The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-22 00:00:00

to say the prisoner was i
ogfuimiteyr,cyn,otbuoft
mofurjauestrie
,eb
lit manslaughter only.
Mr. Baron Watson passed a warm eulogium on
the manner in which the prisoner had bees defen-
ded, and then summed up the evidence with great
minuteness. After explaining the distinction be-
tween murder and manslaughter, bis lordship
directed the attention of the jury to the question
whether there had been any provocation given to
the prisoner by blows, so as to reduce the crime to
manslaughter. The prisoner had stated that there
bad been a scuffle, but even he had never said the
old woman had struck any blow. When a deadly
instrument was med, it required great provocation
by blows before the crime of murder could be re-
duced to manslaughter, and the jury must say
whether or not they could come to the conclusion
that there had been such provocation in this case.
Thejury retired, and on their return into court
they found the prisoner guilty.
Mr. Baron Watson then assumed the black cap,
and, proclamation of silence being made, his lord-
ship said that after a long and patient trial the jury
had found the prisoner guilty, and in that verdict
he entirely concurred. He had looked in vain at
the evidence to see if there was anything to reduce
the crime to manslaughter. The guilt of blood was
upon the prisoner's head, and he must die, and pre.
pare himself to meet that Judge before whom he
and all must appear. Time would be given to him,
which he had not given to his unfortunate vueim ;
and his lordship implored t le prisoner to apply
himself to the consolations of religion, so that he
might be prepared fur the tribunal before which he
was about to appear. His lordshi p then pronounced
sentence of death in the usual form.
The prisoner was then removed.
Willism Charles Browne, aged 25, engineer, was
charged with forgieg au endorsement to a bill of
exchange for 1961. 165., with intent to defraud the
members of the Old Bank at Shrewsbury, on
Dec. 3 t, 1857.
Mr. Scotland and Mr. L. Warren appeared for
the prosecution ; Mr. Cook Evans (with whom was
Mr. Neale) defended the prisoner.
It appeared that the prisoner, a young man of
extremely good appearance, was, in December last
living with a Mr. Briscoe, a builder at Ketley, near
Wellington. On that day the prisoner called upon
Mr. Eyton, member of the firm called " the Old
Bank" at Shrewsbury, at his residence at Eyton,
near WelAnton, and asked him to make an ad-
vance upon a bill of exchange which he produced.
The bill was in this form :
" 1 t6l. 165., March 19.
"28, Moorgate-street, city, London, Dec. 16, 1857.
" Three months after date pay to my order in London
the sum of one hundred and ninety•six pounds sixteen
shillings, value received.
WILLIAM CHARLES BROWNE, Ketley, near
Wellington, Shropshire.
"To Messrs. A. Berrington, merchants, 28,
Moorgate-street, London, 1858."
"Accepted, payable to the Union Bank of London.
" A. E. BERRINGTON and L. ROTHSCHILDE."
Mr. Eyton told the prisoner that he did not know
any of the parties, and asked him if Mr. Briscoe
wou'd put his name upon the bill. The prisoner
said he thought he would. Mr. Eyton then wrote
a letter to a gentleman at the bank, stating he knew
nothing of any of the parties, but that he had had
dealings with Mr. Briscoe, and he had always paid
him faithfully. He gave prisoner the letter, and the
same day the prisoner presented the bill at the
bank at Shrewsbury. It then pulp°, ted to be en-
dorse I by " Thomas C. Eyton, Eyton." The cashier
believing tlie eudorssment to be Mr. Ey-toll's, as
stated by the prisoner, discounted the bill, and
gave him the amount (le.s discount) viz., 1951.
odd. The prisoner endorsed the bill in the cashier's
pres-nce, and also gave his c trd of address, and then
went away. In a short time he returned to the bank
and stated they had given him too much by 51., but
the cashier, on counting the money, found it was all
right, the prisoner's m stake, if any, having arisen
from his counting a 5/. n, to among a number of 101.
notes, as if it had been 101. Soon after his departure
some conversation took place at the back about the
endorsement, which was considered a strange thing
for Mr. Eyton to do, and inquiries being made of
Mr. Eyton the same night, it was discovered that
the endorsement was forged. Tae prisoner was ar-
rested in the middle of the night, in bed with his
little boy, and in his room was found a large por-
tion of the money, and also a receipt for about 401.
which had been lodged in a bank in Mr. Briscoe's
name. The letter written by Mr. Eyton to the
cashier was also found on the mattress. The next
morning Mr. Eytou received a letter by post
from the prisoner, stating th it he had not been
able to get the bill discounted, as they knew
none of the parties, but he was equally obliged
to Mr. Er on for his kindness. When taken
before the magistrates upon the charge, the pri-
eoner admitted that he had forged the sig-
nature, but stated that he had no intention
t) (Lir :till, and exre,tel to re,-c:vct toccy:oy by
which he would have taken up the Lill. Mr. Ey-
ton was cross-examined to show that he had re-
ceived the prisoner at his house with great kind-
ness, and that from the conversation which had
taken place the prisoner might have supposed he
had authority to use his name. The witness, how-
ever, said he had referred the prisoner entirely to
the people at the Bank, with the letter stating that
he knew nothing of the parties. It appeared that
the prisoner hid been for about 20 minutes with
Mr. Eyton, and that in the course of the conversa-
tion the prisoner produced from his pocket a fossil
fern, which Mr. Eyton accept: l as a present, to
put in his collection.
Mr. Conk Evans submitted that, upon the evi-
dence, it must be taken that this was a good bill,
and that if it had been duly presented at the Union
Bank of London when it became due, viz, on the
19th inst., it would have been paid, and no loss
would have been sustained.
Mr. Baron Watson, however, overruled the ob-
jection, and said that if the prisoner got the money
by means of the forgery, the intent to defraud was
proved.
Mr. Evans then addressed the jury, and urged
in favour of the prisoner, that if he reasonably be-
lieved that he ha I authority to use Mr. Eytfin's
name it would not he forgery, though, in fact, he
had not such authority. He contended that the
conduct of Mr. Eyton in accepting a fossil fern, an
article of great value to scientific: gent omen, and
the kind manner in which he received the prisoner's
aoplication, might have led him to believe that he
had authority to use 1 is name.
Mr. B .run Watson, in sutnnaing up, said he
thought this was the clearest case of forgery he had
ever seen. His lordship, however, went through
tue evidence at some length, and left it to the jury
to say whether the case was proved.
The jury, without hesitation, found the prisoner
guilty, and
Mr. Baron Watson sentenced him to eight years'
penal servitude.

