The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-31 00:00:00

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THE SUN, LONDON. THURSDAY EVgNING, ocroBER 31, 1867.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

THIS DAY.

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Byles.)

TILL ALLEGED FORGERIES ON THE LEEDS BANK.

An application was made to the learned judge
this morning on his taking his seat on the bench,
for a further postponement of the trial of Thomas
Edgley, who stood indicted for -feloniously forging
and uttering a bill of exchange for the payment of
the sum of £1,037 10:3. with intent to defraud ; and
also for unlawfully conspiring with one Van Cleef,
Alfred Tcele, and divers other persons, by false
pretences, to cheat and defraud the Leeds Banking
Company. The grounds of the application were
that Greenland, who was a material witness, was
at present in such a delicate state of health
at Geneva, that undertaking such a long journey,
and undergoing afterwards a long examination,
would perhaps result in causing his death. Dr.
Villars, another witness, was also suffering from
illness at Folkestone, and other persons, whose
evidence was most important, were unable to be in
attendance.

Mr. Giffard strongly opposed the application.
The trial had now been postponed for a very long
period, and he believed the result of a farther delay
would be to lead to an indefinite postponement,
because a witness was in attendance fromServia, and
had been so for a long period. If the prosecution
did not proceed that person would return home,
and then great expense would have to be incurred,
and that it was very uncertain whether the case
would ever come to trial at all.

After some further discussion, the trial was post-
poned until the next sessions.

ALLEGED ATTEMPTED MURDER.

James Green was indicted with intending to kill
and murder his wife, by discharging a loaded pistol
at het.

It will be recollected that the prisoner was an
engineer's labourer, and resided in the neighbour-
hood of Bermondsey. He had become jealous of
his wife, and having quarrelled with her he left his
home and purchased a small pocket pistol, and
afterwards some gunpowder. After buying the
latter he asked the shopkeeper whether he could
supply him with some slugs wherewith to
load the weapon. He could not procure
them, and he afterwards purchased some No. 4
shot. On meeting his wife, from whom he had
been separated, in the street some time after, he
was observed to follow her, to level the pistol at her,
and afterwards pull the trigger, but the weapon did
not explode. On being taken into custody he made
certain observations, regretting the misfiring of the
pistol, and at the same time he expressed a wish
that he had used a knife instead of firearms, and
then he could have settled with his wife. On the
charge being drawn from the pistol a small piece
of paper was discovered underneath the nipple, which
of course would prevent the pistol going off, but
the learned judge put it to the jury that if the pri-
soner pulled the trigger with intent, &c., then
he was as guilty as if he had actually fired the
pistol. It was discovered during the trial that the
piece of paper found underneath the nipple corre-
sponded with that used in place of wadding, and
the prisoner's counsel raised a strong point in his
speech for the defence, to the effect that the
prisoner, it was clear, when he loaded the
pistol, never intended it to go off ; but the
observation was met by one from the learned judge,
who, in alluding to the circumstance in his sum-
ing up, remarked that, if it was to be believed that
the prisoner did not intend to injure his wife, but
only to frighten her, it seemed most remarkable
that he should have been very anxious to purchase
slugs to place in the pistol.
It was urged that in consequence of the miscon-
duct of his wife the prisoner's mind might have
become unhinged, but then his lordship said, it
must be clearly shown that at the time the pri-
soner loaded the pistol he was in such a state of
mind as to be incapable of distinguishing right from
wrong. But it would also have to be considered
that about that time the prisoner was seemingly
collected enough when be was ende.avnnr;nEs +0 Fur
chase the bullets for the pistol.
The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a
verdict of guilty on the first count of the indict-
ment, with a very strong recommendation to mercy
on account of the great provocation he had re-
ceived.

His Lordship said he would take care that the
recommendation of the jury should be forwarded to
the proper quarter, but he could not of course say
what the result would be. He had but one duty
to perform, and, as the jury had found the prisoner
guilty, the sentence of the Court was that the pri-
soner be kept in penal servitude for twenty years.

days, and he is a jibbcr. I had last night be,tn.
drinking a little, and the horse would not go, and
put a little gravel or dust in its mouth to make it
better tempered. There is nobody kinder to hol uses
than myself, but I certainly did lose my ten per
and beat it, but lam sorry I did so. I have t ried
to work it in a cab, but it's no use.

Mr. Knox—l certainly do not pretend to mt Ed)
experience of horses, but I never beard of the pr;Lc-
tice of putting dirt into their mouths to make
them go.
Young—l have never heard of its being done but
only by cruel persons and horse " corers."
Mr. Knox—The prisoner has been guilty of abo-
minable cruelty. I never heard a much worse case,
and I shall not give the prisoner the option of pay-
ing a tine, but shall commit him for a mouth with
hard labour.

The prisoner seemed rather surprised at the deci-
sion.