questions here, because they
have been put up to what they are to say.
Win. Davies and another boy gave confirmatory evi-
dence and identified the prisoners.
Police-constable 441 A deposed, that on Monday
evening he received information that a man had been
stabbed in Goswell-street, near Bell-alley. He pro-
ceeded thither, and found the prosecutor bleeding pro•
fusely from his sounds. He received a description of
the prisoners, and at half-past eight o'clock the same
evening apprehended the female prisoner. He told her
the nature of the charge against her. She denied hav-
ing been in Goswell-street that night. He took her to
the station-house, where the boys identified her.
Sergeant Brennan, 320 G, saw the prosecutor bleed-
ing in Goswell•street. Witness apprehended the pri-
soner Smith yesterday morning at his lodgings in Wil-
liamson's-buildings, Bell-alley. He was in bud, and
when he told him he wanted him for having been con-
cerned in the outrage which had been committed in
Goswell-street on Monday night, the prisoner said he
was not there; he was not out all night. Witness re-
plied, " That is not true, for I searched heref or you last
night and you were not here."

Sergeant Harvey, 118 G, said, that when the prisoner

Smith was at the station-house he said, " I saw the row, )he took down from Darke's lips when he was first ap-
but took no part in , plied to on the subj, et, and which re confirmatory of
_ _ _

the eircritn,tanees-as related in the above lever.
Cron:-eniNed by Mr. Buchanan—l nev, r saw Mrs.
Thireai. during the transactiou.
Mr. CorriscuAm— Now, witness, du you mean to say

that 31. or 41. was the only induceinevt held out to you
by O'Brien for citing letter? I hAve
tioned you chit you are not bound to give any ans,hers
which way tend to criminate vour,elf.
Darlw—He induced me to do innountly.

Mr. COTTINGHAM—You repeated the ac,sertions con-
tained in your letter to Mr. Harrison when he examined
you, and when an attempt was made to make Wm an
innocent instrument in adopting proceedings against the
company.
Darke—l now sincerely regret what I did, but I did
believe that an accident had really occurred to the par-
ties, and that was the reason I had the folly to copy such
a statement as I did.
Mr. COTTINCHAM asked Duncan if he wished to put
any questions to the witness; and his reply was that he
could put many, but that be would merely ask him if
he (prisoner) only accompanied him to show him where
Mr. Harrison lived, at the time they instructed that gen-
tle.man to proceed against the railway company?
Darke replied, that such was the case.
Mr. Clarkson here took an opportunity of observing,
that there was nothing whatever to reflect the slightest
imputation on the character of Mr. Harrison for the part
he had taken in the transaction.
Darke said that he regretted ever having mixed him•
self up in such an affair, and that he had witnesses to
speak to his character.
Mr. Clarkson—You have already given evidence of
your character by the letter you wrote, and which has
been just read. The Learned Counsel then said that
there was still one of the offenders at large, and on that
account a remand would be necessary betore sending the
case in its present form for trial. He believed that the
evidence of the, principal witness who was brought for-
ward on this occasion would probably be rejected by a
jury, he having, by his awn admission, taken such a
prominent part in the transaction. He, therefore, applied
that that person should now find sureties for his appear-

ante on the next examination.
Mr. COTTINCHAM at once assented to the application,
and then, addressing Duncan, asked him if he wished to
say anything in his defence ; and told him that it was
entirely optional with him whether he did so or not, as
he would have an opportunity on the next examination.
Duncan said, that he wt:uld save the time of the Court
by making an avowal that he was guilty of having par-
ticipated in the offence with which he was charged,
and that he was now only anxious to make every
reparatio❑ in his power by giving all the information he

„
could to the company ; that he was only guilty to a
certain extent, the chief criminal in the affair being
still at large. The prisoner then reverted to an awful
accident which had occurred in his family since his and
his wife's apprehension, and said that on Saturday last
his only boy, a child of five years of age, was burnt to
death, and that his own sufferings on that account, as
well as the painful situation in which he and his wife
were placed, were most acute, and he trusted that the
miseries they endured would operate in some degree as
an atonement for their offence with the company; that
his wife had acted entirely under his control in the
affair, and he trusted, at all events, that she would be
permitted to be at large upon bail, in order that she
might be present to attend to the burial of their unfortu-
nate child. (Both the prisoners were dreadfully affected
while he was describing the accident.)
Mr. COTTINGHAIki deeply deplored the accident, but
said that in a case where such deception had been re-
sorted to for the purpose of defrauding a company, he
should remand the prisoners until Monday next; but,
under the circumstances, he would take bail for the
female prisoner's appearance on that day.