The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 19, 1856.

Court of Queen's Bench—(This Day.)

sleep for the rest of the night. I had seen the girl at the
house one Sunday evening before. That was about a
month ago. I knew it was the same girl because 'opened
the street door, and heard my mistress tell the girl to
wipe her feet and go into the parlour. I went in, and my
mistress and the girl went out, and returned with a box
with three clasps. When my mistress went out with the
girl she had a large stone with her, wrapped up in a piece
of cloth. My mistress told me to go to bed on that night,
but I refused, when she took the girl away with her, and
told me to stop up until she returned. That was the only
occasion I ever saw the girl there. When my mistress
went out on Saturday evening, she had the same dress
on that she now has ; but when she came into the kitchen
she had an old black dress on. After all was quiet,
my mistress came to my bed-side, and said she had been
to market—that she had got change of half-a crows, but
that she would not pay me until Sunday morning. My
mistress then went up to bed, and I did not see her
again that night. When she was talking to me at my
bed-side she appeared to be very white and much agi-
tated.
By Mr. Morrie--My mistress also said in the kitchen,
while she was walking about, " She will not tell any
more lies about me."
Both poisoners declined to put any question to the
witness.

LtaiKP,
Compan.

C;oitiln
this day.

nnaineas
thLi 1&y.

SECOND COURT.
Sittings at Guildhall at Nisi Prins.

(Before Mr. Justice Crampon, and a Comnion Jury.

RUNT V. 11.KENZIE.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff to recover
compensation in damages 1;r the injuries his wife had
sustained from the alleged negligent driving of the de-
fendant's servant. The defendant pleaded not guilty.
The plaintiff is a builder and a surveyor, of Syden-
ham, his wife conducting an upholstery business in Lon-
don, and the defendant is a distiller, carrying on busi-
ness in Cullum-street, city. It appeared that on the 3d
of November last the plaintiff's wife was being drawn
along Moorgate-street in a chaise by her foreman. As
they were passing the defendant's waggon, which was
drawn by three horses, and proceeding at the rate of
eight or nine miles per hour, the latter diverged from
the aide of the road (probably to pass another vehicle),
when the waggon came in contact with the plaintiff's
chaise. The collision was so great that the plaintiff's
wife was thrown out and under the feet of the horses in
the waggon, the foreman was thrown over his horse's
bead, and the chaise shattered to atoms. The plaintiff's
wife was seriously injured at the time, from the effects
of which she was confined to bed for three weeks, and
had been unable to attend to business for six weeks.
Her memory had been seriously affected from that time.
She would require medical attendance for some further
period.

Mr. Georga William Henry Cowan], divisional sur-
geon, having been sworn, said—l reside at No. ti, St.
John's-terrace, New North-road, Hoxton. On Sunday
evening last at about five o'clock I was called by the
police to No. 13, Linton-street, and in a coal-cellar I saw
the body of a child about 14 years of age. I discovered
three large wounds from -the back of the neck to the
front, embracing the whole of the left side. The jugular
vein was divided, and the carotid artery had three small
wounds upon it. There were several small flesh wounds
about the neck and face, also on tha left hand, and one
on the left arm, as if done in a struggle to save her
throat. Her right side was very dirty, as if she had
lain on it when the throat was cut from the front, and
then pulled round. Prom the nature of the wounds I
am satisfied they were inflicted by some other party.
She could not have done it herself.
Serjrant George Bexley, No. 12 N, said—Between six
and seven o'clock on Sunday evening I went to the house
18, Linton-street, New North-road, and in the first floor,
used as a bed-room, on searchine, I found a pair of stock-
ings (now produced) under the bed. There were spots
of blood on one of them. They were marked with the
initials " C. C." which were those of the female pri-
soner's maiden name, Celestria Christmas. There were
also spots of blood on the pillow in the kitchen where
the servant girl slept.
Rebecca Donelly, searcher at Hoxton station-house,
said—At half-past six o'clock on Sunday evening I
searched the female prisoner. When I took her to the
searching room she said " What do you bring me here
far ? Is it to search me l" I said "Yes." She replied,
"Oh dear ! that foolish girl has been talking. I have a
cellar in my house without a plate. A girl was found
there stabbed with a knife. I cannot think how she
came there. for my house was fastened up at ten o'clock
last night." While I was searching her she had taken
her top dress off, and her petticoat from the fore part to
the knee downwards was covered with blood. The pri-
soner said, " I am subject to bleedine, front my nose.
I use my petticoat to it. My husband can tell you that
he lent me a silk handkerchief." (The petticoat was
here produced.)
Mr. Inspector Payne, N division, said that he had
used every exertion and made every search, but could
not discover the knife or any weapon with which the
wounds were inflicted upon the deceased.
Mr. Corrie said that there was no evidence to warrant
the detention of the male, but ho should remand the
female until Monday next.
The witnesses already examined were then bound over
to prosecute her at the Central Criminal Court on the
charge of wilful murder. The prisoner, up to this stage
of the proceedings, was allowed a seat in the dock by
the side of her husband. She appeared to become faint,
and leaned her head upon the front of the bar.
The husband was now liberated, and the wife was
taken from the court to Waddington's (the gaoler 'e
room.

