The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-04 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

OXFORD ClRCUlT.—Reading, March 3.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron PLalv.)
Thomas Fowler, aged 46, was charged with the man-
slaughter of Joseph Barnett, at Abingdon, on the 22d of
January last. _ _

Mr. J. Williams appeared for the prosecution, and the
defence was conducted by Mr. Carrington and Mr. Tyrrwhitt.
This case, which has, it is understood, excited very great
interest in this county, came on for trial to-day: The pri-
soner, who surrendered in discharge of his bail, is a man of
very respectable appearance. He is a maltster, in large
business at Abingdon, and had borne, up to the unfortunate
occurrence which led to the present inquiry, an excellent
character, and was considered to possess a kind, good, and
humane temper. The deceased (Barnett) was once in the
prisoner's employment, but had been discharged. The
counting-house of the prisoner is situated on a broad pave-
ment on the banks of the Thames, at Abingdon, and is closed
with two folding doors, one of which folds back again upon
itself against the wall. On the morning of the 22d of Jan-
uary last, a man named Middleton noticed deceased, with
whom he was unacquainted, walking up and down the wharf
opposite the prisoner's house, when the latter came out, and
as the witness stated, the two spoke together, from what he
saw, for he could not hear what passed. The deceased
seemed to be conducting himself towards Mr. Fowler in a
provokir, manner. Mr. Fowler then returned into the
house, and shut the door, when the deceased went up to the
door, and shoved against it with his shoulder. The door I
then opened, but it was not possible to say whether from the
force exerted against it outside, or tram Fowler's having
opened it from within. The two met again, and the witness
stated that the deceased held up his hands in a sort of threat-
ening attitude, being at the time quite near enough to have
hit the prisoner, but the witness did not see any blow given,
until he saw the prisoner seize up an iron shovel and strike
the deceased with it on the right side of the head. This blow
made the deceased fall, and on being taken home, after a little
delay, he expired hi about an hour.
At this stage of the proceedings the Learned JUDGE inti-
mated that the case bore much the aspect of being merely one
of self-defence. The deceased might have struck the prisoner,
whose humane character should be considered,and he, to keep
the deceased off, struck the blow which deprived him of life,
and which no man probably more deeply deplored than the
. prisoner himself.
The Learned Counsel for the prosecution acquiesced in his
Lordship's view of the case. The jury immediately acquitted
the prisoner—a verdict received with applause, which was in-
stantly suppressed.
THE COURTS AT READING.—At the conclusion of the
above case the grand jury entered the Court, and having
handed in some bills, the Chairman then stated that the
grand jury were desirous of making a presentment to his
Lordship, which Mr. Bellamy, the clerk of the arraigns, read.
It alleged the extreme inconvenience of the present courts
held both at the assizes and the sessions in Guy's-hall,
Reading ; and described them as insufficient and incommo-
dious to judges, juries, counsel, and witnesses. The grand
jury then proceeded strongly to recommend that new courts
should be erected. Most sincerely do we hope this will have
its due effect, as the Courts here are uncomfortable and in-
convenient on this circuit.

