The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-20 00:00:00

too, so much distress prevailed amongst the English, that
a person could be found committing a fraud of this de-
scription. He should recommend, as he was informed
that cases of this description were of frequent occurrence,
that when casual paupers applied, and it was suspected
that they were in possession of sums of money, they
should be asked whether they had any objection to
be searched, and if they had they should be refused
relief, and the relieving officers could then refer them
to the magistrate of the district, who would inquire into
the matter.

Mr. Bush thanked the magistrate for his advice, and
said he should certainly act upon it.
The prisoner was then discharged.
SOUTH WARK.
James Morris was brought before Mr. Cottinghaai for
re-examination, charged with firing a loaded pistol at
Frances Mary Morris, his wife, with intent to kill her.
The following additional evidence was adduced :
Mrs. Mary Übsdell stated, that she lives in Albion-
place, Walworth, and that on Friday evening last, while
engaged in her back parlour, she heard a loud scream,
and in a moment afterwards the complainant rushed into
the passage, the street-doer being open, and exclaimed
that she had been fired at by her husband. She was
very much agitated, and the prisoner entered the house
a minute afterwards, and on hearing what his wife rat'U-
tioned, said he did not do anything of the kind, but
merely snapped his finger. He tried to prevail upon hi,
wife to leave the house, and threatened to have a police-
man if she did not; but she refused, saying that she was
afraid he would murder her, and he then left the place.
Afterwards a policeman came into the house, and
the complainant then went away. The witness added
that she also saw Mrs. Staples, who was with the com-
plainant, and she also seemed very much alarmed, and
spoke of the prisoner's having fired a pistol at his wife.
In answer to Mr. COTTINGLIAM, 010 witness said she
heard no report of a pistol previously to hearing the
scream; that her street-door was open, and that she
thought she should have heard the report if a pistol
had been discharged. A crowd soon collected near the
house, and the prisoner suddenly disappeared in the
midst of the confusion that occurred. The prisoner
wore a white blouse. She did not see any weapon in his
possession.

The prisoner here exclaimed, that on hearing his
wife scream he went into the house to see what was the
matter with her, and not expecting that she would ac-
cuse him of attempting to shoot her; he never thought
of perpetrating such an act.
Mrs. Jane Cox said that she lives in Albion-place, and
that on the evening in question, hearing a loud scream,
she ran to her door and saw Mrs. Staples, who, in a state
of alarm, ejaculated that a young man had just dis-
charged a pistol at his wife, and she at the same time
pointed out the prisoner as the man who entered Mrs.
Übsdell's house, and she (witness) heard him ask his
wife whether she was hurt; he afterwards came out,
when witness held him, but she afterwards let him go,
and, on getting outside the door into the street, he ran
away.
In reply to Mr. COTTINCIIAM, the witness said she
heard no reFrt of fire-arms previously to hearing the
complainant scream. There was a crowd of persons
collected, but no one stopped the prisoner when he ran
away. She saw no pistol or weapon of any kind in the
prisoner's possession.
Elizabeth Roche Stone stated that she also lived near
the spot where the alleged occurrence took place, and,
on hearing a noise, she went to the door and saw the
complainant, who said she had been fired at, and that
two shots had lodged in her bonnet. At that time the
last witness had hold of the prisoner, who was asserting
his innocence of having used a pistol; and when the
crowd was collecting near the spot he ran away and
made his escape.

