The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-06 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE—(This Day.)

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.

(Before Lord Chief Justice Jervis and a Special Jury.)

HOPPER T. DIXON.

This was an action for false imprisonment arising out
of the late fire at Mr. Scott Russell's ship-yard, Mill-
wall, Poplar. The plaintiff is a ship's carpenter, and the
defendant manager of the above yard ; and it appeared
that in Oct. last a floating battery in the course of con-
struction in the above yard was destroyed by fire, which
there was reason to believe had been wilfully done.
The plaintiff was apprehended on the charge, and during
the examination was in the Clerkenwell House of Deten-
tion 14 days. Ultimately he was discharged, and hence
the present action had been brought.
After hearing the plaintiff's case the Lord Chief
Justice directed a !Inagua.
The plaintiff was accordingly nonsuited.

EXCHEQUER COURT.

(Before Lord Chief Baron Pollock, and a common jury.)

MAJOR V. CLOUGH.

This was an action for an alleged breach of warrantry.
The plaintiff is a veterinary surgeon and horse dealer, of
Cockspur-street, Charing-cross, and the defendant a
horse dealer, of Milbank-street, 'Westminster. In this
case, as in horse cases generally, there was the usual
amount of what is termed " hard swearing," the
defendant and his witnesses contradicting the
statements of the plaintiff and his witnesses. Ac-
cording to the plaintiff-8 evidence he had a commis-
sion to purchase a hunter for a gentleman, and he
applied to the defendant to know if he had
one,
h e
pma
trkhin g thateonr beautyn
was not sought for, but a
horse
egcapable of carrying a heavy
w
then said he had one, a 6-year-
old
horse, a perfect hunter, and that he had carried a
young blood after the hounds the two previous years.
The horse was shown to, and examined by, the plain-
tiff, who exonerated the defendant from any warran-
try other than the horse being a perfect hunter. The
horse was ridden out to show his paces, at first over the
rough stones, but afterwards on plain ground,
that the plaintiff might hear if he " whistled."
The plaintiff and defendant ultimately dealt—the
plaintiff, giving the defendant 201. and a horse, valued at
601., in exchange. The horse was taken to his stables,
and tried at a bar, but he would not jump at all. Ile
was then sent to the plaintiff's farm, at Eeher,and tried at
the fence!, but he would neither go over them nor a
gate. All the witnesses described the horse as a " a raw,
tigly brute," and one that could not hunt. It appeared
that the defendant bought the horse of a farmer, at
Horncastle Fair, who informed him the horse had been
used to farm work, and that be had been ridden by his son
after the hounds. When the plaintiff proposed to deal
with the defendant the latter took out his book to give
the horse's " pedigree," butthe plaintiff told him he need
not trouble about that, because horse dealers " had
always a pedigree" for a horse. The horse was after-
wards taken to Tattersall's and sold for 16 guineas.
The defendant's evidence went entirely to contradict the
plaintiff's as to his warranting the horse a hunter.
[The jury had not returned their verdict whoa our
despatch left.]

CRIMINAL COURT.—(This Day.)

OLD COURT.
(Before Justices Wightman and Wines.)
THE MURDER IN THE MINORIES.

At te sitting of the Court this morning Thomas Wil-
liam John Corrigan, described in the calendar as a la-
bourer, was indicted for the wilful murder of Louisa
Corri gan.

Mr. Payne prosecuted, and Mr. Ballantine and Mr.
Lewis defended.

The prisoner at first pleaded guilty, but afterwards
pleaded not guilty.

He is a gentlemanly-looking, well-dressed young man,
with nothing in his general appearance to indicate any
ferocity of temper. His features are somewhat dull and
heavy, and from the dreamy, apathetic manner in which
he stood at the front of the dock whilst the evidence was
being given, he seemed like a man who was recovering
from a long career of drunkenness.