—Benjamin Chapman, aged 28, was charged with having,
on the 29th of December last, set fire to and destroyed an
outhouse and other buildings, the property of a man and his
two sons, named Partridge, at Wantage.
Mr. Tyrrwhitt and Mr. J. J. Williams appeared for the
prosecution, and the prisoner was defended by Mr. Car-
rington.
The prisoner, who was nicknamed the Sea Ape, it would
seem was, on the night in question, at a public-house called
the Shoulder of Mutton, kept by a Mr. Airey. At nine,
however, he quitted it. At eleven the same night, the land-
lady heard a noise of kicking and a cry of fire at the door,
which she opened, and saw the prisoner running off knock-
ing at the neighbours' doors, and crying fire. She called out
to him, " Ape, you are the first who gave me the alarm of
fire last time, and so you are now." He made no reply, but
continued running. She heard her husband come out and
ask where the fire was, when the prisoner said, " Back of
Partridge's house." At two the next morning she again saw
him, and made an observation about the alarm to him. The
same evening Mr. Airey heard the alarm and went to the
door, and also saw the prisoner running along and crying
fire, and on asking him where, was told in Partridge's yard.
He ran up there, and saw a little fire which he thought
lie could have put out with a pail of water. The
fire could certainly not have been seen from the
street. The flames soon became stronger. In about five
minutes after he had returned home he heard the church
bells ringing. Joseph Partridge was alarmed by cries of fire.
He looked out of the window and saw the fire arising from
the shed, where they kept several stacks of wook. He im-
mediately got up, ran to the spot, and found a great fire.
There was nothing to keep any one out of the yard, as there
was a road from which a path ran on one side of his garden.
A man named Lawrence went up at the same time as Airey,
and saw the fire about the size of a bushel. A Mr. Belsher,
seeing the fire, went to the parish clerk to alarm him ; he
was looking out of the window, and then left. In a few mi-
nutes more, perhaps eight, he heard the bells ring. All this
was after the alarm had been given at the Shoulder of Mutton.
The prisoner was taken up, when he made a voluntary state-
ment. He said he was at home in bed with his brother on

the night in question, and was alarmed by church bells ring-
ing. He got up and saw fire. His brother went down first.
He then went and alarmed various people. Told no one
where the fire was. Went to the fire and assisted. His
brother was alleged to be idiotic ; yet the magistrates
had, after questioning him respecting his understanding the
nature of an oath, allowed him to be sworn and to give evi-
dence. He was not present this day, and his absence was
commented upon by the Learned Judge. Cox, who lived
next door to the prisoner, was alarmed by the bells, and went
down, and saw Richard Chapman. He went to the fire and
saw the prisoner there. The prisoner had said in the wit-
ness's presence, at the magistrates office, that he had met
him that night.
There was some evidence given to contradict the prisoner's
statement, which was clearly at variance with what several
witnesses had sworn.
Mr. CARRINGTON addressed the jury on behalf of the pri-
soner, contending that no motive was shown to have existed
against the party whose property is burned.
Mr. Baron PLATT summed up; and the jury, after about
one minute's deliberation, returned a verdict—acquitting the
prisoner.

NAVAL UNIFORM.—PORTSSIOI3TH, MONDAY, MARCH 3.
—The reported alteration in the officers' uniform is stated, 133 a
member of the Board of Admiralty, to be settled, and will be pro-
mulgated to the fleet in a few days. The following particulars are
from an authentic source, and may be considered correct ; —Mates,
second-masters, assistant-surgeons (confirmed), and passed clerks,
to have one epaulette and a separate mess place ; masters, surgeons,
and pursers to have two epaulettes ; lieutenants to have an anchor on
the epaulette ; commanders to have a crown on the epaulette ; cap-
tains, under three years' post-rank, to have a crown and anchor—
above that rank a star in addition ; rear, vice, and full admirals to
have an alteration in the arrangement of the stars on the epaulettes,
and in addition to the band of gold lace on the cuff, to have one,
two, or three embroidered gold stars, according to the rank of the
officers.
MARGATE, MARCH 3.—A sale of land took place at
the York Hotel, Margate, yesterday by public auction, the land by
no means of a first-rate character ; the laud all arable, some on
the cliff, and of course subject to the blight of the east wind ; and
although no farm buildings are attached to the land, and no part being
Available for building ; so much do the agriculturist fear the new
tariff, that the land eagerly fetched 781. per acre.
GRAVESEND AND ROCHESTER RAILWAY. —The fol-
lowing are the traffic returns for the week ending Feb. 28 :—Passen-
gers, 5,506 ; amount received, 1361. 17s 6d.
ALMACK'S.—We have reason to believe that the
Ladies Patronesses do not purpose to give a series of these popular
riunion4, previous to Easter, as was announced.