The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-17 00:00:00

SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT THE NINE ELMS
STATION, VAUXHALL.

II OME CIRC UIT. —IIIA insrax r, IllAncit 16,

Toe Learned Judges took their seats on the Btmeh
this day at te❑ o'clock. Lord Denman sat on the Civil
Side, and Mr. Baron Parke in the Crown Court.

Last night a fire .of the most destruetv e character broke
out at th Railway Terminus at the Nine Elms Station.
About half-past seven o'clock a flame and smoke were
first pi rcei' ed in the locomotive engine department cf C.e
storehouses attached to the station, and forming the left
wing of the establishment, and above which was the tower
containing the clock belonging to the Company, and well
known to the frequenters of this line of railway. The
cry of fire was no sooner }weird than the whole of the Com-
p:l3's servants on the spot flew to the store-room, and
adopted the most vigorous efforts to extinguish the flames,
but without the smallest success, the flames appearing to
burst J.:Attie with still greater fury, and it soon became ap-
parent, from the combustible nature of the materials
ignited, that all attempts to stop the progress of the flames
were hopeless. The apartment in which the fire originated
was used as a store for turpentine, oil, &c., and an im-
mense quantity of these infiammat9ry substances was de-
posited in various parts of the building. Szareely a
quarter of an hour elapsed from the first discovery of the
tire, when the building was in a complete blaze, and
burning with frightful rapidity.
Every exertion nes now made on the part of the ser-
vants attached to the railway to get away the carriages
that were preparing for departure by the mail train,
which kayos London about half-past eight in the evening.
They soon succeeded in removing them beyond the
reach of the devouring dement, and depositing them in a
place of safe ty and in such a manner that their departure
at the usual hour should not be prevented, even if the whole
estalAishment should be reduced to ashes ; and the ser-
vants of the Company exerted themselves to keep the pas-
sengers at a distance and out of danger.
By eight o'cLck the spectacle pre.ented by the burning
edifice was terrific and imposieg in the extreme. The night
appeared to he turned into day, and the whole of the engine
department was involved in one eatire sheet of flame.
About ten minutes past eight o'clock the first engine cf the
London Fire Brigade, No. 22, arrived, and almost imme-
diately after, No. 15, and Mr. Braidwood, the Superiu-
' tendent of the Brigade. They instantly began to play upon
the middle part of building. Several other engines of
the brigade followed. Mr. Towlines, of the Vauxhali water-
works, also made his appearance, and the supply of water
was most abundant. Great prai cis ',due to the Company,
for t,.e active exertions of their servants, by whose exer-
thus tie engine were abundantly supplied with water,
and enabled to play with double effect on the burning
mess. Notnitbitaucing the immense quantity of water
poured upon the edifice the flames soon reached the clock-
tower, the tiniber of which quickly ignited, and the whole
toner was envelope I in sheets of flame, which ascended
into the air to an immense height, and illuminated the
atmosphere for miles round. At half-past eight o'cleck
part cf the roof, tozether with the tenor, fell with a tre-
mendous crash. _

CROWN COURT.

The calendar contains the names of one bundled and
fourteen prisoners—an almost unprecedented number
for this county.
Mr. Baron PARKE, in charging the Grand Jury,
observed that he regretted to see there was so great a
number of prisoners for trial at the present assizes, but
with one or two exceptions the eaves did not present
any legal difficulty, and it would not therefore be neces-
sary to trouble them with any observations upon them.
There was a charge against tha captain and mate of a
merchant vessel, of the murder of a boy, who had been
an apprentice on board the same vessel, and this case
would require serious attention at their hands. There
appeared to be no very distinct proof of the actual
cause of the death of the deceased, but it would seem
that it was in a great measure to be attributed to cold
and to the want of proper clothing, and general neglect;
and the Jury would have to consider whether the con-
duct of the captain or the mate was such as to amount
to a criminal neglect, sufficient to support the indictment
against them.
THE CASE OF MR. SAVARD, OF SITTINGBOURNE.
Mr. CHAMBERS made an application to the Court in
reference to the case of the above individual, which,
from his station in the county and his opulent circum-
stances, has caused a great deal of interest in the
county.
It will be remembered that a true bill was found
against Mr. Savard at the Spring Assizes. 1840, for
forgery ; and upon his application to postpone the trial,
it was granted, and he was allowed to go at large upon
his own recognizances in the sum of 1,000/., and find-
leg two sureties in 500/. each to appear and take his
trial at the Summer Assizes. He did not appear in dis-
charge of these recognizances, and they were, con-
sequently, estreated, and the thousand pound, the
ansaunt of the recognizances of the sureties, were sub-
sequently paid into the Exchequer.
Mr. CHA➢SBEIRS having brit fly alluded to the above
circumstances, informed the Court that the attorney
for the prosecution had ree,eived a notice from Say.ird
to the eff..et that he intended to surrender and take his
trial at the present assizes, and be wished, as the wit-
nesses on behalf of the prosecution were now quite
ready, that he should be called upon to surrender.

