The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-09 00:00:00

OXFORD CIRCUIT.—GLOUCESTER, Dec. 8,

The commission was opened here this afternoon
by Mr. Justice Erle. The business is light, there
being at present only 10 prisoners in the county
calendar. There, however, are some of them
charged with very serious crimes. There is one
charge of wilful murder of a child by her mother,
two prisoners charged with manslaughter, one with
feloniously stabbing, one with rape, and two cases
of arson. Business commences to-morrow morning.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—LIVERPOOL, Dec. 8.
CROWN SlDE.—(Before Mr. Justice Hill.)

BRUTAL OUTRAGE UPON A GIRL.

Richard Fletcher, 30, was charged with a crimi-
nal assault upon a girl named Jane Jones, at
Fishwick, near Preston, on the 23d of August last.
The facts of the case were of the most revolting
nature, the complainant being scarcely 12 years of
age, of weak intellect, and unable to give a proper
account of the occurrence.

In summing up his lordship said the jury must
direct their attention to the point whether the girl
was capable of assenting to, or dissenting from, the
act which had been committed upon her.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty, expressing
their opinion that the girl was incapable of exer-
cising a judgment with regard to assent or dissent
in the matter.

(Before Mr. Baron Bramwell.)

JONES AND OTHERS V. LESLIE.-DISPUTED CLAIM

FOR A SHIP'S REPAIRS.

This was an action to recover £1,866 ls. 7d., the
amount incurred by the repair of a ship which
originally belonged to a Mr. Buchanan, of Sunder-
land, for whom it was built by the defendant. Be-
fore the vessel, however, was quite finished Mr.
Buchanan died, and his affairs being somewhat em-
barrassed, the defendant Leslie, in order to secure
himself, took the vessel, and sent her to Liverpool
to be repaired by the plaintiffs, who are shipwrights
at Liverpool. When called upon to pay the amount
above specified he denied his personal liability, and
said he was only acting for the executors.
The jury, however, found a verdict for the plain-
tiffs for the amount claimed.

SOUTH WALES CIRCUIT.—CARDIFF, DEC. 7,
(Before Mr. Justice Erle.)
STABBING ON THE HIGH SEAS.

Joseph Power, 28, mariner, was charged with
stabbing Samuel Beale, with intent to do grievous
bodily harm.
The prosecutor was chief mate of the ship Zeno-
bia, on a voyage from London to Cardiff, and about
midnight on the Ist of October, by directions of
the captain, he gave orders to prepare for tacking.
The prisoner, in an insolent manner, asked the chief
mate whether he was going to wear or tack the
ship, and expressed an opinion that he could work the
ship better than either of the officers. Beale told
him he had better take the command, and on his
continuing to grumble struck him lightly, when
prisoner drew a sheath-knife, and stabbed him over
the hip.
The prisoner, iif defence, said that the mate had
beaten him very severely, and that he had only
used the knife in self-defence.

Verdict, guilty. Sentenced b four years' pena
servitude.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.—Dec. 8.

(Before Mr. 'lashley, Q.C., Assistant-Judge, al
Clerkenwell.)
THE QUEEN ♦. WINN.

This prosecution was instituted by the Board of
Works for the district of Hackney against the de-
fendant, the dust contractor and scavenger, for a
nuisance occasioned by accumulations of " core" on
premises belonging to him, situate at Kingsland
Basin, and called Reliane-wharf.

Mr. Metcalfe and Mr. M'Donnell were counsel
for the prosecution ; Mr. Sleigh and Mr. Orridge
appeared for the defendant.
On a former occasion the defendant pleaded
guilty to the indictment, and the case now came
before the court, the defendant having been re-
quired, in the terms of his recognisance, to appear
for judgment. It was alleged that the nuisance had
continued since the defendant had undertaken to
abate it, and witnesses were in attendance on both
sides, whose evidence upon that point it was stated
would be contradictory. After the case had been
opened, a proposition was made for an adjournment
for three months, at the end of which period a
medical officer to be appointed for the purpose to
report to the court what had been done, and whe-
ther the nuisance then continued. A long discus-
sion ensued.

