The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-03 00:00:00

EVEN' IN 6, MARCH 3, ;848.

Ling and wounding. Against one prisoner there are
three, charges of shecp stealing. In the calendar for the
county there were eight prisoners for trial. There is
one case of manslaughter, one of murder, and two of
highway robbery. Six causes are entered for trial; five
in the county, and one in the town.
(Before Mr. Baron ALDERSON
TAYLOR v. THE SOUTH SHIELDS FERRY CoMPANY.
This was an action to recover damages for the injury
done to the plaintiff's vessel, from a collision with a
ste:fmtug belonging to the defendants.
Mr. Knowles and Mr. Hugh Hill for the plaintiff ;
Mr. Martin, Mr. Temple, and Mr. Heath for the de-
fendants.

It appeared from the evidence of the witnesses for the
plaintiff that the vessel injured, the Mart, had arrived
at the mouth of the river about eight o'clock on the
evening of the 29th of October. She was a sloop of
about 60 tons burden, and was laden with a cargo of
railway sleepers from Dundee. She was taken in tow
by the steam-tug Brilliant, and proceeded up the river.
The rope by which she was towed was about thirty-
six yards long. While passing between North and
South Shields the men on board the Brilliant, as
well as those on board the Mart, saw the tug be-
longing to the company leaving the station on the
north bank. The ferry boat crossed the bows of the
Brilliant. The ferry station on the south side lies con-
siderably further up the river, and in the interval there
is adjoining each bank a tier of vessels. Shortly after
the boat from the north shore had passed the crews of
the Mart and Brilliant saw a steamer coming down the
river on their larboard bow, and when sho got nearly op.
posite the Brilliant she starboarded her helm, to turn
her head in the direction of the ferry landing place on
the north shore. She was then some sixty yards dis-
tant. The crews of the Mart and Brilliant called out to
them to stop the engines, and this, it seemed, was
quickly done, but not in sufficient time to prevent the
way already on the vessel carrying her into the line of
the track of the Brilliant mid the Mart. The Brilliant
cast off the hawser by which the Mart was tugged, and
by this means got clear, but the Mart came in contact
with the ferry-boat, and was injured to a considerable
extent. The amount of damages, it was agreed, should
be left to be settled by one of the jurymen, in case of a
verdict for the plaintiff.
For the defence it was urged that the injury arose
from inevitable accident. The light of the Brilliant it
wa3 said was but a dim one, and when it was seen, the
crew of the ferry-boat ported their helms for the pur-
pose of clearing her. They succeeded in doing so, but
not observing she had a vessel in tow, which was not
distinguishable in consequence of the tier of ♦essels
behind, they were unaware of her proximity until too
late to avoid the collision.

A verdict was finally returnod for the defendants.
(Before Mr. Baron ROLFY
Richard Bird and George Wheatley, two soldiers, were
charged with a robbery at Tynemouth, on the 17th of
November last.

Mr. Heath conducted the prosecution. The prisoners
were not defended by counsel.
It appeared that the prosecutrix, Ann Hornby, was
walking with a young man of the name of Stonebank,
adjoining the new church at Manchester, on the night in
question, when they were assailed by three men, two of
whom, they said, were the two prisoners. They de-
manded money, and one of them seised hold of the
young woman and put his hand over her mouth. He
pulled her some distance along the road, while the other
prevented Mr. Stonebank from assisting her. Mr.
Stonebank finding his endeavours to rescue her were
in vain, ran a short distance along the road for assistance;
and, having met a young man, they hastened to the spot,
and the soldiers made off. Miss Hornby was nearly in-
sensible from terror, and on recovering a little, it was
found that her pocket was partly turned out, and a few
halfpence she had in it gone. She was unable to say,
however, whether it had been taken out or lost iu the
struggle.
Verdict—Guilty of an assualt.

The two prisoners were again indicted for a similar
offence on the same evening.
It appeared that they met a person of the name of
Wolstonecroft walking with a young woman and de-
manded some money. He refused, and one of the prisoners
then threatened to knock him down with his belt, on
which Woistonecroft gave him a shilling.
Verdict—Guilty. Bird to be imprisoned two years;
Wheatley eighteen calendar months.

SOUTH WALES ClRCUlT.—Swansea, March 1.
(Before Mr. Justice WILLIAMS.)
John Lloyd, aged 25, and Richard Mahoney, aged 27,
were indicted for being armed with a pistol, and feloni-
ously assaulting and putting Mr. Charles Bowring in
bodily fear and danger of his life, and with having felo-
niously stolen from his person monies and bank-notes of
the value of 1,0001.

Evan Evans, aged 38, a weaver, and Richard Thomas,
woollen spinner, aged 26, were also indicted for feloniously
receiving a portion of the 1,0001., well knowing it to
have been stolen.

The prisoners Lloyd and Mahoney, the principals in
the attack, on being arraigned, pleaded guilty. They
were accordingly withdrawn, and the trial of the other
two prisoners wag proceeded with.
Mr. Grove conducted th© prosecution. Mr. Richards
defended Evans, and Mr. Lloyd Hall appeared for
Thomas.