Policeman 37 P stated, that he was called off his beat
on the evening in question, and, on ent( ring Mrs.
Übsdell's house he saw the complainant, who seemed
very much frightened. She told him that her husband
had fired a pistol at her; that he had run away, and she
implored him to see her home to her father's, in Bridge-
house-place, in case he should make another attempt t')
injure her. He (the policeman) did accompany the com-
plainant and Mrs. Staples, both of whom appeared
alarmed and agitated, and kept looking behind every
minute as if they dreaded some injury. He did not see
the prisoner at &I on this occasion, nor (lid he hear the
report of any tire-arms, although he was net far off when
the alleged firing took place.
The MAGISTRATE called the c unplainant forward, and,
addressing her, said, that having heard the witnesses just
examined describe that none of them heard the report of
the pistol, he wished to know whether she still persisted
in her former statement, namely-, that her husband had
discharged a pistol at her head?—The complainant an-
swered in the affirmative; and, in reply to further ques-
tions, she said that she thought it must be a pistol he
fired at her, but she did not see it. She saw a flash, and
did not think it was produced by the sudden ignition or
lucifer matches. She did not go to the station-house to
make known the circumstance, she was so agitated, but
she mentioned it to her father when she returned home
the same night.
Mrs. Staples, who it will be recollected was in com-
pany with the complainant on the occasion, was also
examined, and she distinctly said she heard thz. report
of the pistol and saw the flash, and that she previously
saw the prisoner pull forth something which she believed
to be a weapon of that description.
Mr. Gardner stated that the complainant was his
daughter, and that, when he returned home on Friday
night, she immediately informed him that she had been
shot at by her husband ; and he lost no time in giving
the necessary information of the facts at the station-
house.

Mr. CorrrscrrAm said, the prisoner was at liberty to
say anything he wished in answer to the charge ; hut
the complainant was confirmed in her testimony as to
the fact of a deadly weapon being discharged at her head
by him.

- The prisoner—Mr. Gardner, my father-in law, has
often threatened not to stop until he contrived to put me
in prison. This charge is trumped up fur that purpose. I
never fired a pistol at my wile. I snapped my fingera at
her, and that's ail; and she and Mrs. Staples have magnified
it into an attempt to shoot her. If I had fired at her I
should have attempted to escape after the act; but I did
no such thing. I followed my rite to the house where
she and her companion ran; and tie same night I passed
up and down Newington-causeway, and, if I were guilty
of such an offence, it is not likely that I should have
acted in that way.
Mr. COTTINGHAM—It 1S given in evidence that you
did run away when you saw matters becoming serious,
and people beginning to collect near the spot.
Prisoner—There was a warrant issued against me
previously, on the complaint of my wife's father; and not
wishing to be taken into custody on that process was the
reason I ran away, fearing they would give me in charge
to a policeman. I also wrote a letter to my wife on Sa-
turday (the day after the alleged offence), describing
that I had not attempted such an act as she accused me
of, and it is not probable I should have written to her at
all if I were a guilty man.
The complainant admitted that she had received a
note from the prisoner on the day mentioned, and that
he did not mention in it where he lived, but the bearer
of it being followed, by that means his place of resi-
dence was ascertained, which led to his being taken into
custody.
COTTINGIIAM said, that it was extraordinary no
person had come forward who had heard the report of a
pistol on the night in question, although several people
were about at the time.

Winch, a warrant officer of this Court, said that he
made every inquiry in the neighbourhood, but could see
no person who heard any report of fire-arms that night;
that he also closely examined the spot,in search of any
weapon, but could find none, and had since searched the
prisoner's lodgings, and wan equally unsuccessful.
the
charge, prisoner again asserted his innocence of the
charge, and declared it was all a concocted scheme to
get him into gaol, so that his wife could carry on her
amours the better. lie had no pistol on the occasion,
and he never intended to place his own liticirty in
jeopardy- by firing a pistol at her.
Mr. COTTINGIIAM commented on the evidence at con-
siderable length, in the course of which he said that, at
present, it was not of such a nature as would justify him
in sending the prisoner for trial on so serious an accu-
sation ; for the complainant and Mrs. Staples had ad
mitted that they never heard a pistol eischarged until
then, and one of them, in describing the report, said it
was like the sudden ignition of three or four Lucifer
matches. There was no doubt a great deal of ill. feeling
existed between the prisoner and his wife's family, and
it was a most unfortunate marriage. Under all the cir-
cumstances, therefore, he should remand the prisoner, in
order to give further time to collect evidence, and the
magistrate directed that every means should be adopted
for that purpose.