The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-13 00:00:00

WORSHIP-STREET.

Daniel Nahan, a middle-aged man, described as a
'hawker, was placed at the bar before Mr. D'Eyncourt,
la,pon the twofold charge of indecently assaulting a
respectable married woman named Jane Hawkins,
and also with dangerously cutting and wounding
her husband, who interfered for her protection.
It appeared from the evidence that the prosecutor
and his wife had spent the evening at the house of
rs ome friends, and .were returning home at eleven
o'clock on the preceding night, when, upon reaching
Ciimbridge-road, Mile-end, the female • complainant,
NN'.bo was a few steps in advance of her husband, sud-
d,s nly encountered the prisoner, who, without utter-
ing a word, sprang upon her, assailed her with the
grossest indecency, and grasped her with such violence
as to completely swing her round. Her screams at-
tracted the notice of the prosecutor, who saw his wife
struggling in the arms of the prisoner, from whom she
at Last succeeded in " wrenching" herself,as the woman
described it, and her husband, on finding that she had
not; been personally injured, contented himself with
giving the prisoner a smart slap on the face and or-
dering him to go about his business. The prisoner
still did not say anything, but after moving a pace or
two thrust his hand into his pocket, and, drawing out
soma sharp-pointed instrument, rushed upon the pro-
sectrtor and dealt him three stabs in rapid succession
with all his force. The first stab was aimed at the
man's face, but the prosecutor caught sight of the
action, and, drawing his head on one side, received it
upon. the upper part of the cheek, close to the temple,
the i a strument penetrating as deep as the bone would
allow it, and the prisoner, on finding that that blow had
not taken the intended effect, immediately dealt him a
second and third beneath the left ear. The blood
pound from the wounds in great profusion, but he
grappled the prisoner with great determination, and
after is violent struggle between them succeeded in
depriving him of the weapon, which turned out to be
a large bradawl, with a sharp-pointed blade four
inches in length, and a constable coming up at the
moment, the prisoner was secured and taken to the
station.: _

The,above statement was fully established by the
evidenot: of several witnesses, who described both
attacks as gross and malicious in the extreme, and the
prosecutor exhibited the wounds to the bench, which
were of such a description as to render it somewhat
surprising that they had not been attended with fur
more serious results.

When: called upon for his defence, the prisoner, in
a whining tone, accounted for his possession of the
instrutnat?.nit by saying that he used it to perforate
medals he sold in his trade, and stoutly denied every
allegations that had been made against him ; but
Mr. D'.EYNCOURT considered the charge conclu-
sively established, and ordered him to be committed
fur the fora nal completion of the depositions.
A power ful fellow, named Richard Ransorne, was
then charged with feloniously cutting and wounding
a young woman named Johanna Driscoll, with intent
to do her grievous bodily harm.
In this cisse it appeared that on the preceding night
the prisoner entered into conversation with an unfor-
tunate outcast in the street, named Margaret Neale,
and proposed to accompany her to her lodgings and
make her a. hand.ome present out of two sovereigns
he said he had in his possession. After remaining
some time ;in her company, he attempted to leave
without performing his promise, and on her en-
treating him to do so, he struck her a violent
blow in the face, and commenced such a brutal
attack upon her that the woman screamed loudly
for assistance, upon which the prosecutrix hastened
upstairs, and upon entering the apartment, found
Neale engaged in a struggle with the prisoner, who
was grasping her so firmly by the throat that she
appeared upon the point of strangulation. On seeing
the prosecutrix enter the prisoner relinquished his
hold, and turning fiercely round upon her dealt her a
heavy blow upon the temple, which partially stunned
her. Before she had time to recover herself the pri-
soner pulled a large clasp-knife out of his pocket,
and, dashing the candle out of her hand, made a stab
at her face with the weapon, and in warding. off the
blow with her arm, the blade descended with such
force upon her hand as to inflict a frightful gash se-
veral inches in length, severing some of the tendons
and extending down to the wrist. The prisoner then
rushed out of the house, but was pursued by a con-
stable who had been attracted by the screams of the
women, and transferred to the station, while the in-
' jured woman was conveyed to the hospital, where her
wounds were dressed by the house-surgeon.
When called upon for his defence, the prisoner in
general terms asserted his innocence, and denied
having a knife in his possession.
Mr. D'EYNCOURT, however, considered the case had
been completely made out, and the prisoner was or-
dered to be committed for the depositions.
SOUT.HWARK.
Henry Scully was brought before Mr. A.'Beckett,
charged with being concerned with another, not in
custody, in stealing a gold guard chain, a silver one,
a silver watch, a gold ring, a brooch, and 31. ss. in
silver, the property of Thomas Knight, an omnibus
driver, under the following singular circumstances :--
Emily Knight, the wife of the prosecutor, stated
that she resided in St. George's-place, Martin-street,
-
a very low neighbourhood near the Borough road,
.ithay
and she knew the prisoner by his associating with
some loose women in Martin-street. On Saturday
night, a little after nine o'clock, she saw her property
safely locked up in a box in her room. half an hour
afterwards she ran out without her bonnet to pur-
chase some things at a grocer's, and on the way she
was stopped by the prisoner, who begged hard for her
to accompany him to a public-house. This she stoutly
refused, and he left her and proceeded towards her
house, while she went and
completed her purchases.
On her return she found that her room had been en-
tered, and that her box hat'l been forced open and
robbed of the contents mentioned in the charge.
She immediately suspected the prisoner, and having
informed a constable of the circumstance, he was
taken into custody about four hours afterwards. She
had every reason to believe that while he was detain-
ing her one of his companions committed the robbery,
and handed pert of the Proceeds to him, as some;