The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-12 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL CRINOLINE CASE.

This case, which has caused much excitement in
Liverpool, was again resumed on Wednesday at
the police-court, which was densely crowded. The
name of the defendant is Mr. John Huntingdon,
corn and flour merchant ; and that of the com-
plainant Miss Hayes, 32, Rodney-street. A sum-
mary of the case appeared in our paper of Monday
last, and to-day the governess, Miss Marsh and the
complainant, were examined.
Miss Marsh stated that on Saturday last she, in
company with the two Misses Hayes, left Rodney-
street for the purpose of going to the Princes Park,
for a walk. They had proceeded as far as the
Prim es-p.ark-road, when they observed the defen-
dant leaning against the wall. On their approach
he came towards them, and when passing stooped
down, took hold of Miss Mary Hayes' clothes in his
right hand, and with the left, which contained a
knife, commenced to cut the hoops of her crinoline,
saying, " These hoops, these hoops, these hoops will
cut." However, he was unsuccessful, as the hoops
were made of steel, and he offered no further
violence, but walked on, accompanied by a large
black dog. On information being given to the
police, detective Horne prooeecied to one: of the
defendant's stores in Mill-street, and there saw a
dog, which the governess identified as the one she
noticed with the prisoner ; and on the prisoner
being called in she also identified him, and he was
consequently arrested. The defendant was identi-
fied by all the ladies, who swore most positively
that he was the person who accosted them so
roughly.
For the defence, Mr. Deighton, barrister, put in
en alibi, and called witnesses to show that Mr.
Huntingdon could not be the person who committed
the offence.

As the case occupied the court until late in the
evening, Mr. Mansfield reserved his decision until
yesterday, when the proceedings were brought to
a conclusion.

For a long time before the time appointed for
hearing the case the court was crowded by the
elite of the town and neighbourhood.
In giving his decision, Mr. Mansfield said that
he had never known a case of such a nature being
brought before the public, and it would be impos-
sible for him, when the vast amount of conflicting
evidence was taken into consideration, to adjudicate
upon the matter. The case, however, in itself was
a strange one. The offence with which Mr. Hut-
tingdon was charged was of a trifling nature—there
was no assault—there was no injury done—and,
but for the alarm caused to the young ladies, the
matter might be simply called a humorous freak.
He regretted that lie felt unable to decide, and the
case must go before a jury at the next sessions,
but, of course, all that would be required of Mr.
Huntingdon would be to enter into his own recog-
msances for £5O to appear when called upon.

THE LORD RECTORSHIP OF GLASGOW UNIVER-
SITY.—Lord Gleneorse having withdrawn his name as a
candidate for the Lord Rectorship of the University, the
Independent Committee of Students have, we learn, brought
forward Mr. Charles Dickens as a candidate. The election
takes place on Monday, the candidates now in the field
being, Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton (the present Lord
Rector)' the Earl of Slriftesbury, and Mr. Dickene.—Nortlt
British ,Daily

JUDICIAL STATISTICS.

