The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-18 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HUME CIRCUIT.-71.24.w.5T'0NR, MARCH 17.
(Barre Luid DENMAN).
THE MAIDSTONE BANE li.oneara—The trial of the
individual charged e, ith robbing the Bank of Meears.
Mercer and Co., of Maidstone, of 500 sovereigns, took
place yesterday afternoon, and did not conc:tade until past
nine o'clock.
The court seal crowded during the whole time by the
inhabitants of Maidstone and the neighbourhood, where
the robbery has created a very greet sensation.
The prisoner, William Stevenson, was charged with
stealing a bag and 500 se‘ereigns, the property of his
!newer,. John Mercer and others. The bill against the
prisoner eas found at the Boroagh Sessions, and it was
arranged that the business cf the Nisi Pries Court should
scan over for a th.ort dine,- in order that Lord Denman
might dispose of 1..
Mr. Platt, Mr. Clarkson, and Sir W. Riddell, con-
ducted the prosecution ; and Mr. Sergeant Shea, with
Mr. C. Jones, defended the prisoner.
Upwards of twenty witnesses were examined. The
following is a narrative of the facts cf the case as they
appealed in evidence :—lt seemed that in the month of
Oetole-, 1839, Mr. Mercer wrote to his London agents,
Messrs. Masterman,the bankers, to remit to him fifteen hun-
dred pounds ie gold, and five hundred pounds in silver,
and that sum was accerdingly placed in seven bags, one
coateining a thousand pounds in gold, another five hun.
dred in gold, and five bags of silver, each containing one
hundred pounds, and the whole were placed in a box of
which Messrs. Masterman and Mercer had each a dupP-
caw key, and the box was then placed in the care of
Wallis, one of the Maidstone coachmen, to be conveyed
to that rime. The box was duly conveael to Meidstene,
and the prisoner, who acted as porter et Mr. Mercer's
bank, was sent to fetch it, and he brought the box to the
hank about seven o'clock in the evening, and it wan taken
from him by Mr. Mercer, jun., who unlocked it, and took
out thus bags of coin, and, without counting them, pines d
them in the strong chest, but he observed that at this time
there were only six bags, viz., one large one, which he
supposed combined the fifteen hundred pounds in gold,
and the five bags of silver. The next morning, upon
the money being exarriinea, it was found to be five
hundred pounds short of the proper quantity of gold,
and on a communication being made to Messrs. Mas.
terman, the loss of the second bag of gold
was discovered- No clue whatever, at this time,
could be obtained as to the perpetrator of the rob- ,
bery, but no suspicion was entertained of the prisoner, and
he was retained in the prosecutor's service, until the fol.
lowing month of January, when for some act of miscou-
duct he eat dismissed. Shortly after this the prisoner
up in business in the town as a grocer, and some othtr
circumstances coming to the knowledge or the prosecu-
tors induced a suspiei rn that he was the thief, and a
search warrant was obtained and placed in the bands of
Faticett, the Superintendent cf the Meidstono police, who
proceeded to the prisoner's house, and upon searching it
lie found a number of watches and time-pieces. When
the prisoner was told by the officer what he was chewed
with, he denied all knowiedge of the robbery, and told
him he might search where he pleased. The officsr then
asked what money they had in the house, and about seven
pounds in gold and silver was produced by the prisonet'e
wife. He then asked whether they had not got any more
money, and the prisoner's wife went up to the bed-room with,
Lim and she produced from between the bed and the
Madras or bag, containing 45/. Ios. in sovereigns and
half sovereigns. He also found au I. 0. U. for .101,
signed by a person named Neeton, who proved that the
prisoner-lent him two sovereigns upon it, and that he was
paying him interest. It was also proved, that, Mote the
'ectirbesy, the ,prisoner had only been in the receipt of a
pound a-week, and that he' was in very poor cireuta - -
-stances ; and it appeared, that atter he was discharged he
had purchased two houses in Maidstone, for which he paid
3501,, and the payment was made ahol'y in sovereigns
and half sovereigns. It also appe mred that the prisoner
had taken the grocer's shop, and had raid a considerable
sum for good will and stock in• trade, without having any
means to do except as was suggested by that of having
committed the robbery. A variety of other circumstances
were adcuee I, which appeared to bring the charge clew ly
home to time prisoner.
Mr. Sergeant SHEA then aldiessod the Jury on behalf
of the prisoner.
