The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-21 00:00:00

... 1,864 17- 4

125 13 8
17 14 10

£27,635 12 2
' There being no opposition, the Learned Commissioner
examined the bankrupt upon some matters, from which
it appeared, that being on a musical tour at Dublin, in
April last, he found from Mr. Reeves, that that gentle.
man hadby.mistake been arrested for himself. He re-
turned in consequence on the- 7th of April to London.
On the 11th of that month, her transferred his lease of
Drury-lane Theatre to Moser:: Beale and Chapped. He
had hoped, by means of his friend and solicitor, Mr. C.
Lewis, a Upper. Grosvenor-etreet, to have avoided
bankruptcy, and had offered 'his creditors a lien upon
his professional income for life in that hope. Finding
his endeavours unavailing, he had then thrown himself
Imo that,Court.
The Learned Comietssecnezie inquired why he had
not dene that earlier? Here were now creditors to the
;mount of upwards of 12,0001: who would get nothing,
whilst ohe creditor (Mr. Lewis) would swallow up
teary everything.
bankrupt said he had hoped, by the sacrifice of
'n'erYtiiing in his power, and even of his' future inoo'me,
to have avoided the disgrace of bankruptcy. - -
The Learned COMMlSsrortga-There is no disgrace
to a man who acts honestly in becoming a , bankrupt.
The wonder *en these days; when a man has no power
over his debtors, and when we find (as we so frequently
do in this court) that a few secured creditors sweep away
everything, Land leave so many without a sixpence, that
every man is nova beeettipt.
The bankrupt intimated a wish that he had acted
differently.
Mr. Core; on behalf -ef the official assigtee, said that
under the distress put in by the sheriff, on behalf of Mr.
Lawrence Levi (a relative of Mr. Lewis's and a creditor
on two bills of exchango), property of the value of
3,0001. had realised only sou He believed it was the
intention of the credit Ors to institute proceedings in a
court of law ter the recovery of some part of the bank-
rupt's property.
Mr. Commissioner FANE—I suppose the question to
be decided by an action would bee whether Mr. Lewis,
being Jullien's solicitor, could hold or retain these se-
curities. for his own use, without the bankrupt having
sanctioned this, or allowed him to do sc, through another
attedeneY•
Mr. COLE intimated assent.
The Learned Coreaussioenti said it wee a hard case
for one creditor to get possession of everything, as Mr.
Lewis had done, leaving creditors to the amount of
12,000/. with nothing.
Mr. COLE said ho felt desirous of mentioning, as a re-
port was in circulation thet the bankrupt was pc'ssessedrte.
of jewels of great value, that such report 'mue
,int,tia
The only article of jewellery that the bankrupt had in
his possession of intrinsic value was_ diamond pin 'Oat
he had received from the Emperor of Russia.
The valve
ef that was small. The other articles were mere paste'
trinkets.
It will be observed by the balance sheet that the bank
mat by his liabili put
"
rupt's losses have been caused nly
g
as lessee of Drury-lane Theatre, the amount betn
down at 15,0801. Os. 103.
In the creditors to the amount of 12,2341., who are
unsecured, the following are the principal amounts :
The band (per Mr. Thomson, director of Drury-laneßiee
Theatre), 741/4 Miss Birch (singing), 3121. ;
C.
ld, Upper Wellington-street, for beautifying the
s
4-theatre, 4051.; 11. Berlioz, leader of the band, 205/.;
ir
Henry Bishop (stlay), 150/.; Chapman. Eleoate, and
Co., for printing, 941. ; Mr. Chorley, Victoria-square,
Pimlico, 2504; Mr. Cole, paper-hanger, 2501.; Equitable
Gas Company, 1874; Mr. Francis, for printing, 3521.;
Messrs. Foulkes, silk mercers, 444L;Mademoiselle Fuoco
(dencipg),, 2004 ; Madame .Dorus Gras (singing),
1,5671.; Grieve, end Felton, scene, painters, 1521.; F.
Gye (salary), 189?.; Mr. and Mrs. Leie(singing), 2901. ;
Flinch& stage director, 105/.4... proprietors of
Drury-lane Theatre (for rent), 6551.; Mr. Seward, buil-
der, 437/.

In the course of the examination a lengthened in-
quiry was made respecting Messrs. Beale and Chappell
taking the lease of the theatre, as also o£ the proprietors
of the theatre laying claim to the dresses and decora-
tions, but it ended where it began. The assignees did
not appear to contest these points. The bankrupt
passed.

