The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-10 00:00:00

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—YoRg, DEC. 8.

The commission was opened hero on Saturday evening
by Mr. Justice Erie and Mr. Gurney.
The York City Assize was held this horning. There
was only one case, a charge of forgery against a young man
named Barrow, who had forged the name of his uncle and
guardian to a cheque for 5/.
He was found guilty, and sentenced t 4 12 months' im-
prisonment. _

At noon the learned judges commenced the county bust
ness, which is exceedingly heavy, there going about 120
prisoners for trial, and many of the offences charged being
of a very heinous character.
In Charging the grand jury Mr. Justice Erie alluded to
an extraordinary case of bigamy, in whichthe prisoner is a
man named Harrison, who became notoriois as the "Leeds
Wizard" on account of his dealings with Bove, the person
executed at the last assizes for poisoning h:s wife, at Leeds.
His lordship remarked that the prisoner Ivo charged on the
depositions with three marriages, and scam objection had
been raised before the magistrate as to the ]roof of the valid
or first marriage. A valid marriage must be proved, and
not by mere repute or cohabitation ; but it the registry of
the old church at Leeds there was an entryof the first mar-
riage. Nobody could be brought forward is a witness, but
some person believed the writing in the register to be that
of the prisoner, and perhaps that would 1e enough. But
what seemed abundantly sufficient was the, that after the
marriage, unknown to the parents of the girl, had taken
place, the prisoner claimed to be the husiand of the girl.
The fathor and mother questioned them Aosely as to the
fact of their being married, the mother reqiired the daugh-
ter to produce the marriage lines, as they were called ;
and, in the pretence of the prisoner, the dajghter produced
the marriage certificate, and repeatedly declared to her,
father that they had been married. So they had been per-
mitted to cohabit together, aitd.had had children, and that,
coupled with the register, he should think abundant to
establish the first marriage, and make the prisoner respon
Bible for the second and third marriages. If by any acci-
dent the proof of the first marriage should fail, an indict-
ment might then be prepared treating the second as a valid
marriage, and alleging the of fence to have hem committed
with respect to the third marriage ; and it the prisoner
egl, it w would
brought forward the first marriage as a d
be requisite to adopt procee dings cgdeifngace ; but
which it
prisoner would thus be placed iu a dilemmasea
appeared to his lordship there carteainly viould be no
escape. FafeANSLAycalrEn.
RAILWAY COLLISION AND CIiZARaRO
the mansilughter
George Spivey, 24, was indicted for
on
!eye
u lasttiof
o n. ;
John Coupland, at Church Fenton,2t6htehp Jr
ok
Mr. Blanshard and Mr. Matae conducted
Mr. Digby Seymour defended the prisoner.
The case arose out of a conision o n the North:Eastern
Railway, at the Church Fenton station. On the ),sth of
July an excursion train left aarket Weighton, wile% there
had beau, Au,,Aaricu..nra show, it I for Selby and Wetherhy.
Raving passed Selby, the train reached Church Felton
little after 12 o'clock, where it had to bo drawn up fir the
purpose of shunting a horse box. This occupied sohe 10
or 15 minutes ; and while part of the excursion trail was
standing in an oblique direction across the main lue a
heavy luggage train of 40 or 50 trucks came up, at a steed
of about 30 miles an hour, and ran into the excursion train
with snob force as to , break several of the passenger ear.
lines to splinters, and to throw the engine of the luggage
train off the line, and upset it. One of the passenger's,
John Coupland, was killed. The prisoner was night ptr.
ter and signalman at the station, and it was his duty
turn on the semaphore signal, and also the distance signi
whenever a train arrived. The charge was that by culP
negligence he had not done so. There was an importam
discrepancy in the evidence of the drivers of the respective
trains.

His Lordship remarked that the driver of the luggagel
train, knowing that he had started before his time, and that
he was travelling beyond his proper speed, had an interest
in showing that the signals wore not on.
The jury found the prisoner not guilty. He was further
arraigned for the manslaughter of Godfrey Braine, who
was killed at the same time, but the prosecution offered no
evidence, and he was thereupon discharged out of custody.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—LINCOLN, DEC. 9.
(Before Mr. Justice Willes.)
George Wright, aged 17, was indicted for feloniously
assaulting Phoebe Horton, a child under 10 years of age, at
Leake, on the 10th of October last.
Mr. Flowers prosecuted.
It appeared from the statement of the prosecutrix and
her mother, that the child having been sent an errand,
was met in a field by the prisoner, who asking her whe-
ther she knew where any mushrooms wore growing, and
receiving a reply in the negative, knocked her down and
violated her person. This statement was fully corroborated
by the evidence of the medical man who had examined
her; and the jury having found a verdict of guilty, the
prisoner was sentenced to transportation for life.
Daniel North was indicted for accusing, and threatening
to accuse, John Sampson Wells with an infamous crime,
with intent to extort money.
Mr. Roberts conducted the prosecution ; the prisoner
was not defended by counsel.
It appeared from the statements made by several wit-
nesses that the prisoner, a butcher at Grantham, had for
several months previous to July last, as well as in that
month, frequently made an accusation against the prose-
cutor, who was also a butcher in the same town, of having
committed an abominable crime about four years ago ; and
that to one witness he had said that he meant to have
money from the prosecutor now that ho (the prosecutor)
had got into business and was a householder. On two
occasions in July ho had made the same charge in the
public street of Grantham to the prosecutor himself, who

From the London Gazette of Last Night.

NEW WRIT FOR LANARKSHIRE.

The Gazette of this evening contains the Speaker's war-
rant for the election of a Member of Parliament for
Lanarkshire, in the room of the late William Lockhart,
Esq.