The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-05 00:00:00

THE MURDER NEAR CARLISLE.

The adjourned inquest on the body of Robert
Irwin, the old man found lying dead on the
road near Fenton, with his skall fractured and a
deep wound behind one of his ears, was held in the
Wesleyan Chapel, Fenton, on Saturday, before
Mr. Carrick, coroner.
Mary Ann Skelton, wife of Jacob Skelton, and
daughter of the deceased, stated that her father had
resided with them since last Whitsuntide. Her
father had made an appointment on Claristmas-

-
eve to go to a prayer-tie-ting at six o'clock the
following morning. He got up acc,rdingly, and
her husband accompanied him to die door, closed
it after him, and theft came back to bed. Her
husband had once struck her father, and had given
him a black eye. She did not know that her
father was about to leave them, though there was
a rumour t) that effect among the neighbours.
Her father had about 1601. lent out at interest.
Jacob Skelton was examined by his own consent.
He said he did not go to the door until after the
deceased had gone out, when he got up from the
fire and bolted the door. He did not go out but
went straight to bed after bolting the door. The
cld man carried with hiin a bVck and a lantern.
He wore a low-crowned hat, and wi,ness had heard
him say that there were holes in it. When the old
man was brought home he was quite insensible,
and a doctor was sent for.
John Bell stated that he discovered the body,
about eight o'clock in the morning, 50 or 60 yards
from Skelton's gate. The head was not on the
hard metal of the road. When the old man was
removed home, he thought Skelton's wife
" This is Chriitrnas meetings." He afterwards went
back to the spot where the body was found, and
saw a stone. It was lying on the top of the mud,
but was not buried in it.

The report of the medical gentlemen upon the
pist morte:n ex truination was here put in. it
stated that the wounds could not possibly hive bee❑
c bused by a fall, and that one fracture had been
caused before the old man fell, and the o hor pro-
bably when he was on the ground.
Mr. Donald, guperintenqent of police, produced
a hammer found in Shelton's house.

Dr. Johnstone said such an instrument at this
would be very likely to produce the wounds. The
upper wound might have been produced by the face
of the hammer, and the other with the sharp or pin.
end.

4 Eleanor Dodd deposed that Mrs. Skelton had
told her after the old man's death, that her hus-
band had set him through the gate. This sta'ement
was denied by Mrs. Skelton, but reiterated by ttie
witness, who stated that another witness was ready
to come forward and prove it.
...William Parkin said. there was only a grass plot,
15 or 20 yards wide, between his home and the
spot where deceased had been found, but he had
heard no noise. The old man had often complained
to Lim of ill-usage by Shelton, his sou-in-law.
George Johnstone, one of Irwin's executors, pro-
duced his will, bequeathing the interest of his estate
to Mrs. Skelton, and afterwards to her children.
Ann Burrow deposed that she was standing with
Mrs. Skelton at the garden gate on the day of her
father's death. In the course of conversation Mrs.
Skelton said, " What will become of me and my
bairns, for my man will never stop in this coun-
try." Witness used to wash at Skelton's once a
fortnight. They did not agree very well. The
last time she was there Skelton said ho wished the
old roan was cold in his gob (mouth). She had
heard him use such expressions often. The de-
ceased had requested her to take him as a lodger,
as he dared not stop any longer with Skelton.
Some other evidence was then gone into, tend-
ing to show that it was impossible that the de-
ceased could have met his death by accident.
After some conversation between the coroner
further there
and other. official', it was agreed that Skelton, and
adjournedsh jou..ldbetilalpFprriedhaeyndneedx,t.and the inquiry
farmers of litahve•
Skelton
committed ou
man who accused two respectable
robbed him. The men. were
held to the sessions, although it was
of theft. The
proved that Skelton
the old man Irrict
inflicted the fatal blows, suspicionad previously been convicted
is that Skelton followed
the door, and, after
having
bed. blows, returned to his

DR. LIVINGSTON, THE Avg'OalT CHM SUGAR MILL —Our readers may remember AND TES
arousing story which the Doctor told aboot a Xaerfather
used to dine with him, and who was somewhat fondwh oc:
sugar. Whet the supplies ran short, he wished to
how sugar was obtained, and on being informed that it
was made from the sugar cane, which grows there tr,
wild luxuriance, vibions of plenty arose in his mind. Ha
‘'o in procured a quantity of canes ; and when the Doctor
!old him he could not manufacture them into sugar
without machinery, he gave him ivory to purchase it,
and all the other beautiful j) things in this country
Mestrs. M'Onie and Mirrlees, engineers, Scotland-street,
Tradeston, hays a small sugar miil nearly ready for 'Er.
Livingston ; and we may venture to express the lope
that this is but an earnest of what is to follow, and that
at no distant day the olive-!abour market of Americ
will have an efitctual counterpoise in that eastern lane
Gicmgazo Chronick.

