The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-23 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—York, Dec. 21.

CR0W14661.ia.-13efore Mr. Justice MAULE.)
John Robinson Tomkins, aged 49, William Lilley,
John Kershaw, John Farrell, James Radcliffe, James
Lees, John Pogson, and James Neild, the latter four
about 18 years of age, were indicted for conspirrcy,
by riot, &c., to overthrow the Government and con-
stitution, to obstruct the execution of the laws and
to arm themselves in order to carry the conspiracy
into effect. There were several other counts, vary-
ing the form of the charge.
The prisoners, it was shown, formed a portion of
the Chartist rioters at Ashton, in August last, when
Bright, the policeman, was killed. The charge having
been proved in evidence, the Judge summed up, and
The jury retired, and were absent about an hour,
when they returned and gave a verdict of Guilty
against Tomkins, Lilley, Kershaw, Farrell, Pogson,
and Neild, but strongly recommeuded the last two to
mercy on account of their youth. (They were about
18 years of age.) As against Radcliffe and Lees, Mr.
Paxprs, in replying, had admitted no case was
proved, they were acquitted accordingly.—Sentence
deferred.

James Bland, John Kilvington, John Robinson, and
Leech were then arraigned for offences arising
out of Chartism.

No evidence was offered by Mr. Phipps against
them, and they were acquitted ;
On which one of them said, they returned thanks
to the Government for the mercy shown in their be-
half.

Mary Steel, a good-looking young girl about 20
years old, apparently having been a servant, pleaded
guilty to an indictment for concealing the birth of
her child, at Bilton-with-Harrogate in the West
Riding, on the 2d of August last.
His LORDSHIP, after a feeling address, saying that
it was necessary, notwithstanding the good character
she had received, and the respectability of her friends,
that he should inflict some punishment, sentenced her
to three months' imprisonment.
(Before Mr. Baron PLATT.)
Joseph Harrison Claughton, James Driver, James
Lupton, John Dean, and Janc Robinson, were
in-
dicted fur a burglary in the house of Thomas Cogill,
in Leeds, on the 24th of September last.
Mr. Hall and Mr. Wheelhouse prosecuted ; Mr.
Blanshard defended Lupton.
Mr. Cegill keeps an inn in Vicars Croft, in Leeds,
and on the evening in question he went to bed a little
before twelve, having previously seen all safe. It was
his custom to leave the ha, k door of his premises on
the latch, in order to allow his brewer to get into
the brewery, every Wednesday night. This was
known to the prisoner Driver, who had been upon the
premises as an occasional helper in the brewery. On
this night, a policeman going his round, observed the
prisoners Claughton and Driver coming out of the
yard at half past one in the morning. This attracted
his attention, and he went into the yard, and found
the pantry window of Mr. Cogill's house broken
open. Ho then obtained assistance, and following
the prisoners, teak them into custody. They then
returned to Mr. Cogill's, called up the household, and
then it was found that some ham, three coffee-pots, a
pepper-box, and some other articles had been taken
thence. The caie against Dean was, that he was
watching to prevent alarm ; and against the man Lup-
ton, and the female, for receiving the goods, well
knowing them to be stolen.

The jury found Driver and Claughton Guilty of
the burglary ; Lupton Guilty of receiving ; and Ac-
quitted the two other prisoners. The prisoners
Driver and Claughton were thereupon sentenced to
ten years' transportation; and Lupton for fifteen
years.
MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. Sergeant ADAMS, Assistant Judge, and
a Bench of Magistrates.)
JUDGMENT.

