The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-06 00:00:00

AUG UST 5.

No public business was transacted in Court to-day,
there being only six meetings of creditors in the private
chambers of Mr. Commissioner Fane and Sir C. Williams

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
HOME CIRCUIT.—Lewes, August 4.

James Clark, a railway labourer, was indicted fora capi-
tal offence upon Lucy Short.
Mr. Clarkson conducted the prosecution, and he de-
scribed the case as one of an extraordinary and aggra-
vated character; and he observed, at the same time, that
although the Legislature had seen fit to abolish the capi-
tal for offences of this description, that altera-
tion would not come into effect for some weeks, and, in
point of fact, the life of the prisoner was at stake in the
present inquiry. '
It appeared from the evidence that the prosecutrix, a
very sickly young woman, twenty years of age, was left
in charge Of some younger children in her father's cottage
at West Hoathly on the 13th July last, and in the
middle of the day the prisoner and another man named
Robert Tanely, came to the house and asked the prose-
cutrix to give them some cabbages, but she said she must
not do it as her father would scold her if she did. With-
out any thing more being said, the prisoner Clark seized
the poor girl, dragged her with great violence into an
adjoining wash-house, and having locked the door, com-
mitted the offence imputed to him. He then called on
the other man Tandy, and he also assaulted the girl.
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Robert Tanely, 31, was then indicted, capitally, for his
share in the same transaction.
The evidence was to the same effect as that adduced
in the last case, and the Jury also returned a verdict of
Guilty.
James Macdonald, 38, was indicted for a similar offence
upon Jane Langridge.
Mr. Tindall conducted the prosecution.
The prosecutrix in this case was eighty-five years of
acre, and on the 23d of last April she was lying on her
bed, very poorly, and while in that position the prisoner
who is a tramp, and gets his living by vending ballads
about the country, forced his way into the house and
committed the offence.
The Jury found him Guilty.
Chief Justice TINDAL then ordered the three prisoners
to be placed at the bar, and after observing upon the
enormity of the offence they had committed, and the ag-
gravated circumstances connected with them, ordered
that judgment of death should be recorded against tl.em,
but he said that although their lives would be spared,
they would be transported for the remaining period of
their existence. ,

CHESHIRE.—Chester, August 3.
(Before Mr. Justice ERSKINE.)

TRIAL OP THE SANDYSES ON A CHARGE OP POISONING
THEIR CHILDREN.

Robert Sandys; aged 25, Anne Sandys, alias Davan-
nole, aged 25, who called herself his wife, George Sandys,
aged 28, and Honor Sandys his wife, aged 27, were in-
dicted, the two former with having administered arsenic
on the 12th of October last to Mary Anne Sandys, by
which they murdeied her ; and the two latter were
charged with being accessories to the crime before and
after the fact. Both the female prisoners had given birth
to children since their imprisonment, and nearly at the same
time. The deceased, with whose murder they are accused,
was the child of Robert Sandys and Anne Sandys, alias
llavannole, and it appeared they haej committed the
crime for the diabolical purpose of getting the paltry
sum of 3L Bs. 6d. from the Stockport Burial Society,
called the " Philanthropic Burial Society." One of the
rules of this Society was, that each member should pay
a penny per week, and at the end of seventeen weeks
subscribers became full members. If a child after that
period died, the parents became entitled to the sum of
31. 12s. ; and deoluctinc, Is. 6d. for the collector's fee, and
2s. for liquor, the crear sum of 3/. Bs. 6d. remained
for the funeral expenses of the deceased child. The
constable, in consequence of something which be had
heard, went to the cellar in which the two principals
lived, and found the body of the child lying dead on
the bed, and removed it to the police-office. Mr. Ray-
ner, the surgeon of the Stockport Infirmary, on examin-
ing the body, found that it presented no appearances
of violence, and was a healthy-looking child. But on
examining the stomach it was found to present appear-
ances of poison having been administered. Indeed, ar-
senic was subsequently obtained in all its forms, not
only from the tissue of the stomach and bowels, but
from the contents of the stomach and bowels also. A
paper containing arsenic was found by a man who took
the cellar from the prisoners when they left it. It was
secreted in a little niche in the window frame. A great
deal of evidence was taken to bring the charge home to
the prisoners. The trial occupied the whole of Monday
and Tuesday. The prisoners did not appear at all al-
fected by the awful position in which they were placed.
They were all respectably dressed for working people,
and the two women had their infants in their arms dur-
ingthe trial.

