The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-14 00:00:00

stating that mail fidcipia only paid two shillings under simis
lar circumstances; was tiled put In - and read; and this closed
the case for the plaifitift • • • • - . -
Mr. RUSSELL GtailEY/ in addressing the jury fir the de •
fendant, characterised the action. as a most trumpery and
unnecessary roneclobserving that if there had been any
seduction in the matter, it was very probable that the de-
fendant himself was the party siduced. As, however, the
'present course had been adopted, he could not deny that the
defendant had rendered himself liable,' and the verdict must
.pass against him, .but he trusted that under the circum-
stances the jury would feel that the smallest possible damages
would amply meet the justice of the case.
Mi. Baron ALDEasoN-having summed up, the jury after
a short deliberation returned. a verdict for the plaintiff.--
Damages, 301. •

11'0 RTHE IiNCIRCUIT.—York, March 12.
• CROWN COURT.—( Before Mr. Justice COLERIDGE.)
Jacob Gregg, aged 29, who was said to be a Swede, and in
the sea-serviee, was charg,ed with stabbing, cutting, and
,wounding Thomas Rodgers at Hull, 'on the 7th of Jan. last.
Mr. Rains and Mr. Dear:ley conducted the prosecution.
The prisoner did not understand English, and an old lady,
who could speak the Swedish, was sworn to be interpreter.
The prisoner, on being called to plead, bad said that he
, would like to have counsel ; but the case had proceeded some
time without his being defended, the evidence for 'the prose-
cution being translated to Gregg as it was delivered by te
witnesses. Finally, however, Mr. Sergeant Wilkins offered,
in order to save the time of the Court, to cross-examine the
witnesses of the prosecution, and to conduct the case for the
prisoner.
Thomas Rodgers, of North Frodingham, the party injured,
stated that he is what is called a shopman, On the 7th of
January last Witness was in Leadenliall-square, in Hull, at
about five minutes past twelve at •night..'.llo and another
man by the name of Joseph Lee, and some other young men,
were at Jackson's public-house-in the square. The prisoner
and two °titer foreigners were seen coining along the square-
at great speed, and apparently much excited. They stopped
in the street for a 'while, and prosecutor and Lee stood near
them, at about two or three yards off. The prisoner, and
those with them, then went.towards Manners- street, leading
into Broadly-street. Witness went in the same direction,
and on getting to Broadly=-street, saw the prisoner and one
of the other for6igiiers near to a considerable crowd. of per-
sons, where theyreemed to be engaged in arguing with some
person. One of the foreigners (not the prisoner) held a
drinking glass, and.an English sailor told him that "he must
give the glass ups or that he wOuld'inalse him." One of these
foreigners was Isaac Milian, another Swede, now to be tried
here upon a similar • 'charges that of wounding Charles
Saunderson. Prosecutor.• then. rejoined his, companion,
Joseph Lee, and in a.minute or two, while they were stand-
ing talking at some distance from the crowd, a person said,
" Here are some foreigners coming, with their knives drawn,"
Two of the foreigners then made their appearance, the pri-
soner and Inman. Gregg carried a knife. It was a sailor's
common clasp knife, with a string of leather tied to it. The
prisoner first struck Lee in the forehead, and directly after
struck prosecutor several blows, one on the ribs,' near the
heart, one behind the ear, and another across the cheek. By
the latter blow a wound was inflicted; it was a wound of
some depth, and caused much blood to flow, though the cheek
was not cut through.. The .prosecutor, stated that he had
been attended by a surgeon, and had suffered much illness in
consequence of that wound. .
Other witnesses confirmed all these facts, and stated fur-
ther details of the transaction. One of theM, however, proved
that the prisoner:and the-other foreigner, Inffian, had been
attacked with sticks before the prisoner wqunded Rodgers.
Rodgers was shown to have had a stick handed to him just
before the assault complained pf ; but it was not shOwn who
it -was that had attacked the' prisoner and his companion,
and there was nothing to indicate frOtti what motive the pri-
soner could have inflicted the wound upon Rodgers.