HOME CIRCIIIT.—MAIDSTONE, March 20.
CROWN SIDE.
(Before Mr. Justice Williams.)

Wm. Bald win, a respectable-looking man, sur-
rendered to take his trial upon an indictment which
charged him with the manslaughter of Betsy
Brooker.
Mr. Russell and Mr. Addison conductel the pro-
FeCUtiOU ; the prisoner was defended by Mr. G.
D_ nman. .

T,iere was anther person named Wm. Ayerst
iocluded in the indictment with the prisoner. He
is it appeared, a Ter), aged man, and he has for a
great many years exercised the medical proresiion
in the neighbourhood of Mai.,Aone. They were
both admittel to bail, but the prisoner Baldwin
alone surrendered to take his trial.

The charge was of a somewhat peculiar nature.
The deceased was a young married woman, the wife
of a labeuring man, residing at Tovel. near Maid-
stone, and the case on the part of the prosecution
was, that by improper treatment in the course of
what was supposed to be a premature labour, but
which turned out to he a totally different matter,
the persons accused had caused the death of the
deceased. The case was not of a nature to admit
of the facts being given in detail, but it appeared
that the deceased being attacked with what she
considrerd to be the pains of labour, sent o two
different medical men residing in the town of Maid-
stone, but neither of them were able to attend, and
she then applied to the prisoner Baldwin, who re
sided at Maidstone, where he practised as aman- mid-
wife and chemist; and he wont to her, and finding
that the case was of a very unusual character, and
the decewel being in excruciating agony, he re-
quested that Mr. Ayerst should be called in to assist.
That gentleman accordingly came, and he and the
prisoner appeared to have remained with the de-
ceased during the night, and it was alleged that they
resorted to mechanical means to relieve her, and
that hy so doing they caused the injuries which re-
sulted in her death. It was admitted by the wit-
nesses that the prisouerand. Mr. Ayerst treated the
deceased very kindly, and appeared most anxious
to relieve her from the pain she was enduring, and
the prisoner from the first seemed to have declared
that he never intended to have any responsibility
in the matter, and that be only acted under the
authority-and direction of 11.1. Ayerst, who was
known to be an old and experienced practitioner. -
Mr. Denman made a very able defence for the
prisoner, and he urged, among other matters in his
claitviaortilet
favour, that there was no pesitive evidence that
Paler act supposed to have been committed by the
prisoner was the cause of death, and that in her
at the time it might, have been occasioned
\ Was don:Z_w,!de that everything
by Veneto of other_ causes. He also said that the
Mr. Ayerst, and he
that took place
coat~aelitlta _ t authorityw of
t mild be very unjust to the pri-