The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-26 00:00:00

TEE LATE MURDERS.

The calendar of the cases to be tried at the October
Session of the Central Criminal Court, which was opened
on Monday, before the Common Sergeant, is cne of the
heaviest that has been known for scme time, both in
regard to the number of offences and the gravity of them.
In charging the grand jury the Common Sergeant said
there were no fewer than four cases of murder, five of
attempting to murder, and five cases of wounding. The
first case was that in which a man named Henson, was
indicted for murdering two persons named Death and
Boyd, at Wood-green. It seemed that both the accused

and Boyd were leading an immoral life, both being married,
but living with other women. Death had lived with the

prisoner for some years ; but on the day in question, either
by accident or intentionally, she met. Boyd. The accused
saw them at the station and assaulted the man, and
seems to havo followed both the deceased, and to have
shot one and beaten the other's brains out with a gun-
atipk. In this case the jury would havo no difficu,-'v in
finding a true bill. The next case was that of IV,..iiam
Smith, who was charged with, murdering his wife at
Hounslow. The deceased had been drinking with some
soldiers, and the prisoner was seen to illuse her, and she
was subsequently found dead on the stairs of a public-
house. It was known that the accused had a
h4avy hammer with him, and though the skull
was not broken, some vessel in connection with the
brain was so injured that death ensued. The surgeon
would state that death was most unlikely to have been
caused by a fall. In the case of Joseph Welsh, he seemed
to have quarrelled with a man at Rotherhithe, and, after
angry conversation had taken place, he stabbed the
deceased, and from the injuries then sustained the deceased
died. Another case cf murder was that in which a man
named Martini was indicted for killing his pa/amour. On
the night in question the other lodgers heard a
noise as if the inmates of Martini's room were
scuffling. The accused was heard to go out, and in the
morning the deceased was found with her throat cut. In
another case a man named Lister was indicted for man-
slaughter. The deceased was a workman in his employ,
and came to business in a state cf intoxication. The
accused knocked him down several times, and at length—
so witnesses said—lifted him bodily, and threw him into a
copper of boiling water, which was the cause of his death.
The learned judge then proceeded to refer to other cases.

ANOTHER IRISH LANDLORD
THREATENED.

The campaign against the landlords of Ireland is opening
with increased vigour and upon an extended scale. The
agitation has already had the effect of unsettling the minds
of the tenantry to a serious extent, and the prospects of
the coming winter are very discouraging. Landlords must
exercise their rights with a full knowledge of the in-
creased risk they incur, even where they are supposed
'to be popular, from the spirit of resistance, of
which we now see some premonitory symptoms. An
instance is furnished in connection with the property
of the Count de Jamac, a resident proprietor,
who has hitherto been regarded as a favourite of the
people. A few days ago he received the following warn-
ing :—" Take Notice. If you are determined to bring
about another Ballycohey affair you'll Le met with by a
watchful antagonist, who will point at you with the hart ed
steel and lay you prostrate upon Thostown plain. Take this
caution if you value your days in this life. "To Count Jarnac,
Thostown." Conscious that ho had done nothing to de-
serve the hostility of any man, and trusting to the intel-
ligence and justice of the people, he assembled his
tenants, herdsmen, and labourers on his estate at Thomas-
town Cas-Lle on Saturday morning, and after reading the
letter, said :—" It may be supposed that this letter has
been sent to me in connection with the holding in Thcina.3-
town village which has fallen in by the death of Thomas
turns, the last life in the lease. Though the circum
stances of this tenure are well known to mcst of you, I
have had a short statement of them prepared, which I will
also read to you.' Count de Jarnac then read the statement,
frcm which it appeared that the lands—about fourteen acres
statute measure—had been let on lease for lives in 1335.
The last life, that of Themes Burns, died in America on
the 26th of November, 1868. A farmer named Ryan had
tilled the land and lifted the crops for the two preceding
years, and on being asked to give up possession of the
land he at first refused, but ultimately promised to do so,
on condition that he should be allowed to take away the
third year's crop. After he had removed the crop to his
own home, however, he still declined to give up pos-
session, and an action for ejectment was brought. He
went on to state that on the 18th instant Ryan called on
the agent and stated in substance that ho would not give
up possession. On the following morning the letter was
received through the post. Count de Jarnac earnestly
exhorted the people, for their own sakes, to assist in putting
down such disreputable practices, but it does not appear
that they gave a satisfactory response, although they lis-
tened with attention.