The defence was that the injury and damage was
purely accidental, and arose from the plaintiff's chaise
endeavouring to pass the defendant's waggon at a time
when other vehic:es were passine,, along the street.
The Jury, after a short consultation, returned a ver-
dict for the plaintiff—darua,ges, 1001. 251. of that
amount being for the wife's personal suffering.

EXCHEQUER COURT.
(Sittings at Guildhall at Nikoi Prim+, before the Lord
Chief Baron Pollock and a Special Jury.)
BERKELEY, V. BERESPOIID AND OTHERS-LIBEL.
The Attorney. General, Mr. James, and Mr. Grey,
were counsel for the plaintiff; Sir F. Thesiger, and Mr.
Tomlinson for the defendant.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff, M.P. for
Bristol, against the defendants, proprietors of a weekly
public:atio❑ called the IVeekly Allictiice for a series of
libels contained in that publication. The action arose
out of the proceedings of last session with reference to
Wilson Patten's act, for the better observance of the
Sabbath. Mr. Berkeley considering that that act in-
fringed the liberty of the subject and pressed harshly on
the labouring classes, obtained the appointment of a
select committee to jut/sit:re into the subject, of whick
the plaintiff was chairman. After hearing evidence that
committee unanimously reported in favour of a modifica-
tion of the above bill, and the result was the introduc-
tion of a bill into the House of Commons, by Mr.
Berkeley, founded on that report, and which was passed
into a law. The defendants in their publication had
published a series of articles in favour of the better ob-
servance of the Sabbath, in which they impugned the
conduct of the plaintiff, alleging that he was in collusion
with the licensed victuallers of Bristol, and with corrupt
motive?.

Sir F. Thesiger said at the commencement of the
case that whilst he cla.insed a perfect right for the de-
fendants, as the conductors of a public journal, to exa•
mine and criticise the conduct of public men, yet at the
same time he admitted that in their energy to serve the
cause they had at heart, they had been hurriedly led into
the indulgence of expressions and making assertions they
did not on that occasion pretend to justify. The defen-
dants would, therefore, submit to a verdict passing
again t them.

The Attorney-Gel:1(ral said the only object his client
had in bringing this action was the vindication of his
character. That having been'conceded by the defendants,
the plaintiff was satisfied. He could not agree with one
remark of the learned counsel fur the defendants, that
they had been hurried into using the expressions com-
plained of, because the libels were contained in a series
of articles extending over several weeks and months.
A verdict was then taken for the plaintiff for five
guineas, by consent.