MIDDLESBX SBSSIONS.—Jan 4.

The January Quarter Sessions of the Peace for
the county of Middlesex commenced this morning
at Clerkenwell, before Mr. Paqhley, Q.C., Assistant-
Judge, Mr. Pownall, Chairman, and a bench of
magistrates. The calendar contains the names of
46 prisoners.

The Assistant Judge shortly charged the grand
jury.

By a new arrangement made for holding the
sessions there will, in effect, be a general gaol
delivery for the county every fortnight, which will
be a great convenience to the public, and the average
period of prisoners being kept in custody before
trial will not exceed eight days.
James Mitchell, 33, was convicted of feloniously
breaking and entering the dwelling-house of
Margaret Allen, and stealing therein a feather-bed
her property. The prisoner go: through a window
in the prosecutries house, and had packed up her
bed ready for carrying off, when he was detected.
He was sentenced to bard labour for one year.
Alfred Johnson, 17, and John Macdonald, 22,
were indicted for breakingand entering thedwelling-
house of Edward Smith, and stealing therein two
rings, value 101., his property. There was another
charge against Johnson, in which Macdonald was
included as an accessory after the fact. Johnson
pleaded guilty. This offence was committed on the
14th Dec. by Johnson breaking a pawnbroker's
window and taking out the property men ioned.
The case against Macdonald was that he aided and
abetted, but the evidence was not conclusive, and
he was acquitted. Johnson was sentenced to three
years' penal servitude.

Joseph Preston, a broker, was indicted for a for-
cible entry upon premises, belonging to and in the
possession of Edward Smith. He pleaded guilty,
and was ordered to enter into a recognisance to
come up for judgment when called upon.
Alfred Moran, 30, one of the most expert pick-
pockets of the day, was convicted of stealing a sum
of money from the person of one Wm. Henry Allen,
in Oxford-street. He was detected by Green, a
city officer. Fire convictions were proved against
him ; two of them were under the Summary Act,
and when before the magistrate on this charge he
pleaded hard not to be sent to trial, but the magis-
trate committed him, as he was known to be an old
offender. The Court passed upon him a sentence
of five years' penal servitude.
Richard Birch, 29, pleaded guilty to an indict-
ment charging him with assaulting and wounding
Alex. John &immer, the gate porter at Maryle-
bone workhouse.

The prisoner is a low disorderly follow, and lived
with a woman named Macdonald, whose character
is as bad as his own. They had been for some time
in receipt of relief, and the prisoner had been an
inmate of the house at times, and on the evening of
the 30th Dec. they made their appearance at the
gate and demanded relief. The prosecutor told him
he could not relieve them, and said the prisoner
could have a ticket for the stoneyard, where he could
earn ls. a-day. The prisoner said that was no use
to him, and on the prosecutor turning his head for
a moment he struck him a blow near the eye, which,
brought him to the ground in a state of insensibility.
The prisoner, as well as the woman he lived with,
bad been in prison for assaults and misconduct, and
he had refused work when it was offered him in his
trade of a shoemaker.

Mr. Tubbs, the relieving officer, proved that the
prisoner and the woman had received ample assist-
ance from the palish, and that he was an associate
of thieves.

The Assistant-Judge sentenced him to six months'
hard labour.

Mr. Metcalfe appeared for the pro.ecution, in-
structed by Mr. Randall, the parish solicitor.
(Before Mr. Creasy.) -
George Timlock, labourer, was indicted for steal-
ing 16 bushels of oats, the property of Messrs.
Cur; is, Hervey, and Co., gunpowder manufacturers,
of Isleworth, his masters ; and James Wright was
indicted for feloniously re3eiving the same.
Mr. Metcalfe prosecuted ; Mr. Mills appeared
for the defence.

The jury acquitted both prisoners.
Thomas Rickards was brought up from the House
of Correction to be dealt with es an incorrigible
ro uo and vagabond, under the Vagrant Act The
prisoner is a notorious beggar, and was taken into
cut,tody by a constable of the Mendicity Society for
stopping passers-by in Tavistock-square, and be-
seeching them "to give a few coppers to a poor
hardworking-wan with a large family to support,
to help him on the road." The prisoner has lived
by begging for 30 years, and a list of no less than
25 convictions was put in against him, that being '
less than the actual number.
Mr. Creloy sentenced him to be kept to hard
labour for one year.
Geo. Savill, 19, was found guilty of attempting
to pick pockets in Whitechapel, and desperitely
kicking the constable (181 H) who took him into
custody.

