The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-09 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

AN ACTION FOR LIBEL AGAINST Mn. GRANT.—Mr.
James Grant, the editor of the Morning Advertiser, and
the author of the "Religious Tendencies of the Times,"
was the defendant in an action heard on Saturday before
the Lord Chief Baron, at the Croydon Assizes, in which
Miss Faithfull, the editor of the Victoria Magazine, was
plaintiff. Miss Faithfull sought to recover damages from
Mr. Grant on account of a libel uttered in "The Reli-
gious Tendencies of the Times." Mr. Grant therein
charged her with being the leader of a Secularist
soc]ety, and further hinted. that Miss Faithfull was
an Atheist. The passage in which the action
was based was quoted from the Landon Review. At the
time of its first publication, Miss Faithful wrote to the
Review, denying its truth, and also to the Rock—in which
it was copied—contradicting the various statements to
which it gave rise. It appeared, however, that Miss
Faithfull's name had been appended to a circular—without
her consent—amongst those of Mrs. Bradlaugh, Mrs.
Holyoake, and others of the same "'advanced" religious
opinions, and in this circulir—from which Miss Faithfull's
name was withdrawn as soon as she saw it— the
original statement was based. Mr. Grant does not seem
to have seen the denial, or heard of the withdrawal, and
so he unwittingly gave currency to wit was untrue. As
soon as his attention was called to the passage by Miss
Faithfull's solicitors, he offered to recall as many of the
works from the booksellers as had not yet been disposed of,
promised to expunge the passage in all future issues, and to
insert a contradiction. With this, however, Miss Faith-
full was not altogether satisfied. Hence this action. The
learned counsel who put her case before the court and
jury said that "So far from Miss Faithfull entertaining
atheistical opinions she was the daughter of a clergyman
of the Church of England ; she had been always
brought up in the doctrines of that Chttrch,
and had no intimacy or connection whatever with Mr.
and Mrs. Bradlaugh, and held such opinions as thou
that were imputed to her in the utmost abhorrence."
After this statement a settlement of the case by consulta-
tion was suggested. Mr. Grant thereupon withdrew all
imputations, and a verdict of 40s. was, by consent, taken
for the plaintiff.
ATROCIOUS ATTBMPT TO POISON A WIFE.-4t
the Wells Assizes, before Mr. Justice Keating, a black-
smith, named Charles Smith, has been convicted and
sentenced to 2.0 years' penal servitude for two determined
attempts to poison his wife. On one occasion he prc•
cured her teacup, and paced some arsenic in it, which
she observed, and refused to diink the tea it
contained. Subsequently to doing this he on
another occasion caused her to leave the kitchen while
something was stewing on the £re, and in her absence
again attempted to cause her to take poison by placing it
in the pot. His wife, however, had heard hint lift the
lid of the kettle, and suspecting him of another attempt
refused to take the Lreth, and taxed him with attempt-
ing to poison Ler, which he denied. The analysis
of the powder skewed the presence of arsenic. The
evidence being conclusive the jury returned a verdict of
guilty.

A BETTING CABE.—A betting case has been tried at the
Leeds Assizes. A Mr. Singleton, a betting agent, sued
Mr. Brown, also a betting agent (the former of Manches-
ter, the latter of Barnsley) for £ll2 which plaintiff
deposited with defendant. The defendant admitted
receiving the money, but set up a right to keep it.
Plaintiff, he said, telegraphed to him to take the odds
against Knight of the Garter for the last Chester Cup,
giving 12 to las a limit. One Field, who lived
with the defendant, took several bets according to his
orders, and telegraphed to the plaintiff that he had
done so. He, however, " pinched" each of the bets, in-
tending, as he stated, to keep the difference for himself.
"Pinching" may be shortly explained. A tells B, "I have
got you eight to one against a certain horse," the fact being
that he has got ten to one, if the horse wins, A gets £lO
and hands over only ES toB. Beyond this " pinching," how-
liver, in any case thereis a charge for commission. Knight of
the Garter won, and the money was duly paid by the
losers to the defendant, and the plaintiff applied for his
money. The defendant then stated that, according to the
Barnsley rules, all money ought to be posted before the
race came off, and that he had told Field to write to the
plaintiff to say that unless he posted his money he (the
defendant) would take the bets on his own account. Field
wrote to the plaintiff, but, it appeared, never posted
the letter. The defendant objected that the plaintiff
could not recover, as this was a gaming transaction under
the Gaming Acts. His lordship said he must take the
opinion of the jury on the question whether the money
had been received by the defendant as the agent of the
plaintiff, and if they thought so he could zecover. The
jury found a verdict for the plaintiff for the amount
claimed.

In debating the question lately of rebuilding the
organ in a little country church, the following strong
arguments were urged against it :—"Lor,she's what I call
first-rate, and were quite good enough for me when she
were turned by a handle." This was by one of the church-
wardens ! The next was by an " ALA." " The organ
appears to me to go well enough ; I can remember
when you used to have to stop in the service
while it fetched its wind !" A lively lot to have
to settle the music of our beautiful service.—Musical
Standard.

A STORY OF THE CZAR NICHOLAS.—A Russian
Prince has written a biography of our late enemy, the
Czar Nicholas, in which he relates a curious and touching
anecdote. The Emperor ordered a review, and, in spite
of the entreaties of his doctor, insisted on riding forth in
the cold. Even when he was in the courtyard of his
Palace, Dr. Maudt renewed his supplications, begged his
Majesty at least to throw a cloak over him. The Czar
remained deaf to every warning: "Sire, you are ill ;it
will be your death ;" and at last "Sire, it is suicide you
are about to commit." At this expostulation Nicholas
turned sharply, and asked his physician by what authority
he ventured to scrutinise his thoughts. He held his
review, got a chill, and expired after a short illness.
AN ENGLISH A(7 THOR IN AMERICA.—Mr, Charles
Reade writes to the publishers and the public at large a
letter in these words, which have been lithographed for
the Galaxy, and figure as a full.page illustration of the
August number of that magazine : " The publishers of the
Galaxy pay me a liberal price for ' Put Yourself in His
Place.' if I were a mechanical invent.or instead of a
literary inventor, this payment would secure them the sole
legal right. In lbe present iniquitous, partial, Larbaroul
and brainless state of law it only secures than a cleat
moral right. Eut I Lope all respectable publishers ev ii
respect that moral right, will put themselves in their
place, and will forl,car to reap where they have not
sown." Then in the latter part of the magazine we have
an equally characteristic " card," in which Mr. Reade
delivers himself as follows :—" In reply to recent applica-
tions for his autograph, Mr. Charles Reade begs to say
that this number of the Galaxy contains a fac-simile of
his writing, such as it is, and his sentiments into the bar-
gain. This being printed and on sale for one shilling, Mr.
Reade will never again pen an autograph for any lady or
gentleman with whom he has not the honour to ha
acquainted. So that point is settled,—New Yort
Nation.