The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-25 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

IVORTHERN ClRCUlT.—Liverpool, March 22.
The assizes commenced here this in.Rning, Mr. Baron
Rolfe presiding in the civil, and Mr. Baron Alderson on
the Crown side.

In his charge to the grand jury, his Lordship said that
notwithstanding the great distress which prevailed, he
was happy to find that there was not so crest an increase
of crime as might have been expected, nor were the
crimes, except four or five, of great magnitude.
There were 83 cases in the calendar, which, consider-
ing the recent winter assize, might be considered a large
number, but for the prevailing distress.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron ALDERSON.)
Hugh O'Neal, aged 53, was indicted for cutting and
wounding George Townend, at Wardle, on the 29th of
December last, with intent to do him grievous bodily
harm.

The prosecutor, a working man, was at a public house
when the prisoner, who is a travelling tinker, went in.
Some words ensued, and the prisoner who had a large
soldering-iron in his hand, struck the prosecutor a heavy
blow with it on the side of the face, near the left temple,
which made a mark which he will retain till death ; but
the surgeon, to a question from the judge, saying that the
skin was not broken,l
His LORDSHIP said there was an end of the charge of
felony, and
The jury thereupon found the prisoner Guilty of an
assault only.

HIS -.ORDSLIIP sentenced the prisoner to be impri-
soned, with hard labour, six calendar months.
Thomas Fothergill, aged 30, was indicted for wound-
ing his wife, Maria, with intent to murder, and also with
intent to do her grievous bodily harm, at Westhoughton,
on the 13th of February last.
It appeared that the prisoner, who is a miller, went
home on the above day, when some words took place
between him and his wife respecting some money she
had taken from him while he was asleep. She had one
of their children in her arms, which ho desired her to
put down, saying he did not wish to hurt the child. She
not complying, he took it from her, and laid it down on
a sofa•chair. She took it up again, but he bid her lay it
down again, which she did. He then threw her down
on the hearth, and with the poker gave her two severe
blows with it, each inflicting a wound on the head ; and
a third blow she received on her hand by putting it up
to defend her head. When he had thus done he went
to a neighbour's, and asked her if she could find him
anywhere to be out of the way of the police. He had
killed Maria.

Mr. Baron ALDER/ON told the jury the only question
in the case was the intent wish which the. prisoner in-
flicted the blows. He thought the jury would hardly
conclude that the prisoner intended to murder his wife,
but he, in striking her on the head while lying hel?less
on the hearth, must have intended to do her harm.
His very care of the. child favoured that view of the
case.

The jury found the prisoner guilty on the count charg-
,ng the intent to do grievous bodily harm only.
Sentence deferred.

Jane Baker, aged 26, was indicted for bigamy.
It appeared th,t, in October, 1836, the prisoner was
married to George Baker, who worked in a cotton-mill.
She lived with him but a short time, but two years after-
wards they came together for a time, and then again
parted, having had one child. In January last year
the prisoner again married Henry Hyde, her former
husband being then and still alive. She said she was not
lawfully married to Baker, because she had married
him in a wrong name, and that she had married him in
a wrong name in order that she might leave him when
she liked.
Mr. Baron ALDERSON told the jury they had nothing
to do with the question as to the name of the prisoner.
The only question for them was, whether the prisoner
was the person who was married to Baker, there being
no doubt it was she who married Hyde.
The jury having found her Guilty,
His LORDSHIP told her that the law would not permit
her to take advantage of her own fraud in marrying in a
false name, had she indeed done so. As against her, at
all events, the first marriage was valid. As, however,
so much injury was not inflicted by the commission of
this offence by a woman as by a wan, he should only
sentence her to be imprisoned, and kept to hard labour,
tor three calendar months.

OXFORD ClRCUlT—Stafford, March 22.
(11-fore Mr. Sergeant GAZELEE.)
Mary Ann Scuffem, 25, was indicted fur the wilful
murder of Eliza bcutfein, at Shenston, on thq 9th of No-
vember.
Mr. Sergeant Allen, with Mr. Huddleston, conducted
the prosecution, and Mr. Woolrych defended the
prisoner.
William Pennell said, I am governor of Lichfield
workhouse. The prisoner had a child named Eliza, two
years old, with whom she left the house on the morning
of the 9th of November. She was in the family-way.
She gave me notice the night before. On the 11th of
November I saw the dead body of the child at the
Anchor, at Cat's-hill. The child was in perfect health
when she left.

