The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-06 00:00:00

MARCH 6, 1851.

hited by a family named Jones. At five o'clock on the
above Saturday evening she crane to her neighbour Mrs.
Coles for some firing, and got it. About hair-past seven
Mrs. Coles and her husband left their house, no one re-
maining behind. They passed by again at half past
eight, when they heard the prisoner and his wife quar-
relling, and he complaining that she ought to have made
his tea before. They came home that night at eleven,
and went to bed. The door of the prisoner's house was
at that time ajar (ashore was the word used by 'the wit-
nesses), and there was no light in the house. They did
not mind that, as the deceased was i❑ the habit of sitting
in the dark while she was waiting up for the prisoner.
Soon after twelve o'clock they were roused by Robinson
and the other neighbours, and then they learned that she
had been murdered.
Mrs. Martha Wheeler said her husband sold beer, and
on the Saturday evening in question the prisoner came
to her house about half-past SLveu, and asked for a pint
of mild beer. She remarked his manner as being stiller
than usual. George Gould was there, and ask ,d the
prisoner, "Well, John, how is little Nan; don't you
wish she was dead?" and he ans,ered, " Oh, George,
that is going too far." Little Nan was Mrs. Lambourn.
He was generally a lively man, and would sing and joke.
When he first came in that evening he had some bread
and beer.

Moses Rubinson proved that Lambourn came to his
door about eleven o'clock, and cried out, " Will some one
come along with me, for I thick my wife lies dead in the
garden." Witness went with him. When they got to
the door it was open. There was no light in the house.
The body lay dead in the garden iwar the door. Lam-
bourn said, "My poor old w ife." The body lay cold.
The hands were bloody, and grasped some grass, as if
she had clutched it in the agony of death. She lay on
her back. She had no shoes on her feet. The prisoner
first pointed out where she lay. Tho neighb,urs soon
brought a light. Blood was on her cap and bonnet, and
a good deal on the ground where her head was lying.
She was not quite dead. He could just discern a little
life. He found her heart basting. She was not a stout
woman; she was a poor little object. The next morning,
after church, he went to the place where she had lain,
and saw blood there, arid also scattered around the gar-
den in a good many places, as though spurted from a
water-pot round it, but not so far as ttn yards from
where she had lain. When they had placed her on the
bed the night before, Lambourn said, some one must go
for a doctor; and witness answered, " You must go
yourself;" and he (Lambourn) immediately went off and
brought back the doctor.
_ _

William Cole, the next-door neighbour, said that the
prisoner came into his hcuse about one o'clock that
night, and said that if she lived twenty-four hours they
could not demand a jury, and he hoped they would not
have one; to which witness answered that if she lived
three weeks there would be a jury. Prisoner and his
wife had quarrelled frequently, arjd he often said that
God Almighty must have forgotten her or he would
have taken her long ago.

Samuel Lewis, a baker, met the prisoner about twelve
o'clock that night, who said he had found his wife
curled up in the prden, and asked him (witness) to
fetch the doctor. lie added that she was cold, and he
did not know whether she was dead or alive. He said
"It you will fetch the doctor I will fetch my sister."
Samuel Gould, a baker, said that when he had the
prisoner in custody on the Sunday afternoon he observed
to him that she was as untried (i. e. horrid) a sight as
he had seen. The prisoner asked him whether he had
seen her? He said that he had that morning. Witness
remarked that she must have been murdered by some
one. Prisoner replied, "I am innocent of it." The pri-
soner afterwards said to him that when he came home
the preceding evening, there was no light, and he heard
a gurgling noise outside the door, and went out and
found his wife lying near the door, and then went for
the neighbours. On the following day he took up the
tongs which were in the chimney corner of the prisoner's
house, and bound blood and hair on the flat points of
them. The blood appeared to be very fresh.
Moses Robinson was recalled, to prove that it was not
possible for the prisoner to have gone into the house
without seeing the body as it lay at the door,
Mr. 'Nelson, the surgeon who attended her, and made
the post reorient examination, said the wounds which
caused death were a lacerated wound on the back of the
head, which went as far as the bone, but did not break,
but merely bruised it; and a clot of blood at the junc-
tion of the brain with the spinal marrow, which was the
result of a concussion. She was a very small woman
and quite emaciated, and it was not possible for such in-
juries to result from a fall or a fit. She died at eighr
o'clock on the Sunday morning. The injuries must
have been inflicted upwards of an hour before he saw
the body. There were slight discolorations on the body.
The prisoner told him that he would find bruises about
her, as she had thrown herself about. These bruises
were so slight as not to call for any observation.
The wound on the scalp indicated that a violent blow
had been inflicted on her. The bonnet which she wore
was crushed and quite saturated with blood.

