The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-27 00:00:00

LONDON, TI-IUttSDAY EVENING-, SEPTEMEtEtt V, 18409

The complainant, who at one time was considered
in great danger, owing to the infliction of the wound,
attended upon this occasion, although still extremely
ill, and was accommodated with a chair whilst giving
her evidence. She stated that she had been married
to the prisoner for twenty-five years, and that for
nearly the whole of that period he was in the habit of
ill treating her. On Wednesday last, the 19th inst.,
she and the prisoner had been out together, and on
their return home they found a young man there,
who was paying his addresses and about to be married
to their daughter, a young woman of nineteen years
of age. The prisoner en entering the house on the
evening in question seemed annoyed at the presence
of the young people, and ordered his daughter and
their intended son-in law to quit the place, threaten-
ing them if they did not obey the order. In conse-
quence of the threats used on the occasion their
daughter and her suitor quitted the house,' when the
complainant remonstrated with the prisoner for his
harsh conduct, and told him plainly that he was a
bad father for turning his child out of the house under
such circumstances. The moment, however, she
uttered the words the prisoner, who was very much
excited, rushed upon her with an open knife, and
plunged the point of it into her right breast, and she
fell upon the floor near the fireplece. Finding that
she was stabbed, and that the blood was streaming
from her, she endeavoured to raise herself up, but she
was unable, and she then screamed out " Murder !"
and managed upon her hands and knees to crawl to
the door, when she became insensible, and recollected
nothing afterwards until the next morning, when she
found herself in bed, and felt :pain and exhaustion
from the effects of the wound and the internal injuries
she had received. She added that for nearly the
whole period of her married life the prisoner was in
the habit of exercising great cruelty towards her, and
that she had been frequently laid up for weeks toge•
ther in consequence of his brutal usage.
Mr. SECKER inquired whether the prisoner was a
sober man, and the reply was in the negative ; the
poor woman observing that although he was in the
receipt of a competency to support his family in great
comfort and respectability, yet that most of his earn-
ings were squandered in dissipation.
Mason, 259 M, stated, that upon being informed
that a woman was stabbed by her husband, he pro-
ceeded to the adjoining house, where he found the
complainant in an exhausted condition from loss of
blood, owing to a wound in the breast. Ile was then
informed that her husband had inflicted the injury,
and that he had locked himself up in his own house.
He (the policeman) went there, and was about to
force the street door open when the prisoner opened
it, at the same time exclaiming that he had stabbed
his wife ; and he inquired of witness whether she was
dead. Upon being told that she was still alive, the
prisoner said, " Then I am very sorry for it."
The prisoner here said, " What I meant was, that I
was §orry for what had been done."
The policeman, however, said that he had related
correctly what was said by the prisoner on the occa-
sion. He subsequently asked the prisoner for the
weapon with which the wound was inflicted, and he
placed the knife produced in his hands, saying, that
he was using it for another purpose when his wife
exasperated him.
Mr. Turner, a surgeon, of Bermondsey-square,
stated that on the night in question, when he was
called to see the complainant, he found her supported
by two persons, and bleeding from an incised wound
in the breast; which he found on examination to have
been inflicted with a sharp pointed instrument, such
as the knife produced. The point of the weapon had
penetrated the flesh to some extent, and was stopped
by the ribs, otherwise in all probability it would have
perforated a vital organ ; on further examination he
had since ascertained that the complainant was also
labouring under other internal injuries, which she
told him were previously inflicted by her husband.
He added, that she was going on favourably at present,
and that she was in no immediate danger, although
he was at first apprehensive of serious consequences.
Mr. SECKER (addressing the prisoner) said—
Having heard the evidence adduced against you, do
you now wish to say anything in answer to the charge ?
The prisoner, in reply, said that at present he
should decline saying anything until his trial.
Ile was then committed.

CLERKENTVELL.
A portly, well-dressed young man, who styled
himself Captain Richard Matty Smith, Thomas Lawes,
and Charles Fraser, were placed at the bar before
Combe, charged with having been concerned in
numerous forgeries.
Mr. George Mills, coachmaker, of No. 171, Alders-
gate-street, said that, on the 4!h of September, William
Huxley, the ostler employed in the stables of the
Clarence Hotel, Aldersgate•street, called on him and
presented a cheque for 71.10 x., saying he had received
it from Captain Smith, who was sojourning at the
Clarence Hotel, and he wished him (witness) to let
him a dogcart on hire, as he was going to a party at
Richmond. Witness agreed to this request, received
the cheque, taking 154., and handing 61: 15s. over to
him, and he left the place. Witness paid the cheque
into the London and Westminster Bank, thence it
passed into the Commercial Bank, Lothbury, and the
Gravesend Bank, where it was found to be a forgery,
and traced to Mr. Mills and Captain Smith, who said
he received it from the prisoner Lawes. The name
of Fraser was in the body of the cheque, as purport-
ing to be a customer .of Messrs Dlills and Co., of the
Gravesend Bank.

