The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-27 00:00:00

S Ny
NOVEMBER 27, 1847•

Charles Elden Giraud, Sudbury, Suffolk, chemist and
druggist.
James Julyan, Falmouth.
Benjamin Hayes, Aston, Warwickshire, brushmaker.
William Wilson, Yorkshire, merchant.
Richard Wells, Polsted, Surrey, servant.
James Godwin, Slough, painter.
John Charles Gillard, Deritend, Warwickshire, hatter.
James Matthews, Birmingham, general dealer.
Richard Jones, Birmingham, clerk to a spoon ntanufac-
turer.
John Dean, Birmingham, railway carrier.
William Simpson, Aston, Warwickshire, blacksmith.
Thomas Smith, Birmingham, builder.
Samuel Jefferies, Bath, lodging-house keeper.
John Smith, Castlegate, Yorkshire, auctioneer.
William Tutton, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, excise-

man.
Edward Medlicott, jun., Huyton, Lancashire, labourer.
Thomas Fowler, Aston, Warwickshire, smith.
John Motley White, Birmingham, cabinetmaker.
Henry Binfield, Chalvey, Buckinghamshire, labourer.
Joseph Barton, Leamington Priors, Warwickshire,

• servant.
Thomas Leach, Martock, Somersetshire, baker.
Frederick Morgan Woodcock, Lanvetherine, Mon-

monthshire, farmer.
John Dix, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, printer.
Charles Griffiths, Worcester, draper.
SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.

G. Key, Dundee, merchant, to meet Dec. 2 and 23, at
one, within the Royal Hotel, Dundee.
'l'. A. Young and A. Young, Glasgow, manufacturers,
to meet Dec. 2 and 22, at two, within the writing cham-
bers of R. Jameson, Glasgow.
J. Miller, Edinburgh, machine maker, to meet Noy
30 and Dec. 21, at twelve, within the chambers of J.
Tod, Edinburgh.
J. Yule, jun., Edinburgh, banker, to meet Dec. 2 and
23, at two, within Stevenson's Rooms, Edinburgh.
R. Dodds, liilnknowe,' railway contractor, to meet
Dec. 2 and 22, at twelve, within the Salmon Inn,

A. Thomson, sen., Glasgow, teacher of music and
seller of music, to meet Dec. 2 and 22, at one, within the
writing chambers of J. Howie, Glasgow.
J. Dick and C. C. Dick, Glasgow, commission mer-
chants, to meet Dec. 3 and 24, at one, within the writing
chambers of Messrs. Steele and Doie, Glasgow.
A. Moody, Glasgow, merchant and drysalter, to meet
Dec. 3 and 31, at one, within the office of Messrs. Mein
and Cunningham, Glasgow.
J. Young, Glasgow, commission merchant and manu-
facturer, to meet Dec. 2 and 22, at one, within the
writing chambers of R. Jameson, Glasgow.
J. A. Ballantyne and J. Hughes, Edinburgh, printers,
to meet Dec. 2 and 24, at three, within the Royal Ex-
change Coffee-house, Edinburgh.

[PRIck-

service. I paid 11. down, gave him my reference, and
agreed to pay the balance at the end of next week ; but
I never went into his employment, as I found him to be
a mere imposter.
Ann Christy, wife to William Christy, of No. 20,
Beer•lane, Tower-street, said—l know the prisoner. His
name is Prudence. He took the counting-house, and
the name of Rust and Co. was put upon the door. and
the letters received there were addressed to Rust and
Co., and regularly opened by the defendant.
Mr. Goodman (the chief clerk)— Was there any per-
son of the name of Rust in the house ? Witness—No-
body at all but this man.
The LORD MAYOR—WeII, defendant, what account do
you give of this transaction? The defendant—Why,
my Lord, I have a perfect explanation of the whole
aulair to give. I took the premises of Mr. Christy, the
husband of this lady, for myself and partner, being
agents for ono or two houses, and an agreement was
drawn up in the name of Prudence, giving Mr. Christy
to understand that the business was to be carried on in
the name of Rust and Prudence. Now, having an ex-
tensive connexion, we wanted a person to go amongst
coachmakers to sell chemical colours, and dispose of
chicory amongst grocers, and we advertised far the pur-
pose. When the gentleman applied for the berth, he gave
me the 11. provided I would keep it open for him till the
following Monday, but I was much surprised
the next morning, when I went to the office,
to see him walk in, and to hear him abuse
me by calling me several names, particularly by
that of swindler, before he attempted to enter into any
conservation upon any subject. I did not like that mode
of proceeding towards a mercantile house, and felt indig-
nant. He demanded the sovereign he had handed to me
for keeping the place open for him ; thereupon I stated
that I had on his account turned away four other appli-
cants, and that I did not see why I should put myself to
the inconveniences of returning the money he had de-
posited in my hands on that day, but would give it to
him on Monday. He stamped and acted in a most ir-
rational manner, and swore he would not leave the place
unless he should receive the cash. I said I would give
him an I 0 U for 21., to be paid on the Monday, and he
shook hands with me cordially, and we parted.—
(Laughter.) Next day I was taken ill, and did not go
to the office, and he caused me to appear before your
Lordship.
The Lon. MAYOR said he should remaid the case
until Tuesday next. His Lordship considered that cases
of such a nature, involving the money and expectations
of men struggling for a livelihood, demanded from a
magistrate very particular inquiry.
LAMBETH.