William Hough proved that he had searched the eel.
lars where the prisoners resided, without discovering
any poison.
Mr. H. Coppock, solicitor for the prosecution, then
proved the examination taken before the Coroner. Part
of these were evidence given by Robert and Ann Sandys
on oath, as witnesses, when Bridget Riley was under
charge.
Mr. IVELsnv objected to this evidence being received.
It was clearly not a confession, but testimony given on
oath in the character of witnesses against another party,
and was therefore clearly. not evidence. The Learned
Gentleman argued the point at some length, and cited
several cases which bore on the question.

After hearing the Attorney-General and Mr. Towns-
end on the contrary side, and Mr. Welsby's reply,
The Learned JUDGE said he would receive the evi-
dence tendered, but as there were conflicting authorities,
he would reserve the point for the consideration of the
Judges, if it was necessary.
The examination of Anne Sandys was to the effect that
her daughter Elizabeth died about three weeks before
Mary Ann ; that she vas only six months old, and re-
ceived no food except the breast ; that during the illness
of the child no one gave it anything except herself and
Robert Sandys, the father.
The examination of Robert Sandys attributed the ill-
ness of Mary Ann to something she had received at
Bridget Riley's.
Mr. WELSBY delivered an eloquent address to the
Jury, which occupied nearly two hours in the deli-
very. He forcibly appealed to them whether it was
not most probable that the children (Mary Ann
and Jane) had taken the poison accidentally at
Bridget Riley's and this would be still more
manifest, after the evidence he should adduce. All the
circumstances of the case were consistent with the per-
fect innocence of the prisoners, for they had made no
attempt to conceal the fact of their daughter Elizabeth,
during her illness, exhibiting precisely the same symp-
toms. With regard to the poison found in the cellar six
months after the prisoners quitted it, the probability
was that it had either been put there from the outside,
or it had been there for years. After adverting, at great
length, to the facts which appeared most strongly to bear
against his clients, the Learned Gentleman concluded
by asserting his conviction that it was impossible the pri-
soners could be guilty of the crime laid to their charge,
the supposition was too horrible, and the only motive
which could be attributed far too insignificant.
Mr. R. Thomas, an assistant to Mr. Sims, druggist, of
Stockport, then proved that on two occasions, in August
and September last, Catherine, the mother of Bridget
Riley, purchased a quarter of a pound of arsenic. He
also proved that the paper found in the house of the lat-
ter was not of the same description as he had wrapped
the arsenic in.

Catherine Riley was then called, and she deposed to
having part of the. arsenic purchased, and which had
been used to destroy bugs, left in a pan, or mug, in one
of the rooms. When her daughter was in custody, the
witness sought for this parcel, but it could not be found.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL replied.
The Learned JUDGE summed up the evidence with
great minuteness in a charge which occupied nearly
three hours in the delivery.
The Jury, after a short consultation, acquitted all the
prisoners.
The Learned JUDGE then ordered the verdict of the
Jury to be also recorded on the coroner's inquisition,
but the Clerk of the Court informed him that it was not
in existence, having been accidentally burned at the
coroner's residence.
The prisoner Robert Sands, immediately on the Jury
havin„ delivered their verdict, lifted up his hands and
engaged audibly in prayer. The appearance of this
prisoner was the most dejected ; and since the trial
commenced his health appeared to have suffered very
considerably.
There are two other indictments against the prisoners,
and the Attorney-General asked until to-morrow morn-
ing to consider the course he would pursue.

WESTERN CIRCUIT—Exeter, August 4.
THE CONVICT AT EXETER
Our readers will no doubt recollect the report of the
trial of William Major, at Exeter, last Friday, and which
appeared in The Sun of Monday. The old man was
sentenced to death, and has been left for execution_
Such a sentence, being now rarely passed, created a con-
siderable sensation. Biel as may have been the conduct
of the convict, in what language of horror can the in-
famy of the wretched daughter of the man be depicted ;
so, fiendish an act can hardly be conceived ; a
woman first endeavouring to take away the life of
her husband, and children, and then by the basest
perjury swearing away the existence of her own father.
To talk of her being human is Out of the question—
she must be a perfect demon in human shape. It must
be recollected that the father was indicted for adminis-
tering the poison. The statement I subjoin would go to
prove, that though he might have procured the drug, still
his was not the hand that gave it.
It appears that the convict since his condemnation has
frequently been heard to say in his prayers, " Oh, that
I should have listened to airy one." This induced some
persons to ask him what he meant ; when at length
he said, " I did hot expect her (meaning his daugh-
ter) to come against me. She lived unhappily with
her husband because he was always drunk, and spend-