The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-12 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 12, 1858.

EXTRA ORDINARY OHAROR AGAINST A BRIS-

TOL OLERGY.3I- AN AND lIS WIFE.

Yesterday (Thursday) the Rev. S. Smith, M.A.,
ancl'his -wife were again placed at the bar at the
La wford's-gate Petty Sessions, near Bristol, charged
with feloniously wounding with . intent to murder
Mr. John Leach, of Croydon. The room was
crowded throughout the examination:
Mr. Garsford, solicitor, of Betkeley, appeared for
the complainant,. and Mr. Stone, barrister, de-
fended the lark:men.-
Mr. Garsford, after opening the case, called
Mr. John Leach, the complainant. fle deposed
—I live at Shirley, in the parish of Croydon, and
,am a contractor. I know Mrs. Smith, her Chris-
tian name is S. I first became acquainted with
her about the .end of December, 184t3. She was
tnen untrarried, and her name was Sarah Mills. I
wAs then porter at Swan and Edgar's in Piccidilly,
London. Sarah Mills came there as kitchen-maid.
She was there-about two years and a hAlf, and then
went into a 'situation in Tottenham-court road. I
visited her thore, and first saw Mr. Smith when
going there for her. Som, few mouths after I saw
him my acquaintance ceased. It was on a Good
irday, in 1849, when I saw him, and my acquain-
tance ceased from the foll Owing Christmas. About-
two years after, I was married. My wife died in
March, 1357. . On the 22d Jan., 1858, I received
the letter produced, addressed Mr. J. Leach, jun. I
cannota wear to the handwriting. It is a remarkably
good imitation if it is not Mrs. Smith's handwriting.

-
Mr. Garsford expressed, a wish that this letter
should be read, and the original then returned to
him. The magistrates, however, refused to admit
the letter ,except on condition of its being annexed
to the depoirttions:' • A. warm discussion ensued,
Which ended in the later being read ; it was as fol-
lows :--

" Jan, 23,1354.

"My dear Friend,—As I am now living in the country,
near Bristol, a -widow with three children, my husband
treated me more badly towards the last, and has left me a
thousand pounds. If you have not forgotten your promise
made to me when we. met and spent a day and night to-
g Aber by the sea-side in 1849, I should be glad to see you
once more, If you are. not engaged. Write to S.M., care
of Mr. Lasbury, bookseller, Park-street, Bristol, to say if
you can come, and I will write again to tell you where to
meet me. - I remain, yours sincerely. "S.M."
Examination continued—l answered that letter.

I received another letter subsequently, dated Jan.
28. I believe it to be in the handwriting of Mrs.
Smith. It was as follows :
" My own dearest Friend,—Having come into Bristol to-
day with my friend Mrs. Isaacs, with whom I am now
living at a farm-house in the country, I am pleased to find
a letter for me from you, as I feared not havieg heard from
you for such a long time, that you might be gone from your
old home to some more distant part of the country. It
being market day, I came in, as I often do, to bay a few
things for my dear little children, and I shall be coming
in to Bristol again on Sunday, 31st, with my friend, and
shall be returning again by tha five minutes before 7 o'clock
train by myself to Wapley, where I live, and if you still
care for me as you say, I shall be glad to meet you at the
Bristol and Birmingham platform at a quarter to 7, and
then you will see with your own eyes that I am your own
dear old friend Sally. Then you can come ou with me
and stop in the village all night, and we can talk over
matters together, and if you still wish t* be honourable to
me, I shall be very glad to see you, and to be yours for
ever ; but mind there must be nothing improper. I was
sorry to hear your poor mother was dead ; and more so
Ellen. I suppose you marries her. I think you might
have seen by the circumstance I mentioned in my last note
that it could be no other than your old and sincere friend
Sally ; therefore I shall subscribe myself as before,
" Same address.
" P.S. Please write directly on receipt of this, and got
it posted in London on Friday night if you can, as I shall
call for the letter as I go through on Sunday morning.
" Good bye for the present.
"If this does not reach you in time to write again, come
the Sunday following, Feb. 7, or fix some other time, and
I will endeavour to meet you."

Examination resumed—l replied to that letter.
I received another letter, in the same hand, as
follows :

" Jan. 31.