Sward was accordingly called, but he did not answer.
Mr. CHAMBERS then said he had reason to believe
that there was no intention on the part of Savard to
tike his trial, but that his object was to annoy the pro-
secutors, and put them to inconvenience. He, there-
fore, begged the Court would allow the witnesses to go
home, and not put them to the expense of attending all
the assizes. If they went away without the sanction
of the Court, the defendant might come in and claim an
acquittal.
Mr. Baron PARKE said he would take care that
justice should not be defeated in this way, and it was
understood that the witnesses would not be required to
attend any longer.
Thomas Whitehead, who was convicted at the Sum-
mer Assizes in 1840, of a burglary, but upon whom
judgment was respited on account of a point_ of law that
was raised in his favour, was placed at the bar to hear
the decision of the Judges upon it.
It appeared that the prisoner was indicted for a bur-
glary in the dwelling-house of Elizabeth Andrews, and
stealing property belonging to Jchn Andrews. In a
second count the property was laid to belong to her
Majesty, as it appeared that Andrews had been con-
victed of felony, and had consequently forfeited all
claim to it. An objection was taken that although An-
drews had been convicted of felony the house should
have been charged as his dwelling-house, and that also,
as no inquisition had been taken, the property was not
legally vested in the Crown, and that the second count
of the indictment, therefore, could not be sustained..
Mr. Baron PARKE said that the Judges had con-
sidered the points that were raised, and they had de-
cided that the first count of the indictment could not
be sustained, but that the second count was properly
laid, and the conviction must therefore stand.
Ho then sentenced the prisoner to be kept to hard
labour for two years.
FORGERY UPON THE BANK OP ENGLAND.—John
Kelly, aged 41, described in the calendar as a cattle-
dealer, was indicted for feloniously uttering a 51. note,
purporting to be of the Bank of England, with intent
to defraud the Governor and Company of that Corpo-
ration.
Mr. Adolphus, with Mr. Bullock, conducted the pro-
secution, and Mr. Clarkson defended the prisoner.
A number of witnesses were examined, from whose
evidence it appeared that, on the 7th of November, the
prisoner went to the yard of a livery-stable keeper in
Whitechapel, named Croft, and said that he should
want a horse and chaise the next day to go to Wind-
sor, and that be should not be back for
two days. The prisoner and another man, ac-
cordingly set off with the horse and chaise,
and it appeared that on the morning of the same
day the prisoner went into the shop of Mr. Neal, a
linen-draper at Tonbridge Wells, and purchased some
silk handkerchiefs,,which camp to eleven shillings, and he
tendered in payment a note, apparently of the Bank of
England, for 51., and three sovereigns and two half so-
vereigns were given him, and Mr. Neal went out for
the purpose of getting the remainder of the change,
and shortly after he had left the shop the prisoner said
he would have two more handkerchiefs instead of the
remaining change, and he took up two, and was about
to leave the shop, when Mr. Neal met him, and told
him he suspected the note was not genuine, and the pri-
soner then gave him back the money and the handker-
chiefs. The prisoner afterwards, accompanied by
Mr. Neal, went to the Tonbridge Wells Bank,
and the note was discovered to be forged,
and the prisoner made a snatch at it and attempted to
destroy it. While the prisoner was under examination
he made a second snatch at the note and tried to
swallow it, and would have swallowed it but that the
officer seized his throat and compelled him to spit it
out. Upon the prisoner being searched seventeen sove-
reigns and twenty-five shillings in silver were found in
his possession, and while he was in the custody of the
constab:e at Tonbridge Wells he offered to give him a
hundred pounds if ho would allow him to escape, and
be afterwards attempted by violence to get away from
him. A publican named Waters was also called to
prove that on the same day the note was presented to
Mr. Neal the prisoner passed another forged note to him.
The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty.
Mr. ADOLPHUS said there was a second indictment
of a airnilar character against the prisoner, but probably
his Lordship would not think it necessary to proceed
with it. . .