DARING ROBBERY. James Roberts, Henry Ed-
wards, and Caroline Palmer, all well•known characters,
were placed at the bar before Mr. Yardley, on the fol-
lowing charge of impudent robbery :
On Wednesday last a woman named Webb was at the
Spanish Patriot public-house, rather the worse for li
quor, and the prisoners were there also. The female
prisoner shook hands with Webb, and in doing so she
managed to take five rings from her fingers. Two of
these she managed to drop on the floor, a third she
handed to the owner, and the remaining two she gave to
her companion Roberts, who started off with them.
Romaine, the constable, who has the case in hand,
said that the friends of the prisoners had managed to
get hold of the principal witness, and kept him out of the
way. The landlord of the public-house was also absent,
though he had requested his attendance.
Mr. YARDLEY remanded the prisoners Roberts and
Palmer, but discharged Edwards, and directed that sum-
monses be issued for the attendance of the necessary
witnesses at the next examination.

THE CASE OF MATRICIDE AT
HACKNEY.

Yesterday, at noon, Mr. W. Baker, coroner for East
Middlesex, and the jury empanneled to investigate the
circumstances attending the death of Mrs. Frances
Sheridan, the widow of an officer in the army, lately
resident in Mare-street, Hackney, re-assembled at the
Dolphin Tavern, pursuant to an adjournment from Tues-
day last, for the purpose of further prosecuting the
inquiry.
The facts of this case have from time to time appeared
in The Sun, in the shape of reports of proceedings
befot e the coroner, as well as before the sitting magis-
trates at Worship-street Police-court, from which office
the son of the
.deceased, William Stewart Sheridan, is
now under remand on a charge of having caused his
mother's death. Although yesterday was the sixth
occasion on which the jury had assembled, so great was
the interest felt in the proceedings, that the court was
densely crowded even before the coroner's arrival.
The evidence taken during the day was very similar
to that already given before the magistrates. It is,
therefore, unnecessary to repeat it in detail. Suffice it
to say, that the clerk of the London Life Assurance
Corporation proved that the son of the deceased sur-
rendered a policy for 500/., effected on his own life, and
dated October 22, 1829, in consideration of the payment
of 961. 16s. Gd., which he received within 24 hours
of his mother's death ,• the daughters of the de-
ceased severally repeated their testimony previously
given, the manner in which they did so being marked
by very decided acrimonious feeling against the accused
party ; Mr. Randall, the landlord of the house, No. 31,
Mare-street, in which the family resided, proved the
frequent occurrence of the most violent quarrels between
the parties, adding that on one occasion he heard the
brother threaten to do for his sister Catherine ; Mr.
Evans, the summoning-officer, deposed to the state of
anxiety which William Sheridan exhibited when it had
been determined to make a post-mortent examination of
his mother's remains, and to his expressed desire that
the publication in the newspapers of anything in con-
nexion with the affair should be suppressed ; and Ser-
geant Hawker proved having found in the prisoner's
desk at the Excise-office three 201. Bank of England
uotes, one sovereign, and other moneys. This officer
also produced the following letter, which had been re-
ceiver the day previous by Miss Catherine Sheridan
from her brother :
" House of Detention, Clerkenwell.
" Kate—Oh do keep that bit of dear mother's silver
hair for me. I put it on the top of the glass. I dreamt
of her on Friday ; she said to me " Why. do you stay
away—l am so lonely." Oh ! she came right up to me
—miserable.
" WILLIAM S. SHERIDAN.
" Miss C. Sheridan, 31, Mare-street, Hackney.
The case being closed as far as evidence was con-
cerned,
The CORONER charged the jury. The Learned Gen-
tleman commenced by calling upon them to dismiss from
their minds everything they might have heard elsewhere
on the subject, and to confine themselves strictly to a
consideration of the evidence which had been laid before
them. This evidence had been of a most voluminous
character, and had disclosed a variety of extraordinary
and painful facts, on which it now became their duty to
decide. That the deceased had met her death by unfair
means, he thought none who had heard the testimony of
the various witnesses could, for a moment, doubt. The
medical evidence proved beyond all question the pre-
sence of arsenic in the stomach of the deceased, and the
matter for their consideration was, by whom had it been
