The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-09 00:00:00

,51.

[PRICE SD.

was placed at the bar, to plead to a coroner's inquisi-
tion charging him with the wilful murder of the Rev.
George Edward Holiest, at Frimley.
The prisoner, whose appearance has very much
improved since he has been under confinement, and
who while standing in the dock exhibited the same
calm and unconcerned demeanour he did at the trial
of his guilty Companions, pleaded not guilty.
slisron ALDERSON, after the jury Ind been lempas
eddrsesed them, and 4:ail thqt this cy.KEI pa
evidence would beoffered against the prisoner, for very-
good reasons, with which, no doubt they were 'a
were
quainted. Paith,ehe said, must be kept with all, per-
sons, and no evidence- being offered, thilWould. say-
thst the prisoner was not guilty.
The jury having returned That verdiet,Tais Lordship
ordered ,the prisoner to be discharged, and he /vas at
once set at liberty.
Hester Eliza Sleigh, 50, a person of ladylike ap-
pearance, and the widow of a lieutenant in, her Bra-
jesty's service, surrendered to take her trial upen.a
charge of feloniously forging and utteringu receipt
for 19s. 3d., with intent to defraud.
Me. Clarkson and Mr. Robinson were for the pros
secution ; Mr. Ballantine and Mr. Creasy Were eogii.
sel for the prisoner.
The nature of the offence imputed to the accused
lady appeared to be that of forging the receipt of the
collector of the assessed taxes for ithe amount for a
half-year due at Michaelmas, 1850. It appeared that
the prisoner lived with her son, in the village of
Illazlemere and that the collector for that .district was
a Mr. William Berry, who died some time in No-
vember last. The case for the prosecution was, that
upon application being made to the prisoner for the
taxes due at Lady-day, 1851, she asked for time, and
upon her being told that the preceding half-year's
taxes were in arrear, she asserted that she had paid
the amount, and produced the receipt, which formed
the subject of the present indictment. It seemed that
the transaction had excited a good deal of interest in
the village, and that subsequently to this indictment
being preferred proceedings in connexion with the
receipt were tried in the county court for the district,
when the prisoner was examined as a witness, and
she then swore positively that she had paid the
money to the deceased collector on the 28th October,
and stated that he wrote the receipt while he was
standing outside the door of the house, she not
being able to ask him in doors as usual, on account
of a sick person being in her room. The prin-
cipal witness against the accused was the son o
the deceased, who swore positively that he had
applied to her for payment of the arrears of taxes
after the date of the supposed receipt, and that she
never suggested at that time that such a document
was in existence. This witness, in cross-examination,
however, admitted that there was an ill feeling
subsisting between him and the prisoner, and it
appeared that he was a party to legal proceedings that
were still pending with a son of the prisoner.
Several witnesses were examined, who expressed a
belief that the signature to the receipt was not in the
handwriting of the deceased ; but the reasons they
gave for coming to that conclusion were of a very
extraordinary, not to say absurd, character, and were
very far indeed from being satisfactory.
Mr. BALLINTINE made a most earnest and able
address to the jury on behalf of the prisoner. He
contended that her conduct throughout the entire
transaction had been that of an honourable andrespect-
able person, and that there was not the slightest
foundation for the charge that was made against her.
With regard to any slight difference that might appear
in the writing of the receipt to that of the deceased's
ordinary writing, he submitted that it was satisfac-
torily accounted for by the circumstances under which
it appeared to have been written—namely, while
the deceased was standing up, and probably writing
Upon a book or in some other inconvenient manner ;
and he remarked upon the improbability that a
person in the respectable position of the prisoner
should have subjected herself to the serious conse-
quences that must inevitably ensue upon conviction
for so paltry an amount. The Learned Counsel then
proceeded to say that it appeared to him that the case
had been got up by the son of the deceased partly
from a feeling of towards the prisoner, and
partly to prevent her from being a witness against
him in the action which was still pending, and which
if he should have a verdict pass against him would ne-
cessarily cause him serious expense. He concluded a
very eloquent speech by calling upon the jury to
acquit the prisoner and to enable her to return to her
home with the same unsullied reputation which she
had enjoyed up to the period of this transaction.
At the close of the address of the Learned Counsel
there were cries of "Hear, hear," and applause from
the body of the court.
His LORDSHIP immediately ordered that portion of
the court to be cleared, observing that such unseemly
proceedings could not for a moment be tolerated in a
court of justice.
The Learned JUDGE then summed up, and
The jury immediately returned a verdict of Not
Guilty.
The prisoner was ordered to be immediately dis-
charged from custody.
Nothing of interest took place in the Civil Side.

