The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-17 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—WanwicK, July IG.
CROWN COURT.
(Before Mr. Baron Pigott.)
James Scott was charged with the wilful murder
of John Pryse.
Mr. Adams and Mr. Bristowe were counsel for
the prosecution ; Mr. Fitzjames Stephens and Mr.
Buszard defended the prisoner.
The deceased was the manager and traveller of
the firm of Pryse and Redman, gunmakers, of Bir-
mingham, of which firm Mr. Charles Pryse, brother
of the deceased, was the senior partner. The
prisoner was clerk and cashier of the same firm,
and was partially under the superintendence of the
deceased. For some time Mr. John Pryse had com-
plained to the firm of the conduct of the prisoner
in neglecting his work. These complaints seem to
have very much irritated the prisoner, who fre-
quently remarked, with some bitterness, that Mr.
John Pryse was ways watching hi•
At lengt
it was discovered byte deceased that the prisoner
had embezzled some money of the firm, and on the
afternoon of the Gth of last April ho was sent for
byiMessra. Pryse and Redman, and spoken to on
the subject. Ile admitted that his accounts were
wrong and begged forgivenness. Mr. Redman
told him to leave the room and prepare his ac-
counts, after which the firm would know how to act.
The prisoner paused for a short time as if consider-
ing, and then went into the warehouse of the
establishment. 'When there he asked one of the
clerks if there were any revolvers on stock, and be-
ing shown some he selected one with seven cham-
bers, loaded it with great care, and took it away,
saying that he would try it in the yard. lie then
went with it in his hand to Mr. John Pryse's room.
What passed there is not known ; but immediately
afterwards a shot was heard, and the prisoner was
seen leaving that room with the pistol in his hand
pointed at Mr. John Pryse, who was following him.
The prisoner retreated into his own room, and two
more shots were heard. Alarmed at the shots, Mr
Charles Pryse and Mr. Redman ran to the prisoner's
room, and there saw a violent struggle taking place
between the prisoner and the deceased. The pri-
soner had hold of Mr. John Pryse's shoulder with
one band, and with the other was pointing the
pistol at his body, while Mr. Pryse was endeavour-
ing with both bands to put the pistol aside. Mr.
Charles Pryse and Mr. Redman then attempted to
wrest the pistol from the prisoner, which they
succeeded in doing after a long struggle, during
which Mr. Charles Pryse was shot through the
hand. The prisoner seeming still bent upon mis-
chief, Mr. Charles Pryse knocked him down by hit-
ting him on the head with the pistol, and be was then
secured. At the same time Mr. John Pryse fell
down, and died almost immediately, and on exami-
nation it was found that he bad received two wounds
from pistol shots, one in the body, and the other in
the region of the heart.
For the defence the absence of adequate motive
was strongly commented on, and it wa
that the pistol was fired
that the evidence showed
in bot blood, and without that
off during a struggle,
deliberation and ntention hich are necessary to
constitute the. crime of muwrder. Witnesses were
called who spoke to the excellent character of the
prisoner for quietness and peaceableness.
The jury found the prisoner guilty of murder.
his Lordship then
yo
it is my pain-
ful duty to pass sentence upon you. You have
caused the death by your act of a man who was only
doing his duty. You took his life and sent him in
a moment to his account. You thereby committed
a dreadful sin against your neighbour and God. I
exhort you to endeavour to understand the enormity
of your sin. Turn your attention, during the few
days you have to live, to make your peace with
God. Now that I have told you the miserable con-
dition in which you stand, it is my duty to pass on
you the sentence which the law pronounces. His
lordship then pronounced on the prisoner the sen-
tence of death.

COUNTY AND BOROUG'II ASYLUMS.—The total
admissions into these asylums during the past year wore
6,889. Of this number the asylum at Denbigh received
196, that at Lancaster-moor, 228 ; that at Prestwich, near
Manchester, 324 ; and the Stafford Asylum, 261. The
establishment at Wakefield, for the West Riding of York-
shire, entered 371, and tho Birmingham Asylum 263
patients, the smallest quota being received by tho Norwich
asylum, which took in during the year only 43 cases. The
total of recoveries during the year amount to 2,460, 1,000
of which number were males, and 1,460 females, and the
total number of deaths 2,588, 1,464 being of males and
1,124 of women. Lancashire has three, Middlesex two,
Staffordshire two, and Yorkshire two county asylums