It was proved that on the Bth of September the pri-
§oner was at a public-house at Cuxham, and said if he
could get rid of that old brute of his he could get a nice
young woman. He had had a good deal of beer, and
there were several young girls in the house, and they
were laughing, and joking, and larking. It was also
proved that in the course of the la=t summer he said he
would cut her old head off, and on the Thursday before
her death he quarrelled about 4s. which she had laid
out, and called her offensive names. Within
a month of her death he said God Almighty must have
forgotten her or he would have taken her long ago, and
he would not stand it long. Last summer twelve months
he beat her. When they began to quarrel, Mts. Coles,
the next neighbour, used to leave her own house in order
not to be in the way, as the deceased did not wish any
one to interfere in their quarrels. It was proved that
he repeatedly in the course of last year said he wished
to see her dead and the daisies growing over her. He
once said he would kill her, and when remonstrated with
for using such language, he said he should be hung for
her some time or other.

Mr. NVILLIAMS addressed the jury, contending that
there was no satisfactory evidence that the prisoner was
the person who committed the crime. It was proved
that blood was scattered about in every direction, and
that the poor woman's bonnet was saturated with blood,
yet no blood whatever was found on the prisoner, or
traced in any manner to him. It might be that some
ruffians who were bent on robbing the house murdered
her, but were disturbed before they could take any pro-
perty away.
His LORDSHIP went carefully through the evidence,
and left it to the jury to say whether or not the prisoner
was the person who had committed the crime.
The jury retired for an hour, and returned with a
verdict of Acquittal.
(Before Mr. Justice TLLFOURD.)
Richard Bonner, labourer, was indicted
at ed forTh tirotionng
Il
John orsor,n on the Queen's highway,
the 27th of December, 1847.

Mr. Phillimore conducted the prosecution, and Mr.
Williams the defence.

Mr. Horsman, a farmer, was coming out of the town
of Thame, on the road home towards Towersey, on the
evening of the above day, about six o'clock, when the
prisoner and another man overtook him, and after walk-
ing about 100 yards along the road with him suddenly
knocked him down and rifled his pockets, and took away
15s. in silver and some cloth, for which he had just
paid 15s. He was positive that the prisoner was one of
the two men. He had often seen him in the town of
Thame. The prisoner was soon afterwards arrested in
Thame, but was rescued from the constable, and left this
part of the country,qand eluded the vzilance of the po-
lice till he returned last August to work in the neigh-
bourhood, when he was apprehended and secured.
Another farmer proved that as he was going into Thame
about six o'clock on the above evening he met the pri-
soner and another man going out on the road towards
Towersey, and as the
prisoner passed looked hard at him,
but the prisoner did not return the rook, and went off in
a great hurry. He, too, was positive the prisoner was
one of the men. The spot where he saw them was not
more than 500 yards from the spot where Mr. Horsman
was robbed.