administered. After reading over, and commenting upon ,
the depositions of the various witnesses as calculated
to throw any light on this subject, Mr. Baker proceeded
to refer to that portion of the evidence affecting the
character of the accused party, remarking that he
thought they could have little difficulty in coming to the
conclusion that he was a young man of dissipated habits,
and very much addicted to intemperance. The Learned
Coroner here read from Ray's " Medical Jurisprudence"
several extracts, showing the effect of excessive indul- •
gence in spirituous liquors on certain minds. Among
the illustrations quoted was that of the celebrated
Sh& ridan, who, according to the author, " never spoke
in the House of Commons without the inspiration of
half a pint of brandy." It ;was a singular coincidence
(continued Mr. Baker) that that once great man should
have been the very beacon held out in the book from
which lie had quoted to warn others of the vice of in-
temperance, and it was a still more remarkable and
painful fact that he was no other than the grandsire* of
that unfortunate young man who was now confined
within the walls of a prison on the dreadful charge of
matricide. The Coroner here read an extract from the
biography of Sheridan, which stated that " his death
took place amidst a complication of difficulties, fears,
and sorrows, brought on by his own imprudent and
intemperate habits." After which he remarked, bitter
indeed must have been his reflections could he but
have been conscious of the legacy he thus bequeathed
to his posterity—namely, the hereditary inherit-
ance of a broken constitution, a debilitated body,
an emaciated and attenuated frame. What did
the jury now see before them? A whole family.nim-
merged in the lowest sink ofintemperance—thegeld ads
debased—their morals impure. The mother hair d
victim of filth and disease; one of her daughters
forth on
aughters unable
to bear the last, closing scene, had wandered
the evening of her death, not knowing whither she was
driven back by the
going, and only returning
when
energies; while the son, in-
stead of dutifully rendering prostration of her physical
the last sad offices to his
widowed
parent, there was too much reason to fear, first
placed the "poisoned chalice to her lips," and then
hurried to the office in which his life had been insured,
securing, on the very day of his mother's death, the
small pittance of 961., on his policy of 5001., to feed his
depraved appetite for future revels of intoxication.
After some further remarks in a similar strain, the
Coroner reminded the jury that they mast not
allow
their feelings to influence their judgment; it was their 1
duty carefully to consider all the circumstances attend-
ing the case, and come to a conclusion thereon. Having
pointed out the law as applicable to the present, case,
Mr. Baker said he left the matter, with every confidence,
in the hands of the jury, satisfied that they would do
justice to all parties.
The court was here cleared, and the jury remained in
deliberation for about half an hour, at the expiration of
which time it was announced that 12 out of 13 of the
dpaisnseelntliteandt, agreedtoitiwasunderstood, averdict of " Wilful murder,' the
objecting on the ground
of
Tsriee_Rpoecouliar opinion entertained by himself.
NER said the verdict must be unanimous, and,
after some little further deliberation,

* The Coroner afterwards repeated this statement,which he said he had received on good authority. Of
its accuracy we know nothing.

train for
just wot
both o h.
country, a
the ca
e Foreman said he thoughts vote of thanks was due
to the coroner for the able manner in which he had con-
ducted the investigation, and on behalf of himself and
brother jurors he begged to sender the same.
The CORONER briefly acknowledged the compliment ;
and a high eulogium having been passed on Mr. Tidy,
the surgeon through whose instrumentality it was first
discovered that the deceased had partaken of poison, the
proceedings terminated.

as own behalf as well as on behalf of the
rr the patient attention they had devoted to

_
The witnesses were all bound over to appear and give
evidence at the next sessions of the Central Criminal
Court, and a warrant for the committal of the accused
was handed to the summoning officer.
..._.

The sisters of the deceased were both present up to
the close of the inquiry, and heard the verdict without
any apparent concern ; indeed, it has been generally
remarked that their conduct throughout the proceeeings
has been marked by the most disgraceful levity.
The accused is said to be the godchild of a noble lord
whose name he bears.