The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-06 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

THE BREADALBANE PEERA.GH CLAMS. —The claim of
Mr. John Campbell, of Fort William, Inverness, to the
dignities of Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, &c., was
again before their lordships the Committee for Privileges
on Thursday. It was a special sitting to take the evidence
of a gentleman—Lieut. Donald Campbell, the brother of the
claimant, who was very infirm, his health being in a pre-
carious state. His evidence, however, was not clear on the
point of relationship, and their lordships refused to admit it.
Several witnesses were then examined, who only spoke
Gaelic, and whose evidence had to be received through an
interpreter. The committee adjourned sine die before the
claimant's case was concluded.

OVEREND, GURNEY, AND Co.—ln the matter of
Overend, Gurney, and Co., a case came before Vice-Chan-
cellor Maims, in which a Mr. Swan claimed for £26,545.
Mr. Swan's case was that 0 verend, Gurney, and Co. were
indebted to him under these circumstances :—Messrs.
Cattley and Co., of St. Petersburg, drew bills for the
amount of £26,545 on Overend, Gurney, and Co., who
accepted the same. The bills were dishonoured at matu-
rity, as alleged, under protest, and were then taken up fJr
the honour of the drawers, Messrs. Cattley and Co., who
now claimed to be a creditor for that amount. The offi-
cial liquidator resisted the claim on the ground that there
was no evidence to shew that Cattley and Co. were unable
to pay the amount of the bills. The case ultimately stood
over for the production of certain affidavits.
SLANDER.—In a case in the Bail Court, " Copplestone
v. Sissmore," the plaintiff was a respectable tradesman,
carrying on the business of a greengrocer, and also that of
a remover of furniture. The defendant is a retired sur-
geon of the Indian army, residing near the plaintiff.
About the time of the removal of the furniture the de-
fendant lost his money, and in a moment of irritation
he charged the plaintiff with having stolen from him
twelve £5 notes. The defendant having intimated his in-
tention of withdrawing the imputation, the plaintiff con-
sented to a verdict of 25 ss. A verdict was therefore
taken for that amount.

arnEET OUTRAGE.—At the Middlesex Sessions, on Thurs-
day, Isaac Bentley was indicted for a street outrage and
stealing a gold chain and locket, value 205., the property
of a young lady named Emily Louisa Lewis, from her
person. The prosecutrix, a respectable-looking young
woman, said she was walking along Endell-street, Covent-
garden, when the prisoner rushed up to her and snatched
her gold chain and locket from her neck. This occurred
in the daylight. Prisoner was apprehended and given
into custody. He was now found guilty, and sentenced
to four months' hard labour.
DAMAGES FOR AN ASSAULT.--At the Manchester As-
sizes two actions were brought against a man named Hall,
an officer of a building society, one by a dealer in build-
ing materials named Peridy for assault, and the other by
a Mrs. Parker, a widow, for slander. Mrs. Parker was a
shareholder in Hall's building society, and some dispute
having arisen as to the amount of her contributions she
waited upon Hall in company with her friend Peridy, an
old man. In the course of the altercation which
ensued Hall called her a thief, liar, &c., and attacked
Peridy and broke two of his ribs, as well as inflicting
other injuries. The slander was denied, but the violence
was admitted. The jury returned a verdict in the slander
case for the defendant ; in the assault case for the plain-
tiff; damages,
ATTEMPTED FRAUD BY A MINER. Peter or Patrick
Bowling, a miner, has been tried before Sheriff Bell, at
Dunfermline, on a charge of attempted fraud. The
prisoner worked in the Prathouse Pit, where it is the prac-
tice for the colliers to attach to each ton of coal a string
knotted in a peculiar manner to shew who is entitled to be
credited with it on its arrival at the mouth of the pit.
Bowling had removed the string of a miner named Archi-
bald, and attached his own to the tub, with the view of
being credited with work he had not done. He was found
guilty, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment, in
addition to the five weeks he had already undergone.
This was said to be the first case of the kind adjudicated
upon in Scotland.

EXTRAORDINARY TREATMENT OF A BOY.-At the Win-
chester Assizes, on Tuesday, two ploughmen, named
Limburn and Bunday, were charged with causing bodily
harm to a boy 12 years of age, named White. While
ploughing in a field, the prisoners took hold of the boy
and put him in the furrow, and " ploughed him in,"
covering him with the earth. He remained there whilo
they made a turn. The prisoners then came back and
drove the horses opposite to where the boy was, and
turned them round, a-id in doing so one of the horses
stepped upon the boy's right thigh and broke it. He was
attended by two surgeons, and was laid up for thirteen
weeks, and his leg was still weak. It was urged that the
boy was put in the furrow for a joke, got sulky, refused
to get up again, and sustained the injury by not gettin g
out of the way. Prisoners received a good character from
their employer. A verdict of not guilty was returned.

ALLEGED ASSAULT ON A PEDESTRIAN.-At the Man-
chester Assizes, John Fleet, a pedestrian, sought to
recover damages from Mr. Bellhouse, an engineer, for
injuries received. The plaintiff was engaged in training
for a match, and while running with his trainer along a
public footpath was, according to his account, struck by
the defendant, and so hurt by being driven against the
wall that he has not been able to run so well as he could
before, and has lost two out of three matches since he was
hurt. For the defence it was stated that the plaintiff came
into collision with the defendant, and fell against the
wall. No blows were struck. The surgeon described the
injury to have been very slight, and the jury found a
verdict for the defendant.

TIIE THIEVES' BAZAAR.— The Soltt,:iWark Cileves' bazaar
case Was disposed of on Thursday at the Surrey Se,sions.
The accused couple, James and Mary Johnson, who, it
was proved, carried on the bazaar business under the
guise of honest general dealers, were found guilty of the
theft of which they were charged, and James r,ceived
seven years' penal servitude and Mary twelve months'
imprisonment with hard labour. Numerous previous con-
victions were established against the male prisoner ;
hence the disparity in the sentences.
RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY.—James Horley, tne
possessor of a large quantity of property supposed to
have been stolen, has been brought up on remand at the
Mansion . House Police-court. It was stated that, in
addition to the money and property discovered, a
savings' bank book had been found in which stood £lBO
to the credit of the prisoner. It was also mentioned
that the prisoner was connected with two building socie-
ties. A hosier recognised some of the articles discovered
as his, and stated that he had been robbed of between
£6OO and £7OO worth of property. For the defence it was
alleged that the goods were bought from time to time in
Petticoat-lane. The prisoner was sentenced to four months',
imprisonment with hard labour.