The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-25 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE

WESTMINSTER COUNTY COURT-1116ra 24.
(Before D. C. MoYLLN, Esq., Judge.)
A CHIEF BARON IN DIFFICULTY.—HARRIS V. NICHOLSON.
In this case the defendant, Renton Nicholson, " Chief
Baron," as he styles himself, of a Judge and Jury So-
ciety held at the Garrick's Head, Bow street, had judg-
ment obtained against him some time back, and was
ordered to pay the debt, 181., by instalments. The order
of the Court he neglected, and was now summoned to
show cause why he had not complied with that order.
On the case being called yesterday, the " Baron " did
not attend, but sent a friend to say he was ill in bed, and
could not come to the court.
In answer to questions from the Judge, the " Baron's"
deputy said he had not seen Mr. Nicholson that day, but
he saw him the previous day in bed, about one or two
o'clock in the afternoon.
JUDGE—I have seen many people in bed at that hour
of the day, and yet they have not been iIL I suppose
his habits are irregular, and he goes to bed late.
The Deputy—He goes to bed late, but he never keeps
in bed to that time.
JUDGE—I cannot receive that at all as a sufficient ex-
cuse for his absence. He has been served personally
with the judgment summons, and he was bound to ap-
pear. I suppose you are not a doctor.—(Laughter.)
The Deputy—No, your Honour.
JUDGE—Did you feel his pulse or try to form any
opinion as to the nature of his illness.—(Great laughter.)
Deputy—l did not, your Honour.
JunoE—lt appears clear to me that it will be very
easy for Mr. Nicholson to walk down to this court, and
unless he does, or sends a medical certificate that he is
really ill, I shall commit him to prison for contempt.
The deputy rushed out of court, intending, it was sup
posed, to fetch the "Chief Baron," but neither return-
ing before the rising of the Court,
The Learned JUDGE directed a warrant to be issued
for the committal of Mr. Nicholson to prison for twenty
days.
After this was done, it was utuertained that the
plaintiff in the cause had not been present at all during.
the day, but had been represented by an agent, who,
every time he was -addressed, answered as if he was the
plaintiff.
The Learned JUDGE, after severely reprimanding the
man for his conduct, said he had laid down a rule, from
which he would not depart, never to commit a man to
prison without the plaintiff attended in person. He was
bound to attend, so as to answer any questions the de-
fendant might wish to put to him.
The warrant of commitment was then rescinded, the
" Chief Baron" thus escaping, through the absence of the
plaintiff, incarceration in the common Bail of the county
for the present. Another judgment summons was
granted free.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—York, March 23.

CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron RoLFz.)
John Drury, Thomas Bulloss, William Hall, and John
Marsden, who were yesterday found guilty of maliciously
inciting, procuring, hiring, and commanding Alexander
and Thomas Heathcote to commit a felony, by destroy-
ing the machinery of Peter Bradshaw, at the Kelham
Wheel, in Sheffield, were this morning brought up to
receive the sentence of the Court. _ _ .

HIS LORDSHIP said, that the prisoners being in a
higher station than the two Heathcotes (who had been
convicted) had, by holding out to them promises of re-
ward and protection, incited them to the commission of
the offence to which they (the Heathcotes) had pleaded
guilty. Common sense dictated that those who hired
others to commit a crime should receive a more severe
sentence than those who. actually committed it. His
Lordship then sentenced the prisoners to be severally
transported for ten years.
THE LEEDS MURDER.
Mr. DEAnsLY made an application in the case of
Michael Stokes, who had been convicted of murder, for
a copy of the indictment, iu order that a writ of error
might be brought to reverse the judgment, but he still
hoped his Lordship would reserve the point for the con-
sideration of the judges.
His LORDSHIP said he bad consulted his Learned
Colleague, who thought with him, that the words " sent
forth," which created the difficulty, might he rejected as
surplusage, and that he should not reserve the point, but
that he should be happy to hear Mr. Dearsly.
Mr. DEARSLY then said, that the indictment charged
that the prisoner, " Michael Stokes a certain musket
then and there charged and loaded with gunpowder and
one leaden bullet, to, against, and upon the said Mary
Anne Garrad did shoot, discharge, and send forth, and
that the said Michael Stokes, with the leaden bullet
aforesaid, out of the musket aforesaid, then and there by
the force of the gunpowder, so shot, discharged and sent
forth as aforesaid, the said Mary Ann Garrad did strike,
&c., giving to the said Mary Ann Garrad, with the
leaden bullet aforesaid, so shot, discharged, and sent
forth out of the musket aforesaid, one mortal wound,
&c." He submitted, therefore, that these allegations
were repugnant, inasmuch as the first allegation was that
the musket was discharged, shot, and sent forth; in the
subsequent allegation it was charged that the bullet so
discharged, shot, and sent forth as aforesaid, caused the
death. These allegations were inconsistent and repug-
nant.
In answer to a question from his LORDSHIP,
Mr. DEARSLY said, he was arguing upon the record,
and not upon the evidence. Whereupon
His LORDSHIP said, that the proper remedy was in
error, and that the Attorney-General would, if be
thought there was anything in the point, issue his fiat for
the writ, and make the proper representation to the
Home- office.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—Oahham, March 23.
The Right Hon. Sir T. Wilde and the Hon. Mr.
Justice Maulo arrived here this morning, and having
opened the commission took their seats in the County-
hall at half-past 10 o'clock; the Lord Chief Justice pre-
siding in the Crown Court, and Mr. Justice Maule on
the Civil Side.
There appeared in the calendar on this occasion the
rather unusual number of thirteen prisoners for trial for
the county of Rutland. Of these one was charged with
murder, another with rape, and the remainder with the
more ordinary and lighter class of offences of every day
occurrence.
There were two causes, of which one was undefended.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Lord CHIEF JUSTICE WILDE.)