Samuel Curry—l saw the prisoner coming out of the
turnpike-road to a rick in a field, near the towing-path
of the canal. She took some straw from the rick, and
put it by the side. She had a child. I asked her if she
was going to drown the child, or herself ? She said,

" No, God bless it ; she was too fend of She said
told her that was not the roar' and
to Walsall. I
she came from Lichfield, and w::isld
she did not get up
and'stable. She then got up and
e canal. The next day I heard
weu
went
o along
n I
ngr wouldthe sfiedtec
of fetch
t,hc,o
of a child being drowD.efa in the canal.
John Critch---;_tn the night of Monday, the 9th of No-
vember, I :r'ias going along by the side of the canal on
the towing-path, when I saw a woman and child about
a quarter of a mile from the Anchor Inn. She was sit-
ting down on her right heel, and had the child against
her left leg, partly undressed. I asked her what she was
doing, and she said the child had bedaubed itself, and
she was shifting it.
Joseph Walker found the body of a dead female child
in the canal, and took it to the Anchor Inn. The pri-
soner's father and mother lived about three miles from
there. I have known her eight years, and she has been
considered of weak intellect.

Henry Woodroofe, house surgeon, examined the body
of the child at the Anchor Inn; found it remarkably
healthy. Death was caused by drowning. Had a con-
versation two years ago with the prisoner, which left an
impression on his mind that she was a person of rather
weak intellt ct.

Mr. Woolrych having addressed the jury for the
prisoner, and. Mr. Sergeant Allt.n replied, his Lordship
having summed up, the jury returned a verdit of Nut
Guilty, on the ground of int:anity.
She was removed. and ordered to be detained in cus-
tody during her Majesty's pleasure.
Mr. Justice Maule sat in the Nisi Prius Court, and
disposed of the case of Fleetwood v. Shipman, which was
an action to recover damages for slanderous words. Da
mages one farthing.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
BOW-STREET.

A charwoman, named Louisa Wright, was charged
with stealing a quantity of silver plate, belonging to
Miss Williamson, of 139, Strand.

The prosecutrix missed the plate, consisting of silver
spoons, forks, &c., to the number of about forty-seven,
from an iron chest in her bed room, on the Bth ut March
instant, and, suspecting that they had been stolen by a
discharged servant, with whom the prisoner was on in-
timate terms (being then also in the same service), she
consulted the latter respecting the robbery, but without
learning anything about it. It afterwards appeared that
nearly the whole of the plate had been pledged, from
time to time, by the prisoner, at the shop of Mr. Lux-
more, pawnbroker, St. Martin's-lane, under various
pretences. _

The prisoner, in reply to the charge, said that the
discharged servant, a girl named Wood, gave her the
things to pledge, and received all the money and dupli-
cates upon the goods.
Mr. JARDINE remanded her for further examination.

Philip Hay, son of Major-General Hay, was brought
up on a warrant from the Southwark Police Court,
charged with refusing to pay a cab fare in February,
1846. The cabman had obtained the warrant on hear-
ing of the defendant's being in custody at the above
court, and now applied for the fare and his expenses,
amounting in all to 1L 3s. 4d.
The Major-General promised to pay the money, and
the parties stepped out of court to agree to some
arrangement between themselves.
WORSHIP-STREET.

Thomas Brooks, who stood charged with the wilful
murder of William Gobart, was placed at the bar before
Mr. Arnold for final examination.

The prisoner appeared to be greatly affected at the
painful position in which he was placed, and was allowed
to remain seated during the proceedings.
Two or three additional witnesses were now exa-
mined, but their evidence amounted to little more than
a confirmation of the facts that have already been de-
tailed.

A young girl, named Mary Jarvis, deposed that dur-
ing the altercation between the parties, shortly before
the fatal occurrence, the deceased applied the most scur-
rilous epithets to the prisoner, and also struck him one
or two violent blows about the head. The prisoner then
rapidly retreated into his Own house, and she heard the
deceased remark, in answer to an observation from one
of his companions, that if he had a knife about him he
would stick the prisoner with it. Witness was so
alarmed at his threats that she was hastening home
when she heard the loud report of a gun, and on run-
ning into the passage MI over the body of the deceased-
After some further evidence, of an unimportant cha-
racter, the Magistrate ordered the prisoner to be brought
up again on Friday next for the formal completion of
the depositions.
SOUTHWARK.