Two men were called to prove an alibi. The first
made a feint of kissing the book by merely putting it
to his nose, but the trick being discovered he was obliged
to be sworn properly; and then he said he had not
kissed it before, but excused himself by saying he thought
he had done so. He swore that the prisoner came to his
house that evening at five o'clock, and remained there
till nine o'clock, helping to pick hemp for matting. The
second witness swore to having been with him during
the same time. Great and very material contradictions
were elicited from these witnesses, and the jury without
a moment's hesitation discredited them, and found the
prisoner Guilty.
It was then proved that ho had been twice before con-
victed. The second conviction took place in 1831, and
he was then transported for 14 years, and he was sent
out of the country.
His LORDSHIP said this was the last stage of a career
of crime. The prisoner could not have been long re-
turned from transportation when he committed this
crime, and he had greatly aggravated his offence by
calling perjured witnesses to defeat the ends of justice.
The lightest punishment he could impose was transpor-
tation for life.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—Durham, March 4.
Mr. Justice Cresawell and Mr. Baron Platt arrived in
this town yesterday afternoon, from Newcastle, and
opened the commission. The criminal calendar con-
tains the names of 43 prisoners, which is above the or-
dinary number tried at these assizes ; one is charged
with shooting with intent to murder, four with rape,
two with manslaughter, two with burglary, eight with
cutting and wounding, five with coining, five with for-
gery, the rest are minor offences.
The civil list contains nine entries only ; one is a
special jury case, and is fixed to be tried on Thursday.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice CRESSWELL.)
Robert Thirkeld, 23, was indicted for shooting at one
Joseph Langstaff, with intent to murder, to maim, to do
him some grievous bodily harm, and to resist the lawful
apprehension of him the said Robert Thirkeld.
Mr. Overend and Mr. Wallis prosecuted ; Mr. Otter
defended the prisoner.
It appeared that Joseph Langstaff, the prosecutor, is a
game watcher in the employ of Mr. Bowes, of Streatham
Park. The prisoner was a labourer on a farm of Mr.
Bowes's which was tenanted by a Mrs. Brownless, and
called the Heatherick Grange Farm. Langstaff having
lost a dog whilst ferreting rabbits on Wednesday, the
23d of Oct,ber last, was inquiring about it on Thurs-
day, the 24th, and whilst doing so of a man named
Jackson, who lived near the Ha wkesley farm, he heard
the report of a gun in the direction of a plantation
called the Long Allotment Plantation. He proceeded
towards the spot where he heard the gun, and on getting
near a fence which bounded one of the fields of the
Heatherick Grenge Farm, he looked over and saw a man
in the field, whom he thought was the prisoner, armedwith a gun, walking along. The prosecutor, who was
armed with nothing but a stick, walked along the fence
a little way and jumped over it, and seeing that the man