CONFESSION OF THE MURDERESS.
13y the untiring zeal and intelligent perseverance of
Inspector Hatton and Sergeant Townsend, N division,
circumstances have come to light which place beyond
the scintilla of a doubt the fact of the poor child, whom
they discovered so horriby mutilated in the cellar of the
house, No. 13, Linton-street, being the offspring (illegi-
timate) of the murderess, Celestria Somner. Immedi-
ately after the examination of the prisoners yesterday,
the officers mentioned proceeded, in company with Karl
Somner, the husband, to a house, No. 4, Peter-street,
Hackney road, inhabited by an elderly woman, named
Harrington, and her two daughters. Here it was ascer-
tained that a child, aged 10 years, who had been under
the protection of Mrs. Harrington nearly from its birth,
was taken away by its mother last Thursday week, be-
cause she declared her inability to continue longer the
payment of 10s. a month for its keep, since
which time Mrs. Harrington 1183 not beard or
seen anything of the chili. Tho officers next
went to 18, Murray-street, New North-road (adjoining
the house occupied a short period since by Mary M`Neil,
who murdered her two children there), and found it occu-
pied by a sister of the prisoner, whose husband is also a
German, and engraver. Here they learnt that on the
evening of the day the girl had been taken from Mrs.
Harrington she was brought by the prisoner and kept
until 10 o'clock last Saturday night, when the wretched
woman took her child away, without shawl or bonnet,
under the pretext that she had obtained a place for her
at a greengrocer's in the neighbourhood ; finally, Mrs.
Harrington, Mr. Souther, and the authotities went to
the scene of the murder, and the former there identified
the victim, who was lying on the servant's bed in the
kitchen, to be the same child she had reared from its in-
fancy. The poor woman's tribulation was very great at
the sight, and she repeatedly reprehended herself for
having parted with her. She said that the child went
by the name of " Celestria Christmas," and subsequent
inquiries elicited the fact of that having been the maiden
name of Mrs. Serener, whose parents are most respect-
able silversmiths, in King-square, Guswell-street.road.
A direct confession of the murder has been since made by
the miserable parent, she alleging that the act was com-
mitted with a knife, and that she was impelled to the
commission of it by the frequeit quarrels with her hus-
band, who was obliged to pay ss. a-week for its keep,
but at the same time she asserts it to be her brother's
offspring. Mr. Somner distinctly denies this, and states
that 2e. 6d. a week only was paid by him by agreement
before his marriage with the prisoner, and that such sum
was always paid willingly by him.
The prisoner has not made any remark relative to how
she has disposed of the knife, nor can any clue be found
to the place of its deposit. She has been married two
years, and Mr. Somner's circumstances aro very respect.
able. The house, No. 18, is elaborately furnished.

L IT ERA TURE.

The Mystic : and ether Poems. By Philip James
Bailey. Second Edition. Chapman and Hall.
Mr. Bailey is evidently a very wonderful man—
bestriding the world of letters like a colossus, and
talking over our heads, far away—in nubibus! His
" iestus" was a mystery of mysteries floating
across the blue empyrian of literature like
a magic car drawn by fiery dragons, but drop-
ping clown among us, as it passed by up
aloft, fragments of delicious melody, and pearls
and jewels of as rare price as ever fell from
the lips of the Arabian Princess. Then came his
" Angel World"—a mistier mystery of mysteries !
And last of all "The Mystic"—the very name of
which is a confession ! It cannot possibly be that
Mr. Bailey's excuse for his incomprehensibility is
in any way explicable by an avowal like that of
the inscrutable versemaker in Horace—brevis esse
laboro, obscitrus fio—the Pegasus of our author
being, of all the ambling nags within the range of
our acquaintance, decidedly about the most rong-
winded, and one having, moreover, the largest
scope imaginable in which to show off its
paces to perfection. The field traversed by that
steed—shod with thunder and maned with light-
ning—being, in point of fact, Universal Space,
"Heaven," " Hell," the "Surface," " Any-
where," " Everywhere !" What says The Devil,
as he is riding by his side ?
" See what a long long track
Of dust and fire behind,
For miles and miles aback !
And shrill and strong,
As we shoot along,
Whistles and whirls,
Like a forest of firs
Falling, the sold north wind."
Whereto, Festus :
" Look ! my way I can only read
By the sparks from the hoof of my giant steed."
Presently (Pegasus galloping like mad along the
edge of a stupendous precipice by the sea-shore)
what saith Festus?—
FESTUB—" Wilt take the sea ?"
"Think of that, Master Brook !" To which, not to
be outdone in pluck—
LUCIFEB—" Ay, that will we !
And swim as we ride,
Our steeds astride ' •
Come leap, leap off with me !"
FESTUS [half disposed to draw back at a pinch with sud-
den qualms comprehensible enough in poor
mortality]—
" What ? shall we leap
Sheer off this steep
A mile above the sea ?"
"Surely," thinks the Devil, and the Devil says
plainly enough what he thinks, and—away they
go !