The efforts of Mr. Braidwood were now principally
directed to the preservation of the carriage department, a
building separated by a few feet from the store-rooms. and
forming the left wing of the front of the station, in which
much valuable property, belonging both to pascengers and
the Company, was deposited, and fortunately the efforts of
the firemen to prevent the flames extending to this build-
ing were attended with complete success.
The next object was to confine the fire, if possible, to
the part of the edifice where it originated, and to prevent
the ignition of the building used by the engineers for
mending and reiAiring the engines and machinery when
out of order, and in which there was much valuable pre-
pay belonging to the Company. It being, however, a
continuation of the same range of building, and separated
only by a party-wall, the progress of the flames could not
be arrested, and the whole of the engine department, in
defiance of the utmost exertions of the fire brigade, was
soon in flames. The rapidity with which they spread on
every side prevented the Company's servants from even
httempting to remove the machinery and other property
deposited here. The number of engines which are de-
stroyed could not be distinctly ascertained. We ob-
served, too, a tender and a quantity of iron machinery red
hot. The whole will, of course, be completely destroyed.
The iron turning lathes alone are valued at 5,000/. The
building adjoining this, and forming a part of the same
range as that where the fire commenced, was the engine-
shed. It was separated from the other by a strong party
wall. The fire, which till about nine o'clock had conti-
nued extending itself with unabated fury, by the exertions
of the firemen appeared somewhat subdued, which seemed
to encourage the men to increased exertion. The engine
shed was declared to be safe about a quarter past nine
o'clock, and by half past nine the fire was got completely
under, and no further danger was apprehended.
It is estimated that the property destroyed cannot ex-
ceed 50 0001. It is probably under than over that amount.
The fire originated in the following manner:—lt was
suspected by the men who have charge of the stores that
the casks of turpentine and oil were leaking, and men-
tioning this to the storekeeper, they todk a light and
went together to examine the casks. In doing so, the
lamp, or a spark, fell upon the turpentine, which ignited
in an instant, and defied all the exertions of the store-
keepers to extinguish it. The brewery of Farren and
Till, on the Battersea side, was at one period in great
danger, but it etc aped by Mr. Braidwocd taking his men
to that aide. We have heard of no accident whatever. _

The fire %las visible at a great distance from town, and
the fall of the clock tower was distinctly seen by two
gentlemen midway between London and Windsor.
An express engine was sent off after the commencement
of the firs, and also when the danger had subsided. Pas-
sengers by the line will not be incommoded in the least,
nor will there be any stoppage or irregularity in the de-
parture of the trains, which will leave the station at the
usual hours. Indeed, even while the fire was raging with
the greatest fury, while one party cf the Company's er-
vants were direc'ing their attention to assist in extinguish-
ing it, another party were actively employed in getting
out the mail trek, which left town at the usual hour.

The fire was vi ible over the greater part of the metro-
poli!, and thousands con,gregated around the station, but
owing to the exertions of a strong body of the police, they
were effectually excluded from the intcr:or, by which means
the operations of the fire brigade were unattended by the
inconveniences which they usually experience on such oc-
casions. We apprehend the property is insured.

Mr. Baron PARKE intimated that it was not neces•
Baty to proceed any further.
The prisoner was then called up for judgment, anc
sentenced to be transported for fifteen years.

NORTDERN CIRCUIT—Yang, 1114.acm 15.
Alexander Macdonald was indicted for cutting and wound-.
big James Riley, with intent to murder or do him some gr:o-
VOtil bodily barn].
The prisoner and the prouccutor lodged together. On the
cVening in Vestion the prisoner came home rather intoxi-
cated, and wont tip into the sleeping apartment. A dis-
pute took place, on Wlich a scuffie ensued, and Riley, proving
the stronger of the two, threw the prisoner on his back on
then sa'd he wished to have nothn:ar
t± Mut and separated them. Riley
the bed, and held him there until some other parties, attracted
by the noise, came into tl:
ltry to do with him, and
was about going into bed, when the prisone came across the
u
room and made a blow at him. He felt immediae'v that he
was wounded, and called out for assistance.
wa4s