Rai the prisoner, said, " Thirkeld, what art thou do-
ing here with thy gun to-nit.,,h,?'"fhe prisoner made
no answer, but ran towards a plantation. The prosecu-
tor ran after him, and the prisoner, finding that be was
being over taken, turned round suddenly. The two
men being only about ten ) ards distant from each
oth, the pried his , put it to his shoulder,
ander levelled itsone atr the keeper'gsun head, who cried out,
" Bob, thou badst better mind thyself." The ga°
went off immediately, the charge entered the Ifv°
coats of the keeper, and literally cut large pieces out of
the sleeves. Some of the shot entered the cher kof the
keeper, and wounded his tongue and ear; and had it aoi
been for his presence of mind in screening his h
ed, th°
ead b 7
holdng up his arm when he saw the gun levell
shot must have proved fatal. As soon as the shot wsa
fired, the prisoner stood for a moment and then rail
away. The wounded man went to the nearest boll
which was the very farm where the prisoner lived, 11°
Mrs. Brownless dressed the keeper's wounds, and ahetlC
eight o'clock in the evening he was sent home in a cert.
..bont, nine ~'clock the prisoner returned home, and on
his mistress, Mrs. Brownless, accusing Linn of shootieg
the ratkeepe, denied having done so, and said that be
had been his father's, lied had seen nobody whilstrb:
bad been out. He then had his supper, end sbortly tottici
t iok a candle to go to bed, on doing which be sail
;:allrd—sne.atniheeni, they may take me and do what the dell
they like with me." The police-officers shortly told them
them
and took him into custody. no W stable,
where his gun was hid, under some straw in a
where it was found loaded. The barrel, however, wild
damp,i as if it had been recently fired, and he said be /1.3_
tired it at a couple of sparrows. His boots ware also
taken from him, and two curved rows of rails wh,tch.
were in the soles corresponded with the marks of !,:e
boots which were on the newly sown field wbere tel.
keeper saw him walking. The prisoner had an excd 3
d
lent character from his mistress, Mrs. Brewnless, ao .'d
was acknowledged that he was a well-disposed la,
not addicted to poaching.
Mr. OTTER contended that the jury could not,
shoot'fromtbl
evidence of the ke.-per, find the prisoner guilty of et,
ing the gun Nith any of the intents laid in the indictraeari.
for if it was true that they were only ten Yards apart,
and if the prisoner had his gun at his shoulder, Cu-ible
and levelled at the head of the keeper,.it was imP°9 Vs
but that he must have killed him dead on tbe spot.
ilea,
relied on the good character which the lad Posse who
and that it might be easily imagined that a 19111,01C1
s hadthea y pwse.uirtssitoianwinwhedihtoaihiinaitdnejoutereyahsbiounceladaist.the keeper ha°. —Ol
be inclined to press his evidence rather bardlY °P
His LORDSHIP summed up, leaving it to the Pribel
fired the gun.
The juvy, after a intent
ecyoncsUelstiadtieornd, rtehtuerPnreids°:Yeerrdiel
of Guilty of an assault. A tbilt i
His LORDSHIP, in passing sentence, observed hog
Leffler P _
was most fortunate for the prisoner that the j' I, rcl hea°
had the presence of mind to shield his head as -.a hoe
dtieusne.ribletd,wfaosr otherwise death would most likel biS
comesheavrsevere
( lb,
at
sentence,
b, f
oour er labour,
fi
omt h,
wteawhnoiwde
,ho.
ensued, and it would probably have Nava,
painful duty to have passed sentence of cd efer
her
ws::trafss:clt
tahsai Ott oihifies assaultdbuet
yimp
totr hip:sotsnreekda
it
;10,3

