The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-21 00:00:00

OXFORD CIRCUIT.— !ForceAter, July 18.
CROWN COURT.— (Before Mr. Justice MAULE.)
Richard Darnel, otherwise Henry Lee Paget, aged 32, and
described in the calendar as a surgeon, was indicted for
bigamy.
Mr. F. V. Lee conducted the prosecution ; and the pri-
soner was defended by Mr. Godson, Q.C., with whom was
Mr. Huddlestone.
From the opening and the evidence it appeared that the
prosecutor, Mr. George Muckarsie, a dentist, residing in
King-street, Bloomsbury, in London, was introduced to the
prisoner in 1833. The prisoner, who was then about 21
years of age, and a surgeon, paid his attentions to Miss Geor-
giana, the daughter of the prosecutor, in whose house he
was stopping, and ultimately, after a courtship of two years,
was married to her, with her father's consent, at St. Pancras
Church, in London, in the mcnth ofJuly, 1835. Immediately
on his marriage he went to reside in Sidmouth-street,
Regent's-square, where he practised as a surgeon. After
living with his wife there for six months be got into difficul-
ties, and being arrested, was placed in the Fleet Prison, when
his wife returned to reside in her father's house. From
the Fleet he took the benefit of the Act, and, his father-in-
law having paid all the fees, he returned to the house of the
latter, and lived there till November, 1837, when he left for
the country, whither his wife followed him. They lived
together at Newtown, in Montgomeryshire, where his wife,
taking with her a gold watch, several trinkets, and a stock
of wearing apparel, joined him, but she soon returned to her
father with literally nothing left but what she wore. After
1838, when a deed of separation, which, though alluded to,
was not produced in evidence, was entered into between the
prisoner and his wife, she had never lived with him. On the
29th of June, 1830, a letter was received by Mrs. Durnell
from a Mr. Edwards, a surgeon of Walsall, in whose service
the prisoner then was, enclosing a letter to her from her hus-
band, in which, using the kindest and mast affectionate lan-
guage, he begged of her to return to him. In Mr. Edwards's
letter he requested her to give an early answer that matters
might be settled which depended on her determination. She,
however, declined acceding to the wishes of her husband,
sending him as an answer to his note the deed of separation.
The prisoner seems then to have wandered about, having al-
tered his name to that of Henry ;.ee Paget, and to have
practised as a physician. On the 3d of March, 1844, he
was married at Bath to Miss Alice Lovell, and they went
to live at Bengeworth, which is about a mile from that
town. When he had been residing there for about ten months
he was apprehended and committed fur trial on the charge of
bigamy.
Mr. GODSON then addressed the jury for the prisoner.
The Learned JUDGE summed up, and
The jury, after deliberating for a few minutes, returned a
verdict of guilty, but recommended the prisoner to the mercy
of the Court.
The prisoner, when called on, said he considered the clauses
in the deed of separation so stringent that he looked on the
deed as equivalent to a divorce.
Mr. Justice MAULE said, that the prisoner was a surgeon
by profession, and therefore must have known that persons
could not be divorced merely by mutual consent. The crime
he had committed was a very. grave one, and might be
severely punished, but as the Jury had recommended the
prisoner to mercy, and as this case was not of the.wt!'st
description of its class, the Court would deal lenis9tl3 with
him. His Lordship sentenced the prisoner to imprisonment

for one year.
No case of any public interest occurred in the Nisi Prius
Court.

Jacob Skerry, who, as our readers will recollect, was the
accomplice of the two men Biddle and Sheriff, now under
sentence of death in Oxford, and the principal witness
against them, was himself tried on Thursday evening, at
Oxford, for sheepstealing, and having been convicted was
sentenced to transportation for fourteen years.