" pear John —I was glad to receive your kind letter this
morning, thoughl I must say I was disappointed you did not
come to-day. I long to hear the romancing stories you have
to tell me, and to talk to you about our future prospects. I
have not much time to write to-day, so shall only say that I
wish you very much to come by the 1 o'clock train from
Paddington next Wednesday, Feb. 3. It gets here at half-
put five, and I will meet you at a quarter before seven at
the Bristol and Birmingham Station, as I said before. The
trains on Sunday will be ill-convenient, and they may be
altered in February, so you must inquho about that, and,
besides, next Sunday all the Isaac will be at home ; but on
Wednesday next they will drive into the Circus, and won't
ba back in the country before twelve. I can come with
them and return with the same train I toll you of, and we
can have a chat to ourselves over all we have gone through
since wo last met. If you wish, yen can get something at
the hotel by the station. Dear John, as you don't say
anything about marriage, and you know we have had a
great many troubles before, I should be glad if you would
bring all my letters with you, and we will at once settle it
one way or the other.—Yours, ever affectionately,
" S. IL., in haste."
I replied to that also. In consequence of those
letters I came to the Bristol and Birmingham sta-
tion in Bristol about 20 minutes before 7 in the
evening on the 3d inst. I had with me a small
parcel of wearing apparel, and a silk umbrella.
After waiting there a few minutes I saw a gentle-
man go into the waiting-room, and I thought how
like he was to Mr. Smith. A few minutes after I
saw Mrs. Smith coming up the stairs, dressed in
widows' weeds. I went part of the way down and
met her. I shook hands, and a ked her how long
Mr. Smith had been dead, She replied, "Six
weeks.". I said it was very strange, for I had seen
a person go into the waiting-room just like him.
She said, "How could you think that ? He has
been dead six weeks." Mrs. Smith was dressed in
a dark grey shawl, a dark dress, a black bonnet
with white strings hanging down ; her f ice was
open, so that any one might hare seen her. I
asked where she was going to. She said, "To
Yate station." I got two first class tickets for
Yate. I left her on the platform for about five
minutes. We went to Yate. When we got there
I was going out the same way I saw others going.
I passed through the gate, when Mrs. Smith said
she wished to go by the common, as her
friend Mr. Isaac was coming to 'meet her, in
case I did not come` by the train as was expected.
We went to find the gate or steps leading
to the common, but it was so dark we could not
find it. Mr. Suffolk, the station-master, came to
us with a light, and said it would be impossible to
cross the common on so dark a night. I then pro-
posed going by the road, or having some convey-
ance. Mrs. Smith said she should know the way
across the common when she found the hedge, and
she wished to go that way. Mr. Suffolk lighted us
on the common. I went about 150 yards, as near
as I could judge, but we could not find the hedge.
I said we had better return and go by the road.
She made no reply, but called out "We aro lost."
I was at that time feeling with my umbrella for the
hedge. Mrs. Smith might have been three yards
from me when she said. "We are lost." A ralll'S
voice replied, "I am lost, too." I turned round
in the direction of the sound, and thought I saw
the shadow of some one approaching. I then re-
ceived a heavy blow on the back of my head. I
turned round, and saw a man, with a bludgeon
about 12 or 15 in. long, and of a light colour. It
was too dark for me to recognise the man. I re-
ceived three or four blows on the head from the
same weapon. I closed with the man, seizing him
by the collar with my left hand, and holding his
left wrist with my right hand. I threw him and
fell upon him. I held his left arm out quite straight
and held his head down. In his left hand I saw
something which I supposed to be the bludgeon he
had struck me with. I called out, " hold," and
" Murder." I did not see Mrs. Smith at this time.
Two of the railway men came to my help. One of
them took me off the pei son who had attacked me.
I found I could not stand and had to be suppotted.
A light was brought, and 1 then recognised the
enr i samegs tto the person
pp
eelrt
sas
oomun
who
liaadsbt seen
manin
swetah
erwthwooami st
rnr.ugsc. krulmotmhe
aasastbteßhi
me. I said, "Stop that poison, he has l near y mur-
dered me." No one attempted to do so. I saw
him go across to Mrs. Smith, and they both went
off together. I lost the parcel I had with me when
I fell, and my umbrella. I have since seen the
contents of that parcel in the hands of police-con-
stable Windmill.
The complainant was briefly cross-examined by
Mr. Stone, but his evidence was not affected. He
denied that he had corresponded with the female
prisoner after knowing her to be a married woman.
Mr. Suffolk, station-master at Yate, produced a
capped and loaded six-barrelled revolver, which had
been found on the scene of the scuffle the following

morning.
Chas. Haven, one of the partiesmentioned, st.tted
that on his attempting to follow Mr. Smith, the
latter said :—" The first man that molests me, I'll
blow his brains out ; and that Mr. and Mrs. Smith
then walked off towards Westeileigh.
Henry Tilley, porter at the Yate railway station,
gave confirmatory evidence.
John Beck, coal merchant, of Yate, produced
some articles of widow's apparel, which had bean
found by him on the scene of the assault.
A girl named Aplin, a housemaid in the service
of the Rev. S. Smith, proved that on the 3d her
master and mistress took tea together about
o'clock, and appeared to be on the most friendly