h 4.
WESTERN CM CUI T.— Winchester, Marc,. ,s,
NISI YRIUS COURT.—(Before the LOAD
COI'
BARON and a Special Jury)
SHERLOCK A. FULLAGER. jot!).
This was an action brought by the plaintiff ags . tbe
defend
seduction of his daughter. the
ant, to recover compensation in damages for
Mr. Crowder and Mr. Phinn were counsel fo de.
plaintiff; Mr. C. Saunders and Mr. Cooke for the
fendant. F the Pill
Mr. CROWDER having opened the case .o -
called ho go
Ann Sherlock, a rather pretty looking girl, o,bgries
her evidence as follows:—I am the daughter of )t. I
iSiaherlock, the plaintiff: I shall be 21 next birtivielp't to
ve ore sister, she is 16. In 1846 my father 7.. Air.
live at Emsworth. He was groom and gardener to be
with us in
. defendant lodged with my father.
Carpenter, the clergyman. We live in the sansre'
He csoem3to 111b1:
ground
defendant took meals with us.
floor, a bed and sitting-room. AV TO
waited on him but when she could not I did soo,t
too
1848. Be had two roans ;nether
9 his
lie
did 05.,,, to
notice of me at first, bat six months after be cci 'try 1°
live with us he would catch hold of me an Vis
kiss me. There is a garden behind the house' son)*
used to play there. He would run after ine,itiossi
time after he began to take liberties with me. 'f4 the
They were improper liberties.
a_yaear and a half after he came to live with nly,so' bap,
rht was in the parlour when I went to it uwe 00
obueldwobttritilondgtlicoeVci:jorl
the sofa. I got did so eg ,
away. Another day he ,_,,d coa
nexion with me, and again a fortnight
I struggled. He once threw 110
to get away but could not, and he bad Jo'
o f grace,m e. and‘v thheaelt
fondant left in April last. After the first conneorpte
disgrace and trouble.
tsi
hfa
ei
adnyt
defendant
h h i inmg
happenb e d
He said there would be kg care
I,ft be wen
house of his
own. His sister lived with big,. tbt, as.
therec to assist sometimes, and slept there when ` col-
fer9ndfant was at Chichester. I remember Far potl teen'
speaking to Inc about my person. lee"weeks ofte,t
done
that 4 that I was in the family way. Th r. "d tole
me
liwtaosld. Mr. Fullager that Fanny Chslie said thhsl
if personsisna said family way, and by 11,ja3" would make
things of that sort of 111113 be
of Child op
them mind their business. I was confined s spoieli•
the 13th of December. My father the e ister;
The defendant had given Paid iso toy s
me a dress, at 5
also a book. dress if/
eCross-examined by Mr. SAUNDE2O---lbe 0,001 b
gid Ji when he wag behaving properly to We' with tig'
d_ i_r for the first year and a half that he was ,torcel
M . Smart, my father's attorney, was the only t e lei
in Emsworth before Mr. Fullager CaMe there. ,P. 14, dos
nheoton good terms with Mr. Fullager. The Or
tellrl'
had c,tnnexion a • h last day of .9. e _ foot
with me was t e
1850. The next was f d three 01 of
a ew ays after.
dtp°lter
days. It was in the same place. Igy father a°
_,..0 0
._
yrvere at home. It was in the parlour. Veil coo ail
-1-1_ found out I was in the family way. It WAI did Out
(k4yo of April the defendant left my father. , , Cbt.
chnesw that he was paying his-addresses t day,laclretar?_
on ter. lie used to go away on a Satur and hi°
e Monday. I never talked to any one 500 0 Ss'
beingtu married. He did not begin to go siva,' fig; 01
rday until a year after he l. witb
came to lie aro
r.
father has been discharged from Dir. SbePbPsd Do se x
vice; .it was in March, 1850. He hoe ,ii4itesS9 the
vice since that time. He has been in u,'",o ia ''",t
don't know whether the defendant has hot been
habit of assisting him. I know that tbe live oit,
had applied to my mother to let me go to live of °',/,
his mother and sisters. I had spoken 0 ,„:1,. tv,',
opregnancy before that. Mrs. Prestovt the ';',,il3 In
ns the house we lived in, came to lodge , yoe"
father. Sh lap oto to
e never caught me on t 1341 If ego 00
man named Me ' of
defendantssam, and be kissing fey
copy'
the ' after my delivery. 1 kept a 00
letter. 0.59, ~,
Mary Sherlock, the sister of the above s°_,' nt's I°,l
called, and confirmed he the defeats" sever'
ras to bout, °li
ing kissed her sister, '
and pulled her a
occasions. ns letter;
It was then proposed to put in an ationynie-_,ter tb,
which had been received by the plaintiff soonkalot Ter
wore to confined, and Mr. 'Smart, and ti Trio the 3
o it being, to the best of their belie ,
rod,
i3O
fondant's handwric ' • d It s'es alf
mg, but disguise • a old Ell rid°
was in these words.__“ Be • dby -13 claeg-te tei
cannot easily f • e a vise
arra, . forget a kindness, and let rad truo to 0,
word ultlly
without any more to de, an' d the V 0
.that she will not w .
ant. I have Just hesr. toile,
d in le,
ticulsrs of the ea an ye 0 I
se, and know the feelingsl hake be
of certain persons; so be advised and do tsts 1 pity' 00
and some day you shall thank me for 1110.1,010 i; /ii
cannot help bl min
a ---g, and so must you reales° /GIP lis/
have done
you follow very
badly and foolishly. aye girl 1 oleo
my advice, I will see that m soot jog
she wantsproved until she gets a situation. ,19,0 t, begg 00
him
to that he wrote a letter to the dela) r wrote of
settle the Full9ge bad •'0
matter; but Mr. ~a 8 ever ,ho 0
an answer, indignantly
denying that be: „sting, `tpoded
improper
so connexion with the girl, an" si, he in'-„ltea
on as the wretched girl was well enoup, whet S'
applying for a warrant to have her and her -
up on a charge of felony. closed, Oat
The case for the plaintiff having beer the- dolly to
contending that the whole was a 0011; for/ "ri tato
extort money from the defendant; °At t ° •„„orobshla.„ tlf
girl was wholly untrue, and was mOg 17.'11 int"— 13
11
face of • it. On the of M F lbag°" °flexion Wit
rt r. a ,„.
denied that
the girl. any impr
The Lo CHIEF „oild a?, the de'
RD BARON having 09--
~, , tor .
The jury im • verd"
immediately returned 8
fondant.
___.....1...,/le-

