The Sun.
London, England, 1825-08-17 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

OXFORD CIRCUIT-GLOUCESTER, AU°. 15.
LIBEL.—JONES v. 131NC/CES.
Mr. CAMPBELL opened the pleadings. "
Mr. TAUNTON stated, that this action was brought to Clem
the character of the plaintiff from calumnies cast upon it bY
defendant in a letter sent by him to a person named Woodn
It would be necessary that they should know that a lady, navies
Smith, who resided near Worcester, had several daughters,
of whom married a person also named Smith, and anotherh.t.
married Mr. Woodley, the person to whom the letter wassa.,
There had been for a considerable time an attachment betweeff,
the plaintiff and Miss Mary Smith, one of the daughtere:fr
Mrs. Smith ; and in the latter part of last year the
visited Mr. Woodley. About this time it was reported that
daughter of Mrs. Smith, who had married a person of the i'rcl
name pear Bridgnorth, had eloped with a Capt. Jones. It wflistet
that circumstance the letter referred. (The Learned CO' dt,
read the letter.) Sucha libel required no comment. Tile., e;
fendant was an opulent man, carrying on business as a will
I at Cheltenham. The plaintiff had also been in he
, trade, but had retired and was living on his propertY,l,,
should prove the libel to be of the defendant's hand;w1.4,,74
and should ask such damages at the hands of the Jury as s!",.
vindicate the character of the plaintiff. the.
Mr. Thomas Woodley said, I live at Cambridge. 1 ar", -4fie
brother-in-law of the defendant. We Married two hot
daughters of Mrs. Smith, who resides near Worcester. Shegt l
a daughter named Mary, who is unmarried ; another, na'.ho
Sophia, married Mr. Smith of Bridgnorth. I believe that?o
does not now live with him. I know that the plaintiff hello
attention to Miss Mary Smith for 7 years. She is a daug
of Mrs. Smith. I invited her and also the plaintiff' to
in Cambridgeshire. They came on the Ist of October; '17,4
They came together. The plaintiff stayed three weeket2if
Miss Mary Smith stayed several months. I received this."oo
(the libel) by the post, while Miss Smith was in my houseL;,4
plaintiff' being gone. It is of the handwritting of the clefet
I had heard from Miss Smith that her sister at Brill
had had eloped with a Captain Jones, who is the brother ca
plaintiff.
Cross-examined by Mr. Walawr—The courtship bete
the plaintiff and Miss Smith was of seven years' stanOingpid
was not so long on account of the plaintiff's youth, he ""'
about 50. The first wife of the defendant was my siare'd
considered the letter to be written in confidence. I reee'vrcli;
on a Sunday morning, when I was dressing to go to Cho oo
my wife asked to see it. I told her she should not, bni_ft it
said she would never rest easy without she did. I told ,"'''„ljet
contained something very unpleaSant, and she must not tefrfe
sister .see it. She promised she would not, and 1
church. On my return, the first thing I saw was. the 1e,,4f4,e
the mantle-piece, and my wife and her sister StandiagArr
fire. Miss Mary Smith said, " Here is a ;pretty Set,,"'-0
and I said, " Mrs. Woodley; have you let Mary se.C.O,
letter?" She said, " Mary teazed me for an hour and Alift,
and I could not help it, but she has promised not 0 t?"
`Jones."
Mr. Justice BURROUGIT—How could you be so fOO
to trust a woman with a secret
The letter was put in and read. It was to the folio!
effect:—
Addressed to Mr. Woodley, Cheltenham, Nov. 11, 18
'" Dear Thomas
" I quite expected' you to have replied to ours. Mr' 41d
Smith is at the Mythe ; I saw him the other diy, and he;yam
that Mr. Jones had called upon him in-town, which We;,,coo
surprised to hear ; whether Mary was with him or no We
not learn, as I was from home when Mr. J. called. I 40.tpit;
he has left you ; if he has it is quite as well, as it has coaNitt
he is and has been playing a double and deceitfullait• joatto
are no doubt aware of the circumstances between CaPt-
and Sophia. at
the
" Will you believe it when I tell you that Mr. J. itt tat.
bottom of every thing, and was the cause of that unhal/P_re
sines, ? Will you believe it, the Captain threatens to a' r
him, .and you may rest assured that what I tell yeti' is, tell
proved and substantiated. I have not heard and cane
half the diabolical schemes he has put in practice, witll r:,,,,W.
