The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-26 00:00:00

PITCHER A. PARKER P.O. W. ROBERTS, ESQ.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff, %ho sued in forma
pauperis, against the defendant, a Magistrate fur the County
of Surrey, to recover compensation from him for an alleged
false imprisonment.
The ease possessed no other interest than this, that, through
some informality or legal technicality, the pauper was defeated
by the Magistrate—a matter of every day occurrence.

NORTHERN ClRCUlT.—Liverpool, Aug. 24.
CROWN 511)t.,-(BefOre Lord DE'NITAN). -
William Jenner, a middle-aged person, respectably dressed,
and of respectable appearance, was indicted for the wilful mur-
der of Mary Jenner, his wife, by shooting her with a pistol.
Mr. Starkie and Dr. Brown conducted the prosecution, and
Sir G. Lewin and Mr. Murphy the defence.
The Court was crowded to excess at an early hour, very great
interest having been created in consequence of ie prisoner
having been for many years a respectable merchant in this place.
Mr. STA RKIE having stated a brief °Wine of the case to the
Jury, called the witnesses.
George Jenner, the only remaining child of the prisoner, an
intelligent lad, deposed, that on Friday, the 26th of April
last, the family consisted of his father, mother, brother, and
himself. He went to bed about eleven o'clock, and slept with
his brother in the front bed-room, and his father and mother in
the back bed-room. He was awoke in the morning about six
o'clock by the report of a pistol ; his father was standing beside
the bed with something in his hand. It was a pistol. Witness
jumped out of bed, and caught him by the hands and held him
against the door. He got loose, and witness went down stairs
to the front door, but could not get out, and he went into the
parlour ; he then heard the report of a second pistol, and his
father came down stairs, and caught hold of witness with his
right hand. He had two pistols. Witness caught hold of cne
and got it from him. He wanted it back. Witness wanted
to go upstairs to see his mother. He did so, but did not find
her, and came down again, when the prisoner followed him
and got hold of him. He struck the prisoner on the head
with the pistol, and asked him what he did so for. He said
he was crazy. Witness then went into the kitchen, and
thought he heard his mother call. He found her on the
floor. There was blood about her head. He spoke to her
but she could not answer. The prisoner came down, and
witness tried to raise her up, but being encumbered with the
pistols could not. Prisoner asked witness to give him them.
Witness said no, he would throw them away. He then went
into the yard and threw them into the midden. He told
witness to come in, but he refused, and said he would go for
a surgeon and the police. He then went out of the back
door and along a lane. He snot a man whom he told to
get a policeman, and went himself to get Mr. Ackerley, the
surgeon, and returned in five or ten minutes. The policeman
was there then.

On cross-examination the witness stated that the prisoner
had always been kind to his mother. About eight months ago
he was in a state of great excitement, and brought home very
ill. His face was red, and he was very lively. Mother said
he was foolish to think so much of things that were past. In
October or September there was something about prussic
acid, and Mr. Ackerley and another surgeon were sent f,,r.
After that witness or his mother always came home with him
from the counting-house. •
W. Maddock, a policeman, went to the house and knocked.
The prisoner asked, "Is that George?" The policeman said
" Yes," and he was let in. He found Mrs. Jenner lying in the
kitchen, bleeding from a wound in the side of the head.
Other policemen came, and they found a double-barrelled
pistol on the kitchen floor—one barrel loaded, the other dis-
charged. Another double-barrelled pistol was found in the
prisoner's pocket, both barrels loaded. A box, with materials
for loading them, was also found. To Rice Smith, inspector
of police, the prisoner said that Mr. Roberts was to blame for
all this ; and if they all four had gone to the cemetery together
it would have been right. He said his wife had been a good
wife, and spoke of his two fine boys. When the son George
came the prisoner asked the boy to kiss him. He said, "No,
you shot my mother and brother, and you wanted to shoot
me." He said, " Yes, we should all have come to poverty."
He said be had been unfOrtimate in busitees, and he had been
crazy for a long time. He then wrung his hands and said,
" Oh I Mr. Roberts, Mr. Roberts, what have you done t) my
wife and family !" Mrs. Jenner lived till the 6th of May, and
then died.

After some discussion a deposition made by her was received
in evidence; it stated that nn the morning of the occurrence
she had come down before her husband. He came down shortly
after with his shoes in his hands, and was going to clean thew,
as the servant was ab:ent. He went up stairs again. She
shortly after felt a shock, and thought he had had a tit. She
shortly after heard the children crying out " murder," and she
called Mr. Jennor. She then became insensible.

