The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-14 00:00:00

DOUGLAS V. DOUGLAS.

Mr. Sergeant— Talfourd and Mr. Grey were counsel
for the plaintiff; Mr. Sergeant Allen and Mr. Wade for
the defendant.
This was an action of slander, for calling the plaintiff
thief, and saying he had robbed a person who for-
inerly employed him. The parties were first cousins,
and also married two sisters, but carried on the same
sort of business, drapers, at Walsall. At the opening
of the case, a compromise was suggested, but as the de.
lehclant denied having used the language attributed to
41n1 he would not apologise. Several witnesses swore to
the words complained of having been used, but it ap-
Pears that the defendant was much excited at the time,
and moreover that he afterwards would have apolo-
gised, if the plaintiff's attorney did not insist on getting
the costs of the action. Mr. Sergeant Allen urged
these topics on the attention of the jury, who, atter
oaring the Learned Judge sum up with great care, re-
turned a verdict for the defendant.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—York, March 12.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice COLERIDGE.)
James Holdsworth, aged sixty, who was tried on Sa•
turday on the charge of murdering his wife, by adminis-
tering arsenic to her on the 12th of December last, at
Clayton, in the parish of Bradford, and acquitted from a
failure of evidence (the original deposition to which the
dying declarations of the deceased was attached not
having been produced), was again put on his trial this
morning on the coroner's inquisition, to which he had
pleaded " Not Guilty," on Saturday on his arraignment,
immediately after he bad pleaded to the indictment.
Mr. Hardy and Mr. Nicholson appeared for the prose-
cution; and Mr. J. Pollock and Mr. Campbell Foster for
the prisoner.
Mr. POLLOCK applied to his Lordship either to be al-
lowed to withdraw the prisoner's plea of "Not Guilty,"
and to plead autrefois acquit, pleading over to the felony,
or to be allowed to add a plea of autrefois acquit to the
plea of " Not Guilty," already on the record.
HiS LORDSHIP—I am disposed to allow you to do
that, but I will first ask Mr. Hardy what course he pro-
poses to take on the part of tho prosecution?
Mr. LARDY said, on the part of the prosecution, he
had looked into the authorities, and had found that both
the law and the practice were against any further pro-
ceeding in such a case, where a prisoner had had his
life placed in jeopardy by a previous indictment for the
aarae offence. He, therefore, did not propose to offer
any evidence on the charge in the coroner's inquisition,
Which was the same offence, committed by the same per-
son, on the same day as that offence of which he had been
acquitted.
His LORDSHIP thought the course which the Learned
Counsel proposed to take was the most advisable. In
Lthis particular instance justice might have been defeated
by an act of carelessness; yet if any other course were
adopted this case might form a precedent very preju-
dicial to the interests of justice. Theretare ho thought
it was better in the first instance to take the course
•---aellich_mr_iiaraylaroposeel to- take.
The prisoner was placed at the bar, and given in
Charge to the jury on the coroner's inquisition; and
Mr. HARDY, addressing the jury, said, in consequence
or-the prisoner having already been acquitted on this
Charge, he should offer no evidence on the coroner's
inquisition. The jury would, therefore, say that he was
• Not Guilty.
Verdict, Not Guilty accordingly.
The prisoner was then discharged.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
THE WACHORN TESTIMONIAL.— G. Butcher was
ehllged with having obtained money under false pre-
tence,.
Mr. R. Gibbs, tea-broker, said, on Saturday last the
Prisoner came to me and asked for a subscription to the
Foghorn Testimonial. Ho sdd that the subscription
114, had been kept open so long, the committee was very
l'(, irons to close it, and they intended to settle an an-
nuity upon Mrs. Waghorn and her family, or her chil-
-I,,rrlin, as the East India Company had provided for Mr.
ghorn. I gave him a cheque for 51. 55.; but I sus-
Zted afterwards that it was not right. He showed me
book • and I wrote my name in it. I sent round to