The Sun.
London, England, 1809-08-19 00:00:00

CUAIBERLAND ASSIZES.

• CARLISLE, AUG. 9
. . BETHERToN V. Mi:LLENDER AND WIFE.
Mr. TOPPING, Counsel for. the stated
the nature of this case, hich was to recover com-
pensation in damages for scandalous words spokqn
by Mr. Mullender's wile. When tk defamatory
words were spoken, Mrs. Mullender (then Miss

Dip]) was not married ; bur being uow united to-
gether,. they were necessarily co-joined in the

. .
The Plaintiff and Detendantii are both resi-

dents of Wigton, and the, detamaiion con,iisted in
Miss Dunn's having reported it in all 'companies
that Miss Hetherton,who is a young lady of a ou-Ast
respectable windy, and of the most unblemished
character, had stolen lace from her shop, and that
she was the ,constant subject Of watch in all the
milliner's shops in town. This, said the Learned

Counsel, is absolutely false; on the contrary, con-
tinued he? witnesses are in attendance, who wily
state, that so high is their opinion of the retlitude of
the Plaintiff's condu&, they 'would, without the
least hesitation, trust her with all thershad. The
only motive for this infamous condo& on the part
of Miss Minn, was Miss Hethertim's informing her
that she would deal no longer with her, since • she
had discovered she (Miss Dunn) had sold to an-
other, lace of the same qUality at a cheaper rate than
to her.

..The case did'nOt proceed further, the Defendants
having consented to take a verchtt against them ; and
the Plaintiff not wishing -for vindidive damages, but
merely that her character should be cleated up, 40s.
datnags, ,Aith costs, were accepted.

CROWN SIDE.

Dorothy &Ilion (aged_ '39) was Infliaed for an
Atterhpt to poison the tatn4 of':Mr._ Simon, on the
24th of May last,,-biaking-aisenie.with a quantity
of oatmeal.' - • .

Sinton, who •is' a farmer, of Da'start Hall,
stated-that early or. tthe morning 'of the 24th of
May, when he'went from hurtle, tfts family, which
consisted of his wile, one man, and two maid-ser-
vointS, were All' well ;.._but on his return he found
all !the, three. servants very ill-80 much so, that
they were compelled to tatie to
.their. beds. On in-
quiry, found 'th-lt, they bad breakfasted -as usivl On.
milk and oat-meal, but at this time had no stispi7.
cion. At the hour of .dinner,, broth.was prepared,
into., which was put part of the' oat-meal, which
was taken troun'the usual place where it was kept,
And of which, one William NixOn, who with his
wife and tWo 'children were at the Hall, and•as many
°dim as partook e. f it, were considerably affected.
Si ill, no suspicion
,Was 'excited, ►id after partaking 'of
boiled milk, into which a quantity of the oatmeal
had been .infused, for supper, they were similarly
0100., Strongly suspecting that some noxious in-
gredient had been mixed with the, oatmeal': on the
next day( (Tlitirsd4)- witness sifted the oat-meal
which remained. in ihe basket,. and discovered par-
ticles of a hard gritty substance, which lie carefully
preserved, and gave to Dr. Watson, of Dalton.--On
being cross.exatnined, the witness stated that daring
-the time of prisoner's remaining in his seryice, he
never Inund.any thing amiss in her Condat.
• Sarah Finlayson deposed that she went,to the ser-

, . .
';ice of Mr. Simon, at Martinmas; remembers par-

taking of the boiled milk on the morning of the 2. 4t h
May,,ayd in the space of about ten minutes, was
atTected with vomiting- and sickness; iii,whiCh state

slut continued until night. Next day she. was con-
sirierably better; but in_the e%cning irapperaing again
to F,-irtnke of boiled milk, prepared with oat-meal
from the same basket as the preceding day; she was
seized in a like manner, hutwas much wufse.-7-On

Tuesday night she went out to a dancing party, and
on her rearm home, about i i o'clock she bolted the
• •
door and retired to -est. .
Matthew Wilson-knew the Pris Oner, having been
a fellow servant with her ; saw her in Carlisle on
Saturday preceding the 24th of May, when she •
said he bad not behaved we)l.to her on which wit-
ness hurried a way from her. • AbOut a month or five
weeks previous to this, Prisoner told Witness she
would torment him, and he shoUld never have sa-
tistaetion wherever he went. She moreover told
him, she lately, had a miscarriage by hinr, and that
She would do Sarah Finlaysoci an ill turn, it it lay
in'her power. Whereupon some other .angry words
ensued. Being cross.-examined, he admitted, that
Mr. Sinton and other farmers were in the habit of. }
using poison for ,the destruetion of rats.
James Finlayson proved that these words had
been spoken by the Prisoner at Whinnow, in the
Spring of,the year—:on her
,quitting Mr. Sinton's
service : viz. " that she would be either revenged
of Sarah Finlayson or Matthew Wilson."
The next witness called was Mary Baty, a neigh-
bour of Mr. Sinton; who deposed, that the pri-
soner was at her house at different times in the •
spring ; at one of which times she informed witness
that she was with 'child by Matthew Wilson, that i
if he did not marry her, she would -put. an end
to her existence—that she could not live without .
him ; but said she would have satisfaction by law.
It was proved by Robert Baty, of Dalston, that
th© Prisoner was at his house on the Sunday pre-
ceding the 24th of May, and on the Thursday. fol-
lowing.
Mr. Bonnet, druggist, Carlisle, was sworn. On
the evening of Tuesday, the 23d of Masi, the
sorter card at the shop of the witness; and bought
a pennyworth of laudanum ;
_she then demanded a
pennywOrih•of arsenic, when he informed her that
he never sold arsenic, unless in. the presence of a
third person'. Whereupon she turned about, saying
it was of no Consequence, as she knew 'where she
could get it.
Wm. Nixon was sworn.—Was at Dalston Hall
on Wednesday, the 24th of May, with 'his, family.
On the Saturday following, he visited thePrioner in
the gaol, and said, to her, " you have nearly done.
for our little ones ;" to which she replied " she
wished to be revenged on -Matthew:"
On behalf of the Prisoner, Robert Bell, of Whin-
now, with whom she lived, .after ',quitting Dalston,
spoke as to her humanity ; as did another person,
who had known her 20 years. -
The Learned Judge, in a very impartilil manner,
summed up, in which he commented upon the-cir-
cumstance of the crime with which she was charged-
not being brought hotne by evidence—it was merely
presumptive;' after which, the Jury returned a ler-
diet of—Acquittal. _