sent for, and it then appeared that he had received a wenn.
five inches long in the left side of the abdomen, frotn which,
as the witnesses expressed it, half a hatful of his bowels pro-
truded. The prisoner, after giving the blow, went and lay
down on his own bed. He was taken into custody, and in
his pocket was found a large clasp-knife, with which it would ,
seem the wound had been inflicted. The prosecutor was for
twenty-four hours in the utmost danger from loss of blood,
Nv hich gushed from the wound at every inspiration, and for
some weeks afterwards was in a very dangerous condition. He
is still in a very weak state, and in all probability will never
wholly recover.
Evidence was given of previous declarations by the prisoner
showing an old grudge against Riley. It appeared that on a
former occasion they had quarrelled in consequence of the
prosecutor expostulating with him for ill-treating his mother.
" I told him," said Riley (in the figurative language so pecu-
liar to his country), " 1 told him not to quarrel with her, for
the breath of a mother was sweet ; ho would never know how
sweet it was until, like me, lie had not one."
The prisoner, who is but eighteen years of age, was found
Guilty ; and his Lord.lip, after commenting on the exiorritity
of his offehae, sentenced him to be transported for fifteen years.
thanes Dawson, John Morton, and TVilliam Barr' were in-
dicted for the manslaughter of Felix Ghaloghy, at Sheffield, in
Augast
The prisoner Dawson was,
appeared, ii fellow,workman of
the &ceased, and ifi cntiseqttence of O. quarrel which arose be-
tween them, they resolved to settle their differences by a fight.
They immediately proceeded into a field a short distance from
Sheffield, stripped, and fought. Dawson was led home, being
then quite blind. Ghaloghy wad eddied to the Infirmary, and
died very shady after. His death was occasioned by extrava-
liatihn of blood on the brain, arising, in the opinion of the
surgeon, from blows on the head, and facilitated by his being a
hard liver, of which the post mortem examination of the body
gave complete testimony.
The figlit was conductedwhit perfect rairness. It appeared
that Gha oghy had been the party who originated it, and that
he was a skilful pugilist and a very quarrelsome character.
His Lordship said that even consent did not necessarily ne-
gative the averment of an assault. There were two classes of
eves of a peculiar kind which might be quoted in illustration.
But in this ease the parties met in heat of blood, and in con
sequence of a quarrel. If it had bun otherwise, indeed, and
this had been what was called an amicable contest, a fight in
cold blood, death ensuing, would have amounted to murder. It,
could,woul pdbreomviodsed most dangerous
ngecroonufisntoedhtabveemit,eilvachi to the weapons naturell down as law that par-
ties might meet to fight and do one another all the harm they
had given them.
The prisoners were found Guilty, and 'sentenced to pay a
fine of one shilling each, his Lordship saying he passed this
lenient sentence on the ground that this was not an aggravated
case, and he thought them sufficiently punished by the long
period of imprisonment they had already undergone.
Alexander White and John White, father and son, were in-
dicted for the manslaughter of John Crowdie.
Thehaving
pris°ttr-leerastedwaercehieldhir their employ
with
and weremost revolting
cruelty.
, From the post mortem examination it appeared that the body
u.as extremely emaciated. There* were two extensive excoria-
the lace, one from the wrist to the elbow, another on

THE SUN, LONDON., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1841

UNION. HALL.

the shin bone, and another on the foot. These, however, were
not sufficient to cause death, nor to have prcduced the complaint
of whi,th the child actually died, viz., inflammation of the lungs.
Under these circumstances the Jury acquitted the elder pri-
soner, and found John White guilty of an assault.
His LORDSHIP, in pining- sentence, said it was a very ag-
gravated case.—To be imprisoned one year.
George Reany was indicted for the manslaughter of George
Belk. On the morning of Sunday, the 24th of January, about
half-past twelve o'clock, the prisoner's neighbours heard a noise
in his house, as of a scuffle, and his name was repeatedly called
out, as if by some one in pain and terror. About one &clock,
however, the watchman going his rounds found a man lyingon the footpath, and on examination he was found to be dead
and stiffening. On examination, marks of violence were
found about his throat. The next day the prisoner sur-
rendered himself, and said that he came home about
half-past twelve o'clock, and found his door ajar. Ho
heard the voice of a man within, and his wife saying, " Give
over, my husband will be coming." -He rushed into the
room. It was dark, but he seized hold of a man, and a fierce
struggle took place between them. His opponent he found
was too strong for him, but he finally got hold of his neck-
cloth, in which he twisted his left hand, and beat him with
his other fist. They fell over a card-table, which was broken
in the fall, and the party ceased to move. Life proved to be
extinct.

According to the testimony of the medical man, there were
marks of great violence on the throat, the integuments being
discoloured throughout to the very spine. The party, how-
ever, had a disease of the heart, which m►ght cause any agita-
tion or struggle to produce fatal results without any great de-
gree of violence. tie was, notwithstanding, of opinion that it
was the compression of the throat, which in this case had
acted upon the brain, the compression on which in its turn
caused a cessation of the action of the heart.
The Jury acquitted the prisoner.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.--.STAFFORD, Menem 15.
THE QUEEN V. CALDECOTT AND WYNN.