The Hon. Sydney Herbert, late Secretary of War, is
soon to lead to the hymeneal altar Miss A'Court, daughter of
Lord Heytesbury.— Limerick Chronicle.
The Earl of Besborough is the first Irish resident
nobleman who filled the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
since the reign of Charles IL, when James Duke of Ormond
was Lord Lieutenant.--Limerick Chronicle.
1 PARISH OF ST. PANCRAS.—It is in contemplation tc
divide this large parish into ecclesiastical districts, so that
the present Chapels of Ease at Camden-tovrn, Somers-town.
Old St. Pancras-road, Woburn-place, Regent-square, &c.,
may be district churches, to the incumbents of which a por-
tion of the parish will be assigned. The Rev. Thomas Dale.
M.A., the new vicar, has expressed his entire concurrence
with this arrangement.
FATAL. AND DESTRUCTIVE ARE IN THE CITY.—
, On Sunday morning, shortly after three o'clock, a dreadful
fire broke out on the premises of Mr.. Fenn, chop and coffee-
houss keeper, 26. Newgate• street, GNty. As might be ex-
pected, from the instant alarm which was given, there was no
want of assistance, and in a few minutes after its outbreak
at least a dozen engines of the A and B sections of the bri-
gade, as also that of the West of England Company, were on
the spot. Water was abundantly supplied, and the engines
were worked without intermission,. throwing vast torrents on
the burning mass,
be made until the premises of Mr. Fenn were completely de-
stroyed, but not the leas t stay of destruction could
and great damage done al to to the property of Mr.
Mackenzie, a Berlin-wool dealer . adjoining. Mr. Fenn
escaped by clinging to some timber :it the back of his house,
used for supporting those opposite while the sewer was under
repair, from whence he was dragged by a City policeman into
his window. One of the lodgers, ho.wever, was not so fortu-
nate, for, imagining no other hope i- ,f escape, he jumped out
of the window, and on being picked up, was conveyed to St.
Bartholomew's Hospital, where every attention was paid to
the case, but he died in the course of a few hours. Two of
the Royal Saciety's fire-escapes were taken to the fire, but
unrorruo;ii,ty :vtt iino.ero.ogh to I,rovellr ! ti,: :11,,v, ;,.. i.l. ;;;.
IS u vile knew how the tire originated, but the loss is estimated
at nearly 800/., part of which, belonging to Mr. Fenn, is in-
sured in the Maw, and that of Ns, Diao4ouaio ill tho suo
Zito GtfAcc,

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
MIDLAND CIRCUIT—Oakham, July 17.
The people of the town of Oakham were this morning
awakened from their usually dull routine by the clamour of
bell ringing, and the clatter of the little cortege of javelinmen
in attendance upon the High Shelia' of Rutlandshire, Mr.
John Gibson, of Wing Uppingham, who awaited the arrival
of Mr. Justice Patteson. His Lordship arrived at half-past
10 o'clock, and shortly after proceeded to the Castle.
His LORDSHIP adverted to the light state of the calendar,
which exhibited two cases only, one of which wasor cutting
and wounding, and the other for setting fire to a lock-up
house at Oakham; there was not, however, evidence to ga
to the grand jury, whereupon the indictment was abandoned.
On the Nisi Prins side there was no entry for trial whatever.
The only case indeed expected to be tried at these assizes is
that of the " Syston and Peterborough Railway Company v.
Lord Harborough," a case arising out of long standing dis-
putes between Lord Harborough and the Syston and Peter-
borough Railway Company, and which have already formed
the groundwork of two trials at 0 ikham. On the present
occasion the venue was lai,l for Rutiaudsbire ; it has, how-
ever, on account 'of the leading counsel on the Midland
Circuit being detained at Northampton in a tithe case, been'
transferred to Nottingham.
On the Crown side Frederick Lea stood indicted for cutting
and wounding with a scythe with intent to do grievous bodily
harm.
Mr. Roberts appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Wing
for the prisoner.
The facts of the case were as follows :—The prisoner, who
was addicted to drink, was, on the 23d of May last, in a state
of drunkenness and high excitement, and whilst un,ler their
influence, and affected by fimily disturbances, rushed into
the street t.rmed with a scythe blade, and the prosecutor, in
attcmpting to capture him, received a wound in the face
three or four inches long, and also had a piece of one of his
ears cut off.

The constable who apprehended the prisoner, Joseph Cliff.
the father of the prosecutor, and the prosecutor, deposed to
the facts at the case, and another witness deposed that pri•
soner would have cut his and prosecutor's head MI, if he could
have done so.
Mr. WING addressed the jury in extenuation, and called
witnesses, who deposed to the good character prisoner had
borne during twenty yearn.
The jury, after some consideration, returned a verdict of
Guilty.—Sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment.
This being the last and only case, the assizes terminated,
and his Lordship proceeded on to meet Mr. Justice Coleridge
at Lincoln, where the commission was opened on Saturday.