Mr. to Breton proueutecl, Mr. Platt was for the
prisoner.

The Court passed a sentence of 12 months' hard
Labour. I

_POL;CE lATELLIGEACE—Jan. 4.

GUILDHALL—James O'Neale was brought up
before Alderman Rose, charged with cutting and
wounding a man named Richardson, with intent to
do him some grievous bodily harm.
It appeared from he evidence of tho wife of the
wounded man, that he and the prisoner had some
dispute as to the payment for some rum, during
which the prisoner accused Richardson of having
an animosity against him, which so offended him
(Ricbardson)that he took off his coat and challenged
the prisoner to fight, and when the latter left him
for the purpose of avoiding a conflict Richardson
followed him up to his own room, and was soon
afterwards heard to exclaim that the prisoner hid
a poker, and he (Richardson) ran down stairs bleed-
ing from the head. He was very angry and excited,
and was taken to the hospital, where he remains in
a precarious condition, suffering from a fractured
skull.
The prisoner was remanded.

THAMES.—Patrick Murphy, aged 23, George
Sims, 22, and Catherine Crawley,.l9, who gave the
name of Sullivan when she was taken into custody,
were charged with being concerned with John Hen
nessey, remanded on Saturday, Jeremiah Kallaher,
sentenced tai two moaths' imprisonment on the 28th
ult., Catherine Halloran, sentenced to 10 days' im-
prigonmont on the same thy, and others, in the
wilful murder of Henry Morgan, a police constable
of the K division, who was savagely beaten byKal-
laher and others on Boxin;.day, and died of the
injuries he received on Saturday.
The particulars of the occurrence appeared in
The Sum of yesterday.
After several witnesses had been examined,
Mr. Self.) said he should remand the prisoners
till Monday next, but he had no objection to take
bail for Sims, if he could procure it.
Sims was remanded with the other prisoners.
An application is to be made to the Secretary of
State for Kallaher to be brought up at the next ex-
amination.

SOUTHWARK.—A short time ago two rather
ood-looking coloured girls, who gave the names of
Minnie and Rose Avery, appeared before Mr. Bur-
cham, being charged with begging in the streets.
They were dressed as American slaves, and stated
that they had escaped from Mr. Robertson's plan-
tation in Kentucky. Their case in the first instance
excited much commiseration among the charitable,
owing to the artful manner in which they told their
story, and the distress through which they were
supposed to have passed from Kentucky to Pitila
delphia. The result was that his worship had let-
ters from several of the nobility offering them com-
fortable homes, and several sums of money were
forwarded for their present necessities. Mr. Bur-
cham, however, was not perfectly satisfied as to
the correctness of their story, owing to a letter lie
reeeived, consequently the matter was put into the
hands of Mr. Braufurd, the superintendent of the
M division, who directed Sergeant Baker t) make
inquiries about them. The result was that after
considerable difficulty he suspected the younger
girl was the daughter of an Irishman residing in
Wentworth-street, where they lodged, and an old
black woman iu Chelsea Hospital. They were con-
fronted before Mr. Burcham, when they all reso-
lutely denied all knowledge of each other. His
worship, however, was of opinion that the tale was
false, consequontly he refu-es 1 to have anything
more to do with them, and they were cautioned not
to beg again. A doubt still existed that they might
be what they stated, especially as there was no di-
rect proof to the con' rary. However, it is now set
at rest, Mr. Burcham having received the following
letter frown one of the guardians of Chelsea Hos-
pital :
"Sir,—lt may be satisfactory to you to know that
you art ived at a proper cAaclusion in this case, as proved
l,y the
sea:—Toolek
hfactubseer) of
wayth e
takengiils
oanwladsiaeil
inmateof following
cil Chelsea
ill
the mother, accompanied by one
calledyofettheerdgayir,lsa,r,(i
confronted with the porters at once acknowledged that
to to-lay
yo
see the corpse, and when again
the whole was a deceit, which they were prompted by
others to practise on the benevolent. —I am, Sir, your
obedient servant,
"J. H. WALKER,
"One of the Guardians of the Poor of Chelsea.
" Wellington square, Dec. 31."

•••••••..IMI
LAM
BET II • Sarah Bennett, a middle-aged
woman of dissipated appearance, was charged with
causing such injuries to be inflicted on her daugh
ter .1i: pay, a girl of 16 years of age, that khe i 6 a