The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-14 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

HEAVY DAMAGES. A jury was empanelled at the
Sheriffs' Court on Tuesday to assess the damages in a
breach of promise case sent from the Court of Queen's
Bench in which judgment had been allowed to go by
default. The only question was as to the loss which the
plaintiff, a young lady in her 21st year, had sustained
through the breach of the engagement. The jury gave
her £l,OOO.

MADAME RACHEL AGAlN.—OnTneaday another applica-
tion was made at the Judges' Chambers, on the part of
Madame Rachel, to put in bail in waiting the hearing of her
application on the writ of error. Mr. West, optician, of
Coventry-street, was the proposed bail, in addition to Mr.
Johnson, the printer, who has been accepted. Further
evidence was required by Mr. Justice Montague Smith as
to Mr. West's stock-in-trade, and the case was adjourned
to a future day.

ROBBERY Or PLATE.—Two married women, named
Bryant and James, have been charged at Lambeth Police-
court with stealing £5OO worth of plate from various
houses. They used to go round to gentlemen's houses in
the metropolis and in the suburbs under the pretence of
soliciting votes for charitable institutions, and during the
absence of the servants they abstracted whatever plate
or other property they could lay their hands on. Great
interest was excited by the case, and an inspector of the
L Division said that more than fifty persons had, during
the week, made inquiries at the station respecting two
women who had robbed them. They had both been pre-
viously convicted several times, and were believed to
belong to a regular gang of organised thieves. They were
committed for trial.

STABBING CASE AT NEATH.—On Monday two young
men were charged before the magistrates at Neath with
attacking three men with a loaded life-preserver. One of
these, named Williams, lies in a precarious state. On the
application of Mr. Phillips, the superintendent of police,
the prisoners were remanded, bail being refused.

In Oregon " bibulation "is said to be a pre-
ventive against smallpox ; and the modern style of drink-
ing invitation is " Let's disinfect."
POACHING IN WARWICKSHIRE.—There was a
sharp encounter between a gang of poachers and two of
Lord Warwick's keepers in the Old Park, near Warwick,
at an early hour a day or two back. The keepers met
with eight men, who were armed with bludgeons, with
which they assaulted the keepers, knocked them down,
and severely injured them. The poachers also threw
stones at the watchers, and having disabled them,
managed to escape. Two men, residing in Warwick, have
been apprehended and taken before the county magis-
trates, and committed for trial.

THE GIRL LIVING WITHOUT FOOD. —The Aberyst-
with Times, in reference to the case of the little girl at
Llanfihangel-yr-Arth, who is said to have lived since the
10th of October, 1867, without food, says that a committee
of respectable men was formed some time ago to inquire
into the case, and three gentlemen were requested to
watch the girl. These gentlemen, one of whomis a medical
student from Llandyssul, another a scholar of St. David's
College, Lampeter, and the third a medical assistant,
watched the girl continuously from March 22 to .A_p_ril 5,
and they state that nothing whatever was given to her
during that time. So the story rests, incredible, it is
true, but supported by evidence which it is difficult to
disbelieve.

Mr. John Simpson, formerly a reporter on the
Nottingham Daily Press, and subsequently sub-editor of
tle Manchester Courier, committed suicide on Sunday
last, The deceas.d gentleman had been about a fort-
night in Nottingham, and the last few days lodged
at the Oliver Cromwell Inn. it was noticed on Friday
that he was depressed in spirits, but on Saturday he
assumed his'usual gaiety, playing at whist with some of
the company in the evening. He retired at midnight, and
not making his appearance at the usual hour in the morning
the landlord sent his son to call him. The deceased replied
that he was getting up. At one o'clock the landlord became
alarmed, as Mr. Simpson had not come down stairs. He then
went into his bedroom and there discovered the unfortunate
gentleman dead. In one hand he held a handkerchief,
upon which be had vomited; the other hand was placed
under his head. A bottle was found under the bed with the
label scratched off. The I ottle it is supposed had contained
poison, and very little doubt was entertained that Mr. Simp-
son had committed suicide. The unfortunate gentleman has
left a wife and three children.

A NICE FAMILY.—WhoIe families are to be
found engaged in particular branches of crime. Here is
one : A man who gave the name of Hill was convicted
of a robbery on the river, and sentenced to six years, of
which he served all but some four months. While a
licencee, he was apprehended, under suspicious circum-
stances, in connection with certain stolen rope, but was dis-
charged. Immediately after his sentence expired, he was
taken with aman, giving the name of Thetford, for stealing
lead from the roof of a house on the river-side at Vauxhall.
They were sentenced, Hill to twelve, and Thetford, who
had violently assaulted his capturer, to fourteen years. It
turned out that they were brotherd, and members of a
family which the sergeant describes as being "about the
worst family we've got, sir." A father and four sons, all
river thieves, and all experienced at penal servitude, make
up this charming family circle. They are rarely all out
of prison together—indeed, they are all occasionally in
prison at.2i51,,taci...4 "in Aa TM, Year
AMA