g
0000
BIRTHS.
Chewton, of2adn Ilinesit7
On the •tl3.
Inst., at the Vicarage,
wife of the Rev. Ralph R. Tatham, ALA.
°f
Susses,
On the 3d •
the 2d inst•, at Artillery -Place' f lieljrl
OF A DAnottTfitt. le 0-
On the 3d inst., • the VII JO'
in Torrington-square,
S. Selfe, Esq. nuere,
On aWiAlton-°crescent, the Visc°'
Joseph Freeman .
--- • oh
Ecilill ce
MARRIED.
tsholitrdofda%u7gi
On the 4th inst., at Trinity Church, Marylsboueo to Greof
eldest son of Edward Bright, Esq., of 111,11d°fillv's, '34,i'lltcl
eMatilda; youngest daughter of the late T. 2'nf'oviell, 'pp
flush-town ; and at the same time, Henry aria I'° aO.
Finsbnirs's
lillitaernrolpliteil.,atp.s,_aonfdyl.i.so, mEsfofir.d, ,ottoirerTtio.e
t
e
aged , f of
s:l:rji
On the 2d inst., at HalkinD-IsEtnreet West, ~0, the c.
Caroline Vansittart, relict of Arthur
Shottesbrook, Berks, and sister Lord Auckleou' ill
ofSsfri
Sodor and Man.age} 8' 00, °
OR the 3d inst., in Bryanston-street, allas-
vansitte_ Ii
f'
Willett, the relict of the late Rev. Charles n• gear'
East Dereham. IT bridge' a ,-'
On the 3d inst., at Park-cottage, near —lh-re, ege,,ote,
Admiral Colin Campbell, of Ardpatrick, ArgYleerloyd-Scl"
On the 3d inst., George Tindall, Esq., °C ''' blet
„tea el
Pentonville, aged 67. nIY ",,,,,ths
On the 2d inst., at Dedham, Essex, Jane, °f the v-
of the Rev. Osborne Reynolds, Head blaster 0. - Stub
S$
Grammar School. -,- gtoilt
On the 2d inst., in Liverpool-terrace, As.l;n.• od
Langridge, aged 74. Attila'
On the 3d inst., in Upper Harley-street,
o'ed 17. ,o,
youngest son of the late John Travers, Esq., $,E,,,- „tiaoth'
On the 24 inst., W. 11. Turner, Esq., 0' '
Hyde-park. oi
LTNndoo.;l:l2P,risnttreand and Published
Thy:sit:o,llf Ace, I\l_„°.ti °I
------- /.01J56;iii
Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, u 2 the
Ow
BLiddlegox, Thursday, March 6, 1651.

.~

,

c

, 44

nl' 00
egg,
D
rit's kV
,4 01
nS-I9

lit
oft "'up to
th°
on lb'
r „„tif
oa
wio

the cl9l

icoulite°
051 the

)f 04

Di°‘

Ivor:
e, a 6..
ge
ore,
Will .

,ter
ug'"to
ii;eoA
50°11
Jr _

the
itirt

.1:0,50,0r
-----'''o,l i
Js‘7 lit
io. 1 i
flAl