The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-30 00:00:00

CLERKENWELL.

Yesterday Luiji Graziani, Davide Barnardotti,
and Michael Angelo Mencherine were charged before
Mr. Tyrwhitt with having been concerned in a
murderous assault upon Edward Dixon, a journey-
man baker, residing at the White Hart, Portpool-
lane, ,Gray's Inn-lane.
The prosecutor deposed that on Sunday night he
was proceeding to his home, when several foreigners
fell upon him • the prisoner Graziani knocked him
down by a blow on his head with a tremendous
bludgeon, and while he was on the ground Barnar-
dotti rushed upon:him with violence, and stabbed him
in the shoulder-blade with a knife. He bled pro-
fusely from the wound, and was attended by Dr.
Taylor, the parochial surgeon of Clerken well. In
addition to the wound on the side, the prosecutor
exhibited other wounds and bruises on his person.
Porter, 101 G, and several witnesses were exa-
mined, and the case occupied a considerable time, and
caused great interest.
Mencherine was discharged for want of evidence ;
the other prisoners were remanded.

WORSHIP-STREET.
CHARGE or MURDER.—James Parker, a caster-
monger, about 40 years of age, was placed at the bar
before Mr. D'Eyncourt, charged with assaulting ani
wounding his wife, Ann Parker, who had since died
from the effect of the injuries she had received.
Police-constable Silvester, G 226, said—Between
sevens and eight o'clock on Saturday evening I was on
duty near Shoreditch Church, when the prisoner's
brother ran towards me, and requested me in en agi-
tated manner to proceed immediately to No. .5, Ed-
ward's-place, Old-street-road. On reaching the
house I was shown into a bedroom up stairs, where I
found the deceased lying on the floor insensible, and
observed that blood was issuing from her mouth, and
also from a frightful cut over her right temple. I
then examined the bed, and noticed that the sheets
and pillows were also saturated ,with blood. With
the assistance of another constablel placed the woman
in a chair, in which she was carried down stairs, and
conveyed in a cab to the hospital. I afterwards re-1

turned to the house, where I had previously seen the
prisoner seated in a lower room, in a state of intoxi-
cation, and took him into custody. On acquainting
him with the charge the prisoner at first made no
reply, but on his way to the station-house he re-
peatedly exclaimed, " I will be stout at heart, and
stick to my text; I have done nothing more than
my duty."
William Smart, a tin-plate worker, living a few
doors from the prisoner, said—About three o'clock on
Saturday afternoon, the deceased came to my house
and was soon afterwards followed by the prisoner,
who appeared greatly incensed against his wife, and
attempted to strike her, but I interfered and prevented
him. The prisoner several times ordered her to go
home, but she refused to do so, and said that 3he was
in danger of her life. The prisoner at length left her
at my house, where she remained until four o'clock,
when she was taken home by my wife. About an
hour afterwards I again saw the prisoner at his own
door, who appeared much excited, and said to me " I
have given her something that will teach her to tell
tales to my brother about my being the cause of our
drinking;" to which I answered that he certainly
set her a very bad example, as he was almost always
drunk, and would some day do her a fatal mischief.
William Parker, the prisoner's brother, deposed to
having called upon the prisoner on Saturday after-
noon, when he ordered him out of the house ; but, in
consequence of information which subsequently
reeached him, he returned at seven o'clock, and on
entering the bedroom of his sister in-law he found
her lying upon the floor, bleeding profusely from a
wound over her right eye, and in a state of insensi-
bility. He immediately hastened down stairs to ob-
tain assistance, but not finding his brother in the
house, he went out and found him dancing and sing-
ing in front of it, with a can containing about a
gallon of beer in his hand. He then proceeded in
search of a policeman, to whom he communicated the
particulars of the outrage, and the injured woman was
conveyed to the hospital.
Mary Anne Parker, the daughter of the last wit-
ness, gave corroborative evidence, and
Inspector Brennan produced a certificate from Mr.
Attfield, house-surgeon of St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
stating that on being admitted into that institution
the wounded woman was suffering from severe con-
tusions about the skull and compression of the brain,
which terminated fatally at three o'clock on the pre-
ceding afternoon.
In answer to the charge, the prisoner positively
denied having assaulted his wife, and declared that the
injuries were accidentally occasioned by her having
fallen out of bed.

The prisoner was ordered to be remanded ifor a
week.

HAI UM E.RS.MITIL

CuMOUS CASE OF UNLAWFUL POSSESSION.-Wil
liam Jackson, a florist, &c., of Earl-street, Kensing-
ton, appeared before Mr. Paynter, to answer a sum-
mons granted under the Police Act, for having in his
possession two plants called geraniums, reasonably
supposed to have been unlawfully obtained.
It appeared that Messrs. Lee,,, the well-known and
extensive seedsmen and nurserymen near Hammer-
smith-gore, purchased some time since an entire new
geranium, called the Mountain of Light, with varie-
gated leaves, for twenty guineas, which had only
been imported into this country a short time previ-
ous. A few days since he ascertained the defendant
had two cuttings of a geranium of a similar descrip-
tion, and he was now quite satisfied they had been
surreptitiously obtained, as the geranium they bad
purchased was the only one in this country. The
present proceedings had been instituted for the pur-
pose of discovering the person who bad sold or given
the plants to the defendant, and also for the protec-
tion of the valuable and unique flowers in the prose-
cutor's gardens, as it was detrimental to their fre-
quent flower shows, and to their business generally,
to have cuttings stolen from them and sold to other
gardeners.
The defendant said the cuttings in question were
brought to him among a number of others, and he
was not acquainted with the person who had brought
them. He gave nothing for them, and they had been
given to him as one gardener would do to another.
There were only two cuttings of the geranium
amongst them. He was in the habit of receiving
plants from gardeners, and had received some from
the grounds of the Duchess of Bedford, and also from
Lord Holland.

Mr. Leo said the object of the present proceedings
was to trace the person who had given the defendant
the plants. He had, however, traced a third cutting
from the same geranium, which had been either sold
or exchanged. _ _

The defendant said when he received the cuttings
he did not know they were of any value.
Mr. Lee said he had evidence to prove to the con-
trary—that he was cognisant of their value.
Charles Sunderland was then called, and said he
was foreman to the prosecutors. The geranium in
qustion was the only one of the kind in this country,
and was of considerable value. From some informa-
tion he received he went to the defendant's premises
on Wednesday last, and while walking through the
place he saw the two cuttings in flower-pots. He
asked the price of them, and the defendant's wife said
41." each. He immediately purchased them, and
sometime afterwards he again went to the defendant's,
and his wife said he must return the plants, as they
were worth a sovereign each, and she had got into
trouble through them.
In answer to a question from the Magistrate,
The witness said if he bad not seen the geranium
upon Mr. Lee's premises, he should at once have
declared when he saw the plants at the defendant's
premises that they were quite new.
Mr. PAYNTER said the defendant would get into
serious trouble if he took in valuable plants in that
loose manner.

Mr. Lee said he did not wish for any conviction ;
he only wished the defendant to inform the Court of
whom he had received them. Their gardens and
flowers were much exposed, and he wished to punish
those persons who had stolen them.
The defendant again declared that he did not know
the person who had brought them to his house.
Mr. PAYNTER said he would give the defendant a
fortnight to discover the person, and it would be to
his benefit to use all the means he could to do so. He
should order the summons to be adjourned, and the
defendant to enter into his own recognizances to ap-
pear on that day fortnight to answer the charge.
The defendant having paid the required fees was
then liberated.