Mr. WILKINS, in his address to the jury, remarked upon
the want of practical charity prevailing among some people
towards any who happened to be called " foreigners." He
said it was clear these men must themselves have been
aggrieved before they would have deemed it necessary to
use their knives. It was proved that they had been the
object of an attack, snd that they had been beaten with
sticks only just before the assault was committed; and,
under these circumstances, there was nothing to justify the
supposition that the act of the prisoner was done with any
other intent than that of insuring self-defence.
The jury, after hearing his Lordship's summing up, agreed
with the Learned Counsel in their view of the case. 'Thev
left the bdx to deliberate, but ultimately found the prisoner
guilty of the common assault only.

NORFOLK ClRCUlT.—Buntingdoit, March 12.
The commission for this county was opened to-day at nine
o'clock by Mr. Baron Parke, who arrived at that hour from
Bedford, the scene of his exertions yesterday. The calendar,
thoughit contains the names of twenty-two prisoners, is not
of a heavy character. It embraces one case of arson, one of
burglary, one of housebreaking, one of assault on a woman,
one charge of sheepstealing, and a few of common larcenies.
Of the contents of the cause list it is rather difficult to
speak just now, for it has not made its appearance
vet. Perhaps it awaits the arrival of Mr. Justice
kettle, who has been detained at Bedford trviug pri-
soners but it is whispered that it can only contain
that fabulous animal, the " single case at Huntingdon," un-
I ess indeed it be referred before the arrival of the Learned Judge.
CROWN COURT.— (Before Mr. Baron PARnE:)
Eliza Maycock, aged 22, was charged with maliciously
setting fire to one stack of corn, one stack of hay, and one of
straw, on the 2d of January last, in this county.
Mr. Gunning conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Prender-
gast the defence.
The prosecutor in this case was Mr. Bridgfoot, a farmer,
residing in Ramsey Fen, and at the time of the commission
of the offence the prisoner was in his service, having entered
it at last Michaelmas. In consequence of her misconduct it
would appear that the prosecutor soon had reason to find
fault with her, and to threaten to summon her before the
justices. This occurred twice, the last time being a week
before the day named in the indictment. About five o'clock
on that afternoon the prisoner was out of the house, and in-
stead of attending to her duties, remained absent for half an
hour. About six she came into the parlour where her master
was sitting, and told- him in a very excited and alarmed
tone that there was a light in the stack-yard. On this the
prosecutor rushed out and found that the property named in
the indictment was all in flames. There being no help at
hand the three stacks wer.: entirely consumed, and, there
being no possible ground for imputing the act to any stranger,
suspicion fell on the prisoner, whose manner had of late at-
tracted the notice of her master and his family, but espe-
cially on the previous day, when she was very different from
what she had been before. She was accordingly questioned,
and her answers lent strength to those suspicions, for they
were contradictory in themselves, and opposed to facts within
the knowledge of the family. At one time she said she had
been busy making her master's tea at the critical period just
before the fire burst out, but his sister had herself performed
that office for him in her absence. She then said she had
been out to fetch sonic sticks for the fire with a lantern, and
that in passing between the stacks she fell down and let fall,
the light, and set fire to the stacks, after which she was too
frightened to stop and pick up the lantern, and ran away.
This, however, was no better than the other account, for it;
was well known that there was not a stick on the premises,:
the farm being a thorough fen one, and supplied with turf
alone for fuel. After this she burst out into tears, and said
she did it because her master threatened to summon her ;
and when taken before the magistrate she finally admitted
" the job" and said that "it would not have happened if
her master had not threatened to ' prison' her."
Mr. PRENDERGAST addressed the jury for the prisoner,
contending that the conflagration was not malicious, as it
was the result of accident, arising from the nervous and
excited state of mind into which she had been thrown by
some unknown cause, perhaps the threats of her master ;
while he endeavoured to explain away the effect of her ad-
missions and contradictory accounts by reference to the
same all-powerful cause.
Mr. Baron PARKE told the jury, that unless they thought
the prisoner absolutely insane, they ought not to pay any
attention to the accounts of her manner which had been ex-
tracted on cross-examination from the witnesses. These ac-
counts did not amount to anything like proof of such a state
of mind as would admit of the prisoner being irresponsible
for her acts, and if the jury saw nothing in the case to raise
any rational doubt of her having fired her master's property
maliciously, they ought to say that she was guilty of the
charge imputed to her.