A blue-book of 140 pages, published since the
prorogation of Parliament, contains a series of " Ju-
diciafStatisties" for the year 1857. These are in
two parts, the first including "Police, Criminal
Proceedings, and Prisons," and the second " Com-
mon Law, Equity, Civil and Canon Law." With
the first part published in the book before us we
have now to deal, in the form of a general, cursory,
but we hope not uninteresting review. The returns
are compiled in accordance with an order of her
Majesty's Principal Secretary of State, by Mr.
Samuel Redgrave, the " Criminal Registrar" so
called. First, as regards the police, it appears, that
the total establishment of paid police on the 29th
Sept., 1857, was returned as comprising 19,187
officers and constables of all ranks—viz., 7,301
county constabulary, 5,251 borough police, 6,083
metropolitan police, and 552 city of London police.
The total cost of this blue-coated force for the 12
months ended at the above date was no less than
£1,265,579, in which sum the metropolitan police
force figures for £442,212, and the city police for
£43,945. It must be explained that, owing to cer-
tain circumstances and new arrangements, the above
cost for the year will not bear any direct relation
to the strength of the establishment, and will be
much greater in next year's statement. The
borough police is a charge upon the borough funds,
aided by a rate when required. The county con-
stabulary and the metropolitan police are main-
tained by a police rate, and the city police is charged
altogether (as is meet and proper) upon the funds
of the corporation. A proportion of the cost of the
police, however, is voted by the House of Commons
iri Committee of Supply. The tables appended to
this return respecting the police refer to 57,273
offences committed, to 32,031 persons apprehended,
and to 17,861 persons committed or bailed for trial.
There is, however, a variance between the offences
and the apprehensions, as several persons often par-
ticipate in one crime, and, on the other hand, many
crimes are committed by the same person. Subject
to these and other explanatory remarks from the pen
of the intelligent reporter, the returns show that in
the crimes against the person the number of persons
apprehended equals and frequently exceeds the num-
' ber of offences committed, while in attempts upon the
dwelling, burglary, housebreaking, shopbreaking,
&c. (including sacrilege, or church-breaking), by
some according to the author of the " Guesses at
Truth,"regarded as a less serious offence than house-
breaking, the apprehensions are 2,084 persons to
5,428 offences committed, and in robbery and at-
tempts to rob, 854 apprehensions to 1,029 offences
committed. Summary conviction by justices has
been much extended of late years, and a variety of
petty offences are now thus dealt with. Last
year 291,030 males and 78,203 females were
prosecuted summarily, and of these 369,233
persons, 135,474 were discharged and 233,759
convicted by the justices : showing a proportion of
36.7 per cent, discharged by justices, as compared
with 24.3 acquitted by juries. But in the latter
case there is the preliminary inquiry before the
justices and the rand jnry. Of these 233,759 male
and female culprits, 101 were adjudged to impri-
sonment for above six months, 2,479 for more than

three months and less than six, 8,604 to more than
two months and less than three, 10,586 to mere
than one month and less than two, 21,386 to 14
days and upwards (less than one month), and 19,137
to 14 days and under ; 768 were sent off to Refor-
matory schools, 143,463 were fined, 525 flagellated
with the scourge or birch-rod, and 26,710 were sen-
tenced to other punishments, held to bail, or handed
over to the military and naval authorities.
The majority of these offences, remarks Mr. Re-
dgrave, represent the vices rather than the crimes
of the population. The first offence in magnitude
is assault, and it is disgraceful to the country that
there should have been last year alone 2,584 ruffians
—brutes in human form—dragged before the tribu-
nals for "a ggravated assaults on women and children."
12,750 persons assaulted peace officers, and 60,985
committed "common" assaults, as the law styles them.
The ladies take a fair share of the assault and battery
cases (15,323 against 60,706 men). Next ranks the
national vice of drunkenness (our great cause of
assaults) ; 75,859 persons, including 20,877 women,
were charged with this bestial and degrading vice
last year, but these numbers give but a faint and
shadowy idea of the extent of this vice, as
may be readily conceived. " Stealing and attempts
to steal" is the next offence, with which 38,500
persons were charged in 1857; and next comes
vagrancy, for which 32,008 persons were proceeded
against. The number of offences against the police
acts was 55,913, wilful damage and trespass figure
for 13,583, offences against the Beer and Licensed
Victuallers' Acts for 11,320, and, in spite of the
remonstrances, warnings, and representations of the
official conservators of the public health, 4,238 per-
sons violated the organic laws, and' sinned against
their own bodies," as well as those of their co-citi-
zens, by committing offences against health. 8,771
prostitutes and 9,306 beggars. swell the return of
" vagrants." Mr. Redgrave- quotes statistics to
prove the general award of substantial justice under
the Summary Procedure Act, e. g., in 1857 there
were only 50 appeals from an increased number of
such convictions, and of these 32 were quashed, 18
only being affirmed. In 1857 there were altogether
190,372 persons of the criminal, or " dangerous,"
class in the hands of the police, including 24,282
prostitutes, but what proportion this number bears
to the whole class Mr. Redgrave at present is un-
able to determine. There was a decease of 2,064
inquests, or 9.4 per cent. on the previous year
(1856). 333 deaths arose from excessive drinking.
The total cost of the inquests, including all fees,
expenses, and charges, was £61,541. So much for
the first branch of the report.