to the above affair, and if Mary did but know wit, rirbirg
and how he talks of her, she would never see or speak"
kle
again. Mr. Longmore says he shall never enter his bet'
Mrs. Smith says the same. All this I tell you in est 7040
act as you please. Mamma desires her kind,loye to 91,
tell you that she intends to write soon. - -.•
" I remain, clear Thomas,
" Yours most sincerely, „I,'
al. J. Bran, tor
Mr. C. PrtutrP adresse the Jury for the defendijine,
contended that the lette dr
having been written legj
could not be considered a libel. •
Mr. Justice BU-RROUGH gave it as his opinion ion
letter was clearly a libel. The defendant in the letter op
that these matters had been nroved an substantiateal
not merely that he had heard them. If the defendant,t
, elf
only stated it as heresay, or had now proved it as 1;01 ell
observations would have had great weight; but f,a•,:eollso
that, he takes upon himself to state dig the Ial:04,10°4
been guilty of diabolical conduct, and that'. he deea"4o„ed,,:f
half of what he has been guilty of. As it was p,o4l;i:!:itio?'
muSt be taken to be false : and on the Mere pa„11.,100
such matter the law implied malice. The put,c70,04.
tho
proved ; the damages were a question for the JtlY.P..;asat'"
amount of them ought comb
to be a fair and moderate co)
_A
for the injury done. fee'
The Jury having deliberated for a considerable dm—
a verdict for the defendant.
Some other cases of no interest were disposed of. tooogh
This evening the basiness of the Oxfor C leu't was • •
to a conclusion.
kill
RED GAME OR GROUSE.—The season f Core'
ing commenced on Friday last, safA a lop'',
spondent from the North, and we expect jolt'
ance of sport, as the birds are very abaP
large, and vigorous.
T.Mc. BELL, of Alnwick, has inve
er#oo
.4!
what he calls a marine cravat, to prevF,- P „
from drowning. 'lt is a cylinder of leail-9 floe°lll
ter-proof, three inches in diameter, , a
long to surround the neck and fasteO•L'- oef
with a buckle or clasp. It possesses a btleAt hi
ffi sucient to keep a person's head over, sn titli!tetv
• h
its use any one, though unable toskwitn,olg Day
ture into the deepest water, and remain su.sr,
ed in security. 2--( Worcester Herold
BIRTHS. •
1
o
the r
On the 13th inst., at Lancing Vicarage, SUSS e ' o
the Rev. Thomas Nash, -of a eon. . the lov
On the 13th inst., at Brafield-house, Melts, wor
Lieutenant-Colonel Bourchier, of a (laugh*. of ,k
On Monday, at Grinstel-hall, Essei; the lade"
Ord, KAI., of the Royal Artillery, of a daughter. sptiO"
On Monday, at his Lordship's seat, Shugbortalkill,
shire, the Viscountess Anson, of a son and - rf
' MARRIED. - iaai or
Yesterday morning, at St. James's Church, 0 opt,
Barrington, late of the 3d Dragoons, to Miss Breit me,
Barnes, in the county of Surrey. " TrisOn' of ~*
v
On Saturday, the 13th inst., Mr. William ,a.da 80•
ment's-latte, to Jane, eldst daughter of Mr. Area"- O.*
of MiSt. le-end.
At John's, Southwark, the Rev. Richard to rid,
chaplain to the Hon. Corporation of Trinity 1-101
second daughter of William Carless, Ea+, of
dram, Carless, and Co.
DIED Aqualkier
On Saturday last, in Berkeley-street, Partilaan,,,?
44, Mary, widow of the late Thomas Berke, • be"
field, near Birmingham.
O. )00101erg
On the sth inst., Andrew Bonar, Esq.,
Berwickshire, banker, of Edinburgh. s"
--.be
On the 9th inst., at the residence of his daugh,teceir'.lo:.:
to
eon-house, Berks, John M'Combe, of Waleoe-Pm! •
in the 86th year of his age.of a
On Sunday, Mrs. Richard Hodgea, of Majua-tte
On Friday, in Queen-square, I3ristol Anne,
Ste the
C. Leman, Esq. Shalt -of
At Ardgowan, ott the 3d inst , Sir Michae tehant,ga
of Greenock and Blackhall, Ba.rt., Lord Lie' oct ger
bf
county of Renfrew. He is succeeded in hit title a .13ietoe,
, hiseldest son, Michael Stewart Nicholson, EscPArtbut,..dilieff
On Thursday, the 14th tilt., at Gibraltar, al" of
youngest child of Lieutenant-Colonel PaYtiet „
ifae
peet
aged 14 months. . • the
On the 14th inst., at Brompton, Martha Pa-t",r oceoP.
William John Playters, Esq. , ' LOCP*-
On the 16th inst., at Hendon, Mies Charlotte ~, 04' '
On the bth inst., at her residence at Stanwiar` friottired
ley, the widow of the late Robert BettsleY,
°On Monday, the 15th inst., at-his house, ,e 100' 111
ham-terrace, Regent's-park, Sarah. P0'14,4,40",'.
Philip Lyne, Esq., fOrinerly of the island of '
44th yea( of her age.

$Ol
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ant.nernrvrolij,
OFFICE, No. 112, Strand, by J. R. CAll*