The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-03 00:00:00

WESTERN CIRCUIT.-WINCHESTER, DEC. 2.

The commission for holding the winter assizes
for the county of Hants was opened in this city
yesterday afternoon by Mr. Justice Byles. His
Lordship then attended divine service at the cathe-
dral. This morning the court was opened for
business. The calendar is perfectly shocking.
There are forty prisoners for trial, but among them
there are no less than eleven cases of rape and un-
natural offences.

The learned Judge, in delivering his charge to
the Grand Jury, observed, with reference to this
particular class of offences, that they might perhaps
in some degree be attributed to the crowded state
of the dwelling-houses of the poor, where whole
families were huddled together in one room, and
there was'no distinction between father and daugh-
ter or between mother and son, or brother and
sister. Those who assisted to prevent such a state of
things not only did good during their lives, Ibut laid
the foundation for immense benefits to arise in ages to
come,when they should be no more. In well-regulated
houses from whom did the child learn his first, his
best, and most lasting lesson ? From his mother ;
where the paternal home was the school of virtue,
the temple of religion.
Joseph Hibbert, Edward Cassidy, and Charles
Nicholls were indicted for shooting at G. A. Smith,
with intent to kill and murder him.

Mr. Poulden prosecuted.
On the night of the 13th of August last Smith,
in company of a policeman, was walking over his
father's farm. They saw tke three prisoners who
were privates in the 15th Regiment, rabbit ;hoot-
ing. Smith went up to' them and requested them
to go to his father, as they were trespassing. They
consented, and gave up their fowling pieces. The
father said he should:summon them, and they went
away, and about half-past 10 that night they came to
the house of the father and asked for their muskets,
which Smith refused to give up, upon which one
of the three prisoners said they had a charge for
him. They then went round to another part of
the house one of the prisoners saying " Fix
bayonets." Smith, fearing violence, went down
from his bed room and fetched his gun ; on his
return to the upper room a shot was fired. Smith
was about to open the casement, when' a bullet
passed through a pane of glass, and close to his
head. Upon that Smith fired in return, and two
other shots were fired from without. Smith saw
all the prisoners. One of the balls (rifle) penetrated
a brick wall 31 inches. The sentry of the 15th
Regiment and the colour-sergeant of the guard
proved that about 11 o'clock the prisoners returned
to the barracks, having, several rounds of ball
cartridge and two rifles m their possession. The
next morning the prisoners were taken into custody.
They made several statements which materially
differed, but Cassidy said he wished he had done
more. Hibbert admitted having fired the shot at
the window. Nicholls said as soon as he heard the
noise of firing he fell down on his face.
The jury found Hibbert and Cassidy guilty, with
intent to do grievous bodily harm, and acquitted
Nicholls. The two former prisoners were then
sentenced, Hibbert to four years' penal servitude,
and Cassidy to 12 months' imprisonment, with hard
labour.

Emily Evans, Emma Walker, and Matilda
Hughes were indicted for forging two receipts for
£6 and £lO, with intent to defraud the trustees
of the Portsmouth Savings' Bank.
Mr. Poulden and Mr. Gunner conducted the
prosecution ; and Mr. Coleridge defended the pri-
soner Walker.

It appeared that a person named Mary Ann
Howard had deposited £l6 in the savings' bank at
Portsmouth. She died some months since. Before
her death she had married a person named M'Shaen.
Mrs. Evans, the prisoner, was her sister, but the
money had been deposited in the bank-long before
the marriage, and it remained in her original
name. When Mary Ann Howard deposited the
money she made her mark, stating that she could
not write. On the 11th of May last Matilda
Hughes went to the bank and gave notice to with-
draw the money of Howa:d, and made a mark to
the notice stating that she was Mary Ann Howard.
She afterwards went to the bank and obtained £6
and £lO in the name of Mary Ann Howard. After
the discovery that the money had been withdrawn
M'Shaen's attorney saw Hughes, who said she had
been innocently drawn into it, and did. not know
she was doing wrong. She said she was a married
woman. - She knew Walker, with whom she dealt.
Some short time before Walker said she was pressed
for money, and Mrs. M'Shaen owed her £l6, and
Evans asked Hughes if she would go to the savings'-
bank and get the money, and said Mrs. Howard
was her sister, but that Hughes would not get into
any trouble about it, as there was no such person
as Mary Ann Howard in existence. Evans gave
her a book, and told her to go to the bank and say
she was Mrs. Howard, and if they asked her to
write her name she was to say that she could not
write, and she was to make her mark. Accord-
ingly she went to,the bank, gave in the book, and
put her. mark to a notice to withdraw the money.
In some days afterwards, Mrs. Walker sent for
Hughes again. Evans told* her to go to the bank
again and deliver the book, and they would give
her £l6. She went and obtained the money, and
gave it to Mrs. Walker.. Mrs. Evans was present,
but had not any of the money. When Mrs.
Walker was taken up she said it was hard she
should suffer for taking her own. Evans said she
she had the other £lO, and she was only - sorry
she had not taken the lot of it, as it was her sister's
money, and she had no business with it. Hughes
afterwards said that what she had done sire had
done by the persuasion of Mrs. Walker and Mrs.
Evans, who had told her she should not get into
any trouble, and they had told her what she was
to do. .