The evidence adduced in support of the prosecution
showed that on the 4th of November, Mr. C. Bowring
proceeded with a horse and chaise to Bridgend, for the
purpose of drawing the usual amount of cash at the
bankers, to pay wages at his iron works. At Bridgend
he was joined by Dr. Bowring, M. P., and at about twelve
o'clock at noon they proceeded to return home to Bow-
rington. After getting a considerable way on the road,
they noticed two men walking in advance of them on
each side of the road, and on coming up to them, they
seized the horse's head, and each presenting a pistol at
the doctor and his brother, demanded their money or
their lives. Not being in a position to resist them, and
it appearing evident that they were determined in their
purpose, the bags which contained the amount were
given up to them. The money comprised 570 sovereigns,
100 half sovereigns in a canvass bag, and 270 five pound
notes, and 601. in silver in another bag; the notes being
those of the National and Provincial Bank of England
issued at Cardiff. Having obtained and seeured the cash
about them, the prisoner Lloyd (who with Mahoney was
clearly identified as being the parties who committed the
robbery) deliberately pointed his pistol to the horse's
head, and shot the poor beast dead on the spot, thereby
preventing the doctor or his brother giving any imme-
diate chase of them. The highwaymen having made
of? over some of the fields by the side of the wood, Dr.
Bowring hastened to a neighbouring farm, and having
been furnished with a horse, alarm was quickly spread
throughout the district, and numerous workmen turned
out to scour the country in quest of the ruffians. In the
course of the afternoon, Mahoney was apprehended,
and 1361. I is. 7-0. was found in his possession, but
none of this money was in notes. For the other
offender, Lloyd, the search was kept up with great
zeal, and after some difficulty he was captured at ten
o'clock at night. At the moment, however, of the
officers seizing him, ho was seen to pass something over
a wall, against which he was standing; and a labourer
of the name of Jones who had been mainly instrumen-
tal in apprehending him, heard the chinking of money
on the other side, and on the spot being examined, a
handkerchief containing 515 sovereigns was found.
Ten pounds was also found in his possession, but no
not**.
With reference to the case against the receivers, it
appeared that a day or so after the robbery, a reward of
501. was offered for the recovery of the remainder of the
property stolen; the prisoner Edwards invited a farmer's
son, named David Thomas, to go out with him in search
of the missing property. They went through the Maes-
cadro fields, and when there Evans suddenly left
Thomas, and went into an adjoining wood. In a few
minutes be returned to his companion and said, " Here
is the bag." There was nothing in the bag; and on con-
tinuing the search a short time, they found a bundle of
bank notes, three letters, a newspaper, and stamps.
There were 34 five pound notes, amounting to 1701.
(The missing notes amounted to 2701.) On finding the
notes, Evans said, " Now, David, we are only two, if
you like we will divide them, and no person
shall ever know." David Thomas declined the
pr. position, and the 34 notes were accord-
ingly handed to Mr. Bowring, who gave six
five-pound notes to Evans as a reward. The silver
had not been found. These six notes were cashed at
the bank by Evans and David Thomas. A few days
afterwards Evans appeared at the Union Inn at Swansea,
and while there sent for the other prisoner, Richard
Thomas. Several persons joined their company. Evans
treated them, and they spent a. considerable sum in beer
and liquor. He paid the landlord in a five-pound note of
the National and Provincial Bank of England. [lt
should be remembered that the six he hail got from Mr.
Bowring he had previously got cashed.] In the course
of conversation Evans told the landlord, Mr. Hopkins,
that he was the first man who had caught one of the
thieves, and that he had received as a reward 341. He
also added that his grandmother had died at Birming-
ham, and had left him upwards of 1,000/. They
frequented the house on the following day, and spent
and drank freely, and Richard Thomas paid the
landlord in one of the notes of the bank in
question, who inquired of him how he had be-
come possessed of so much money. Thomas re-
plied, `• It's all right," and said the money had
been given to him by Evans. He subsequently
said that he was not such a fool as to refuse
them, as he had on the night befcre. He added that he
had three parcels of notes, containing Si. notes, and that
Evans would never ask him for them, as it was robbery
money. The bundle of notes produced were those of
the -PrtAincial Bank of England. The two notes ten-
denid by Evans and Thomas having b:en proved to
have been of the same description as those stolen from
Mr: Bowring, the inspector spoke to having appre-
hended them. Evans expressed considerable surprise as
to what had become of some money he was possessed of
at the public-house. In the presence of Thomas, he
said he had 16 five pound notes, 16 sovereigns, 205., and
two watches, and, pointing to Thomas, said, " You
know where they are." Evans was sober when he made
this accusation, but Thomas was intoxicated.
The counsel having addressed the jury for the

prisoners,
Tho Learned JUDGE summed up at some length, and
thi• jury found both prisoners Guilty, but recommended
Thomas to mercy.
Boyd and Mahoney, with the latter two convicted
oners, were then called up to receive judgment, and
yd threw himself on the mercy of the Court, as he
not been previously guilty of violating the law.
'he Learned JUDGE, in passing sentence, said that the
rners Lloyd and Mahoney had pleaded guilty to a
e of great enormity, and he could discover no miti-
ry circu.rstances which would warrant him in passing
them any other sentence than the severest which
la.w prescribed. A very few years ago their lives
lld have been forfeited. They were not in want of
ey, neither were they pressed by the means of des-

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