On Thursday George Joseph Murray, alias
Bradley, alias Williams, who had pleaded guilty
at a former sessions to three indictments, charging
him with being the keeper of three houses f ill-fame,
one situate at 54, Curzon-street, May-fair ; one at
6, Shepherd-street, Oxford market ; and the other
at 7, Eagle-street, Red Lion-square, was this morn-
ing brought up for judgment.
Mr. CLAnasoN applied to the Court for its consi-
deration in this matter. The defendant was suffering
from disease of the heart, and was otherwise afflicted
with bad health. He held in his hand a certificate
from the medical gentleman who had attended the
defendant, wherein he stated that his patient was in
such a bad state of health that, were he to be confined
in prison, the most serious consequences might result
to him. Under these circumstances, the Learned
Counsel urged that much leniency ought in the case
of the defendant to be exercised. There was a most
material fact, too, which he felt bound to mention to
the Court—namely, that the defendant had determined
to give up the keys of these houses.
Mr. BA.LLANTINE, who appeared
,for the prosecu-
tion, said that his instructions were, that the case of
the defendant was not one in which they could
interfere in mitigation by recommending him to the
merciful consideration of the Court. It was not the
case of a man who was the keeper of one house only
of this description, but one where the defendant had
long been known as the keeper of a number of houses
of a similar character; and he was also known to
have amassed a considerable fortune by that course
of traffic. It was utterly impossible, therefore, that
the prosecutors could recommend the defendant to
mercy.
The Learned JUDGE said, here was a man at the
bar of that Court who, in 1843, had been indicted for
keeping a brothel ; in 1844 he was again indicted,
but in that instance he escaped punishment ; and in
1845 he was a third time submitted to a similar
proceeding, but here again he escaped. All these
prosecutions had been for keeping houses of ill fame.
Here the same man was a fourth time charged,
not with keeping one, but three, of that class of
houses, and it was utterly impossible that such
a man could be permitted to escape. The
defendant was described also as a man of wealth, all
made by these detestable means. That, too, was a
circumstance which could not be overlooked; for
bow many unhappy persons might not the amassing
of those gains have been the ruin of! In ordinary
cases of this nature, where the keeper of the house
was not known, the Court visited him with imprison-
ment and hard labour for three months ; and where
he had been previously know in the traffic, then the
sentence was usually six months. But in both these
insbances it was where the defendant was connected
with one house only. Thus the custom of the Court,
to which he had alluded, could not altogether be taken
as a precedent on the- present occasion. It was utterly
impossible that the Court could visit the defendant at
the bar win any leniency. The sentence upon him
would, therefore, be of a severe character. He should
impose a heavy fine upon him, in addition to a term of
imprisonmen t. The sentence on the defendant, in respect
of the indictment for keeping the house No. 7, Eagle -
street, was, that he be imprisoned in the House of Cot-
tection, Coldbath-fields, for six months, and pay a fine
to the Queen of 1001.; the sentence in respect to the
house No. 6, Shepherd street, Oxford-market, was
three months' imprisonment in the same prison, to
commence at the expiration of the above six months,
and to pay a further fine of 50/. ; and then with re-
gard to the house No. 54, Curzon-street, the Court
would require the defendant to enter into his own re-
cognizance of 1004 and two sureties for 401. each, to
come up and receive judgment when called on to do
so. The effect of this would be, that if the house
were not opened again as a house of ill fame, the
defendant would hear no more of the matter; but, on
the other hand, if the house were to be again applied
to such a purpose, then most assuredly he would re-
ceive a very heavy sentence.
. The defendant said that all the houses had been
closed for some time.
The Learned JUDGE—Yes, no doubt, andfmay be
opened again to-morrow.
The
The Learned ddefendant—No, I have given up the leases.
proved. vxme--welsi, that remains to be

POLICE INTELLIGENc
_E.
SOUTHWARK.
John Williams, a young man in the employment of
Messrs. M•Leod and Adams, brewers, of Clapham,
was brought before Mr. Seeker, charged with driving
a horse and a wheeled chaise over Louisa Iles, house_
keeper in the service of Mr. Hawkins, of Albion.
place, Blackfriars, and causing her death.
Sarah Ball, of No. 71, New-street, stated that she
sold fruit at the corner of Charles-street, Blackfriars •
road, and that on the previous afternoon, about half-
past four o'clock, as she was attending to her stall,
she saw a female in the act of crossing the road. Be-
fore, however, she had time to reach the opposite side,
witness observed a horse and chaise coming along at
a rapid pace, from the direction of Blackfriars-bridge,
and saw the horse run against the woman, who was
knocked down, and the chaise passed over her.
'Witness immediately ran to the woman's assistance,
but found she lay on the ground without moving,
and to all appearance dead, and she then observed
that the driver did not stop to ascertain what in-
jury he might have caused, but proceeded on his
road at a swifter pace than he was Previously driving.
The witness added that some persons ran after the
chaise, and succeeded in stopping the prisoner before
he got as far as Rowland Hill's Chapel, and he was
given into custody; that she subsequently was in-
formed that the woman who who was run over, and
whose name and place of abode were unknown at
the time, died in the surgery of Mr. Jones, whither
she was conveyed after the accident.
James Richardson said th.it he was walking along
Blackfriars-road at the time of the accflenr, and saw
the prisoner whip the horse after the woman wa.
run over, evidently with the intention of making his
escape. Witness, however, pursued him, and suc-
ceeded in seizing the reigns of the horse, and stop-