POOlV•LAW.—Yesterday was printed, by order of
the House of Commons, on the application of Captain
Pechell (Brighton). a copy 0 the order
of
law board sent to the several unions, uatedthlneewlGpthooori
February last. .The order cetifirmed the orders of the
Poor-law Commissioners respecting the diet in work-
houses, With a proviso that alterations might be made,
subject to the approval- of the poor-law board. The
order Was Sent to 453 !anions set forth in the schedule
annexed to the' document now first printed.
CAFTURE 'OF A STURGEON IN THE SEYEEN.--:-On
Wednesday a large 'sturgeon was caught on the sands at
Newnham, below Gloucester, where it had been left by
the tele, "by George Jenkins and Daniel Spires, two of
the Diglif fishermen, who the following day brought it
to Worcester. The fish was kept alive several days, tied
to a boat in the middle of the Severn, near Frog-lane,
where it was exhibited by the fishermen. It was after-
wards on view at the Market-boUse. The fish measures
aboutefght feet in length, two feet in girth, and,vveighs
about -20011 m =- - -

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
HOME ClRCUlT.—Chelmsford, July 20.
The commission for the county of Essex was opened
on Wednesday, and both Courts commenced business
this morning at ten o'clock, the Lord Chief Baron pre-
siding on the Crown side, and Mr. Justice Coltman at
Nisi Prins. There were twenty-seven causes in the list,
but a great number of them were undefended, and Mr.
Justice Coltman got through the greater part of the
common jury causes by the middle of the day.
CROWN SIDE.
William Wade, aged 28, a powerful man, having the
appearance of an agricultural labourer, was indicted for a
burglary in the dwelling-house of Samuel Ham, and
stealing some gold and silver money, his property.
Mr. Rodwell prosecuted; Mr. T. Chambers was for
the defence.
From the evidence adduced it appeared that the pri-
soner was a member of a desperate gang of thieves and
burglars who had for a long time infested the county of
Essex, and on several occasions committed the most
daring outrages. Upon the present occasion it appeared
that the prosecutor with his wife and daughter, occupied
a small house in the village of Bradwell, a short dis-
tance from Coggeshall, and between one and two o'clock,
on the morning of the 9th of June, the place was en•
teied with great violence by several men, and the pri-
soner, who was one of the gang, went up stairs with
one of his companions into the bed room of the prose-
cutor and his wife. The robbers were disguised by
having shirts drawn over their clothes, and their faces
were also covered. They demanded money, and one of
the ruffians pulled out a pistol and presented it at the
prosecutor, and
.threatened to shoot him if he did not
give up the money that was in the house. The prose-
cutor endeavoured to get up, but the prisoner thrust him
down on the bed with great violence, and his companion
then rifled the drawers and took out some money in gold
and silver, but they did not take any other descrip-
tion of property, their idea evidently being that they
should escape detection as the coin could not be identi-
fied. The robbers then left the house, but while the
scuffle was going on in the bed-rooin the prosecutor had
an opportunity of observing the featufes of the prisoner,
and on his giving information to police 'Of the dis-
trict, he was apprehended very shortly afterwards. He
denied any participation in the burglary, and declared
that he had been, out all the night in question fishing.
This statement, however, was positively contradicted by
evidence, which showed that the prisoner and his com-
panions had actually committed another burglary in the
same parish, and within a very short time of the robbery
at the prosecutor's on the night referred to, and other
evidence was adduced which showed, in a satisfactory
manner, that the prosecutor was not mistaken as to, the
identity of the proonet.
The jury without any hesitation returned a verdiet of
guilty, and evidence was adduced to show that he had
been before convicted of felony, and sentenced to six
months' imprisonment; there were likewise three other
indictmentkagainst him for separate burglaries.
He was sentence& to be transported for fifteen years.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT.---Huntingdon July 20.
The commission for this county was opened yester-
day, but the business, which is very light, was- not com-
menced till this morning. The calendar contains the
names of nine prisoners, but, with the 'exception of a
charge against a man for- the murder of his wife and
child, the offences imputed to them are not gravei The
cause list contains an entry of one case only. Mr. Baron
Parke presides in the Criminal Court, and Mr. Justice
Maule at Nisi Prius.
CROWN COURT.
' (Before Mr.. Baron PARSE.)
Charles Burton,a collector of bones, was indicted for
the wilful 'mtirder of Harriet Burton, his wife, on the
28th of May last.
Mr. Wells conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Couch
defended the prisoner.

