The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-22 00:00:00

J ULY 2,185 S, -

SUMMER ASSIZES.

HOME CIRCIIIT.—CHELMSPORD, July 21.
The business of the assizes for the county of
Essex commenced this morning, Mr. Justice Willes
presiding in the Crown Court and Mr. Baron Bram-
well at Nisi Prius. The cause list contains an entry
of 17 cases, two of which are to be tried by special
juries. The gaol calendar contains the names of 16
prisoners, but the only serious case is the Dagen-
ham murder.

Mr. Justiceles, in his charge to the grand
jury, made particular allusion to this case. He said
the most serious case in the calendar was a charge
against a man named Geo. Blewett, of having mur-
dered a policeman named Clark twelve years ago,
and the case, so far as the evidence was concerned,
was of a very peculiar character. He had read and
re-read the depositions most attentively, with a
view to ascertain what the theory of the prosecu-
tion was, and what was the evidence in support of
that theory, and it appeared to him to be this :
—A woman who, in 1816, at the period the murder
was committed, was the wife of a man named Page,
who appeared to have died in 1848, now came for-
ward, nine or ten years after that event, and
stated that the prisoner George Blewett, her hus-
band, and some other persow, were the parties by
whom the policeman was murdered 12 years ago.
Her statement appeared to be to the effect that on
the day of the murder, the 26th of June, her hus-
band came home, and in consequence of something
that occurred she expressed her determination to
go out with him, and accordingly she accompanied
him to the house of the prisoner, Blewett, who was
at this time employed as a horsekeeper to a farmer
in the neighbourhood named Brittain, and that
Blewett made a proposition that he and her hus-
band and some other person should go to his mas-
ter's house and steal some corn. She then stated

that they proceeded to the barn for that purpose,
and that she was left outside to watch, and upon
her giving au alarm that Clark, the policeman, was
approaching, her husband and Blewett went out
and attacked him and murdered him. This was
the sum and substance of the statement made by

he witness referred to, and they would see when

they came to hear the other evidence how far it
accorded with it and with the place where the dead
body was actually found. It appeared that this
woman was silent until last year, when she made
a communication to a woman living in the same
neighbourhood, and slia repeated the story a short
time back, and the prisoner Ble mett was then taken
into custody and committed upon the present
charge. A good many remarks and suggestions
would necessarily arise upon evidence of this de-
scription. No length of time, of course, would
wipe out the stain of murder, and if they should be
of opinion upon all the facts ►hat there was evi-
dence of the accused person having committed the
crime he would still be amenable to the justice of
the country, and it would be their duty to return
a true bill ; but where it appeared that the story
was not ttild until after the lapse of so many years
from the occurrence taking place they would all
naturally look to see if there was any corroborative
tes'imony to show the truth ofihe story. If they
should find that there was no evidence to confirm

the statement of the witness, it would be for them
to consider whether they could place entire
reliance upon her veracity, and if they should
b© of opinion that her evidence could be rslied upon,
or that it was confirmed to any extent, they would,
of course, not put a stop to the inquiry: There
were other matters, however, in connexion with
the witness in question to which be felt called upon
to direct their attention. He had already told
them that it appeared to him that there was no
corroboration whatever of her statement, and it
appeared that while she was under cross-examina-
tion before the magistrates she was undoubtedly
labouring under different hallucinations. One of
these hallucinations was that since her husband's
death she had repeatedly seen his ghost, and that
she was, in fact, constantly haunted by his ghost.
She also stated that she had seen a fire-engine in
her room, and that the neighbours considered that
she was apt to wander in her mind. She likewise
appeared to have said that when she sat down to
her victuals a devil used to come and eat her food.
He thought. it right to call the attention of the
grand jury to these circumstances, and also to the
additional fact that the witness appeared to be
under the impression that Biewett had taken away
21. 10s. of her husband's money, and that she ap-
peared to entertain an ill-feeling against him on
that account. They would, however, no doubt,
look carefully at the whole of the evidence that
would be laid before them, and if they should be
of opinion that the petty jury were not likely to
convict the prisoner he thought they ought not to
find the bill ; but, on the other hand, if they should
consider the evidence was of such a nature that
the petty jury were likely to convict the prisoner
upon it, it would then be their duty to return a
true bill and have the matter fully inquired into.
The gland jury in the course of the day came
into court with the bill against George Blewett for
the Dagenham murder, which they returned not
found.

Baron Bramwell disposed of several common
jury causes, but none of them furnished any mate-
rials for a report.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.-July 21.

-42.-

(Before Mr. Pashley, Q.C., Assistant-Judge at

Westminster.)
Hannah Lucas was brought up to be dealt with
as a rogue and vagabond under the Vagrant Act,
she having been guilty of riotous and indecent con-
duct in a certain public It'P'hwf).-,- ac er li..vin4 Lean
convicted suwwitiily as a disorderly person under
the same act. The court sen•enced her to six
months' hard labour.