Mr. Philip Hay, the son of Major-General Hay, who
was charged with obtaining goods under false pre-
tences from tradesmen in the district of this Court,
and was liberated on bail, attended in compliance
with the terms of his recognizance, to answer any
charge which might be preferred against him. The
accused was accompanied by his father, Major-General
Hay.
Mr. COTTINGHAM inquired whether there were any
persons in attendance to make any charges against the
accused ; that on the previous day he made him find
sureties in consequence of a person named Brooker
having stated that he not only obtained goods of various
tradesmen under an assumed name, but had also plun-
dered his ready furnished apartments. He (the Magis-
trate) was therefore ready to hear any evidence which
might be adduced against the accused, but that it
parties were not in attendance, he should dischary
him forthwith ; and if he was given into custody without
just grounds by Brooker, he had his remedy against that
person.
Brooker stood forward and said, that he apprised
Mr. Sparrow, the brushmaker of Stamford-street, from
whom the prisoner obtained a quantity of bristles
under the assumed name of Commodore Henry, and
promised a large order of the same description of article
for the use of the navy ; but although that individual
promised to be present at the examination, he was not in
attendance.
Mr. COTTINGHAM—Is the person present from whom,
it was alleged the preceding day, the accused had plan•
tiered articles out of his ready furnished apartment ?
Brooker said, that he also notified to that party the fact
of his having given the accused into custody, but still he
did not appear.
The prisoner inveighed against Brooker, and again
declared that that person's only motive in giving him
into custody was for the purpose of extorting money
from him.
Mr. COTTINGHAM inquired how Brooker became ac-
quainted with the accused, and his reply was, that it was
a most unfortunate acquaintance for him, that -he met
him casually.
After some further proceedingS
Mr. CoTrlNGuam said, that there were no grounds for
the accused's further detention, and that he was, there-
fore, discharged.
The accused, however, was no sooner liberated than
he was again taken into custody on a warrant granted
from Bow-street, to which Court he was immediately
taken.
LAMBETH.

Mr. John Glover, the owner and driver of one of the
Peckham omnibuses, badge 1,047, and James Bagley, the
driver of a Camberwell buss, badge 2,006, appeared to
answer the charge of furious driving, on the morning of
Sunday week.
The cases were clearly established, and it appeared
that Glover, in cutting in before, to impede his oppo-
nent, run his near wheels in the kennel, and dashed the
mud about so as to c?mplet. ely besmear a gentleman who
was going to enjoy himselfin the country, but owing to
the mishap was obliged to return to town.
Mr. ELLIOTT convicted Glover in the penalty of 405.,
or fourteen days ; and Bagley 10s., or five days' impri-
sonment. THAMES.

Charles Frinhish, a carpenter, about thirty years of
age, was charged with the wilful murder of Samuel
Salter, a porter, of Leadenhall Market. The prisoner
is a tall and thin man, and appeared to be much affected
at the situation in which he was placed.
The first witness called was Hobert Salter, the de-
ceased's uncle, who stated that the prisoner was residing
at 14, London-terrace, Commercial-road. He knew
nothing of the circumstances which led to the death of
his nephew, except what the prisoner told him. On
Sunday morning last the prisoner called upon witness,
and stated that he came home on Saturday morning,
about one o'clock, and that he was informed by
a police-constable that he had had a good deal of
trouble with the deceased, who lived in the same house.
An altercation took place between them, and the de-
ceased threatened to strike the prisoner, who said, " No,
you will not," on which the deceased instantly struck
him. A struggle and fierce contest then ensued be-
tween them, and they fought several rounds in the par-
lour, kitchen, and in the passage. They both went to
their separate rooms, after they had done fighting, and
retired to rest. Shortly after the prisoner went into the
deceased's bed-room, and they fought again for some
time in the dark, and broke a table. The prisoner re-
turned to his own bed, and on the following morning
when he got up he went to the deceased's bed-room, and
asked him how he was. The deceased said, " Oh,
Frank, you have done for me." He was then bleeding
profusely, and the prisoner immediately called in Mr.
Dale, a surgeon. The deceased was conveyed to the
London Hospital, but he did not remain there long. In
the afternoon the prisoner again took the deceased to
the hospital.
Mr. YARDLEY asked the witness if the statement
made by the prisoner was a voluntary one.
The witness said it was. He had stated the sub.
stance of what the prisoner said. He had not heard of
any previous quarrels between the prisoner and the de-
cersed.
Police-constable II 96 stated that he took the prisoner
into custody, and he then made the same statetnentas
ho had done to the first witness.
Mr. John Clementson Day, house surgeon to the Lon-
don Hospital, stated that the deceased was brought there
at a late hour on Saturday night. He was covered with
bruises, which appeared to have been recently inflicted.
The upper part of the body was greatly discoloured.
The deceased appeared to have been knocked about in
a most shocking manner, as if from a cudgel, and the
blows must have been very severe. The arms were
blackened all over, and there were large patches of
bruises. The deceased appeared to have been intoxi-
cated,. and was very much depressed. He was in a
partially delirious state from the time of his admission
until his death, which took place that morning.
The prisoner asked the witnesses several questions,
which elicited nothing material, and he then stated that
he called on Mr. Dale, the surgeon, because he had at-
tended the deceased before, and that he was attacked
with illness on Saturday morning which caused
his death. The deceased had been afflicted with a si-
milar illness before, and he had witnesses to prove it.
Mr. YARDLEY said this case must be further investi-
gated, and remanded the prisoner till Monday next.
The prisoner applied to be admitted to bail, and it was
refused.