OXFORD ClRCUlT.—Monmouth, Aug. 7.
The commission was opened here yesterday by Mr.
I3aron Martin. The Crown Court was opened for
business to-day at ten, and the Nisi Prius at twelve.
In the latter court were four cases for trial, of which
one was marked for a special jury—two of the others
have engaged the attention of the Court all day. The
calendar contained the names of 50 prisoners. Of
these 2 are charged with perjury, 3 with forgery, 5
with burglary and housebreaking, 2 with assault and
robbery, 2 with murder, 9 with stabbing and cutting
and wounding, 1 with assaulting a constable, 1 with
bigamy, I with rape, and the rest with larcenies and
other cases commonly disposed of at sessions. A
great number of cases have been disposed of to-day,
' but they have been, with one exception, of a trivial
character.

CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice ErtLE.)
:Margaret Williams, 32 ; Ann Lewis, 32 ; and
Elizabeth Smith, 27, were indicted for having felo-
niously assaulted Daniel Tourbs, and stolen from his
person one gold watch worth 101. and a silk um-
brella, at the borough of Newport, on the 22d of
March last.
Mr. Huddlestone conducted the prosecution ; Mr.
Cooke defended Williams. The others were unde-
fended.
The prosecutor was returning home late at night,
and was accosted by two women, who left him,
whereupon he was immediately knocked down, kicked,
and rendered senseless. The neighbours came up,
and he remained senseless for several hours. He was
unable to identify any of the parties ; but a great
many witnesses traced the possession of the watch
and the umbrella to the several prisoners under cir-
cumstances of great suspicion within a day or two of
the robbery. There was also some evidence to show
that they were near the spot in question on the above
night.
The jury found them all guilty of receiving the
goods knowing them to be stolen.
His LORDSIIIP said he concurred entirely in the
verdict. It was clear they were associated with a
formidshle gang, and therefore it was necessary for
the safety of passengers through the town of New-
port that they should be removed for a time out of
the country, and the sentence would be that they
should be transported for seven years.
CIVIL SlDE.—(Before Mr. Baron MARTIN and

Common Juries.)
BOND V. WALKER.

____._. ..,......._
Mr. Whately and Mr. Skinner appeared for the
plaintiff, and Mr. Sergeant Allen and Mr. Whitmore
for the defendant.
On the 4th of August last year the plaintiff was a
passenger on the Newport and Tredegar mail coach
from Tredegar to Newport. The defendant was the
proprietor of the coach, and generally drove it him-
self ; but that day it was driven by a man named
Wynne. The road lies through a mineral district,
and is crossed by several tram-roads and a canal,
which also run parallel to it fur some distance.
Newbridge was the first stage from Tredegar, and
there the coach changed horses. Wh
• , -en the groom
brought out a blind little mare the coachman told
him to change her laarvess, as be was going
her on the near side, acid added, " Walker tel's me
h
se" won the near ill not goto drive
side, but I have driven her
myself and so has Charles Phillips." The be
went
awkwardly along the road, bearing from the whee 11
to the pole. The coachman tried to keep her straight
with his whip nud reins, and pulledto her
side, upftmo:e than
once. 'roe mare pulled chivtly the and
hede on the
once pulled pulled the coach against the, -
side. When she pulled ag had better change ainst hedge a passenger
th •
said to the coachman, " You , us
”
snare, or you will got upeet; and he anl/4 ', T-
, • -N,e.ed,
"You need not fear. u
, There is no anger--she will
go very well direo 3
ti ~ ' As they were approaching that
part of the road which was parallel to the
canal the
said again, "If 3 ou do not
same passenger
before we get to the canal we shall get in." The coach-
mad replied,
Ness" We must change the mare when we get
to Risco." Itisca is five or six miles from
bridge.
The passenger again observed, " It will take only the
same time to change here as there." But the coachman
„be id, " Never mind—we shall
Toe coach went on tolerably
well till it came to a
tramway belonging to the Monmouthshire Railway

,/ C~
~~i`~ l~~_ j c'Q-mac ~-cs;~'

and Canal Company, when it suddenly-jeriked and
threw the coachman off and upon the horses, who
being greatly frightened and entirely uncontrolled,
ran sixty or seventy yards till the coach drove against
the bank on the off tide, and was completely upset,
and the passengers thrown off. The plaintiff had his
leg broken, and the scalp of his forehead severely in-
jured. He was in a very dangerous state for a consi-
derable time. His life was at one time in danger.
Erysipelas supervened on the injury to the scalp. He
was still very unwell and lame, but the medical man
hoped that he would in a short time completely re-
cover. In consequence of this accident the plaintiff
lost the advantage of settling some accounts which
he that day was going to settle; and another person
who was employed for the purpose got no less than
2501. for the job. The issue turned entirely on the
state of the rails on the tramroad: It was elicited on
cross-examination of the plaintiff's witnesses that the
rails on the tramroad were very high over the line of
road, and they:were of opinion Unit the accident was
attributable, cot to any negligence on the part of the
de.fendent er his eneeinen, b&' to negligence on the
part of the leionmoutbahixe Railway and Canal Com-
pany, in leaving the rails so high above the level of
the carriage way ; nod that, in order to prevent any
other accident of the like nature thet company should
at once lover the rniht. - -
Verdict for the defendeat.:::ll.
I•MM
PVLICE INTELLIGENCE.
..s.