- Mr. Coleridge, for Walker, urged that she had
no intention 'to defraud any one. Mrs. Walker
alleged that Mrs. M'Shaen owed her £l6, and she
thought upon her death she was justified in getting
it from the savings-bank. The bank, book was
always kept by Mrs. Evans, the sister of Mrs.
M'Shaen.

The prisoner Evans stated that her sister told
her to draw out some of the money and pay Mrs.
Walker, and if anything happened to her to take
it all, and not let her husband have any of it.
A witness, named Mrs. Nicholson, was called
by Evans. She stated that she had heard Mrs.
MtSham tell Evans that the moneythat was in the
bank was hers.

The learned Judge having summed up the case,
The jury found Walker and Evans guilty, and
acquitted Hughes. The ,two prisoners were then
sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.—STAFFORD, Dec. 1.
CRIMINAL COURT.
(Before Mr. Baron Bramwell.)
George Wilton' 28, clerk, was charged with
forging an order for _ the payment of £5O on the
16th of August, 1858, at Walsall, with intent to
defraud the Shropshire Banking Company, and also
with uttering, the same knowing it to be forged.
Mottierain, appeared for the prosecution ; Mr.
Scotland and Mr. Holriijil defended' the prisoner. -
It appeared from the evidence that on the 16th
of August last the prisoner and another went to
Messrs..Duignan's bank at Walsall, and presented
a letter of credit for £5O on the Oriental Bank at
Melbourne, in Australia, in favour of " Robert
Thomas." The clerk asked the prisoner whether
he wished the Bank to collect it, and he said he
did. He first said he lived at Birmingham, and
then he gave his address at 32, Dog-pole, Wyle-
cop, Shrewsbury. The clerk saw that the letter of
credit was endorsed with the name of " Robert
Thomas," and he asked whe:,her that was his name,
and he said it was. The clerk said he would- make
inquiry about, it and if the prisoner would call
again m a day or two he should have an answer. He
retained the letter of credit, and gave the prisoner
a receipt for it. The letter of credit was drawn
upon the Oriental Bank Corporation, Melbourne,
in Australia, authorising that bank to " honour the
draught of Mr. Robert Thomas for £50." The fact
of the endorsement of the name of Robert Thomas
excited suspicion, and on the same day the prisoner
was taken into custody at Walsall and charged
with stealing the letter of credit The.prisoner at
first said ho had bought it of a person who owed
him £2, but, upon his being searched, in his pocket-
book was found a letter of which the letter of credit
ha: originally fornied a part, and from which it
had been cut. The letter was dated " July 31, 1858,
Eaton Constantine," and, it being shown to the pri-
soner, he then stated that a Miss Thomas had given
him the letter to post to her brother, but he had
failed to do so. The receipt for the letter of credit
was also found upon the prisoner, who then gave
his name as George Wilton, and said he was a
clerk, but lived nowhere. Miss Thomas, the daugh-
ter of a farmeip at Eaton Constantine, near Walsall,
said she had abrother, Robert Thomas in Australia,
from whom she had not heard for some time. She
produced four letters, which she said she had re-
ceived from the prisoner, writing under the name
of "W. Maitland," and that she afterwards saw
him at Birmingham, when he said he would try to
get her brother home. In consequence of what he
said. she paid £5O into the Shropshire Banking
Company, and wrote a letter to her brother Robert
Thomas, in Australia, which, with the letter of