PMTS. -" There is a rapture in the headlong leap,
The wedgelike cleaving of the closing deep!
Jec., lee., Sae"
Luclraa [adding]—" By chaos ! this is gallant sport ;
A league at every breath ;
Methinks if ever I have to die
I'll ride this rate to death."
Sueh is the Pegasus, Mr. Bailey bestrides, riding
hose are his own words, remember ! ride " Fes-
as." 2d Ed. 1845. p. 91.)—
"Right onward ! till we feel the whirling brain
Ring with the maddening music of the main ;
Till the fixed eyeball strives and strains to ken,
Yet loathes to ken the shore and haunts of wen ;
And the blood, half starting through each ridgy vein,
In the unwieldy hand sets black with pain."
Precisely. He describes it to a nicety. Carried
away with him in his wild career, hither and
thither, here, there, and everywhere, we are soon,
be sure of that, stark, staring, raging, ravaging
mad 1 The poet's eye (Mr. Bailey's)—like that of
the true bard described by Shakspere, "in a fine
frenzy rolling, glancing from earth to heaven, from
heaven to earth." Everybody is infected. The
cleverest men of our time sing the pecans of his
praise. The bluff, sturdy, honest, Corn Law
Rhymer, tolls us of Festus—" It contains poetry
enough to set up fifty poets !" Sir Edward Lytton
calls it a production "most remarkable and magni-
ficent." (We aro quoting from the puffs-supple-
mentary given at the end of Mr. Bailey's master.
piece.) Mr. Marston says, " I know no poem in
the language that can be compared with its copi-
ousness and variety of imagery." Mr. Charles
Hooton—(who the deuce is Mr. Charles Hooton
—says, " this book is in a modern library, what
the garden of Edeu was in the old world,—a glory
and perfection, in the midst of comparative
sterility." Cam coiterisparibus—usque ad nauseam,.
Well—we suppose it is all this. And we suppose,
too, that the drivellings of the late Mr. Wordsworth
about idiots, and Betty Foys, and Peter
Bells, and the like vulgar numskulls, are the
sublimest outpourings of poetical philoso-
phy. We will suppose all this—we will
take it for granted. But, for God's sake, don't let
us hear after this that there was ever anybody of any
note at all, ever born in Holles-street, London, or
in Henley-street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick-
shire. The two classes of events are incompatible.
Accept the one as proven, and the other must in-
evitably be at once repudiated. However, this
may be—certainly it does so appear—that Words-
worth has his worshippers, and so too has Mr.
Bailey. Off with your caps to them, greasy mob !
and fling them into the air ! But when such is done
be sure the " fixed eyeballs" strain and strive,
and the blood starts in the " ridgy veins" till the
hands grow black, and the brain whirls to the
" maddening music" after the very natural fashion
described by Mr. Bailey in his Festus, when he
flies off at a tangent on the back of his bedlamite
Pegasus !
Turning, however, for a moment from " Festus"
and the "Angel World," aid " The Mystic," and
the select little excited group of Mr. Bailey's ad-
mirers, what is the advice we find hinted to his
fellow-scribes by Lord Byron '!'—
" Dear authors ! suit your topics to your strength,
And ponder well your subject, and its length ;
Nor lift your load before you're quite aware
What weight your shoulders will, or will not, bear :
But lucid Order, and Wit's siren voice,
Await the poet skilful in his choice ;
With native eloquence he soars along—
Grace in his thoughts, and music in his song."