THE QUEEN V. STAUGUTON.
This was an indictment for a rape upon a female
child of the age of l2i years.
Mr. MACAULAY conducted the prosecution, and at
the request of the Learned Judge watched the case for
the prisoner.
The prosecutrix, a very intelligent and modest-looking
girl, of the ago above stated, had been sent on the 7th of
January last from Barrowden to Uppingham, a distance
of six miles, to carry a letter to Mr. Hope, a chemist
there. When near Glaston, a village one mile and a
half from Uppingham, she was passed by three men,
with whom was a dog of rather remarkable colour and
appearance, which in the event served as a material piece
of evidence to establish the identity of the prisoner. The
three mon and the idog passed her on the road going
towards Uppingham, and she lost sight of them. When
within about ono mile of Uppingham the prosecutrix was
accosted by a man, whom she positively swore to be the
prisoner, and who was accompanied by a dog exactly
resembling the one she had previously seen.
She thou described the details of the offence per-
petrated upon her, which was not effected until
he had inflicted some blows upon her face and
used frightful threats to intimidate her. When
released she made the best of her way to Upping.
ham, and presented herself to Mrs. Hope in a state of
the utmost distress and suffering. From the description
given of the man the police set off in quest of the prisoner
who was well known as a railway navigator in the neigh-
bouihood, and atter a protracted search he was found
concealed under a bed in the house of a friend, where he
was denied when inquired for, but the dog being in the
house the search was persevered in. All doubt as to the
accuracy of the prosecution in speaking to his identity
was removed by the evidence of two witnesses, who
proved that he was one of the three men seen, as above
stated, by her near Glaston, and that the dog was the
same dog, and had been recently stolen by the prisoner.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty; and the pri-
soner was sentenced to be transported for the term of his
natural life.
In the case of murder the grand jury ignored the bill.
The prisoner was a young girl employed nursing a baby.
The prosecutrix, the mother of the infant, on coming
into the room, found the baby in a dying state, and on
smelling at the mouth detected the smell of Landmn's.
Shortly afterwards she saw the prisoner shut an oven,
and, on going to look into it, discovered a bottle con-
taininr, laudanum. There was no evidence, however, of
the administeringe by the Prisoner, or of her having pur-
chased, acquired, or been herself in the possession of
any laudanum. We believe that nearly all the evidence
against the prisoner was that above mentioned, but the
facts did not transpire in court, the bill having, as
before stated, been ignored by the grand jury.

LONDON ADJOURNED SESSIONS.
(Before the LORD MAYOR and a full bench of Aldermen.)
SUPPRESSION OF DERBY SWEEPS.—Mr. D. W. WIRE
appeared in support of the application of H. H. Watts,
of the Fleece public-house, Knightrider-street, Doctors'
Commons, for a renewal of his licence, which had been
suspended at the previous Court, on the suggestion of
Alderman Wilson, who had intimated to the Court that
the applicant allowed Derby and other sweeps for money
for the purpose of horse racing and gambling to take
place at his house. Mr. Wire complained that the
the applicant should have been so strongly opposed by
the worthy Alderman, for the committal of an act which
was carried on in almost every public-house in London.
He would not in the present case go into the question
of the legality of racing-sweeps ; but he would say
that there was nothing in the Act of Parliament
directly making them illegal; the applicant was desirous
to conduct his house in a proper manner, and with
a view to remove the opposition and the preju-
dice of Alderman Wilson, was quite willing to under-
take that the sweeps should be discontinued in future,
and he had already r- moved his bills from the window.
Mr. Wire, therefore, trusted the Court would feel that
the license ought to be granted.
) Alderman WILSON was very glad to hear that the
I applicant had adopted this course, for otherwise ho was