This was an indictment against the defendants, as proprie-
tor and publisher of the Staffordshire Examiner, for a libel,
which the indictment alleged was published with an intent to
excite divers persons to assault Lord Ingestre and others.
There were other counts charging the intent to be to excite a
breach of the peace, &e.
Mr. Sergeant TA LF01111.13, in opening the case to the Jury,
stated that the libel set out in the indictment appeared in the
Staffordshire Examiner of the Ist of August, 1840, and re-
ferred to the Conservative dinner which it was at that time
intended should take place on the 7th of the same month,
and which did take place accordingly at Bilston, at which
dinner Lord Ingestre and a large number of Conservatives
were present. The libel complained of was as follows :
—" With regard to the Bilston dinner, its object is, no
doubt, to display to the astonished eyes of the people of
that town the wonderful intimacy subsisting between Lord In-
gestre and Mr. Baldwin, who will, we dare say, hobnob at
each other with astonishing cordiality. We hope our friends
will do nothing to disturb the equanimity of Mr. Baldwin's
disposition, or to detract from his gratifying anticipations of a
di .play so calculated to enhance his importance in the eyes of
his neighbours. If, however, they should by any chance meet
the man-starving Ingestre next Fi iday, as he sneaks into the
town by some back way ; if, we say, they should by any chance
meet him, let them peacefully, and with due regard to the fact
that the Tories are very apt at swearing in special consta-
bles ; let them, we say, peacefully, if not quietly, mark their
disapprobation of the conduct of a man who assisted in Parliament
to cry down Mr. Villiers, and all those who tried to plead for more
food for the starving artisans of Bilston. Let them at such a time
bear in mind that Ingestre is going to gorge the bread he denied
to them, and that, as he has more of it than he wants, his ap-
petite may require a sharpener." The dinner took place in
a large enclosed market-place at Bilston, within which a large
marquee was pitched for the purpose. In the evening of the
day, before the whole of the company had separated, the mob
broke through the gates of the market-place, and several of the
party were violently assaulted.
The publication and proprietorship of the newspaper having
been proved in the usual way, and evidence of the riot adduced,
Sergeant Ludlow and Mr. C. Phillips addressed the Jury for
the defendants.

Mr. Baron GURNEY left it to the Jury to say whether they
thought the intention of the writer of the article complained of
was to incite the people at Bilston to a breach of the peace.
The Jury, after more than an hour's deliberation, returned
a verdict of Guilty, with a recommendation to mercy.
Mr. Baron GURNEY sentenced Wynn, the proprietor, to
pay a fine of 50!. and Caldicott, the publisher, of 20!. to the
Queen, and to be imprisoned till the fines were paid.
The fines were immediately paid, and the parties discharged.
Mr. Baron GURNEY concluded the business on the civil
side this afternoon.
Mr. Justice COLERIDGE has been engaged during the
whole day in trying three eases of rape. In the first case
seven men were convicted of an assault only upon the prosecu-
trix, in the streets of Wolverhampton, and sentenced to
eighteen months' imprisonment each. In the two latter cases
the prisoners were found guilty of the charge ; and Mr.. Jus-
tice Coleridge, after ordering sentence of death to be recorded
against them, intimated that they would undoubtedly be trans-
ported for life, and stated his fixed intention, since the crime,
appears (especially in this county) to be so greatly on the in-
crease, in all cases to inflict the severest secondary punish-
ment, in the hope that the certainty of the punishment
might assist the experiment making of ceasing to carry into
effect the extreme penalty which the law imposes for this crime.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

Tuesday William Osman was brought before Mr. 'NAIL',
for re-examination, charged with stealing 1001., the property
of Mrs. Field, landlady of the Three Compasses, in Bankside.
It appeared that the prisoner had taken lodgings at the house
of the complainant, and absconded some days ago, after break-
ing open a box in her room, in which was deposited two bags,
containing sovereigns and silver to the amount of 100/. The
prisoner was afterwards traced to Worcester, where he was
afterwards taken into custody, and in his box was discovered
one of the bags divested of its contents, but which was dis-
tinctly identified by the complainant's niece, who was in the
habit of using it at her aunt's house. There was also found a
gold watch, which was purchased with the produce of the
plunder. Immediately after the prisoner absconded he went
to Hull, from thence to Liverpool, and on to Dublin, and then
crossed to Glasgow, and in the course of his travelling spent a
con'iderable sum of the stolen money. As there was no money
found in the prisoner's possession when taken into custody he
endeavoured to induce a belief that he had remittances from his
brother ; but when the latter came to be examined on that
point there was such a palpable contradiction between him and
the prisoner, that the Magistrate decided on committing the
latter for trial.