The Right Hon. Sir Stafford Northcote has left
Plymouth, on board Sir George Stueley's steam yacht the
Deerhound, in order to bo present at tho opening of the Suez
Canal.

At Sebfigo Lake, Maine, another accident occurred
on trrallway, owing, however, to the imprudence of a work-
man, who, having lighted a fuse, went close to the spot to
ascertain why the explosion was delayed. He died shortly
after.

The rroject for the purchase of the island of St.
Thomas is again being agitated at Washington. Ex.
Senator Doolittle has been at the capital for several days,
and has had interviews with the President and Secretary of
State in reference to the sale of the island. Senator Doo-
little acts as the agent of the Danish Government. The
President, however, is understood to be unfavourable to
the purchase of the island at the present time.

On Saturday morning, about half-past eleven
o'clock, as two men, named Peter Keay, aged 40, pikeman,
Duke-street, and John Bebb, doggy, aged 46, of John-
street, West Bromwich, were working in the New Caphall
Colliery, the property of Messrs. James Bagnall and Bons,
Greet's-green, a large quantity of coal fell, buried both
of them, and somewhat seriously bruised a minor named
William Bevan, who was close to the place at the time of
the accident. The men were got out by William Poulton
and several others, and Mr. Brown, jun., surgeon, of
Carter's-green, sent for, but Lis attendance was merely a
matter of form, as the men were dead when taken out of the
pit, and were at once removed to their homes, at West
Bromwich.

A requisition baying been presented to Col. Les-
lie, M.P., as lieutenant of the county Monaghan, requesting
him to convene a meeting of grand jurors and magistrates,
to " consider what steps should be taken to cause propel
investigation to be made into the dismissal from office of
the sheriff of Monaghan," Colonel Leslie has refused, on
the ground that (although ho thinks the dismissal of the
sheriff "arbitrary and unfair") it was "more or less a
political act," and therefore the lieutenant of the county,
being charged with the maintenance of its peace, ought not
to mix himself up with it. This requisition was signed,
among others, by Lord Templetown, Sir George Forster,
anl-Mr. S. E. Shirley, M.P. Mr. Madden, of Hilton
Park, who was the principal mover in the matter, writes
charging Colonel Leslie with In.ving neglected the inte-
rests 'IA the county of Monaghan in Parliament.
A PERVERSE VERDrcT.—A good story is told of a
judge at ono of the Neapolitan Courts of Assize. So in•
veterate is the prooen:;ity to opposition in the South=
provinces, that jurymen almost invariably return the ver
diet which they think will he most displeasing to the pro
aiding magistrate. Some time ago a roan was upon his
trial for matricide, and the judge summed up the case
very strongly against the prisoner, who was accordingly
acquitted forthwith, although there was no reasonable doub'
as to his guilt. On the following day the case on ham'
was one cf horse stealing, and the judge, rememembering
his recent mishap, concluded his charge with the following
words :—" Gentlemen, the prisoner and the horse were
together all night in a stable; in the morning both had dis•
appeared, and in the course of the day both were fount'
together. Now of two things, one, either the man stole
the horse, or the horse stole the man. You will decida
gentlemen, according to your conscience, without reference
'to my opinion ; but I believe the horse stole the man." Ir
less than five minutes the jury returned a verdict of
" Guilty." If not true the story is " well found.*