The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-01 00:00:00

a ditch and struck him with a life•preserver, and
another mar, wl,r, Ira-. s'yted to bc the other pri-
soner, then came up, and the two rifled his pockets
of the money and other property that was about his
person. It was proved that both the prisoners
were drinking at a beer-shop about the time the
robbery was committed, and that they were seen
following the prosecutor, and there was no reason-
able doubt, upon the evidence, that the prisoners
were the parties by whom the offence was committed.
The prisoner Dimmock, when called upon for his
defence, made a very plausible statement, to the
effect that he was entirely innocent of the crime of
which he was accused, and he csserted that the
pie robbery was committed by his fellow prisoner ; and
said he told him at the time that he was afraid
he would get him into trouble, although he was
quite innocent.
The other prisoner Richardson, before he made
his defence, asked the learned jadge to inform him
whether the statement that had been made by his
companion would be taken as evidence against him.
Mr. Justice Wightman said—Certainly not, and
he should tell the jury that it ought not to weigh at
all against him.
Richardson then made a long and elaborate state-
ment to the jury. He commenced by expressing
his regret that he was unable to address a Court
and jury in the manner they should be, by reason
of his want of education, but he said he hoped to be
able to satisfy them that there was no foundation
for the charge that had been made against him. He
said that he was a bricklayer, and having been
thrown out of work by the strike in London, he came
down into Hertfordshire to seek for employment,
and between Hatfield and Essenden he met his fel-
low-prisoner Dimmock, whom he recognised as
having been in confinement with him at Portland.
They got into conversation, and Dimmock told him
that lie had been living in the neighbourhood,
and that he bad " wormed himself" into the
good opinion of the squire and the parson, and that
he intended to rob them both the first opportunity
that presented itself. He then detailed several
plans he had made to commit different robberies
during the winter, and said that when he had got
all he could he intended to leave the place, and he
wishul him (Richardson) to join in these robberies,
but he refused to do so. They then went to a beer-
shop, ami Dimmock told him that there was no one
in the house but an old man and woman and a girl,
and he knew where they kept the money, and he
proposed to :secrete himself in an up-stairs room,
and to come down in the night and let him in • and
he said that they could then join in the robberT.
He declared that he refused to have any concern in
the matter, an :d Dimmock afterwards told him that
he had watch ed an old farmer, whom he believed
to be the prosecutor, and that he should have
robbed him on a previous night if he had not had
some one w.ith him. The prisoner then went on
to say that Dimmock and another man whom he
called his mate were the persons who robbed the
prosecutor, and that he now had the treachery, or
rather, as he said, the " villany " to accuse him of
it, in ordc r that he, who was the really guilty
party, mit ;ht escape punishment.
The lea rued judge having summed up, the jury
almost it amediately returned a verdict of guilty
against 1 )oth prisoners, and certificates were put in
by whin li it appeared that they had been previously
convict( 3d of felony, and sentenced to four years'
penal s ervitude.
The-
f or ten years.
y were sentenced to be kept in penal servi-
tudeLoi 31 Chief Justice Erle was engaged the greater
part of the day in trying an action for slander,
whin ;h did not possess the least feature of interest
to t) le public.