The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-23 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—NOTTINGHAM, JULY 21.
Wm. Hinckley was indicted for the wilful murder of his
wife, Frances Hinckley.

Joseph Peet—ls a lacemaker. In June last was lodging at
William Tuckwood's, in Nottingham, which opposite the
house of Thomas Peck. A woman who wey the name of
Fanny Young was lodging there. On the 27th of June last
the prisoner came to witness's lodgings in Beck-lane, and
asked for his wife and said, " At least I suppose it is Mrs.
Bull now ; that he wanted his clothes, and, if she had pawned
them, the tickets." She was living at the time with one
William Bull, and was called Fanny Young. Prisoner went
to the window and looked to the opposite ones, where Fanny
Young, so called, sat. Prisoner said, " Isn't it hard for my
wife to bring my curtains to lie with another man?" Witness
said, " If it was known she was a married woman it would be
the cause of her leaving the neighbourhood." Prisoner went
out ; on his return he took a knife off the table, drew his hand
down it, and said he wished that link of steel was into her.
He then opened the door, and said he should like to see her,
and went into Peck's house. Witness saw him go up the
staircase.

Rebecca Peck proved the deceased lodged in her house for
two years up to the last New-year's day, cohabiting with Bull.
She then left, and returned the Monday before the murder,
which was committed on the Friday. On that day prisoner
came to witness's house, and went into the deceased's room.
Witness followed in five or ten minutes, and said " Fanny,
what's up, what's up ?" He said, " Mrs., I'm her lawful hus-
band." Witness said " You her lawful husband ?" He said,
" Yes ; we've been married these eleven years." Witness
said, " Oh, Fanny, how many times have you told me you
never was before a parson to be married in your life." De-
ceased, " I have told you so." Witness said, "Go and live
with him, and make yourself happy and comfortable." She
said, " I never will ; he only wants me to work for hint and
his bastard, and I would rather go to service or sell matches.
Witness turned to go down ; deceased said, " Don't go,
Peck ;" but witness went down, and her husband came in
shortly after. Shortly after witness heard them both fall down
together. Heard the deceased call out very loud. Witness's
husband ran up stairs.
Thomas Peck corroborated his wife's evidence, with this ad-
dition : when he got into the room heard deceased say, " You
know you have used me very ill, like a rogue and a brute."
Witness went dowii to his dinner, but returned on hearing a
scream. Saw them on the floor. Prisoner had his hand thrust
into her neck, his left knee on the floor on her clothes, his
right leg across her body, and his knife at her throat. It was
a clasp knife.—( It was produced, and witness identified it. )
He kept jobbing away at her throat with the knife while wit-
ness tried to prevent him, but he kept hacking at her throat,
hands, and neck. Witness dragged them both to the window,
when he saw blood on her person and on the floor. Witness
called for assistance, but it was a quarter of an hour, when
Barrows, a constable, came in. The room was like a slaughter
house, being all in a puddle of blood. He did not loose his
hold till struck twice on the arm, nor did he let the knife go
then. He was struck on the head with a staff, and then let the
knife fall. Prisoner then got up, and stepped to the other
side of the body. The deceased gave a rise, made a spring,
threw herself on her stomach, and expired. Prisoner, when
looking at the WY, said, " Let me wipe my hands," and
afterwards he said, " Let me kiss her ;" the constable said,
" You have done enough." Prisoner looked at her and said, '
" I am satisfied."

Joseph Barrows corroborated the testimony of tile last wit-
ness, and took the prisoner into custody.
The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty. His Lordship, in a
very feeling manner, proceeded to pass the extreme sentence
of the law upon the prisoner, ordering him to be taken to exe-
cution on Wednesday morning.
During the whole of the time occupied in the trial the pri-
soner was apparently engaged in prayer, and seemed to take
little notice of anything passing around.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.—DORCHESTER, JULY 21.
The commission was opened in this town on Saturday. The
calendar is very light, as it contains only eight names, of which
one is for murder, the remainder for ordinary offences.
There are twelve causes entered for trial, which exceed the
average number for this place; one of these, it is expected,
will occupy two days. Sir James Scarlett has come down
specially for the defendant in that cause. Mr. Sergeant Wilde,
who has now joined the circuit, will appear on the other side.
(Before Mr. Justice PATTESON. )
Robert Sexey was charged with maliciously shooting at
Henry House, the younger, with intent to do him some griev-
ous bodily harm.
Several witnesses gave the prisoner a good character for
humanity. It appeared that ho was gamekeeper to a neigh-
bouring gentleiiian.
Verdict--Guilty. Sentence of death recorded.
William Read was convicted of having feloniously assaulted
Frederick Forward, with an intent to rob him.
To be imprisoned for nine months.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT.—CAMBRIDGE, JULY 21.
(Before Mr. Justice BOSANQUET.)
James Eve, aged 29, was indicted for feloniously stabbing a
horse, the property of William Cornwall, of Seham.
The prosecutor is a farmer of Soham, a large and populous
parish in this county, for which place he has been one of the
churchwardens for the last two or three years. In the course
of his duty in that office he has introduced a very material
change in the administration of the Poor Laws, having made
precisely the regulations which one part of the Bill for the
" amendment" of those laws has enacted. Mr. Cornwall,
thinking that he could reduce the burden of the poor-rates,
introduced a regulation to the effect that no pauper should be
relieved or put on work for the parish out of doors, but that
he should have a ticket given to him, which should entitle him
to admission into the workhouse of the parish, where he was to
be set to work. The prisoner was a pauper, and having applied
about the end of April to the prosecutor for relief, the latter
gave him a ticket for admission into the workhouse. The pri-
soner grumbled at this, and said " he would be a match for
the prosecutor," and used other insulting language towards
him. It appeared, however, that the resentment against
Cornwall's regulation was very generally felt by all the paupers
of the parish, amongst whom the scheme was very unpopular,
and that others besides the prisoner had held the like language.
On the morning of Sunday, the 3d of May, a fine horse
belonging to Cornwall was found to have been severely stabbed
in the flank ; he had bled a good deal, and after lingering in
agony for two days he was obliged to be shot. In order to
connect the prisoner with the perpetration of this offence
evidence was given by which it appeared that on tile eight of
Saturduy, the 3d of May, he and one Isaacson werc djinking
at a beer-house, which placr they left in company togkher,