BO :17 -S TR BE T.
Yeste'rday, Colonel Reid, M.P., attended before
I'Mr jei diee, to prefer a complaint against George
Itudge, rtrivLr of 1,405 cab, for refusing to take Min
in laa e:2Loanding more thau)ais fare, and also
Irefuting 1.0 show his badge when rfiluired.
The complainant stated that'Aeiween twelve and
one o'clock on the morning of the B.6th July, accom-
panied by Mr. Richards, M.P.,,he walked to the top
of the' Havm-rket f eel the if me, of. Commons,
when his friend called te therdefendantitodenow the
amount of bia fare 4,9Jortland-pli(n'ess;f? He was
smoking a pipe at the time, and he answered' " Only
two shillings" w 1 icb was evidently one shilling
more than he was entitled :to. Upon which they
bade him "Good evening,' and were proceeding,
when witness, having changed his mind, said, " Open
the door, and when You
,get to Portland-place I will
pay you your legal fare. The defendant then placed
himself before the door of the cab to prevent them
getting in. Witness Oserving he was forgetting
himself, slightly place Chis hand upon his shoulder
and moved him aside, when he said " Don't push me,
I won't be pushed by any person," insisting on keep-
ing the door closed. He next demanded that he
would exhibit his badge, but he took no notice ; in
consequence of which Mr. Richards went behind and
took the number of his carriage.
In answer to the charge, the defendant said he un-
derstood Portland Town was the place mentioned, to
whieh 2s. would be the legal fare, is. 6d. beirg the
fare to Portland-place, and he denied having
to show his badge, which was as usual hanging out-
' sith, his coat, and the gentlemen might have seen it if
they took the least trouble.
Upon examination of the defendant's licence, it ap-
peared he had been fined on a former occasion, and
he was ordered to pay a penalty of 105. for each
offence, with Gs. costs.
Ia the course of the afternoon the Court was occu-
pied in disposing of charges against several pick-
pockets, who appeared to have been exceedingly active
in St. James's Park and the streets adjoining during
her Majesty's progress to the Houses of Parliament,
each of whom was adjudicated to a punishment pro-
portionate to the offence proved.
SOUTH IVARK.
Yesterday, Ann Tilson, a poor emaciated looking
female, was brought before Mr. Beadon charged with
attempting to drown herself in the Rivet,3laames.
John Gronow, a seaman, stated that while he was
going on board his vessel at St. John's-stairs, Horse-
lydown, he heard a splash in the water, and at the
same time a loud scream. On looking about he per-
ceived a female plunging about in the liver near the
end of his boat. He instantly pulled his hat and coat
off and jumped over, seized hold of her dress, and with
considerable difficulty succeeded in getting her
ashore. She was then insensible, but with the assist-
ance of a shipmate he conveyed her to a surgeon's in
the neighbourhood, where the usual remedies were
applied, and she was soon restoredlo'animation. It
was nearly high water at the time, -firld had he not
heard the plash in the water she must have been
drowned.

Mr. BEADON asked whether anything was known of
the prisoner ? Police-constable 14.5 M replied that
about a quarter of an hour previous he had seen her
quarrelling with a man in the street, and at his in-
terference they walked away. While he was return-
ing on his beat ho saw lest witness and another man
c-irrying insensible to a surgeon's. She was soon
afterwards restored, and then he conveyed her to the
police station.
Mr. 13e.p.nori asked her what answer she had to
make to the charge ?
She replied that shc vo'.r, compelled to support her
husband and children by shirtroaking. She worked
nearly all day and night, and could not earn more
than three or four shilliJgs a week, the most of which
her husband took from her and expended in a public-
house. The children were consequently deprived of
food, and when she remonstrated with him he de-
mended the small pittance which she had earned, and
on refusing him he knocked her down. She then
became desperate, and in a state of frenzy jumped
into the river. She was now heartily sorry for what
she had done, and would promise the magistrate never
to repeat it.

Mr. BEADON said she had made a very rash attempt
upon her life, and ought to he thankful to the sailor
who had saved her from a watery grave. Whatever
treatment she might have received from her husband
would not authortse her to commit suicide. There-
fore, he should order her to find bail for her future
conduct.