The prisoner and his wife were seen by their neigh-
bours standing at their own door about eight o'clock in
the evening of Sunday the 28th of May, and they con-
versed about the health of their child, About four o'clock
the next morning the neighbours heard a loud scream.'
They got up, ran to the window, and saw the prisoner's
wife looking out of her own window, and when seen by
them she said, " he has killed me and my child; he has
cut my throat." The neighbours, man and wife, went
down stairs and called the constable. An entrance into
the prisoner's house was effected, and he was seen
standing in his shirt with his throat bleeding. On go-
ing up stairs they found the wife lying on the floor
quite dead, with three large wounds on the throat, one
of them dividing the vessels and, nerves down to the
spine. Qa being then questioned; the prisoner,.who ap-
peared weak from the loss of blood, though able to stand,
made no answer. He was asked whether he had had
a ,qtiarrel with his wife, and, being unable to speak, he
made a movement with his head, which_was understood
to signify that he had not. When , asked whether he
had been in trouble, he nodded an affirmative. On going
up stairs the bedclothes and carpet were found saturated
with blood, and between'the sheets there was found a
bloody razor. The prisoner had always exhibited fond-
ness for his wife and child, and nothing remarkable had
been observed in his manner. In the opinion of the
medical man who was called in, the deceased, after re-
ceiving one of the wounds, might have got to the win-
dow and have spoken. The prisoner was questioned in
the evening by the surgeon. He did not appear
to be in • a state of excitement,. or to feel
sorrow or remorse. He said, "trouble made
me do it." When asked why trouble should induce
him to take away the lite of others, he replied, " That
they might not be in want when I was gone.", He said
further, that he had been thinking of committing suicide
for a week past; and that he first thought of killing his
wife and child at the moment he, got out of bed to de-
stroy himself. To other questiOns of the surgeon, he
replied that he had been unwell of late, and had passed
sleepless nights, but not sufficient to apply to the sur-
geon; and also that he had made two attempts to murder
his wife, the first whilst she was partly asleep, and before
she went to the window • the other after he had taken
her from it, and that whilst she was at the window he
had murdered the child; that in the second attempt. ho
had held her in his arms with her, back to him, she
struggling and resisting; and that then he attempted to
commit suicide, add was then aware that he had not suc-
ceeded. When asked why he had stopped, he said he
had no power to do it. The wound was a severe one,
dividing the windpipe. ' •
The surgeon; who had been called in on the morning
of the murder, and had long known the prisoner, was
questioned as to the prisoner's state of mind, and a..
posed that in his opinion the whole conduct of the pri-
soner showed that when he committed the act he had
not, from an incontrollable impulse to which a human
being may be subject, had control over himself. The
perversion of the affections, the desire to .harm those
previously dear, was one indication of insanity; theim-
'possibility of resisting a sudden homicidal impulse was
'another. There was no necessary connexion between
suicidal monomania and homicidal monomania, but it
would be more natural for a monomaniac, who had, been
contemplating suicide, to kill another than for one who
had not, By monomania was understood an affection
that, for the moment, deprived a person of all control
over himself in respect of the particular matter. Tho
prisoner's reasoning power, however, did not appear to
be affected; and to the surgeon he had never appeared
to be under delusions. The monomania in the prisoner's
case was attributed to an impression that he was coming
to 'destitution; he had, in tact, been distressed about
Some property that blight to have cone
,to him. The
prisoner had said that his wife had reproached him be-
fore he made the second attempt, but that the feeling was
too strong for him. In answer to the Learned Judge the
surgeon said, "It is my opinion that the prisoner was in
an unsound state of mind at the moment he did the act;
that is not my opinion in all cases of murder." It was,
also, shown that the prisoner had left his razor to be
sharpened the day before, and had insisted on having it
back on the same day, giving out that it was fur some
one else.
Mr. CROUCH then addressed the jury for the prisoner.
The Learned Gentleman then called witnesses, who
showed that the prisoner was entitled to a fourth share of
a sum of 700/., the trustee of which (a shoemaker at 15,
Mount-street, Grosvenor-square) had invested it in his
own trade, and had become insolvent; that the dividend
would be a small one; and that this was made known to
the prisoner a few days before the murder, and seemed to
affect him very much:
Mr. WELLs replied.
Mr. Baron PARKE having summed up, •
The jury retired to consider their verdict, and after a
brief deliberation, returned a verdict of Guilty.
The Learned JUDkIE then, after a solemn address to
the prisoner, passed sentence of death upon him.