Mr. Payne having briefly recapitulated the facts, and
in so doing intimated that the defence would, in
all probability, be that the prisoner was not at
the time of the commission of the offence
responsible for his acts, called the first witness,
who said—l am the wife of Thomas Fearon. I was upon
Christmas-day at Mr. Burton's in the Minories. Pri-
soner and his wife, myself and husband, Mr. Marley, and
nth era were there. I went at five o'clock in the after-
noon, and remained there all night. The men sat up and
we went to bed. We had been playing at cards in the
evening. I saw the prisoner leave the room in the morn-
ing to go to the warehouse and he wished me " Good
morning ;" that was about nine o'clock, and he was going
to the East India warehouse where he was employed.
The prisoner and his wife lived at 7, Selby-street, Water-
100 Town, Bethnal Green. The two eldest children of
the prisoner were lodging at my house. The prisoner
came into the room where I was with Mrs. Corrigan and
looked very cross. He said to her "you should have
come bane and looked at the baby first." I said the
baby Wild .11 right. Ile then said Le 'gourd Lave tea at
home. I advised him to go to Mr. Burton's. He ob-
jected to go for some time, but afterwards agreed. He
said he should prefer his tea at home, but afterwards
said, " Very well, I will have a wash and go." We
started, and it rained very hard. The prisoner said,
" Are we to get wet, or shall we have a cab ?" We
had a cab, and the prisoner seemed more cheerful. The
horse shied, and the cab was nearly overturned. The
prisoner seemed to care nothing about it, and did not
offer to assist us. Wo got to Mr. Burton's about 4
o'clock. We went into the bed-room to take our
wet clothes off, and the prisoner and Mr. Pearon
were left in the sitting room. We did not shut the bed-
room door, but had scarcely been in the room one minute
when I observed the prisoner upon the landing that is
between the sitting-room and the bedroom. There is a
gate on the top of the stairs, and from the sound I fan-
cied somebody was opening it. I called out, "Is that
yen, Tom ?" He made no answer, but came into the
room, walking hastily. He drew Mrs. Corrigan towards
the bed. I said to him " What are you doing ?" Ho
then commenced striking her, and I rushed towards
him and tried to separate them, but could not.
I put up my hands and felt pain is my arm. I
screamed out "Murder" several times, and the wife
screamed, but prisoner said nothing. The de
ceased was lying on the bed, and he struck
her with his right hand, but where about the body I
cannot say. I did not know that he had anything in
his hand. I rushed down stairs and Mr. Marley over-
took me, and I told him what had happened. I ran to
the doctor's as my own arm was bleeding. When I got
about four doors from Mr. Burton's I turned round and
saw the deceased fall upon the steps. When I got to
Mr. Cook's, the surgeon's, I saw the deceased carried
in by four men. I have known the prisoner between 11
and 12 years. He had been drinking, but the wash
seemed to refresh him. I could tell he had been drink-
ing, because he looked wild about the eyes, as he gene-
rally did when he bad been drinking. They lived rather
unhappily together.
Cross-examined by Mr. Ballantine—He always be-
haved kindly to his wife that ever we saw. We have
seen her violent upon some occasions. He always
treated her kindly when sober. The prisoner has been
given to the habit of drinking some years—most particu-
larly these last six months. Both prisoner and deceased
spoke about his having suffered from delirium, trentots.
She said that week she had to sit up with bins all night,
as he had fancied that something was at the head of his
bed. When I left them in the morning they were all
drinking. Prisoner had been drinking all the week
before. He had upon the previous night struck a young
man whom he bad never seen before. His eyes looked so
wild and bad that everybody remarked it. I never knew
him to be jealous of his wife. His wife was sometimes
violent, and he was always mild to her when sober. She
had tried to scratch his face, and he merely held her
hands. We have not seen a very great deal of them
these leg two years.
Re-examined by Mr. Payne—lt was about two years
ago that I raw his wife try to scratch his face. Have
not seen much of them together lately. I believe he al-
ways attended regularly to his business. lie was a
commodore or foreman at the East India Docks.
Ann Burton—l live in Churoh-street, in the Minories,
and am a married woman. Have known the prisoner
Came to our
ifinvethyeareasiternToohney of Christmas-
dhanaoydu.sheisHabweoiufetsaebefime ovueti
happy and cheerful. About
eleven at night ho seemed to change, and
said he was very ill. His wife said, and well he might
be, as he bad been drinking some months before. The
witness then gave evidence similar to the first witness,
as to the prisoner and men being left up drinking, and
paid that when he went out in the morningeto the docks
he had two cups of cocoa, whieh he drank standing, being
in a great hurry. He came again in the afternoon, and
left my room to go to his wife, who was in any bedroom,
and heard faint screams at first, and then violent ones.
As I went towards the bedroom some one rushed by
me. I was so excited that I did not know who it was.
When I got into the room I found prisoner,had forced
his wife on my child's bed, and was stabbing her about
the body. He held the knife in his right hand, After
some straggling, I forced the knife from him, and de-
ceased was got out of the room. I looked the knife in
an iron safe. I asked the prisoner if he knew what he
bad done, and he made no answer. 1 have known pri-
soner and his wife abont 12 years.
Cross-examined—l had no opportunity of observing
how they lived together. I saw the prisoner very often.
I never saw biro out of temper. lie was a very quiet,
kariseleSS Rau. Whom I law him with the iu h a