The jury, without much hesitation, found the prisoner
Guilty, and she was thereupon sentenced to fifteen years'
transportation.
Mr. Justice Maule reached this place at two o'clock, and
immediately proceeded to try prisoners, the assizes having
turned out a maiden one on his side.
The cases brought under the cognizance of his Lordship
were not of a character to call for any detailed notice.

WESTERN ClRCUlT.—Salisbury, March 12
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron ROLFE.)
Elizabeth Butcher was placed at the bar, and charged, upon
the coroner's inquisition, with the wilful murder of her in-
butild An indictment had been preferred aint her,
the grand jury ignored the bill, at which som against
se
surprise
has been expressed.
Mr. Hodges appeared on behalf of the prosecution, and
stated the facts of the case to the jury.
By
.the statednibereietnofatphaeuLpeerarinnetdheCcourincskeila,diet
aanpdpelavroeodtttchna-
ia t
the prisoner i
Bassett workhouse, and in December last was delivered there
of an illegitimate female child. In the course of the next
month she wished to leave the house, and accordingly give
notice of her intention, as was required by the regulations
of the house on her leaving. The unfortunate baby was
stripped of the clothes it had worn in the workhouse since its
birth, and the mother was obliged to take it away without
any covering except a shawl, which the mother happened to
have when she left. The child was quite well, but shortly after
the mother had left the workhouse, the child was found naked
and dead in a brook of water. It was, therefore, for the jury
to say under all the circumstances lsliethorerwthheethme
ro tt hh ee r
chh
ial dd
been guilty of the crime imputed to her,
d died beenafte
thenrivar cadstlllierdow—n into the stream by
her.ha l'b e and h
Learnedad Counsel
Jane Cook-1 ant a nurse in the Cricklade Union, and was
so in December last. The prisoner was there at that time,
and was delivered there of a female child. She gave notice
on the 9th of January that she wished to leave the house,
and at that time she had no clothes to put on the bady, and
I told the mistress of the workhouse so. She said that she
(the prisoner) had better not leave the house until she bad
obtained some from her friends, and told her that by the riles
of the house if clothes were not brought in none were alloWed
to be taken away. The prisoner said that she could not stop
to get any clothes, but must go directly. I took the union
clothes off the baby, and it was then naked. The prisoner
wrapped it up in a shawl she had, and also put a handkerchief
on its head, and a pair of socks on its feet. The matron of
the union was present when I so stripped the child. The
prisoner left the house at about eleven o'clock in the morn-
ing: I was afterwards shown the dead body of a child. It
was the same child.
• [At this stage of the case the gaoler stated that the pri-
s'ener had employed an attorney to instruct counsel to defend
her, but no learned gentleman had, it appeared, received
any brief. The trial then proceeded.] ;
Ann Coward—l remember meeting the prisoner on the 9th
of January. She was going on the road from Wootton-
Bassett. She was carrying a child ; it was crying violently.
I spoke to her, taking her for a person I knew. I did not
know her before.
[Here -Mr. Slade, the attorney of Devizes, came into Court
and stated be had been employed to defend the prisoner'; but
as the grand jury had ignored the bill against her, he had no
idea she would be tried on the coroner's inquisition, and
.therefore had not delivered any brief to counsel. He their
handed a brief to Mr. C. Saunders to defend the prisoner.] ,
Charles Brown—On Friday, the 9th of January, I was
going along the Trinity-road, which is a few miles from the
union-house, and met the prisoner, who had an un rella
and a small bundle with her. About a mile after I assed
-t
her I had to go over a little bridge, and saw someth g in
the water which looked like a child. • I went back to is cot-
tage near. Mary Ann Longley lived there. She returned
with me, and brought a garden rake, and with it we drew
out ( f the water the dead body of an infant child. t was
quite dead. The child was quite naked.
Mary Ann Longley confirmed the witness as to tak g thO,
child out of the water. • i
John King—l am a policeman, and apprehended the prig
Softer on the 10th of February. She had the shawl and
handkerchief, the same; that had been wrapped round the
prisoner's child's. body when she left the union. ' -•-