William Huxley, ostler at the Clarence Hotel, Al-
dersgate street, proved having received the cheque
(now produced) from the prisoner Captain Smith,
with an order to take it to the last witness and hire
a dogcart. He received 61. 153, which he had handed
to Captain Smith.
Mr. COMBE—Was there anybody else with Smith
when he gave you the cheque ? Witness —No one
was with him at the time.

Arthur George Paul, clerk to the Commercial
Bank, Lothbury, deposed that the cheque now pro.
duced for 71. 10s. was paid into that bank from the
London and Westminster Bank. The number of
the cheque was 5,676 originally, but on careful ex-
amination it was found that the 6 had been erased at
the end, making it 567.
Mr. COMBE inquired whether anybody of the name
of Fraser banked at the Gravesend Bank, or whe-
the prisoner of that name was known there? 'Wit-
ness—They have no customer of that name, and he
is not known there.

Frederick Collins deposed that he was at present
lodging at the Clarence Hotel, Aldersgate•street. lle
saw the prisoner Lawes give the cheque to Captain
Smith.

By Mr. Hobler—The cheque is not in the same
state as when it was given by Lawes to Smith ; the
writing on the back of the cheque looked very like
the prisoner Lawes's.
James Beck, a clerk in the Gravesend Bank, had
been in that employ five years. They never had a
customer of the name of Fraser in the bank.

Inspector Brennan, G division, said that he appre-
hended the prisoner Smith at the Royal Hotel, Rich-
mond, and also the other prisoner, in conjunction with
Harvey, G. The prisoner Smith, on being informed
of the nature of the charge against him, said, " I
should not care a d—n about it if I hadn't put my
name upon the back of the cheque ; I did it to oblige
Collins.' Ile (the inspector) held the cheque in his
hand, when the prisoner turned the cheque round, and
saw his name upon it. Mr. Mills was present. The
cheque was made payable to the witness Collins.
Mr. Mullens, solicitor to the Association for the
Protection of Bankers, said there were two other
cases of a similar description ready to be entered into,
and he called

Mr. John Cuthbertson, of No. 123, Aldersgate-
street, bootmaker, who stated that on the Ist of
September a messenger called upon him, and re-
quested him to cash a cheque. He proceeded to the
Clarence llltel, where he saw the prisoner Smith and
Collins. Smith said he had received the cheque from
Mr. J. H. Lawes, of No. 49, Moorgate street. Wit-
ness knowing Collins, and that he was soon to come
in for a fortune, he did not hesitate, and immediately
cashed the cheque, and Captain Smith took up the
money. Fraser's name was in the body of the cheque,
which was payable to Collins. They informed witness
that Mr. Fraser was afflicted with cholera, and after-
wards that he was dead. The cheque was subsequently
discovered to be a forgery.
Another case was then heard, and it was said that
on being searched a great number of cheques belong-
ing to the various banks in England were found in the
prisoners' possession.
Mr. Comps remanded the whole of them fora week.

GRAND CENTRAL DAHLIA Snow OF ENGLAND.—
BIRMINGHAM, WEDNESDAY.—To-day the above highly
interesting exhibition took place at the Town•hall, in
' this town. The exhibition was excellent in quality, but
the quantity of dahlias not so large as was expected.
The following are the first-class prizes:—Mr. C. Turner,
of Slough, won the 100 guineas prize--it was certainly
a magnificent stand of twenty-four. dahlias; Mr. Bragg,
of Slough, won the second prize; the thrd prize was
won by Mr. Drummond, of Bath; the fourth prize, by
Mr. Seeley, of Bristol; the fifth prize by Mr. Barnes, of
Stowemarket ; the sixth, by Mr. Lodge, of Manchester.
Tits GORMAM CASE.—The appeal in the case of
Gorham v. the Bishop of Exeter, is expected to be
heard by the Judicial Council about the end of the year.
In addition to the usual law lords, including Lords
Brougham and Campbell, but excluding the Lord Chan-
cellor, as being the presenter to the living, and thereby
an interested party, there will be summoned, it is said,
both the archbishops and a few of the bishops. The
general opinion continues to be that the judgment of the
Court of Arches will be fully confirmed. There is
another proceeding going on—that in the Court of
Queen's Bench, under the title of the Queen v. the
Bishop of Exeter, the object of which is to compel the
Right Rev. Prelate to institute Mr. Gorham to the living
in question. This will bo tried, it is understood, at Nisi
Prius, at the next Exeter assizes. Should it be decided
against the Bishop, an appeal will then be instituted to
the twelve judges; and should that result in a similar
issue, it will then be carried to the House of Lords.
Thus it may bo a long time before the case is family ,
Bestifg,,Oxford Herald.