Alas I. advice such as this appears to be either in-
audible or wholly unpersuasive among many of the
leading rhymsters of our generation. An ago of
poetry strangely prefigured, it seems to us, in those
lines of Dr. Johnson, written by the great critic
years upon years ago, in ridicule of certain poems
published in 1777
" Wheresoe'er I turn my view,
All is strange and nothing new ;
Endless labour all along,
Endless labour to be wrong ;
Phrase that time has flung away,
Uncouth words in disarray,
Tricked in antique ruff and bonnet,
Ode, and elegy, aid sonnet."
Unhappily for his honour, not merely ode and
elegy, and sonnet, but epic, and dramatic, and di
(lactic performances of most portentous magnitude-
Latest manifestation of which " Endles labour to be
wrong" comes tohand this amazingßiddle-me-riddle-
me-ree of " The Mystic." We suppose it is all very
fine. Turning it over—with our eyes gradually
starting, and our hair slowly bristling up, and our
veins imperceptibly swelling, and our brain ra-
pidly churned into a whirl, under the maddening
influence of poet and poetry—we read a great
deal about the Earth being " reboant," aid about
a god (with a small g) of " psychopompous
func-
tion," and about planets which are " plenipotent,"
and mirrors that are " sma,ragdine, ' and pearls
" enringed with natural nimbus," about "mediates
linked and interlapped," and " terraqueous em-
bouchures," and " demiurgic hosts," and ceviter-
nal causes," and all that sort of thing
abundantly, prolifically, multitudinously. Pelion
—as we turn the pages --- gets piled upon
Ossa, and Olympus shrivels down into a wart, and
from the top of Pelion perched on the shoulders
bab-
bling of
Ossa, high up among the clouds, there comes
down to us, faintly, the ghost of a voice mawl-
dering monotonously about somethingvor other—
whatand ever
must remain, we presume,
for
ever
a mystery alike to Gods and
nightmare brought to
nAltogether—
the thing—is as much like a
hook, set up by the compositors,carefully corrected,
y t
as far as the typography is concerned,bie readers
l
of the Messrs. Chapman and Hall's establishment,
and in due course of time issued from the press
to pass through
edition after edition amidst
the plaudits of Mr. Bailey's admirers—who, if the
truth were only confessed, of course no more un-
derstand what on earth, or in heaven, or in hell, he
means, than he can by any sort of possibility do,
himself. However, hero the book is actually be-
fore us to the number of 165 octavo pages,
with " second edition" already stamped upon its
title-page. It raves at one moment about
"Heaven's azure world-lave, celled with stars'
(p. 8), and a little further on (p. 12) tells us all
about somebody (" The Mystic," of course) sail-
ing—

ark crystalline,
In " T
mhe
anne sky'd
bs abybeamin smal se
odsu a of sns
y ,
lo drag the deeps of spaer and net the stars,
Where in their nebulou, shoals they shore the void
Aad through old night's Typhonian blindness shine%
Then, solarized, &o."
And so on—and so on. Very wonderful—isn't it ?
Amazing ! In fact so wonderful as to be altcgetber
miles and miles out of the reach of any sane man's
comprehension. Finally—let ushers say foronce and
for all, that to get rid of " The Mystic," and Mr.
Bailey, and his worshippers all together, we are
ready to agree with them about its splendour, and
his pre-emineuce, and their sagacity, in fact—
(there ! if they will only let us have done with it)
—about everything ! We accept " Festus as the
poem of poems dwarfing by the force of con-