Some witnesses were called for the purpo.c of showing
that Lt the various elections in the borough sums of money
had bean given to the prisoner, and it was elici,ei that in
this " immaculate" borough, a vote was always worth
som,thing ; and olio witness went so far as to
.say that he
c o ;Ts side
h e rjeudryb,
ivloct; a was w.
worth
bles.
r a/
tion, returned a vcrdiet
of guilty.
LORDSHIP ordered the , prisoner to he transported
for fourteen years.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT—YoRr, IlLiacir 15.
Alexander Macdonald was indicted for cutting and wound-
ing James Riley, with intent to murder or do him some gr:e-
vous bodily harm. -
The prisoner and the prosecutor lodged together. On the
evening in question the prisoner came home rather intoxi-
cated, and went up into the steeping apartment. A dis-
pute took place, on wh.ch a scuffle ensuA, and Riley, proving
the stronger of the two, threw the prisoner on his back oa
the bed, and held him there until some other parties, attracted
by the noise, came into the room and separated them. Riley
then said he wished to have nothing mere to do with him, and
was about going into bed; when the prisoner came across the
room and made a blow at him. He felt immediately that he
was wounded, and called out for assistance. A doctor was
writ for, and it then appeared that he had'reeeived a wound
half a haiful of his- bowels pro-
five inches long in the left site of the abdomen, from which,
giving the blow, went and lay
was taken into custody, and in
ttaliso.
ultydinieed
.vovni t nihFhisses eois}wr ei!opnbreeeltss. ed
afterit
e,
h:s pocket was found a large clasp-knife, with which it would
seem the wound had beta inflicted. The prosecutor was for
twenty-four hours in the utmost danger from loss of blood,
which gushed from the wound at every inspiration, and fur
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-creating his mother.
" 1 told him," said Riley (in-the figurative language so Pee"-
liar to his country), 1 told h;m not to quarrel with her, f,,r
the breath of a mother was sweet; he would never know how
sweet it was until, like me, he had not one."
The prisoner, who is but eighteen years of age, was found
Guilty ; and his Lordship, after commenting on the enormity
of his offence, sentenced him to be transported for fifteen year:.
.lames Datolon, John Morton, and William Barr were in-
dicted for the manslaughter of Felix Glidoghy, at Sheffield, in
August last.

The
ianw
consequenceson w-as ,it
of a appeared,quararefellltovwh-iewhoark:seanof
thedeceased,
be-
tween them, they resolved to settle their dhrerenee, by a fight.
They immediately proceeded into a field a short distance from
,cwbtiliatediohnyolff.stibiceibnLya
Shefilell, stripped, and fought. Dawson was led home, being
then quite blind. Ghat() ,liy was carrindlo the-Infirmary, and
of which the postlimeaodrCe4 mil
4
s"'latonv(Orrth"irliter-ialoa-on th.',- -,., :Irjlerralioalll, izitiiiren'rel""lit"the opinio!n-eicTilt
hsuarigdeloivne!,. frolttlltoarrwir,
• gave coniplete to 'canny.
The fight was, ticketed with perfect fairness. It-apposed
that 6'hal*hy ha been the party who originated it, and that
he was-a skilful pugilist and a very quarrelsome character.
Hip Lordship said that even consent did not necessarily ne-
gative the averment of an assault. There were two classes of
cases of a peculiar kind which might be quoted in illustration.
But in this' case the parties met in heat of blood, and in con
sequence of a quarrel. If it had been otherwise, indeed, and
this had been what was called an amicable contest, a fight in
cold blood, death ensuing, would base amounted to murder. It
would be most dangerous to have it laid down as law that par-
ties might meet to fight and do one another all the harm they
could, provided they confined themselves to the weapons nature
had given them.
'I he 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 imprionment they had already undergone.
Alexander White and John White, father and son, were in-
dicted for the mans!aughter of John Crowdie.
The prisoners were chimney-sweeps, and were charged
with having teated a child in their employ with most revolting
cruelty. .
From the post mortem examination it appeared that the body
was extremely emaciated. '1 here were two extensive excoria.•
tions on the lace, one from the wrist t 3 the elbow, anther on
the shin bone, and another on the foot. These. however, were
not sufficient to cause death, nor to have praluced the complaint
of which 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 passing 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 ore in pain and terror. About one o'clock,
however, the watchman going his rounds found a man lying
bn 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. He
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 lie found
was too strong for him, but he finally ot; hold of his neck-
cloth, in which he twisted his left hand, and beat him with
his other fist, The 7 fell over a card-table, which was broken