Mr. Ackerley stated, that he said to the prisoner, " This is
a sad business.' He replied, " Yes, lam a deranged man;
you've been here before, you know."
On cross-examinatiwn Mr. Ackerley stated that he and Dr.
Benning hid been called in in November, when it was sus-
pected that the prisoner had taken prussic acid, and remedies
were administered. He seemed then to be labouring under
insanity—a monomania as to the state of his affairs, which he
thought in a ruinous condition.
A number of witnesses ware called to speak as to the state of
the prisoner's mind, and the Jury, after a short retirement,
returned with a verdict of Acquittal, on the ground of insanity,
The verdict appeared to give universal satisfaction.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
GUILDHALL

Yesterday Messrs. Yates, Hedges, Middleditch, Jordan,
Wall, and Dyer, and eight others, Shareholders in the Union
Flint Glass Company at Bromley, attended before Sir Peter
Laurie, to solicit his advice what they should do under the fol-
lowing harassing circumstances :—They stated, that in the
year 1839, a prospectus was issued, representing that there was
an immense consumption of glassware in the metropolis, that
the supply came from different parts of the country, and the
breakage on the road was se enormous, that a very large pro-
fit would be made -by making the glass in the metro-
polis. The price of the shares was only 51., so as to bring
them within the reach of men in moderate circum-
stances like the applicants. The works were erected at
Bromley, and after working up 4,0001. worth of materials,
they found the scheme was a decided failure. The estimates,
which led them to expect a large profit, were found to be fal-
lacious. The glass instead of selling at 10d. a pound, was
sold at 4d. ; but even at 10d. it would be manufactured at a
loss. Coals were found to amount to nearly half the expense
of fabricating glass, instead of only a tenth part, as the esti-
mates held out. The prospectus held forth that the sharehold-
ers would be guaranteed from liability to loss beyond the sum
paid for the shares, by the Directors making it a rule that no
expense should be incurred which there was not funds in hand
to meet, notwithstanding which the Directors had incurred
debts to the amount of 6,000/., and the creditors of the Com-
pany were serving writs on the Shareholders separately or in
masses, for amounts which would strip them of all their
property.
Sir P. LAURIE asked how the Company had already in-
curred a debt of 6,0001. ? A party replied, the sale of the
shares produced only 3,000/., and the building of the works cost
6,0001.

Sir J. Dur.z said they must pay the claims when made
upon them •or defend the actions.
Sir P. LA ?sins said no such thing as a II mit at ion of respon-
sibility was attainable by shareholders as to claims from the
public. What the deed might say about limitation would be
operative only amongst the shareholders is against each other.
There was more villany in the concocting of some Companies,
than in the committing of what were deemed serious crimes.
The applicants said their object was to know how they
could best prevent the Directors from going on, and incurring
new liabilities, to the utter destruction of each shareholder.
The Directors defied them.

Sir P. L LURIE thought the best course was to call a public
meetiro, of the shareholders, expose the names and addresses
of thcr'llirectors, sift their accounts and management, and
show that the Company was a complete failure. This would
stop further credit being given, and they must resist every
action that might be brought thereafter.
The applicants promised to consult upon the subject, and
to furnish Sir Peter with a list of the Sareholders, Directors,
and some ether matters.

UNEMPLOYED MINISTERS IN NEW ENG-
LAND.—In Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massa-
chusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, there are 120
ministers without a charge, 56 who are candidates for the
holy office, and not fewer than 216 vacant , churches.
These things must not continue to be so long. Fifty
years ago Massachusetts was better supplied with minis-
ters than she is at the present day. Look out that the
Unitarians, Universalists, and the Trascendentalisis, do
not supply these vacant churches.
THE WEATHER.—Since our last publication,
the weather in this neighbourhood has been exceedingly vari-
able and unsettled. Early on Saturday morning, the town
arid neighbourhood were visited by a violent thunder-storm,
which appears to have extended over the greater tart of the
north of England and Scotland, and southward as far as
Shrewsbury. On Sunday afternoon we laa,l heavy sad con-
tinued rain, which also appears to have been very extensive ;
and yesterday (Tuesday) morning, a most terrific thunder-
s:orm burst upon the town of Liverpool, where two of the
churches, St. Michael's and St. Martin's, were seriously da-
maged by the lightning ; and the fall of rain is stated to have
been exczedingly heavy. It would appear, however, from the
London newspapers, that these vicissitudes of the weather
have not been experienced in that. quarter, and though
seine rain fell on Monday, the weather has been, on the
whole, favourable' for maturing and gathering the crops; and
on this account. the unfavourable weather experienced in the
north has not produced any effect on the price of corn. It
will be seen, from the report of the Liverpool Corn Mai ket of
yesterday, that the great decline which took place in the
price of grain on Friday last, was not at all tecoverr d yester-
day ; and that sales were made at a decline of 6d., and
in some cases Bd. per bushel on the prices of the pre-
ceding Tuesday. At Leeds, however, though little business
was done, holders were firm, and the previous high rates were
generally maintained. Indeed, the great decline in Liverpool
seems to be in great measure owing to the liberaim of a con-
siderable quantity of Canadian wheat and flour, which was
previously under lock there. Yesterday, the weather in this
neighbourhood was tolerably favourable for the harvest, being
bright and dry, though rather cold ; but it was far from exhi-
biting the settled appearance which is so exceedingly desirable
^.t the present time.—Manchester Guardian.