•
.tere-is. A little beforit
6 'o'clock her mistress went
upstairs, and shortly afterwards both Mr. and Mrs.
Smith went out, but whether they went together or
not witness could not tell. They,returned about 1
o'clock the next morning, and were on the same
friendly terms as when they left
Sergeant Russell, of the Glocestershire County
Constabulary, deposed that on: the 4th, in com-
pany with Fear and Windmill, of the Bristol force,
he went to Mr. Smith's house at Clifton, and appre-
hended hint on'a charge of assault, with intent to
murder, and highwayiobbery. Mr. Smith asked
the sergeant for his authority, and he said he had no
warrant, but apprehended. Mr. -Smith on suspi-
cion. Mr. Smith then asked permission to go up
sta;is and change his coax, which was granted, the
offic,A- following. While in .the bed-room Smith
called his wife, who wag taken into custody on the
same charge. HA said to her, ." Whatever ques-
tione, they ask yeti, make no reply:" Both prisoner.;
were taken to Bristol central station, and the ofil-
cdrs return,:d and searched the house, where a par,
col Was 'found containing wearing- apparel which
was produced, and identified by Mr. .14.,,,ach as his
property.
Windmill, a detective of the Bristol force, con-
'firmed the evidence of the last fitness.
Mr. P. D. Leman,
surgeon, .of Chipping Sod-
bury, deposed that he was eilled in to atthnd Mr.
Leach on the 3d, and found him suffering from
two scalp wounds, one in front, the other at the
back of the head ; the wound at the back was 2}
inchesin length, and extended in . depth to the
membranes of the skull. The fient wag of a simi,
lar character, but not so extensive, being only one
inch in length. Witness did - not consider these
wpunds dangerous to life, but thought if they ha 4
not been- speedily attended erysipolai Might
have supervened,' and fatal malts followed. They
were apparently inflicted by heavy .blows with a
stick.

Gellard Lock, a pupil at Mr. Smith's school,
proved that on the 23d of January he was instructed
by Mr. Smith to go to Mr. Lasbury in Park-
street. He had a card given him with the initials
"S. M.-" on it., This card he was told to give to
Mr. Lasbury, and tell him that if any letters came
there so ditected they were for Mr. Smith. Wit-
ness called again a day or two afterwards, but there
were no letters there then. He called a second
time and found two, one directed "S. M." and
the other "M. S." Took both letters, and told
Mr. Lasbury that if either was wrong. it should be
brought back, Gave the letters to Mts. Smith;
she detained the one directed " S. M.," the other
was returned.

Robert Nevale,a ssistant to Mr. Gibbs, gunsmith,
Corn-street, Bristol, deposed that on the 29th of
January Mr. Smith came to his master's :-.llep about
8 o'clock in the evening, and asked to look at some
pistols. He was shown several, but did not buy
any, and said he would call again. On the 2d of
February, about 7 in the evening, he came again,
and purchased a six-barrelled revolver, which, at
his own request, witness loaded with six balls, but
did not cap it. He asked for a receipt, and on the
assistant inquiring in what name the account
should be made out, the prisoner gave the name of
ilkicekds.
should
r sayic the Rev. Mr. Hicks.
al appearance, witness
as
The prisoner replied, " Oh, no." The account
was then made out to --Ricks, Esq.'' The
whether Noticingh shhios
pistol produced was the one sold, and was in the
same condition, with the exception that it was now
capped.
This being the whole evidence, Mr. Stone ad-
mitted that an assault of an aggravated nature
had been committed by Mr. Smith, but contended
that his wife, having been coerced, and acting
under the orders of her husband, was not ame-
nable.

The magistrat's, however, considered both
equally li Ibl,, and committed both prisoners on
a charge of felonious maiming.

BAir was refused.

REfVA.RD FOR THE APPREHENSION OF
MR. THOMAS ALLSOP.

The following placard has been largely circulated
by the police authorities :--.