and were afterwards seen standing in the market-place, which
was not in the way from the beer-shop to the prisoner's house,
but was in the way from the prisoner's house to the prosecutor's
stables. On searching the prisoner on the day after the horse
had been found wounded, a. knife was found in his pocket,
which was afterwards introduced into the wound in the skin of
the animal, and found to fit it in breadth exactly ; but a knife
found on Isaacson (who was also apprehended) also fitted the
hole in the skin. A fortnight before the perpetration of this cruel
offence, the prisoner was at the same beer-house at which he
was on the night before the horse was found wounded. He
had the ticket for his admission into the workhouse which the
prosecutor had given to him, which he handed about to the
persons assembled there, observing at the same time, that
" anybody might have it that wished:" he further observed to
the company that " Cornwall ought to have a private injury
done to him for it," and used other offensive and threatening
language. About the same time he also met one Peach, who
had formerly been constable of the parish, to whom he said,
" You have been constable, Peach ; and you or some other
constable will have to take me up soon, for I am born to be
hung ; and that humbug Cornwall has brought me to this
state. He has got some bullocks, and sheep, and horses, and
there will be something happen to them in less than a fort-
night, and harvest-time is coming on, and then he will have
corn-stacks, and they'll be all burnt !"
This was the principal evidence against the prisoner.
The Jury returned a verdict of Acquittal.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—YORK, JULY 21.
REX V. STEEL.
This was an indictment tried this morning before the Lord
Chief Baron and a special jury. It arose out of some pro-
ceedings which for the last three or four years have attracted
a considerable degree of attention in this county, but more
immediately out of a prosecution on an indictment for perjury,
instituted by a Dr. Turnbull, late of. Hull, against four per-
sons, named Thomas Bent Hodson, Nancy Watson, William
Young, and Ann Young, and which it was alleged was com-
mitted by them on the trial of an action of ejectment at York,
to recover some considerable estates said to have been devised
under a will to Dr. Turnbull, and which will was defeated by
their evidence. The trial for perjury took place at Guild-
hall, in London, to which place it was removed by Dr.
Turnbull, on the ground of the prejudice which existed
against him in the county of York. The present defendant
Steel was there as a witness, and being called on behalf
of the prosecution on the first day of the trial in the even-
ing, did not answer. The next morning, however, he ap-
peared, and swore to having had a conversation with Mrs.
Young at Campsall, near Doncaster, which led to the con-
nexion of Hodson, Nancy Watson, and William Young.
The defendants immediately set a most active inquiry on foot,
and were successful in discovering proof that the conversation
which the prisoner Steel swore to never took place. The
trial at Guildhall was in January, 1833, and they had but a
fortnight's time to prepare, but in the Hilary term following
such affidavits were produced before the Court of King's
Bench, as induced the Court to grant a rule to show cause
why there should not be a new trial. This rule was an argu-
ment made absolute on payment of costs ; but when the new
trial came on, Dr. Turnbull, the prosecutor, slunk away, and
no evidence being offered for the prosecution, the defendants
were all acquitted. Resolved not to allow a matter by which
they had been degraded in their native county to rest here, a
bill was preferred and found against the present defendant for
perjury on the former trial. By some chance another will of
the same testator had in the mean time been found by Dr.
Turnbull, in which it seems he was also interested. He con-
trived to make terms with the other legatees under that will,
and proposed to do the same in the last ease, but his proposals
were rejected with scorn. Hodson and his friends, feeling a
consciousness of their perfect innocence, being determined to
have all or none, and to establish the integrity of their cha-
racter beyond doubt in the minds of all those with whom they
had formerly lived on terms of honourable friendship, and by
whom they were beloved.

The prisoner rose and said he did not wish to give trouble ;
he was guilty, and he acknowledged it.
He was remitted to the custody of the keeper of Hull gaol,
from which place he had been brought by a writ of habeas
corpus to take his trial, and ordered to appear to-morrow
morning to receive sentence.

Notliing else of interest occurred during the day.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

BOW-STREET.

Yesterday James Robinson, an elderly man, was charged
with defrauding the Duke of Bedford, by writing a letter to
his Grace, containing a fictitious tale of distress.
Ile was recognised as au old offender, and sentenced to be
imprisoned for three months and hard labour on the treadmill.