The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-07 00:00:00

if the think fit; th e only difference, therefore,
y
lnd conviction is that harrY,
between your aocinittal .
labour is added i',o conlit 'ornent. The crime corn-
mitted is a horril)le one. Arson is with respect to
property almost the same I.ls poison is in respect to
life,

~....,•,..•

NORTHERN crAR cm. -.17.—i \TEWCASTLE.ON-T YSE ,
DEC., 5.
(Before
Mr. Lestfce Hill.)
Robert Faster was indict:id for the manslaughter
of Thomas Foster on tltie 26t1
The Hon. A. Liddle .
. October last.
and 11,1. r. Bruce prosecuted ;
Mr. Davison defended th.l :INere.w
burn, and was
Thomas Foster, the deceaL'ed,
the owner of a fishers at was the son of Mr.
,of age. The pri-
was also a n atu-
at the timmeanofatiosutde2aothyelaBrByeoafrasa
Fos!tr,
Boner, a
ral son of . Mr. Foster, and resided av• ith him as pnd.
art
of his family". On the 26th October I Tr. Foster a
prisoner went ,to Nev vcastle on business ; th,' deceased
and another mc.n were out shooting. When the
party returned from Newcastle the deeetist Nd was
sitting in the kitchen with his dogs, A qe,urel
seems to have aris %ill between the different memb,"ra
of the family as to, cooking some fish for supper.'.
The prisoner appea rs to have got into abadhumour
and kicked one o,f the younger brother's dogs,
which called from the deceased the observation that
he would make hian pay for it." After this the
prisoner took up the, poker and threw it towards
where the deceased wL Is standing, hitting him on
the head and fracturing' his skull, from the effects
of which he died. The dog was at the time lying
at Thomas's feet. The p,-ironer said immediately
teat he never intended to hit the deceased. The
prisoner was proved. to hr2ve been on very good
terms with deceased and the EL' embers of the family
except the wife, who was show.n to be in the habit
of getCng drunk and to have a strong feeling
against the prisoner, and was described by the
medical man who was called in to attend the de-
ceased as being in a slate of " great excitement" on
the night in question, ,and by Me. Foster to have
been drunk, and for 12 divs previuusly.
It was com'ended for the prisoner that the poker
was thrown at the dog. The rector of the parish
and several othe" gentlemen gave tho prisoner an
excellent character.
His Lordship sa'mmed up, and asked th.e jury to
say whether the poker was thrown at the' dog, or
the mother, or deceiased.
The jury found thAe prisoner Guilty, and tAiat the
poker was thrown et the mother or deceased., and
not at the dog, but re commended the prisornar to
mercy on account of his previous good characte r.
He was sentenced to 5.,.x months' imprisonmen t.
Thomas Williams w.ul indicted for uttering a
forged Bank of England ;610 note, at Newcastle,
on the 13th of November laCt-
The Hon. A. Liddell and ktr. Bruce prosecuted;
Mr. Davison defended.
On the 25th of August the. Prisoner went into
Mrs. Barkass's eating-house on the Quayside, aod
had some breakfast. He asked lo' change for £lO.
Mrs. :Barkass had no change, bat sent to Mr.
Spence, a neighbour. Mr. Spence could not change
it. A person named Gibson was at Spence's at the
time and saw the note, and having .some suspicion
about it took it to the bank, where it was found to
be forged. The prisoner was taken into custody,
and in: his possession was found ano thr forged
~..t:10 note. The prisoner also was show nto have
been in Newcastle in 1858, and to have passed a
forged £lO note at that time to a Mr. Bail,es, who
had kept the note, and now produced it.
The prisoner was convicted, and sentenced to Nil
years' ps‘n.al servitude.