2001. REWARD.-MURDER.

Whereas a warrant has teen granted for the
apprehension of Thomas Allsop, late of Nuffield,
near Reigate, In the euunty of Surrey, and for-
merly of No. 1, Royal Exchange-buildings, in the
city of London, and a member of the Stock Ex-
change, charged as accessory to the murder of
divers persons (whose names are unknown), at
Paris, in the empire of France. A reward of 2001.
will be paid to any person or persons as shall lead
to the apprehension of the said Thomas Allsop.

TRIAL OF THE RNGLISH ENGINEERS
IN THE KINGDOM OF NAPLES.

S4LEB•NO, FEB. 6.
The trial, fur the last two or three days, has not
contained any points of such interest as during the
first day, though it has been important to English-
men from the examination of Park and Watt,

After a stspension of one day the court re-opened
on Wednelday morning, when the captain and 15
of the crew of the Cagliari were examined.
After his deposition had been read to Captain
Sitzia, he protested against the chart of his course
which had been made by the Mariana Reale of
Naples. He would not, in reply to the President,
point out exactly the pint of his capture, but in
or der to do so demanded the assistance of maps and
an experienced captain.
The conmel for the defence insizted.that `rperiti"
(or proles ionoliniisqns-acquainted with navigation)
s muld be etnployt.d to ex:anine scie9tificaliy the
place where the Cagliari was taken, and to decide
whether she was out of her course.

The Procurator-General demanded that the offi-
cers of the Tancredi, which captured the Cagliari,
should bo examined; to which the counsel for the
deflice objected, on theground that the depositions
of the officers were already in their hands
The Court, after wit adrawing for a sh, rt time,
decided that the officers should again be examined;
and that the choice of "periti" Mtn-wards,. as ne-
cessity might seem to dictate, should be reserved.
Park WWI called up immediately after bi'zia. He
mani'ested no desire to alter his deposition, but
objected to its being tonaidered.that:they (the en--;
-gineers) were the independent controllers of the!
movements of the vessel. .
Watt; who was prelient this morning only fdr thci
second time, and hd even now been dragg'ed down
by the captain, Sitzia, and two or three of his com-
panions, was called afterwards. In answer to the
President, who asked whether be understood
Italian, he replied " But little," and refused an
interpreter. On his deposition having been read,
he was asked whether ho would add to it or correct
it. He became confused, and turning round to
Park, said that he did not understand, but would
assent to all that Park had said. He appeared to
me to be labouring under much nervous excite-
ment.

In like manner their depositions were read to 13
others of the crew, and though it is not extraordi-
nary that they should exculpate theruselveg, still
there was a harmony and yet a difference in the
statements of all. Their tale amounted to this, that
about two hours after leaving Genoe the insurgents
came upon them, compelled them to go below, put
guards over them, and threatened to blow their
brains out if they opposed them ; that the captain
wept and was much grieved, and that none of the
mariners lauded.

On Thursday morning Watt did not make his
appearance again, nor could anything induce him
to leave the prison. Medical men, therefore, were
sent for to decide as to his competency and iat- of
three other prisoners to appear in court. After
three hours' delay the " professori" were found,
and receiving their instructions, set off for the pri-
son. In another hour they retutned, and reported
that Watt exhibited symptoms of mental aberration,
yet that as their examination had only been laid;
they recommended a fuller examination. Do-
menico Strulese, another of the absentees, had been
left behind to watch over Watt. The chief keeper
was of opinion that force could not be used without
the chance of producing great excesses. The other
two were suffering only from temporary illness.
The Grand Court, after retiring for some time,
decided on theirreturn that five medicilmen should
examine Watt, and declare whether he is compe-
tent to appear any more. Until the consul. ation
took place all proceedings were suspended, and the
business of the day thus terminated.
Ou Friday morning, the British Acting-Consul,
Mr. Barbar, and Mr. Roskelly cane up from
Naples, in consequence of a telegraphic despatch
which was sent to them immediately after the
decision of the court.

Watt's mind seems quite broken clown by
anxiety and long imprisonment.
In the course of Friday evening Mr. Roskeily,
together with the live medical men of Salerno,
and accompanied by the acting-consul, Mr. Barbar,
again visited Watt in his prison. They have ap-
' pointed Sunday evening for another interview
before giving their final opinion.
The British public will, therefore, probably hear
in the course of a few days thAt the:r countryman
Watt, against whom no evidence worth a straw
exists, after having been the inmate of a Neapo-
litan prison since June last, is the inmate of an
asylum. Is this a question to be pooh-poohed—
to he smoothed over with soft words, or set aside
with a joke

SPORTING INTELLIGENU.