NORFOLK flu7tingdon, July 1
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron ALnzasox.)
Richard Hayes was charged with feloniously cutting and
stabbing William Monk.
Mr. Tozer was counsel for the prosecution; Mr. Prender-
gast appeared for the defence.
It appears that the prisoner is a respectable carpenter, re•
siding in a village not far from the banks of the Ouse, which,
as all who have travelled the fens in winter know, is fre-
quently flooded, carrying away timber and even stacks in
its overcharged bosom. On one of these occasions, in the
winter of 1845, the prosecutor, William Monk, found and
captured a prize in the shape of some timber, which he in
vain sought to find an owner for. At length, deeming that
he might do as he pleased with it, he confided it to the pri-
soner for the purpose of being made into a box. The pri-
soner kept the wood for nearly three months without exe-
cuting his job, and, when questioned about it, intimated,
first, that he " might get into a bother about it, as he did '
not know who the owner was," and eventually flatly refused
to make-the box or give up the " raw material." This, of
course, irritated the prosecutor, who, on the day named in
the indictment, met the prisoner at a public-house, and
demanded his property. The prisoner, who was intoxi-
cated, evaded the demand, and on the prosecutor intimating
his intention of going home with him, that he might get
" a proper understanding" with him, he cautioned him " not
to come near him, or on his premises, else he would do him
an injury." The prosecutor, however, followed the drunken
man up to the threshold of his door, and the prisoner, having
entered it, presently came out with a knife in his hand,
swearing he would "stick it into the —'a belly." His
wife rushed between him and the prosecutor, and a struggle
ensued, in which the prisoner thrust his hand over her
shoulder, and inflicted a cut on the left cheek of the prose-
cutor, from which, though slight, the blood flowed rapidly.
As the prosecutor did not quit the premises, the prisoner
then went back, vowing he wouid fetch his loaded pistols
and shoot him ; but he either bad none or could not find
them, for he returned in a second or so with the knife as be-
fore, and then a passer-by, who had been attracted by the
noise, prudently withdrew the prosecutor, and so pat an end
to the matter.

At the close of the case for the prosecution,
His LORDSHIP intimated to the Learned Counsel for the
prosecutor, that as he (Mr. Baron Alderson) thought the fe-
lonious part of the charge was not made out, he had better at
once submit to a verdict fur an assaulr, as the case must come
to that eventually. It was very clear that the prisoner was
drunk when the wound was given, and that being so, he
could scarcely be said to have been actuated by any such in-
tent as was contemplated by the statute.
The jury, therefore, under his Lordship's direction, found
the prisoner guilty of an assault only, and be was thereupon
sentenced to pay a fine of 405., and to find surety to keep the
peace for two years, and furthermore admonished to abstain
from chink fur the future, which he faithfully promised he
would do.

Ann Peacock, aged 20, was indicted for setting fire to a
dwelling-house, called the Huntingdon Union Workhouse,
William Goma.e and others then being in the same.
Mr. Worlledge, for the prosecution, proved that the pri-
soner had been punished at least 20 times in the union for
violence and insubordination to the powers that be, and that
on the 17th of May last she took occasion of her being or-
dered to clean out a bed-room to set fire to one of the beds.
Fortunately the cry of " Fire " was soon raised, for on the
authorities bursting into the apartment, four beds were dis-
covered in flames, while the prisoner was quietly watching
the progress of the devouring element, which had evidently
been created by the agency of live coals, some of which were
strewn about the floor. When taxed with the commission of
this offence, the prisoner quietly said, " Oh, I told you I
would da it, when you stopped my dinner yesterday," a
statement which did not receive either confirmation or refu-
tation during the progress of the case.
It being at last, t,,ough with some difficulty, ascertained
that a sufficient firing of the timber had been effected to pro-
duce a red heat, and so to bring the case within the law,
The prisoner was found Guilty, and sentence of death re-
corded, accompanied by an intimation that it would be com-
muted to a short term of transportation.