Mr. Metcalfe mentioned the case of Gore, of Pad-
dington, in which the late assistant-judge, Mr. Ser-
geant Adams, imposed a fine of £3OO, on the under-
standing that if certain things were done, it should
not be enforced. Such a course might be adopted
in this case.
Mr. Sleigh said his client would undertake to re-
move the core from the wharf three times a week.
Mr. Metcalfe thought something definite should
be:done by the court. Complaint had already been
made by the parish at the expense of these pro-
ceedings, and any cost caused by further delay must
be borne by the defendant, or he would ask the
court to give judgment absolutely or conditionally.
The names of several eminent medical men having
been suggested from which to select a reference, it
was at length agreed to draw one by lot. That of
Dr. Thompson, professor of chemistry at St.
Thomas's Hospital, was the one drawn, and all
parties said they were quite satisfied that the mat-
ter should-be left in his hands, independently of
either side. An order was then made by the court
" that the judgment be postponed until the March
sessions, 1859, and in the meantime Dr. Thompson,
of St. Thomas's Hospital, to be employed (at the
cost of the defendant) to direct the mode in which
the business shall be carried on, and. report to the
court at the March sessions whether such directions
have been carried out." •
George Rogers, 15, William Hosier, 14, and an-
other boy of the name of Dore, were indicted for
stealing five pounds of tea, the property of Peter

Parton and another, the employers of Rogers. The
latter prisoner and Hosier pleaded guilty, and Dore.
who was defended by Mr. Langford, was acquitted.
A former employer of Hosier stated that he had so
good an opinion of him, that he would take him
back into his service, and look well after him. The
court sentenced Hosier to three weeks' solitary im-
prisonment; Rogers to four months' and four
years' detention in a reformatory institution.
Mr. Orridge was for the prosecution.
Joshua Everett, 21, was indicted for stealing a box
of candles, value £4 ls.' the property of T. Gomm.
On the night of the 17th of November the pri-
soner, with two others, followed a cart belonging
to the prosecutor, in Halkin-street, and they were
seen by a female named Matilda Fox to get a large
box off the tailboard. The cart went on, and the
prisoner and his companions hailed a Hansom cab.
The driver asked them where they wanted to go to,
and on their answering Hackney-road, he refused
to take the fare and drove away. She gave infor-
mation to a policeman, who took the prisoner into
custody. The others got away, leaving the box on
the pavement.
The driver of the cart said he saw the box safe as
he crossed 'Westminster-bridge on his way from
Broadwall, New-cut, to Old Brentford, where the
prosecutor carries on the business of a grocer, and
he did not.-miss it until he got to Hammersmith,
when he found that the rope which held it. had
been cut. He gave information to the police, and
in due course learned what had taken place in Hal-
kin-street, and on going to the station he identified
the box. It contained 12 dozen pounds of candles.
For the defence a doubt was suggested as to the
identity of the prisoner, but the evidence satisfied
the jury, and they found the prisoner guilty. He
was sentenced to eight months' hard labour.
James Holt, alias Holmes, and Emma Holt; were
indicted for stealing a quantity of pewter pots, the
property of publicans. The man pleaded guilty.
Prisoners were pot stealers on a wholesale scale.
Their lodgings, 10, Greenhill•rents, were searched,
in consequence of the woman having been detected
with a pint pot, and no less than 16 were found in
a cupboard, each marked with a differant name, in
addition to a quantity of melted pewter and two
pewter pots, as large as those used by gasmen in
laying down mains in the streets. One had been
recently used, the other was new,
The woman was acquitted ; but the man, said to
be her husband, was found guilty, and sentenced to
hard labour for 12 months.

Wm. Thomas, journeyman tailor, was indicted
for indecent behaviour in the Junction-road,
Kentish-town-road.

Mr. Gent conducted the prosecution. The pri-
soner was defended by Mr. Smith.
The jury acquitted him, and the foreman said,
" We are unanimously of opinion that there was no
ground for the charge ; that the prisoner ought not
to have been taken, and he leaves the court without
the least stain upon his character."