R ibert Johnson, 23, was indicted for stealing a
portmanteau, containing articles of the value of Si.,
the property of Air. J. T. Norris, M.P.
Mr. _Norrs stated that he resided at Sutton
Courtney, in Berkshire. On the night of the sth
he took a cab from Devonshire-place to Long-acre,
-and a portmanteau was placed on the roof. When
the cab got to Long-acre, the portmanteau was
missed, and having made some inquiries about it,
ho went to Bow-street station, and there he found
it in the possession of the police.
The cabman said as be cussed Seven-dials, on
the way to Long-acre, the portmanteau was safe
on the top of the cab, but when he got to Long-
acre it was gone.
Michael Bowen, an errand boy, gave evidence
showing that the prisoner, with five or six others,
was concerned in getting the portmanteau off the
cab. The prisoner put it on his shoulder and
walked down Drury-lane with it. The witness told
a policeman, who went after the prisoner and asked
him where he was going to take the portmanteau.
He said he had found it in a doorway, and a 3 he
could not make out an owner he was going to take
it to the station-house. The policeman called his
attention to the circumstance that he was going in
a direction away from the station, with the proper
road to which he was not unacquainted, for he was
well known about the neighbourhood, and com-
pelled him to carry it to the station, where lie was
detained. In a few minutes Mr. Norris drove up in
the cab, and was not ,a little surpri4ed at finding
the stolen property had got there before him.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, and the Court
sentenced him to six months' hard labour.

Mr. Norris gave the boy Bowen half-a-sovereign
for the promptitude with which he gave the intl.-
ma ion which led to the recovery of The property.
William Snow, 25, was convicted of stealing a
copper boiler, the property of John Bursley, the
same being fixed to a building. The prisoner was a
well-known offender, and had been sentenced to
seven years' transportation. The Court pawed upon
h:ma sentence of ten years' penal servitude.

Win. Brant, 18, was indictel for unlawfully and
maliciously wounding Rob}. Howitt with a knife.
Mr. Abram was counsel for the prosecution.
The prosecutor said he was a cabinet-maker, and
lived at 152, ththnil-green-road, and was also a
coffee-house-keeper. He knew the prisoner from
his having been a customer, and on the 10th inst.
he was walking along the Bethnal green-road with
his wife and another person, when he met the pri-
soner, and in consequence of something which had
occurred he cautioned him net to come near his
place again, as he was only after his birds. The pri-
soner made some saucy answer, and the prosecutor
and the friend who was with him walked on, leav-
ing his wife behind. He looked round, and seeing
the prisoner in the act of sparring at his wife, he
went b:ek and pushed him away. The prisoner
then ran at him and struck him on the wrist with a
knife. The blade suck in the wrist, and prosecutor
finding he could not pull it out himself, ran off to a
surgeon's, where it was taken out, and he then
fainted away. He lost but little blood.
The surgeon's assistant who extracted the blade
from prosecutor's wrist said the wound was not
dangerous, but might have proved so if an artery
hadb3en severed. The prosecutor was still under
treatment.

The prisoner, who said nothing in his defence,
and in whose manner there seemed something very
strange, was found guilty, and the Couit sentenced
him to eight months' hard labour.

THE CHILD STEALER.
Sarah Myers, 18, who was convicted on Tuesday
of stealing a chill, was brought up for judgment.
The Assistant-Judge told tie prisoner she had
been convicted of a most odious crime, that of
stealing a poor child from its parent under cir-
cumstances of a very atrocious cba,ta,:ter. There
was reason ti beli,ve too much unfortunately that
she had pinched and tortured the child, with the
view of exciting pity by it 9 hUffelings, and thereby

the better carrying cn her trade of begging. If it
were a man who had been guilty of this, the court
would without hesitation have passed upon him a
sentence of penal servitude fur a long term of
years ; and had the prisoner been an older person,
a sentence of the last description most certainly
would be passed upon her. As, however, she was
so young, and was suffeLing from a vary painful
disease of the eyes (they were bandaged up), he
thought, under all the circumstances, the sentence
he was about to pass would be sufficient. The Court
must protect the children of the poor, who almost
of necessity played about the streets, from such
wicked practices, and her case would be an example
to deter other equally evil-disposed persons from
such iniquitous proceedings. The sentence was,
that she be kept to hard labour in the House of
Correction for 18 calendar months.

The Court heard an appeal by special appoint-
ment, " Henry Fleming against the refusal of the
justices of the Tower division to grant a licence to
sell exciseable liquor, under the 9th Geo. IV., c. 61,
to the Star, Prusum's Lland, New-crane, St.
George's East."

The house had formerly been licensed, but the
licence had lapsed, and the present appellant was a
new tenant.

Mr. Bodkin, instructed by Messrs. Wire and
Child, supported the appeal ; Mr. Cooper, in-
structed by Mr. Burnell, appeared iu support of the
decision ot the Com t below.

The Court granted the licence.
(Before Mr. Creasy.)
Richard Waters, a cripple, and Fanny Waters,
his wife, were indicted for keeping a brothel, 83,
Wells-street, Oxford-street ; and
Louise Flamant, a middle-aged Frenchwoman, was
indicted for a like offence, the house being No. 10,
Duke-street, Portlancl.place. In a second indict-
ment she was charged with keeping a brothel, 42,
Charlotte-street, Portland-place.
Mr. Metcalfe, assisted by Mr. Abram, appeared
for the prosecution, instructed by Mr. Randall,
solicitor to the parish of Marylebone ; and Mr.
Sieigh and Mr. Dunbar were engaged in the de-
fence.

Evidence was given which clearly proved the
character of the house kept by the Waterses, and
they were found guilty.
In the case of Flamant evidence was given to
rebut that adduced on the part of the prosecution,
and to show that the house, 10, Duke-street, was
let out in lodgings to respectable persons, and that
part of it was occupied as offices for the Societe
Frauclaise de Bienfaisance, but the jury, with
little hesitation, returned a verdict of guilty, and
Madame Flamant was ordered into custody. On
being removed, shs declared her innocence, and
said she would never go to prison, and resisted
violently. The sentences were postponed.